faith alone?

So, I was looking up a couple comedy routines by this guy Brian Regan.  If you have never heard Brian’s stuff, he is incredibly funny, especially when you are able to watch him perform.  As I was wasting a few minutes on youtube, I saw in the ‘recommendations’ section a comedian who had a high number of views and decided to check him out. 

At one point during his routine, he began to share about why he was a Christian and this is what I heard him (and many other people over the years) say about his faith: ‘The thing I like about being a Christian is the only thing you have to do is have faith… That’s it!  All these other religions and belief systems have a bunch of rules and regulations.  Not Christianity.  All I do is believe, I’m saved, and that’s it.  An idiot can do that.”

And while that may sound nice, I find his words and beliefs to be thoroughly unbiblical.  If we take an honest look at the life and teachings of our Lord, how much time did Jesus spend teaching the disciples and other ‘sinners’ how they ought to live?  Never once did Jesus ever tell people that all they had to do is ‘believe.’ If how we spent our time here on earth mattered so little, than why did our Lord spent a vast majority of his time teaching people what the Kingdom of God was like?  Why did Jesus address complex life issues on his Sermon on the Mount?  Some may be quick to quote Paul, such as Romans 10:9 that says, "If you confess with your mouth that 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."  Whenever Paul or Jesus for that matter spoke of faith, it was always a faith that was accompanied by devoted action.  

Let us affirm and attest that Jesus Christ is Lord.  But God forbid we stop there.  Let us hear the words of our Lord and seek to walk in the footsteps of our rabbi in all that we say and do. 

the 'Jesus-Juke'

So what exactly is a 'Jesus-juke?'  Jon Acuff invented the phrase and has written about it here.  The word 'juke' is often referred to in football or another sport where a player is running/skating/moving in one direction and then all of the sudden they completely change directions and head somewhere else.  If you are a running back or receiver in football, being able to 'juke' people is very important.

The Jesus-juke is the ability to incorporate Jesus and Christianity into any topic and it generally communicates shame.  Also, the Jesus-juke is very good at producing awkward moments along with strange endings to previously good conversations.  Still not sure what the Jesus-juke is?  Allow me to give you a few examples... Some of them are made up, some of them are based on real life examples.

Jesus-Juke Scenario 1

(Mike) I can't wait for Saturday!  We are going to get to the stadium like six hours before the game.  I'm bringing my grill to cook up some burgers, we can play washers, and then as soon as the gates open, we can head on in. It is gonna be awesome!

(Todd) Yeah... But I was just thinking... What if we spent those six hours that we were going to tailgate and watch the game by going down to the homeless shelter and serving food?  When is the last time we got this excited about spending six hours in prayer? 

-Poor Mike, he never saw it coming.  He just got completely juked out of his mind by Todd.  My guess is that Mike's neck hurt for a few weeks after this juke.

Jesus-Juke Scenario 2

(Kate) I know, I haven't talked to you in awhile.  So, been' reading any good books lately?

(Lindsey)  Heck yes I have!  I am reading the 'Hunger Games' series which I am LOVING!  I have already ordered that new Sparks book, I forget the name... and my boyfriend was telling me to check out that baseball book that was made into a movie.  You know, the Brad Pitt one?  How about you, anything good you have been checking out?

(Kate) Yeah, I've been reading the Bible.

(Lindsey) Oh yeah? Nice.  Anything else?

(Kate) Nope, I just read the Bible.

-While this juke is a little more subtle than the first scenario, you can be sure that Lindsey just got completely juked.

Jesus-Juke Scenario 3

(Micah) I'm just really excited about what we have been able to do with our small group at church.  We have started tutoring some kids in the area to help them with their school work.  We have also organized this small flag football thing on Tuesdays to help encourage exercise and teach the kids about getting away from the television.  We are hoping by next month to get some computers so we can finally start using this literacy software we had donated to us.  We are really optimistic that these students can start performing better at school.

(Caleb) Sounds fun, are you doing any Christian things with the students?

(Micah) What do you mean?

(Caleb) You know, like more Jesus centered things.  Are you doing stuff that Jesus would do with them like study the Bible and start worship services with the kids?

(Micah) No, we haven't done anything like that yet.  We are simply trying to love and invest into the lives of these students... I think Jesus would like what we are doing.

(Caleb) *forced smile that communicates his disappointment that Micah is not doing REAL ministry*

-Just when Micah thought he could share his joy with Caleb, Caleb is quick to let him know that teaching the students to read, encouraging physical activity, and tutoring are smaller secondary activities compared to the true work of Jesus... Complete Jukage.  

So, got any good examples of the Jesus juke?

rob bell's new book

Rob Bell is releasing a new book at the end of March entitled, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. While I have not read the book (obviously), the promotional video suggests that he examines Christianity's traditional understanding of the doctrine of hell.  The opening lines of the video question whether we can know if Ghandi is in heaven or hell.  Bell states that many people believe in a Christian faith where Jesus is the one who saves us from God's wrath... Jesus rescues us from God?  Bell asks, "How could this God ever be considered good?  How could this God ever be trusted?" He goes on to say, "What we believe about heaven and hell ultimately reveals what we believe about the nature of God."  Bell even seems to be questioning the idea that there is anyone in hell at all.

To be quite honest, I have struggled with the traditional understanding of hell ever since I was a teenager.  I remember asking a minister, "what about a small community that lives on a remote island and has never heard the gospel before... what happens to them when they die?"  To my question, the minister promptly responded by quoting Romans 10:9 "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."  And while I don't remember if I spoke up at that moment, I wondered how God could be so unfair and unjust to those whom I felt never had a fair shot.

This past weekend, several people began blogging, tweeting, and writing articles about how Bell has finally, once and for all, broken from orthodox Christianity.  He has been called a heretic and a universalist.  And if there is one thing that I have noticed in the last several years of my life (echoing the thoughts of Jason Boyett), there are few people meaner than Christians who think you are wrong when it comes to your theology and your beliefs.  Some of the most hurtful things ever done to my family have come from the hands and mouths of believers who disagreed with an interpretation of scripture or a political stance.  Why is conversation with those who believe different from us not an option?  Is it any wonder that so many people stereotype Christians as close-minded people who have a lot to say but don't want to hear from you if you disagree with them?  Perhaps it is motivated by a strong conviction to defend what one believes as ‘truth’ in the face of what one believes to be ‘misguiding’ or ‘false.’ 

Either way, what fascinates me is not so much the content of Bell’s new book, though I am very eager to read it, but more so the hateful and condemning dialogue that has so quickly arisen from the hands, mouths, and hearts of believers.