Evangelism: You're Doing it Wrong!

My oldest child had to present a research paper on a controversial topic recently. She chose same sex marriage. Because the culture in our small town is dominated by people who believe in the government's right to limit the rights of the individual (while oddly and inexplicably claiming to be Libertarian), she was told by her classmates that one cannot be Christian and support gay marriage.

I'm used to this; I've long been a heretic. A person cannot be Christian and support gay marriage, a person cannot be Christian and support the right of choice to be reserved as a medical decision, not a political one (note: I am NOT prochoice; I am pro-"I won't make medical decisions for others"), a person cannot be Christian and support a living wage (I could give you hundreds of verses supporting that last one, but have been told I use a "liberal bible", whatever THAT means!). But when you spend years trying to instill your children with an understanding of true faith, and a firm foundation to go through in life, it's deeply disheartening to see them questioning their faith not because of reason but because of (get this): the evidence that they have seen in the lives of their friends who claim to be Christian.

Here's the rub: the vast majority of our high school students binge drink every weekend. Yet the churches that have spent so much time telling them that those who believe in the rights of homosexual couples to marry are going to Hell have conveniently forgotten to tell their kids that drunkenness is a sin and carries equal penalty. The churches that spend time teaching followers that it is their moral obligation to deny a woman the right to abortion even if it is medically necessary have turned a blind eye to the rampant sexuality of their Christian youth, consigning themselves to the fact that "it's what kids do", and ironically ignoring the fact that the one action actually leads to the other becoming a concern!

I don't worry for the faith of my daughter; I welcome it, although with a little nervousness. Like all parents, I want the best for my children, and I want them to understand the hope of salvation that comes through the cross without having to go through the pain I did to find it. But I also understand it's her faith journey, and, like that proverbial lonesome valley, one I cannot walk for her.

But it is equally my hope that she understand that there is a real Christian faith, and you can often find it in some of those who have been willing to be ostracized in order to stand for what they know to be right even against a culture that condemns them for it.

As for the faith community: when your tools for evangelism drive people from the cross rather than towards it, you're doing it wrong!

10 Things the Church Should be Doing to Address Poverty

This is a list of 10 things I believe the church should be doing to help address the reality of poverty. It's time to get real; folks, our mission has nothing to do with multimedia entertainment, latte bars and bookstores; it has EVERYTHING to do with ministering with everything we have:

1. Co-op buying: Buy items in bulk. Break them down and allow the community to purchase at the bulk price. You can work with local farmers and vendors to support the local community.

2. Purchase debt: eliminate entirely or continue payments at zero interest. Work with organizations like strikedebt.org to purchase debts at premium rates -- and pass the reduction on to the community. Getting families out of debt means they can use more of their income for actual expenses and not for the finance company.

3. Microlending: For those needs where additional income is required (car repairs, for instance), pair with microlending partners to help provide options for the community that keep interest rates very low. While the goal is debt free, on a fixed income, that is not always a reality.

4. Community gardens: For many communities, this can be part of the community beautification process as well. It also helps educate people on how to be a part of their own success story.

5. Trade/barter services: If someone in your community needs car repair, find services they can barter (either directly with the mechanic or indirectly with another church member) rather than use limited cash reserves for the repair.

6. Personal Finance classes: Help teach them how to do the most with what they have monetarily and make a budget.

7. Adult education/adult literacy: provide a pathway to better jobs through education and literacy classes.

8. Free/siding scale clinics

9. Housing/Home repair/Habitat for Humanity. Help them to have safe and affordable housing.

10. Living Wage Advocacy.

You see a _______, I see my FRIEND!!!!

When I was 18, I came to a saving faith in Christ. There was no pretense about it, no show, no flash. I only know this because in the 25 years since, I've never been able to shake the cross, even when the path away looked easier.

And I've listened to sermon after sermon about what it means to be holy; what it means to be Godly...and 90% of them have been absolutely right, yet absolutely wrong.

See, they focused on actions, they didn't focus on the heart. They didn't focus on what it means to be Christlike, to give EVERYTHING you have and are in worship. And they didn't (and don't) focus on the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

The current wave of politics has forced my hand. It's forced me to weigh what I know, and what I believe against what it means to be a true light in a world full of anger, of hate, of pain. But more than that, what it means to be a friend.

I won't lie; what I say next will further alienate me from people I know and love dearly. And that pains me. But not as much as seeing friends suffer alone when someone out there genuinely cares about them, about their hurts, and about their ambitions.

You see, the timing of this article was directly prompted by a friend who lamented the fact that it is the 25th anniversary of World AIDS Day, and it has gone unnoticed, even as the faithful gather to worship God. Forgetting, somehow, that the Healer we worship would care very much about those who have suffered and died from this dreaded disease.

This friend lost his partner to AIDS almost a quarter of a century ago. How his partner contracted AIDS is tangential to this discussion, but if somehow you are small enough to think that one person is less deserving of compassion than another because of the way they live their lives, I will mention the person happened to have acquired it from a transfusion.

And this is where my journey becomes painful. I know and love dearly many of the friends I have known within the conservative churches. But as long as you see the poor as parasites, I cannot walk with you. As long as you see those suffering from disease, pain and heartache as sinners unworthy of redemption, I cannot break bread with you. As long as you cannot, will not be the hands and feet of Christ, I must walk a different way. I will be accountable to God for my actions, but I believe this is right.

So without calling that friend out publicly on the blog, TB, if you read this, I want you to know that I love you and care for you. I ache with you and want you to know how deeply pained I am by your loss.