Month: March 2008

The verdict is in and I am a “bad Christian”. That is not who I am theologically or in God’s eyes but that is who I should remain for my tens of readers. The majority of you who responded prefer the old moniker. So the new name turned out to be every bit as popular as the New Coke. At least I took the risk. The demented minds at despair.com have this to say about risk. “If you never try anything new, you’ll miss out on many of life’s great disappointments.”

To be fair there were some who liked the new name but the trend was clear and one fact is obvious. “Bad Christians” are more vocal.

Reader Don understood the concept but offered a frightening prospect.

I think you will lose some readership, and turn away some potential readers with the phrase “…Saint Who Sometimes Sins.”

That scared me. What would be a smaller increment than tens of readers? Don also made this point.

I know fellow believers in Jesus who also cannot come to call themselves “Saint”, even though it is scripturally true. I think those folks would be turned off by anyone who does so.

I get that. I spent the first three decades of my walk with Jesus being that person. Finally I realized the stubbornness of my position as illustrated by this poster from despair.com.

Reader Cheryl offered this perspective.

I like the original “Confessions of a Bad Christian.” To me, that says it all, especially after reading about your own experiences with “good christians” in church. It brings humor to an otherwise very hurtful dysfunction. I felt like I had found a home when I found “Confessions of a Bad Christian” on the web. I am sentimental, I guess because I had spent so much time searching for understanding and healing after being disapproved of in my own church. Those of us who have been disciplined in church can see the irony in your title and how it reflects the inconsistency within places that are meant for worship.

Who knew that the name “bad Christian” could become sentimental? What several readers pointed out was that hurting and wounded Christians make their way to this site because of the name. God has given me a passion for those wounded souls. I do not wish to drive away anyone who does not understand or accept the theology of the term saint.

So I may be a bad Christian or saint who still sometimes sins but I am not blind to the wishes of my beleagured readers.

So I concede that the title shall return to “Confessions of a Bad Christian”. By the way, the winner of the “contest” for the autographed copy of “When Bad Christians Happen to Good People” is reader Andrea.

Hi, I am a relatively new reader to your blog (I think I read some articles by you at Crosswalk.com and found your blog that way) and I
vote to keep your old blog name, “Confessions of a Bad Christian.” “Bad Christian” has a simplicity that is easy to relate to. It
reminds me of when there are situations where there is a crowd of your brothers and sisters in Christ who you don’t agree with very much and
you blame yourself and think that you must be “bad.” Also, the words “saint” and “sin” have a weightiness to them that sorta takes the fun
out of thinking of yourself as a little “bad” and rebellious, lol. That is my vote on behalf of my own preference though I also vote for
whatever your preference is also because you are the one writing the kick butt articles and you know where you’d like to take a new turn so
more power to ya. Thank you for sharing your story and your insights, I look forward to continuing to learn from them!

If you people want me to embrace the bad Christian personnna then anyone who uses the phrase “kick butt articles” will move to the head of the class.

I will continue to explore the theology of my identity in Christ. The term saint is not reserved for special Christians. It is a term used to describe followers of Jesus over sixty times in both the King James and New American Standard translations. So we can explore what means together. I know I can count on you to keep me honest.

As long as we have each other this journey to be more like Jesus will be fun, authentic and “kick butt” in the most saintly use of the phrase. Reader Bridgette pointed out that I am number four on the list when you google “bad Christian”. With your help I believe I can be number one.

Thanks for participating in this failed experiment and I am glad we could reach a mature compromise.

Check out the whole list of “demotivators” at despair.com.  I get nothing out of this plug except depressed.

In a major shift, a group of Southern Baptist leaders said their denomination has been “too timid” on environmental issues and has a biblical duty to stop global warming. The Washington Times reported the announcement. The declaration, signed by the president of the Southern Baptist Convention among others and released today, shows a growing urgency about climate change even within groups that once dismissed claims of an overheating planet as a liberal ruse. The conservative denomination has 16.3 million members and is the largest Protestant group in the United States.

The signers of “A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change” acknowledged that not all Christians accept the science behind global warming. They said they do not expect fellow believers to back any proposed solutions that would violate Scripture, such as advocating population control through abortion.

My first reaction to the news was to start brainstorming ideas to help. For example, if Christian television preachers and hosts/hostesses voluntarily switched from hairspray to gel I think that would make a substantial impact on the ozone layer. Maybe the megachurches could start a hybrid bus ministry to save precious fossil fuel for the people that drive over twenty miles to go to their churches instead of local churches. Perhaps the biggest contribution the evangelical community can make is to reduce the volume of hot air generated over philosophical issues that are not critical to the essential message of Christianity. Like arguing over global warming.

It is okay to disagree about issues like global warming. Really. Global warning is not a part of the Apostolic Creed. I applaud the men and women who took the initiative to produce this document. Are they right about the danger of global warming? Who knows? But a call to action doesn’t seem too radical to me.  If these men and women who generated the document feel led of the Holy Spirit to take this action then I will support them. I am not as smart as some Christians who can apparently discern God’s will for everyone. Our Lord said that “wisdom is proved right by her actions.” Time will tell if the Lord is leading their actions.  I think that letting the culture know we care about the planet is a good message. And I don’t mean that just to be politically correct. Christians believe in a Creator and to proclaim that we must be excellent stewards of that creation is a logical response to that belief. To me this is a non-starter and not an issue worth having one of our family feuds over.

E. Stanley Jones succinctly noted that “when we talk about what we believe in we divide. When we talk about Who we believe in we unite.” When we disagree let it be gracefully. When Jesus prayed for us on the eve of his betrayal He spoke about unity.

I pray not only for these,
    but also for those who believe in Me
    through their message.
May they all be one, 
   as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. 
May they also be one in Us,
   so the world may believe You sent Me.  (Holman Christian Standard Bible, John 17)

I am just fine with showing the planet a little love. A little love for one another wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

Today is an important announcement for my tens of readers as we unveil a new name for the humble ramblings. There is no need to be concerned. My ministry of making judgemental Christians feel superior will continue intact. The reason for the new name was a gentle challenge from dear friend Angie. She has joined her hubby in going through the TrueFaced DVD with the charming Mrs. Burchett and me. My walk with Jesus has been transformed by this book and study. I have learned to really trust and believe who I am in Christ. One key lesson from the study is simple yet profound. When I put my trust and faith in Jesus that transaction changed who I am. I am no longer a sinner trying to be a saint. I am a saint who occasionally sins. That truth prompted Angie to ask this question.

“If that is your identity can you  really call yourself a bad Christian?”

Hmmmm. After some debate I have decided she has a solid point. The only dissenting vote came from my old nature. So here is the official press release announcing the new name.

Garland, Texas – Dave Burchett announced today the non-hostile takeover of his sin nature by Jesus of Nazareth. “This is part of a long and difficult process,” Burchett announced.

Burchett realized way back in 1969 that he had a sin debt that could never be paid and declared holiness bankruptcy. Jesus, representing the acquisition team of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, paid that debt and signed the deal with His work on the Cross. However, that began a protracted and often contentious period of protest and picketing against ceding control.

The Holy Spirit has operated out of a small office since 1969 but the new arrangement grants the Spirit unlimited access. Work has begun on cleaning out moldy baggage that has been inexplicably retained since the initial agreement. A secret storage room alleged to contain old sin was found to be empty. According to reliable sources that old sin has been gone since the first transaction but Burchett always believed it was still there.

“While I will still be DBA (doing business as) Dave Burchett I am clearly not who I was prior to this faith and trust deal with Jesus.” Burchett noted. “I am now a saint in the eyes of God, fully righteous because of Christ.”

Sources still expect an ongoing learning experience with occasional setbacks. When asked to describe in one word what happened to bring about this change Burchett offered this summation.

Grace.

(This is an update of an earlier post)

Today I voted in the Texas primary. At least for awhile we Texans should get a break from political ads. You would think with so many candidates possessing integrity that we should be in good shape for the future.

Most of the candidates promised change. It has been well documented that Barak Obama has been riding the hope train right into the lead in the Democrat race. His rallies look like the Beatles performing at Shea Stadium.

I was thinking that God must have a real sense of déjà vu as He watches the people clamor for a human leader to give them hope and change. Then I got sidetracked as I wondered if an omnipotent God can even experience déjà vu? That gave me tired head.

Would God look at these rallies and think of another group who had hope at their disposal but then chose to reject it? God wanted to bless His nation Israel. But they wanted a king who they believed would give them everything they wanted. Remember the story in Samuel?

Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”

Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for it is me they are rejecting, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”  (I Samuel 8, NLT)

God gave Samuel a warning to give to His people that this might not be the best idea. God warned them that the king would take a tenth of their crops and flocks. Actually I would think about clamoring for a leader that would only take a tenth. But I digress. God warned them about other consequences of putting their faith in an earthly king. Their response was typical.

But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”

I see so many parallels in our culture to that story. We know that it did not work out like the nation of Israel dreamed that it would. I see many Christians in America falling into the same trap that Samuel warned about so long ago.

We think that hope lies in a leader or a political party. We believe that change will come because of kindred politicians or better laws or lawsuits that establish justice as we see it. We think that the right leader will help educate every child no matter their circumstance. We hope that this political savior will provide healthcare for every person at no cost to them. This leader will help the poor find jobs and realize their every dream. And I picture God looking at His millions of followers with a broken heart. Because He has blessed this country with so much in money and resources. So much of what we now demand our government to do could be accomplished if God’s people read, trusted and followed His Word. 

I can’t help but think that God has given us, the church, just about everything we need to make a huge difference in meeting the needs that we expect Washington to address. And that would give hope and change to people that obviously are looking for those elusive words in odd places.

What makes me most sad is that so many people really seem to be placing their hope for happiness on a political candidate. I do believe that leaders make a difference. I care deeply about making an informed and prayerful choice. But I never place my hope or desire for change on a politician. The word hope is used about 80 times in the New Testament. The first appearance of the word in the NIV translation pretty much lays out my belief.

 “In his name (Jesus) the nations will put their hope.”  (Matthew 12, NIV)

Paul wrote about the hope that I have in his letter to the Romans.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Colossians we read this praise from Paul as he relates how hope based on the eternal God should make a difference.

For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.

That is a hope that I know will not disappoint. As for change, I would be pleasantly surprised if our leaders in Washington would work together for us. But I will not be surprised if they do not. The important change for me has already happened.

I have hope that is real. I am changed because of Christ. Because of those two facts I can deal with whatever happens in this election. I learned my lesson in previous elections. I thought our country was doomed because my candidate did not win. Yet God’s plan did not cease. People continued to come to faith, grow in faith and serve Him in ways that gave real hope and change to others.

This morning I voted in my heart to trust God for my hope and I thanked Him for the change that has already happened and is happening in my life. Then I went to the polls to exercise my privilege as a citizen of this country. Those actions combined made for a really good day.

I recently wrote an article challenging the idea that some Christians might choose to sit out the upcoming Presidential election.   Several of you offered your thoughts. Over the weekend I received a message from a man who deserves to be heard. I give my space proudly and humbly to one of our heroes protecting me and you.

I recently read Dr. Dobson’s comments about sitting this election out. While I have always appreciated his leadership in matters of family, I beg him to recant his statement. If people who look up to him are to follow suit, I fear we may end up with the worse of two evils in charge of the executive branch. I risk my life daily in the skies of Iraq so you all may have the privilege of voting. Please don’t throw that away. I am not a fan of any of the candidates either, but I will vote and my vote will go to the one whose values are most like my own. I fear if the wrong people come to power, we will pull out of Iraq pre-maturely which means two things. 1. It means that my friends have died in vain. 2. It means that our families are at a much greater risk from another attack on the home soil. Contrary to what Mr. Obama thinks, Al Q’aida is in Iraq. They haven’t submerged so as to re-emerge at some later date. We are chasing them down and killing and capturing them daily. I believe they haven’t been able to plan and execute another horrible attack simply because we have them on the run. Their thoughts are only of survival and we must continue to pursue them to keep them at bay. Your vote tells me that you care about the sacrifices of my friends’ lives. It also tells me that you care about the sacrifices of all of our military families. About the men and women, who though happily married, play single-parent for months at time. My wife has been a single mom for 8 of the last 13 months and this cycle will continue. It is a sacrifice we gladly make to keep our friends and families safe, to keep our nation free and to protect your rights. Please, exercise those rights.

-David, Major, United States Air Force
Balad Air Base, Iraq

Pray for David. Pray for his friends and colleagues. And thank you David for your service, your wisdom and your heart. We are blessed by men and women like you.