A pretty good religion?

In a recent book, An Atheist Defends Religion: Why Humanity Is Better Off With Religion Than Without It, author Bruce Sheiman reminds readers of what many sociologists of religion have proven time and again: that religion helps people live happier and healthier lives by giving them meaning and purpose.

'Religion' benefits society enormously, Sheiman and sociologists note, by establishing food cupboards, hospitals, schools, rescue missions, water wells and what not. As the subtitle says, humanity is better off, on the whole, as a result of religion.

But Christianity Today senior managing editor Mark Galli takes issue with that viewpoint and its consequences.

“Christianity can't help but be a religion. It is composed of human institutions that of necessity use moral and social techniques to make a go of it. There's no getting around that.

“But if people look at us and see only religion, and worse, pat us on the back because humanity is better off because of us—well, that's about the most damning thing they could say.

“.... The gospel isn't primarily about helping individuals to live the life they've always wanted; it tells people to die to their yearning for self-fulfillment. It is not about helping people feel good about themselves, but telling them that they are dying. It's not about improving people, but killing the old self and creating them anew. It's not about helping people make space for spirituality in their busy lives, but about a God who would obliterate all our private space.

"The gospel is not about getting people to cooperate with God in making the world a better place—to give it a fresh coat of paint, to remodel it; instead it announces God's plan to raze the present world order and build something utterly new.

"The gospel is about the Cross, which puts a nail in the coffin of religion as such. And the gospel is about resurrection—not an improvement nor an adjustment, but the breaking in of a completely new life because the old life has been obliterated.”

You’ve got to read the entire article (don't worry, it's short) to get the full gist!

The furious longing of God

"The gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus is meaningless unless we believe that he lived, died, and rose again with but one purpose in mind: to make brand-new creations. Not to make people with better morals, but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of it all, the very heart and mystery of Christ, into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy, boldness, and extravagant, furious love.

"This, my friends, is what it really means to be a Christian. Our religion never begins with what we do for God. It always starts with what God has done for us, the great and wondrous things that God dreamed of and achieved for us in Christ Jesus."

―Brennan Manning, in The Furious Longing of God

News Flash: You are not your feelings!

(Adapted from a devotional by Rick Warren)

Everything on earth has its own time and its own season.”
– Ecclesiastes 3:1, CEV

God’s omnipresence and the manifestation of His presence are two different things. One is a fact; the other is often a feeling. God is always present, even when you are unaware of Him, and His presence is too profound to be measured by mere emotion.

Yes, He wants you to sense His presence, but He’s more concerned that you trust Him than that you feel Him. Faith, not feelings, pleases God.

The situations that will stretch your faith most will be those times when life falls apart and God is nowhere to be found. This happened to Job. On a single day he lost everything: his family, his business, his health, and everything he owned. Most discouraging—for what is recorded in the next 37 chapters, God said nothing!

How do you praise God when you don’t understand what’s happening in your life and God seems silent? How do you stay connected in a crisis without communication? How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they’re full of tears? You do what Job did: “Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised’” (Job 1:20–21 NIV).

Tell God exactly how you feel. Pour out your heart. Unload every emotion. Job did this when he said, “I can’t be quiet! I am angry and bitter. I have to speak!” (Job 7:11 TEV)

He cried out when God seemed distant: “Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house” (Job 29:4 NIV).

God can handle your doubt, anger, fear, grief, confusion, and questions. As huge as they may feel or even be, our God would not be God were He not bigger and Beyond all of it, all of them, ALL.

How great are your expectations?

People tend to become what they think we expect them to be. If you communicate to the people around you that you expect them to be lazy, uncreative, and negative, that’s probably how they will respond to you. On the other hand, if you treat people like winners, they’re likely to become winners. Psychologists call it “The Pygmalion Effect.”

Purpose-Driven Life Pastor Rick Warren tells the following story, which vividly illustrates this principle:

“A friend of mine, Bruce, taught college in Oregon for awhile. When he began his first semester teaching there, he was told that the college placed students in English classes by their level of ability. Bruce was assigned to teach two “average ability” classes and one “advanced ability.” He really enjoyed teaching the advanced class: they seemed more alert, more fun, asked better questions, and, as expected, had a higher grade average than the other classes.

“On the final day of the semester, Bruce commented on these differences to the other professors in the faculty lounge. He said he hoped to get more of the advanced classes next semester. But to his surprise, his department director said, “Bruce, I don’t know where you got your information but we phased out the average/advanced distinction a year ago. You’ve been teaching mixed classes all semester like the rest of us!”

“Bruce couldn’t believe it! He checked his records, and sure enough, there were far more A’s and B’s in the class that he thought was full of smart kids. And he really had enjoyed teaching that class more. But the only real difference between the classes had been Bruce’s expectations of them."

Would you like to bring out the best in those around you? Here's the key: Treat them the way they could be! Don’t just “tell it like it is.” Tell it like it could be.

Jesus said, “According to your faith it will be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 NIV). What are you expecting from yourself . . . from others . . . from God?

(Adapted from What Do You Expect?)

Life is like a rainbow: You need both the sun and the rain to make its colours appear

Okay, so maybe we've had quite enough rain in these Highlands of late. But the scene below greeted and cheered me a few evenings ago.

Those overarching colours of the spectrum always signify promise: the rain does end, the clouds do break up, the sun remains even if partially hidden and will soon burst forth. Its peeking through even while the clouds and rain remain produces such an unlikely arc of brilliance and colour even the most unbelieving heart has to smile at the show.

Biblically, the rainbow was to be a sign of God’s covenant of love between Himself and all living creatures on earth. No more village-sized wooden arks would be needed for flood protection.

A few great rainbow quotes:

“And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.”
―G.K. Chesterton

“No vision and you perish;
No ideal, and you're lost;
Your heart must ever cherish
Some faith at any cost.
Some hope, some dream to cling to,
Some rainbow in the sky,
Some melody to sing to,
Some service that is high.”
―Harriet Du Autermont

“Weekends are a bit like rainbows; they look good from a distance but disappear when you get up close to them.”
―John Shirley

And finally:
“Don't miss all the beautiful colours of the rainbow looking for that pot of gold!”