A "pretty good" Christian

Today I was riding in the car with the local Christian radio station on (yes, it does happen occassionally) when I was struck by the comments of a caller. He said, "Yeah, I'm a Christian myself...I try to do good, and I talk about God some. I wouldn't say I'm a great Christian, but I do pretty good."

I can't help but wonder if behind this comment is a righteousness that is, at least in part, based upon works. I think it is more implicit, but there nonetheless. My feeling is that many Christians understand that they are saved by grace but fail to understand the keeping power of God through sanctification that is also entirely a work of grace. They feel that God has done His part and now they are obligated to do theirs. Of course, they fail miserably to live up to even their own standards, and feel on good days they are "pretty good" Christians at best.

When we truly understand salvation by faith through grace, I think we will stop thinking in categories of great, good, marginal, and "hanging by a thread" Christians. If this man has truly professed faith in Christ and has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, he is not just a pretty good Christian. The grace of God is more powerful than good enough. It is more than enough to declare righteous the worst of sinners.

It is perfectly appropriate to talk about maturing in Christ, but this is very different from the burden of moralism that continues to enslave so many.

Body Gospel

The latest Christian marketing ploy is a "new" workout program called Body Gospel. That's right, I am not making this stuff up. When I first saw it advertised on television I could hardly believe it. This post could easily turn into a long rant, so I will try to articulate a few of my greatest concerns about this product.

First of all, the name choice bothers me. The word gospel has a very sacred meaning (or at least it should) in the Christian context. Now, I realize in the Greco-Roman world this term originally carried a political rather than spiritual meaning. However, the Gospel writers took this term and gave it a new, more profound meaning when they employed it to refer to THE good news regarding Jesus Christ. Therefore, I think we tread dangerous waters whenever we imply that there is any other good news anywhere close to being as important as THE good news. Saving money on your car insurance, or perhaps loosing some weight through a workout and diet program, is indeed good news. But this is not gospel, and by calling it such I think we diminish the importance of the gospel.

Second, this product is another example of an unnecessary product that is a replica of similar products on the market. This product was created to capitalize on the Christian subculture which likes to buy "Christian" products. This phenomena deserves a post (or series) of its own, but that is for another day. Their material claims, "Body Gospel is different because it has a variety of workouts. There's muscle conditioning, cardio, stretch, resistance training, circuit, and the foundation of the workout is God." Let me reiterate that this product is offering nothing new. There are an endless number of diet and exercise program out there, all with their own claim to fame. Furthermore, they are implying that other programs might not allow a Christian to workout to the glory of God because they are "secular" and not labeled Christian. Hogwash. I don't need Christian running shoes, Christian vegetables, Christian sweatbands, Christian hiking boots, a Christian water bottle or any other product or service to understand the importance of caring for my body (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Why don't we use the creativity God has given us to generate new ideas rather than repackaging a Christian version of what has already been done.

Finally, this product is yet another example of the distortion caused by the prosperity gospel. They claim, " [...] with Body Gospel, if you believe, you will succeed." They are implying that if you have enough faith, you will meet your weight and fitness goals. This is simply not true. The Bible never promises that we will succeed at everything we do. Secondly, we must recognize that our definition of "success" might be different from God's plan. I am not saying that God doesn't want you to loose weight, it is certainly possible that one way you could be honoring God in your life right now might indeed include eating better and exercising. However, we must move away from the sense of entitlement with which many Christians approach God. He is not a vending machine. You cannot simply say the right words and have enough faith with the expectation that God must give you what you want. 

So, go for a long walk. Join the local gym. Play some ball with your kids. Pull the dusty workout program off the shelf you bought last year. But don't feel like you need this product to have a "Christian" workout.

Postmodern Mutilation of the Bible

The following dialogue is from a CNN interview between Larry King and Jennifer Knapp. I am not picking on her because she recently came out that she is gay. I would like to share some thoughts on this but that conversation is for another day in another post. The reason I am sharing this interview is because it is yet another example of a Christian (or at least someone claiming to be a Christian) going on the Larry King show and completely misrepresenting the faith. In this case, she is articulating a thoroughly postmodern, relativist approach to the Bible which should not be held by any orthodox Christian. She presents an absolutely mutilated viewpoint of the authority of Scripture. Furthermore, she tries to act like she is knowledgeable by mentioning the Greek text of Scripture, but clearly she does not have a orthodox view of the Bible. You cannot just "read your own interpretation" into the Bible.

Finally, if any of you talk to Larry King...tell him I would love to come on the show and finally present an accurate view of what it means to be a Christian. I don't presume to represent Christianity because I am without sin, but precisely because I acknowledge I am a sinner. Larry please have me on your show and I will tell you how much of a mess I am, and how great my Savior is. Please, Please....Larry, bring a Christian on your show who can actually articulate the gospel.

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KING: No problem for you to be Christian and gay.

KNAPP: Not with myself personally, no.

KING: You don't feel that your Bible speaks against it. Or, do you?

KNAPP: Well, I think there's plenty of evidence in my exploration of my faith through the sacred text of the Holy Bible that I have definitely recognized that we are somewhat at the handicap of our own interpretations of a sacred text. Let's take for example the original Greek translation of which I am no academic scholar of. Yet, you know, we all know that any time that we read a book or we read any kind of word, that it becomes the interpretation of our life's experience, what we want to bring out of that.

And so, I mean, in the long run, I don't have the greatest deal of problems with it because there are other -- there are not -- I'm not the only person in the universe that's ever, you know, looked at, you know, a different interpretation. We have --

KING: We can read things into any things.

KNAPP: Yes, doesn't make the truth any less the truth or love any less love.
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This portion of the transcript from the show was taken from: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1004/23/lkl.01.html

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing us." Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer

"You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You." Confessions, Saint Augustine

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." Desiring God, John Piper

"What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we set ourselves in life? To know God. What is the 'eternal life' that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God. 'This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent' (John 17:3). What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight, and contentment, than anything else? Knowledge of God." Knowing God, J.I. Packer

"Do you feel pressure to be good all the time?"

I don't want to make a habit of this, but I want to provide a link to a post I just wrote on my personal blog. I think the story might be interesting/relevant for readers of Faith Comes Though Hearing who might not read my personal blog. Read it here: "Do you feel pressure to be good all the time?"

Thesis/Summary of the story: "The gospel has been covered up by far too many layers of secondary issues"

Monday AM Prayer

O God, our Father,
We thank you for Jesus Christ our Lord,
and for the great hope that he has given to us.

For the victory he has won;
That he defeated the attacks of the Tempter,
and that he can also enable us also
to overcome evil and do the right;

For the opportunity to be called sons and daughters that he achieved for us.
For the life that he has opened to us;
That in this world he has given us life
and life more abundant.
That in the world to come
He has promised us everlasting life.

So grant that, victorious with his victory, pure with his purity, and living with his life, we may never be ashamed of gospel hope. This we ask for your love's sake. Amen

From Prayers for the Christian Year by William Barclay. Some wording changed by Aaron Elmore.