Warning: "This May Get All Jesus-y and S#*T"

Does that title shock you? Well, it does shock me a bit. But also, to be honest, after that first moment of shock subsides, it makes me smile. It's kind of funny. It's irreverent, and I find irreverent humor refreshing at times. Is it sacrilegious or blasphemous? I don't think so. I can see that the above statement would offend some people. I think it would grab other peoples attention, though, and draw them in. I think it has a certain effectiveness within their audience, which is the point of it.

My impression is that the blogger who wrote what I quoted in the title above was striving to describe themselves and their corner of the blog world, and that statement was exactly their honest credo in regards to their blog. When I came across that statement on their blog it gave me pause for three reasons: the small initial shock, the sly humor that melted my shock into a wry little smile, and the fact that on two different Christian discussion boards I was 'hearing' a conversation about cussing and Christians. (Someone on those discussion boards even linked another blog article, see here.) It got me thinking about my own opinions about profanity and the Christian lifestyle. I think there is this trend within Christian circles today to want to really shrug off the perceived old-time, stuffy religious attitudes and postures in an effort to prove how relevant Christianity [still] is. In this definition relevant equals hip, and hip equals the practices of those who are generally respected as movers and shakers within our culture. As I stated earlier, I don't think that the author of the quote I used in the title had that intention at all, but it got me thinking about all of it.

I came to Christ within a church that was strict and traditional in many ways. The lines between my sinful pre-Christian self and redeemed post-Christian self were clearly drawn, and gladly forsaken, it's important to note. I delved into my new-found faith with zeal and love. Back then as I began to read the Bible on my own, my convictions over that juxtaposing of former and latter self seemed to be backed up. I really did feel like I was a new creature when I came to believe in God, and I was so pleased when I read somewhere in the Bible something exactly along those lines (see here). I also read other scriptural verses on ethical conduct of all kinds. I also recall reading a passage about avoiding coarse language and joking (here), to be separate from worldly practices (here), all making a very strong argument for the necessity of a Christian to avoid cussing. For me it was a no-brain-er.

Now I live in a post-modern world that is super aware of its post-modernity (here and here). Things are emerging and emergent (!!??!!), what's a person to do? Cuss just to prove they are not a phony? Pepper their communication with four letter words merely for the sake of liberty? God forbid! Or should we still be pressing toward and seeking to attain our more humbler, noble Christian selves? The latter is exactly what I think, and what I am trying to do in my own life. I think we Christians should all be tearing away all the ugly, sinful, unChristian and worldly layers, no matter how big or small the sin. We ought not to celebrate or otherwise revel in our vices and flaws, not winking at them or excusing them, we should be always concerned with peeling them off. When we think we have mastered one fault, flaw or sin - through Christ's Grace and help - then we should go on to the next one. For me the difference between a religious attitude and posture and reverent and humble attitude is that humility does not draw attention to oneself but to Christ - flaunting my liberty is different than actually having liberty.

Now I will leave you with my own opinion and not a biblical stance, because the Bible stance I referred to above is clear. I wrote this on another post: Someone said, "Profanity is the effort of a feeble mind to express itself forcibly." Mark Twain said, "When angry, count to four. When very angry, swear." Can we all agree that cussing is so common it has lost some of its meaning, and then agree to do it infrequently so that it will actually be shocking again, or dare I even say appropriate in the rarest of situations? Remember when Rhett Butler told Scarlett O'Hara, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"? It became the most remembered and quoted line in movie history, and because it was so shocking and so perfect for that situation. If we are going around daily and making such statements they are no longer effective and meaningful. If you want to express yourself forcibly, and let's face it, there are some unusual occasions where we could argue that one might need to, then make sure you clean up your vocabulary and only let the foul language fly when very, very upset on the rarest occasions. How much more shocking would it be, on those angry and painful occasions if you didn't curse? Think about it. If you find yourself very, very upset often, that is symptomatic of another problem you need to let God work on.

Article on John Lennon Has Me Thinking About Faith, Art & Life

I took this picture in Strawberry Fields in Central Park last summer.
I did some New Year's cleaning and organizing this past weekend and came across an older issue of the magazine Guideposts. I enjoyed this lovely article about one woman's encounter with John Lennon, and have it here for your enjoyment. My comments follow, so this it a longer entry today.

"

The bicyclist pedaled closer, his face unshaven, his eyes hidden beneath round wire-rimmed glasses. Hair spilled from his wide-brimmed hat. His clothes fluttered in the breeze. "How you doing?" he shouted, waving hello. A hippie, I thought, dismissing him as I walked up the busy street with my family. He coasted past, vanishing down the road. Something about him seemed familiar. A minute later another bicycle raced by: a Japanese woman, with long, curly hair—and an unmistakable face. "That's Yoko Ono," I said to myself. Oh, my…That "hippie" had to be John Lennon. What are they doing here in Karuizawa?

My husband, Stephen, was a minister and we moved to this Japanese mountain town five years earlier, in 1971, to work at the missionary camp his parents managed, a place where people came eager to experience a new world and deepen their faith. But it was hard work raising our three young children, Becky, seven, Peter, five, and Debby, two, on top of the chores that had to be done. I cooked three meals a day for up to 50 people. Nights I set up the coffeehouse we ran.

"Come to the Power and Light Company," read the signs we put up along the machi, the main street in town, inviting the community for free coffee, cake and conversation in English.

Missionaries had been coming to Karuizawa for years to enjoy the cool breezes coming off the evergreen slopes of Mt. Asama, the charming little shops that lined the machi, which sold cherry-wood carvings and kokeshi dolls. The Japanese elite fell in love with Karuizawa too. Emperors, diplomats and entertainers built grand, Victorian-style homes with gorgeous moss gardens. That must be why John is here, I thought. He must own one of those mansions.

I wasn't a Beatles fan. Back in Oregon where I grew up, I adored Pat Boone. Beatlemania shocked me—the moppy hairstyles and the loud, raw rock 'n' roll. "We're more popular than Jesus now," the papers quoted John as saying. I was appalled. How could he be so arrogant? I wasn't surprised disillusioned Beatles fans burned their records in response. Anyway, I decided to put the John and Yoko sighting out of my mind. I'll never see them again, I bet.

That Sunday, as always, missionaries from the different denominations in town packed into Union Church. Midway through the service, I heard murmuring in the back. I strained my neck to see. A man and woman were walking down the aisle, looking for an open seat. You guessed it. John and Yoko. They settled in, but the whispering didn't stop.

"Who is that?" "He's one of the Beatles." "I didn't know they went to church…" The minister cleared his throat, loudly, and everyone went back to listening to his sermon. But I couldn't focus. What was John doing in our church?

Later that week Peter and Debby played in the sandbox in our yard. I sat in a lawn chair, keeping an eye on them while some people from the church were visiting. I just wanted to relax before I had to bake the cakes for the coffee shop. Suddenly two bicycles slowed down at our house and pedaled into our yard. It was them! Their son, Sean, was sitting in a child's seat attached to John's handlebars. Stunned, I got up and walked toward them. What do I say to the most famous Beatle of all? "I saw your signs on the machi and thought they were clever," John said, breaking the silence. "I was telling Yoko here that we needed to see what it was all about." The camp volunteers saw who'd showed up and quickly began gathering. "What are you doing in town?" I managed to ask.

"We're staying at a cabin owned by Yoko's family," he told me. It was crazy. John Lennon, coming here because he saw our sign?

One woman pushed in front. She had a reputation for being blunt. "I read about your divorce—how could you leave your first marriage?" she asked. "What are you doing now that the Beatles have broken up?" Everyone crowded closer. I expected John and his family to turn around and pedal away as fast as they could.

But John just smiled. "Right now I am putting my music on hold to spend time with my wife and son," he said. The woman didn't seem quite satisfied.

"Do you belong to a church?" she asked.

"Of course," he said. "I'm C. of E."

A worried look came across the woman's face. "The See…what?"

John laughed playfully. "The Church of England. Haven't you heard of them?"

More questions came, and he listened to each, answering kindly and politely. He didn't contradict anyone in any way. One of the most famous people in the world—notorious even, to some—in our humble yard, being scrutinized by people he didn't know, and taking it all in stride. Even I had to admit, I was surprised by his patience.

"How could you say those things about being bigger than Jesus?" someone asked. I had wondered that same thing myself.

John shook his head. "When we talk to reporters, we play around with them," he said. "We're just a music group. Don't people know that Jesus is far greater than we are?" Finally, the crowd seemed satisfied. Maybe he wasn't just some arrogant rock star.

Just then there was a commotion in the sandbox. Debby had hit Peter with a plastic shovel. I knelt down to placate the two of them.

"How old are your kids?" John asked.

"Debby's two and Peter is five."

"Sean's about the same age as your little girl, but he's so quiet and shy. Maybe he could benefit from playing with a girl like that." I looked at Sean as John reached down and gently ruffled his hair. In that moment, John didn't seem like a hippie anymore—he seemed like any other concerned dad.

We talked a little more about our kids. Before I knew it, an hour had passed, and he, Yoko and Sean prepared to pedal off on their bikes. "It's good to talk to all of you," John said. "I've been looking for something this summer, something spiritual," he continued. "I've been speaking with a lot of the missionaries I've met here, about life and what it all means. Thank you for your words." He waved goodbye—and I waved back as they rode off, little Sean perched on his daddy's handlebars.

I had made all sorts of assumptions about John Lennon—that he was arrogant, disrespectful, antireligious, a rebellious hippie. But the man I met was none of those things. In fact, he was modest and self-effacing. Not like my idea of a rock star at all!

I never did speak to John again. But I hope we helped him that summer. He certainly helped me. He reminded me of why I had come to Japan in the first place. To welcome people—not to judge them. And to grow in my understanding of the world.

"

I liked that this article sort of set the record straight regarding much of the demonetization the conservative Christian Church in the USA has regarding that old statement John Lennon made about being "bigger than Jesus." You may also recall Lennon was in the news again recently in December regarding lost interview tapes and the anniversary of his death. I heard a snippet or two of that old interview in the news while the story made the rounds, and it struck me at how much his family values were aligned with mine, though we are so very different. He was weathering criticism for wanting to take a break and raise his youngest son, and his commitment to his spouse, and those types of choices, etc. I find this particularly compelling being at a similar point in my life, albeit much less talented, and with different struggles and situations. I am am concerned with my own things as an artist in 40th decade of my life. I was a productive artist once, and I was an artist before I was a wife and mother, and before my family went through it's tragedy*. Now I am trying to be all the things I want to be and am called to be, as a child of God. It's good to know others have been on this path before and made it work, and it's good to be reminded that my time among the living could be up at any time. There are things I'd like to accomplish, and at least, leave this world with a little more done than I am currently doing.

Anyway, enjoy.

Does Xmas Offend You?

This time of year there is always controversy over the various aspects of Christmas. Discussions over many things such as the materialism and commercialization of the holiday, and the fact that some governments and municipalities would like the religious expressions of Christmas censored. One topic that invariably comes up among various Christian groups and people is the abbreviation of Christmas into Xmas. Many people believe that it is a literal crossing or deleting out of Christ from the holiday. Personally, this never really offended me or struck me as disrespectful to Jesus Christ, even when I was a child, or later a young adult who was questioning, doubting and at times mocking of religious things. For me, the most basic symbol of Christ and Christianity is the cross. I carried the notion that since an X is a tilted cross, it is easy to see how it came to represent Christ. I recalled that there was a time when many people weren't able to read or write very much if at all. If the occasion arose for them to sign an important document, and to express consent that they acknowledged and understood what the document meant, they would make an X. For me it was an official symbol, and therefore an important mark. It was not always the symbol of crossing out or mistakes, which of course, it does also stand for. Only when I became a born again Christian and heard other Christians voice concerns about it did I wonder if it was meant to insult or remove the Christ aspects of Christmas. It seems that my suspicions were correct and there is a Christian symbolic history in writing Xmas. Here are a few interesting and informative articles on the subject:
The Origin of "Xmas"
Merry Xmas blog entry

Chi Rho
The first two letters, Chi (Χ) and Rho (Ρ), of the Greek word for Christ (Χριστύς).

...on Anne Rice quitting Christianity

photo credit Grevy Photography
Much has been said and written about Anne Rice's recent announcement, here. Though I have never actually left the church, nor do I think I will, I can relate to what she wrote. I can only guess what prompted it for her. I know what did (and does) prompt 'feeling like that' for me: Some fellow church member's callous or gossipy remark. Some fellow church member yelling at me or my family over a perceived** or actual wrong*. Some scandal within the church or so-called-church. An un-biblical or misconstrued pronouncement from a church leader. Christian friends and relatives that are consistently (not occasionally!) un-Christian in how they interact with others. Fill in the blank. What I can say is that most of us Christians have been there, feeling like she feels. I love what Dave Burchett blogged about Anne Rice here and here. He says what I would say, if I could say it quite that way.

I was a fan of Anne Rice's earlier books until the time I had a spiritual awakening*** in my mid-20s, and felt the need to make a clean break from my former life and pastimes. That included my entertainment choices like adult fairy tales and sexy vampires. (I still think Interview With The Vampire is a classic and puts other, newer Vampire-fare that shall remain un-designated to shame.) I know I've mentioned before, how during that time I was focusing on building my spiritual self and feeding my flesh with fantasy was not productive at that time. So I sort of lost track of Anne Rice for awhile, while God was doing some much needed, heavy duty work on me.

I read Christ The Lord, Out of Egypt a fictionalized account of Jesus' early years, after seeing the sound bytes about Anne Rice's conversion when it first became news. I thought it was really good. It was from a decidedly Roman Catholic perspective. That might bother some people, but it didn't me. She guesstimates that Jesus' brothers and sisters were step-siblings and that Joseph was a widower before he married Mary. Roman Catholic readers, many of whom believe the siblings were cousins, can leave their idea of Mary's perpetual virginity intact. Non-Catholics can say, well, maybe you believe that but we are literally convinced of literal full-blooded brothers and sisters (born after Jesus) but it's an interesting idea. However, none of that impacts our salvation in Christ alone, and it makes for an interesting read.

What impressed me about the book was how through her gift and talent of writing Anne Rice made certain aspects of Jewish culture and history come alive for me. Her description of the Mikveh bath, and other aspects the times and family life during that period gave me a sense and understanding that frankly blessed me and helped me understand better. It was like adding an illustrated picture to a set of directions for greater clarity. I had read and heard about these things before, but she painted a picture for me, but also gave it a practical application. Then there was the testimony part of the book, so beautifully written and explained, I enjoyed that aspect so much.

I can pray that she will continue to follow Christ the Lord (She didn't give up on Him, after all, only "Christian Religion"). She has much offer the body of Christ and it would seem, and much to learn herself. I think if she dedicates herself to unbiased, open-minded scholarship, as she did in the first Christ book she wrote, and prayerful vigilance to God and his Word she can and will overcome her disillusionment with some aspects of Christianity and its followers. There are certainly very difficult and unpalatable facets of the various aspects of our faith, Jesus' Crucifixion is the cornerstone prime example of that.



*We are a ministry family but we are not perfect. If we say or do anything un-biblical, please confront us calmly and in love the way you would like to be confronted, yelling and demeaning us makes us less likely to really hear what you are saying.
**We are a ministry family and therefore called to exhort, if the shoe fits...don't clobber us with it, just repent. ;)
***Commonly called "getting saved" or giving one's heart to the Lord.