Armchair Pundits

Beef (I'm Not Talkin' About Dinner)

So what is it that’s got me worked up this weekend? Well it really comes at me from two fronts, the first of which will be readily understood in lieu of the second.

I won’t keep you guessing any further. The hot topic this weekend is bumper stickers. Generally, I am a fan, although not one to actually place them on my own vehicles. The witty little tenets of wisdom espoused by such monikers can make a rush hour commute interesting to say the least. For instance, Friday, I was returning to the office from the south metro. I passed a car that was more stickers than paint. Not all that unusual, however, I caught a few new pearls. The latest…“sexism is a social disease.” Is sexism a problem? Hard to argue with that statement a few decades ago, but is it a pressing issue today? I don’t buy it. Why? First, the ease and availability of education and the fact that our education system attempts to present more egalitarian views. Considering the amount of degrees awarded by the colleges and universities in our community, I tend to think many have been sufficiently trained and that there are more pressing issues. For instance, wealth inequality. Ok, I was just checking to see if you are paying attention.

Second, is sexism a disease? Hardly. If this is the case, then disease means nothing, not to mention the underlying assumption of the word implies a lack of responsibility for the sexist view. If you listen, you can almost hear an offender claim “my views aren’t the problem, it’s the disease. I can’t help but think like this.” Essentially, the term is rendered useless and the bumper sticker colloquial. It gets better. As my friend at The Writers Blog is fond of saying stereotypes exist for a reason. I had already gotten the social enlightened vibe when I noticed the driver. If you’re guessing tattooed & multi-pierced, you wouldn’t be far off. Additionally, her driver’s side passenger window exuded a picture of a WW2 era, dog-face G.I. decrying that he is shot at every time you put gas in your SUV. It could have been clever if it wasn’t so stupid, and easily refutable.

Next, we have the famed “Jesus was a liberal.” This is just banal. Are they referencing abortion? No. What they mean to say is that Jesus was a compassionate, feminized pacifist. It REALLY irks me when the Lord is so casually used as a political trump card. This tends to stifle thinking and often times people of both camps employ this tactic.

The Lord is merciful. He is full of grace. He is compassionate, loving, AND the Lord possesses other attributes. A careful study of the Holy Scriptures, clearly affirms this fact. For brevity’s sake, let me highlight just one such attribute, namely God’s justice.

God’s justice is different than human justice for He is divine and we are not. Often times we fail to understand God’s will, His timing, His sense of fairness, but by faith we trust that our limited understanding will be illumined and that the Lord’s divine justice will be meted out. After all, this is why God claims “Vengence is Mine.”

Furthermore, the claim is made “I Am the Lord God and I change not.” Simply put, God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament. Therefore, when God commanded the Israelites, upon entering into the land of Canaan to destroy men, women, children, and livestock, was he not just in decreeing it? When the angel of the Lord (Christ) struck down the first born in Egypt regardless of age, was He being compassionate? Was He being fair? It may not seem fair, but that really isn’t the point. Who is God? The Humble Answer, Not Me Or You.

Jesus should not be used as a political football for He cannot be classified as a Republican or Democrat. Although, certain philosophical positions espoused within platforms may be more consistent with Biblical values. If we are truly honest with ourselves, when we read the words of Jesus, as recorded in the New Testament, we are bound to find something that offends our delicate sensibilities; for at our core, we remain sinners. And unfortunately for you and I, sin hinders.

For the Christian, there exists another perilous problem. This past week, on Good Morning America, pastor and best selling author Joel Osteen was being interviewed. In this interview, he described his approach to ministry. What he said reveals much about the spiritual state of those in the church at large and also about his true colors. “People don’t want doctrine, they want encouragement.”

This is absolutely horrifying. I cannot say this more plainly. Doctrine is essential to understanding the mind of God. It is life-giving and encouraging. It comforts the widow, who along with her two children; buries her 33 year old husband. It brings peace, enables perseverance in the face of immense suffering and persecution. Doctrine matters. Unfortunately, many in the church have departed from teaching the authoritative Word of God; hence the shallow, fluffy Krispy Kreme religion of pop-psychology that is passing muster for Christianity. And parents wonder why so many of their children go off to college or university and abandon their faith! This is a counterfeit Gospel that provides no discernment in the present world. The peddlers of this message are wonderful as motivational speakers, I suspect they would be great life-coaches or business consultants, but as pastors they have forsaken there calling to teach God’s word. It is impossible to faithfully discharge this office without teaching doctrine. Those who claim the name of Christian, who do not crave the nourishment of the whole counsel of God, need to ask themselves the harder questions of “why not?” And “What does that say about me?”

Fortunately, many pastors have remained faithful, and I thank God for their ministries. Lastly, I can appreciate seeing a humorous anecdote adoring another’s bumper, now and again; but prefer that matters for serious consideration (such as doctrine) not be prostituted with such carelessness or non-sensical whimsy in a cheap attempt at being provocative.

posted by Grisby @ 7:36 AM