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Get out your pencils and paper and I will begin to outline God’s Guaranteed Weight Loss Plan. With this plan you can lose the weight of bitterness and anger caused from lack of forgiveness. If you are carrying around an unforgiving spirit it is weighing you down spiritually and emotionally. Forgiveness may be the most unnatural thing that the Lord asks us to do. Forgiveness flies in the face of all the inborn sense of justice that we possess. A man once commented to theologian John Wesley, “I never forgive.” Wesley responded, “Then, sir, I hope that you never sin.” The Gospel of Mark seems to set the forgiveness bar at an impossible height to clear.

“Be alert. If you see your friend going wrong, correct him. If he responds, forgive him. Even if it’s personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, ‘I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,’ forgive him.”

Really now. Maybe I could manage once or twice, but doesn’t continually forgiving make me a fool? Maybe the writer misspoke there a little bit. Isn’t it interesting how we will subconsciously wrestle with God about what He really meant? The text seems pretty clear in all of the translations. There are no exceptions. How about this little challenge.

Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

The “as quickly” part is hard enough. The “as thoroughly” clause is nigh to impossible. And it can be almost as hard to accept second place as it is to be quick to forgive. That is another downside of being an American Christian. We are not rewarded in this society for being content with second place. I am very competitive. I love to win. But the desire to be first can be destructive. Jesus told us the “first shall be last,” making the point that harboring a spiritual attitude of superiority had its own consequences. Your success in nailing down the committee leadership position or the politicking to teach the Bible study will likely be your only reward. Don’t be surprised when the one who humbly deferred to you will be rewarded in the heavenly bonus program.

Do you see a pattern in this sampling of verses on forgiveness? Do you see any way around the obvious command to forgive? Me either. And that causes me a bit of concern. Just like the average Christian, I want all of the benefits of forgiveness without that annoying requirement that I actually have to forgive others. But the Bible is very clear about my responsibility to forgive. Forgiveness is a constant and, quite frankly, irritating theme of the New Testament. There do not appear to be any loopholes in these verses. I don’t think we have a super-species of unforgivable sins that have mutated since the days of Jesus that require a special dispensation. I would imagine that Enoch at the tent making shop was just a big as jerk as Bob in accounting.

Bottom line: We are commanded to forgive as we have been forgiven. Straight up, no excuses. Forgiveness may well be the missing ingredient to true revival in the church. Clearly our lack of forgiveness is a major impediment to growth. I believe that we attract people to Christ when we behave in a way that is supernatural. I’m not talking about performing miraculous healings or speaking in tongues. I’m talking about the supernatural behaviors radio host Steve Brown referred to when he said this: “We can claim to have supernatural love, but it’s only supernatural when one would expect hatred instead. We can claim to be forgiving, but forgiveness is supernatural only when there is no earthly reason for one to be forgiving. Compassion is supernatural when the smart thing to do is look out for number one. Joy is supernatural when circumstances don’t warrant it.”

What would be the result in our communities if we demonstrated the supernatural aspects of Christ living through us outlined above? I suspect the unchurched would be clamoring to “get what we got.” Forgiveness may be the singular act that convinces an unbelieving world that Christians really can be different. (Different good, not different weird.)

Jesus revealed the secret about the reason to forgive in this parable about a man forgiven a huge debt. If you have your copy of God’s Word you follow along but today I am using the Message to relate this parable.

“The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn’t pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market. The poor wretch threw himself at the king’s feet and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.” (Matthew 18:23-27)

But that undeserved gift of forgiveness for his overwhelming indebtedness apparently had little impact on how that forgiven man treated others. That suddenly ungrateful man forgot about the mercy and grace extended to him when he encountered a brother who owed him a debt.
“The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, ‘Pay up. Now!’ The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ But he wouldn’t do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king. The king summoned the man and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn’t you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?’ The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that’s exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn’t forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy.” (Matthew 18:28-35 – The Message)

I am generally fair and generous regarding money and forgiving debts. But the problem with that little self-righteous pat-on-the-back is only that I am missing the entire point of the parable. It’s not about money. It is about forgiveness. I am the debtor with a sin debt that I could never begin to pay. I am the man who begged for forgiveness of my debt over thirty years ago, and Jesus granted that forgiveness. And I am the man who has sometimes repaid His gracious gift by refusing to forgive those who have offended or hurt me.

I have spent a lot of unhappy moments outside of fellowship with my Lord because I did not want to forgive someone who hurt me. I am grieved to think of how I have stubbornly refused to forgive others for real and/or perceived slights over the years. I can imagine Jesus looking at me with sadness because I have not fully comprehended the magnitude of the debt that has been erased from my account because of Him. I picture His sadness not as judgment, but as truth that I have shortchanged my ability to possess joy and peace. Right there in front of my spiritual nose and I chose to hold onto bitterness. Am I guilty of beating myself up? No. I think I am just being honest about the depth of my indebtedness to Christ. I hope I never lose sight of the gift of forgiveness.

It doesn’t take a theological genius to point out our need to forgive. I would imagine that many of you have struggled with the same unflinching commands in Scripture that I have. Part of my difficulty was a false impression of what forgiveness looks and feels like in real life. Let’s examine what forgiveness is…and isn’t. So what does forgiveness look like? Stay tuned for Day 3 of God’s Weight Loss Plan.

I have to admit that Joni and I are not teary eyed to see 2006 slip into history. It has been a hard year. Don’t most of us see next Monday (New Years Day) as a fresh start? Don’t most of us hope and pray that the  New Year will be better? We make steadfast resolutions of how we are going to do better next year. The reality is that January 1st is just another day. We could just as easily resolve on May 18th or August 3rd that we are going to change how we live. But there is something psychologically powerful about the New Year. January is named after the Roman god Janus. He was unique because he had two faces…one to look into the past and one to look into the future. Today Janus the two faced would be a very successful politician. Someone once accused me of being two faced and I won the debate by asking this question. If I were two-faced do you think I would be using this one?

On this January 1st I am sure many of you have made resolutions for the New Year. The most cited resolutions generally include things like exercising more, saving more money, getting out of debt, quitting smoking, and reading the Bible all the way through without getting bogged down in Leviticus and skipping to the Psalms. But the most popular resolution year after year is…losing weight. There are a dizzying array of diets and hundreds of weight loss books. It is overwhelming to try and decide which diet to read or which plan to try. But even the best plans don’t address the really tough questions like these…

• Why do brain cells come and go but fat cells last forever?
• What happens when you hang something in your closet that makes it shrink 2 sizes?

Comedian Rita Rudner notes that “inside many of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but she can be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake”.  A forgotten Beatitude is “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for they are sticking to their diet”. (Note to the increasingly prevalent theological hall monitors: That is humor. I know that quote is not a biblical truth)

So today I thought I would be doing a real service if I gave you God’s Guaranteed Weight Loss Plan to take into 2007. This weight loss plan will make you healthier, reduce stress, give you more joy, and cause you to grow in your relationship with the Lord. Get out your pencils and paper and I will outline God’s Guaranteed Weight Loss Plan in the coming days. By following this no subscription, no monthly dues plan you can lose the weight of bitterness and anger caused from lack of forgiveness. If you are carrying around an unforgiving spirit it is weighing you down spiritually and emotionally. Researchers are discovering the physical effects of holding bitterness and grudges.
 
Readers Digest published a story about the Power of Forgiving. Dr Fred Luskin of Stanford University Forgiveness Project says that letting go of a grudge can reduce your stress level up to 50%. Volunteers in the study have shown improvements in energy, mood, sleep quality, and overall physical vitality. An article in USA Today tantalizingly titled “Psychologists Now Know What Makes Us Happy” reported the findings of University of Michigan professor Christopher Peterson. (For this Ohio State Buckeye fan to agree with a Michigan prof shows the potential of grace in our lives.) Peterson stated that forgiveness is the behavior most strongly linked to happiness. Regular readers of the New Testament will not be surprised. The professor correctly noted, “It’s the queen of all virtues, and probably the hardest to come by.”
We are wired by God to treat any tension producing event…an accident or a feud with another person…as a crisis. Our bodies respond by releasing stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, prompting our hearts to accelerate, breath to quicken and our minds to race. Sugar is released to rev up muscles and clotting factors surge in the blood. All of those things vital to our well being and harmless if the scare is brief….imagine you are nearly in an accident on the highway. But anger and bitterness are like accidents that don’t end…and those ongoing feelings turn hormones into toxins.

Another study at Rockefeller University in NYC found that the continuing effect of Cortisol wears down the brain, leading to cell atrophy and memory loss. That is a side effect I cannot afford. This same hormone can raise blood pressure, harden the arteries and lead to heart disease. But people that learn to forgive stop the negative flow of these hormones. Another study in Holland found that when volunteers were hooked to sensors and then asked to imagine forgiving offenders their blood pressure went down two and a half time lower than when they thought about holding a grudge. The conclusion of the study presented in 2001…it appears that forgiveness could be a powerful antidote to anger, with chronically elevated blood pressure and increased risk for heart disease.

Sounds great. But exactly how do we do that? Christians have not always been noticibly better than the general populace on the forgiveness front. We should begin the new year on our knees confessing that sin. The Owner’s Manual addresses clearly the need for forgiveness and how we can shed the weight of bitterness. Day 2 of God’s Weight Loss Plan will examine the steps to shedding that burden. 

Greeting cards have all been sent
The Christmas rush is through
But I still have one wish to make
A special one for you     Lyrics from ‘Merry Christmas Darling’ – The Carpenters

Yesterday I braved the day after Christmas shopping throngs with the lovely Mrs. Burchett in search of sale priced Christmas ornaments and other half-priced treasures. Actually I found the shopping frenzy to be only slightly less dangerous than the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. So I spent a fair amount of time in a nearby Starbucks while she braved the frothing throngs. But I was with her in spirit.

My caffeinated quiet time gave me an opportunity to reflect on the odd way we celebrate Christmas. The build up to Christmas goes on for weeks and then, almost before you can file a lawsuit, it is over. We rush pell mell to Christmas Day with intensity that would make Coach Bobby Knight proud. The day itself, like the average Super Bowl, cannot live up to the hype.

So I sat listening to ‘Winter Wonderland’ in the seventy degree temperatures of Dallas and I felt a little melancholy. Somehow I had managed to let another Christmas sneak up on me and pass me by while I was busy shopping, wrapping, buying, and rushing. I have a calendar. I know from the Beach Boys that Christmas comes this time each year. How does this happen? Christmas is my favorite time of the year and now I sat wondering where it had gone? How did I miss it? I suddenly felt like I was in the middle of a Peanuts Christmas special…

Charlie Brown: “I just don’t understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I’m still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed.” Lucy Van Pelt: “Charlie Brown, you’re the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem.”

I hope I haven’t turned Christmas into a problem but I really do want it to last more than a day. Maybe the idea of the Twelve Days of Christmas is a good one. That would give me some time to settle in a bit before the holiday goes whizzing by. The 12 days of Christmas were traditionally the 12 days that separate December 25 from Epiphany, which is celebrated January 6. Some believed that was the date that the wise men visited the baby Jesus with their gifts.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. Matthew  2  NIV

Obviously Mary and Joseph had located a place to stay since the birth of Jesus. The Magi came to the house (not the stable) and saw the child. Traditionally there has been the custom of giving gifts throughout the 12 days, rather than the frenetic frenzy on the morning of December 25. That tradition has never really caught on in instant gratification America. The most difficult fruit of the spirit to successfully cultivate in this culture is patience. Apparently our American soil does not allow the patience fruit to mature.

But I suspect our society could commercialize the spirit of the 12 Days of Christmas tradition as well. We would simply increase the angst and sale papers and overall frenzy. If you can’t find one perfect gift imagine how crazy trying to buy twelve would make you! Perhaps thoughtful Christians could co-opt the 12 Days of Christmas and make it a time of reflection on the incarnation of a Savior. Maybe we could spend a little extra time meditating on the miracle of God becoming man and yet remaining God.

I find it interesting that epiphany has become an “in” word and is defined at dictionary.com as  “a sudden manifestation of the meaning of something.” How appropriate that by reflecting for the next few days on the arrival of Jesus you could have an epiphany just in time for Epiphany! The original Christmas epiphany happened in the fields outside of Bethlehem. Joni and I had the privilege of seeing those fields outside of the city last year. I was struck by how “nearby” the shepherds were as they were watching over the flocks. Everything is so big in Texas that I was amazed at the small scale of that setting.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger.”

 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
 “Glory to God in the highest,
      and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 

Rewind to the beginning of this blog with the Carpenters. I do have one wish…make that prayer…for you during this Christmas season. I pray that you have found the One that the shepherds hurried to see. And that you will spread the word of what you have been told about Him. And if you have not I pray that you might have an epiphany during these 12 Days of Christmas.

Merry Second Day of Christmas! (Turtle Dove Day…if you are keeping score)
 

 

 

No day of the year has generated more written material than Christmas. I thought I would collect a few thoughts from people with bigger brains than me to share as a Christmas gift to you.

• Those who know me realize that I must start with humorous thoughts on the day. The first comes from one of the greatest comic strips ever produced.

Oh look, yet another Christmas TV special!  How touching to have the meaning of Christmas brought to us by cola, fast food, and beer…. Who’d have ever guessed that product consumption, popular entertainment, and spirituality would mix so harmoniously?  ~ Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes

There is a remarkable breakdown of taste and intelligence at Christmastime.  Mature, responsible grown men wear neckties made of holly leaves and drink alcoholic beverages with raw egg yolks and cottage cheese in them.  ~P.J. O’Rourke

Christmas is the season when you buy this year’s gifts with next year’s money.  ~Author Unknown

Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money.  ~Author Unknown

I think the author remained unknown so the credit card companies couldn’t them.

Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall.  We traditionally do this in my family by driving around the parking lot until we see a shopper emerge from the mall, then we follow her, in very much the same spirit as the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago followed a star, week after week, until it led them to a parking space.  ~Dave Barry

The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C.  This wasn’t for any religious reasons.  They couldn’t find three wise men.  ~Jay Leno

• Many thoughts about Christmas are sentimental…

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.  ~Norman Vincent Peale

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.  ~Roy L. Smith

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:  the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.  ~Burton Hillis

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.  ~W.T. Ellis

Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles.  ~Author Unknown

There’s nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.  ~Erma Bombeck, I Lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression

Christmas is for children.  But it is for grown-ups too.  Even if it is a headache, a chore, and nightmare, it is a period of necessary defrosting of chill and hide-bound hearts.  ~Lenora Mattingly Weber

• Some Christmas reflections challenge us to maintain the spirit of the season past December 25th.

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.  ~Charles Dickens

Next to a circus there ain’t nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit.  ~Kin Hubbard

I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.  ~Harlan Miller

• But my favorite Christmas thoughts focus me on the miracle of God intentionally seeking a relationship with me.

For the spirit of Christmas fulfils the greatest hunger of mankind.  ~Loring A. Schuler

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!  ~Hamilton Wright Mabie

Despite our efforts to keep him out, God intrudes. The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: a virgin’s womb and an empty tomb. Jesus entered our world through a door marked “No Entrance” and left through a door marked “No Exit.” ~ Peter Larson, Prism (Jan/Feb 2001)

There has been only one Christmas – the rest are anniversaries.  ~W.J. Cameron

• The best news of all on this anniversary was a little quote recorded just outside of Bethlehem….

Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ~ Angel to the shepherds…as quoted by Luke

One of the most endearing moments in network television is A Charlie Brown Christmas when Linus explains the real meaning of Christmas. Click here to enjoy Linus quoting the good news to the Peanuts gang. 

Merry Christmas!

 

I love your feedback. Here are some stocking stuffers gleaned from recent comments from you.

• I have received a lot of fun and favorable feedback to my post about what sound the cattle were making when they were “lowing” during the lyrics of “Away in a Manger”. Who knew that an intrepid reader of this humble blog would speak cow? Reader Leslie took the time to let me know that lowing really is a distinctive cow sound. According to Leslie, the official bovine linguist of this blog, lowing is “when you hear a mother cow ‘talk’ to her calf, you will hear a lowing. It is a very low and soft type of moo. Most mooing has a high pitch at the end of it. Lowing is soft and comfortable.” I think you can see that the time invested in this blog is well worth it when you impress friends and family with this little factoid. Thanks Leslie!
  
  
• Gary L. Burchett wrote a rather brief note. “Hey Dave, We may be related.” Gary didn’t tip his hand about whether he was hopeful or fearful that he might be related to a “Bad Christian”. Well Gary, since there aren’t a whole lot of us Burchetts we may well be kin. My litmus test for family connection is to reference one of my relatives from Kentucky. His name was Grass Burchett. Yep. That was his name. It is unlikely that you would not notice a relative named Grass. So if Grass Burchett is in your genealogy we are related for sure. If not…you may have caught a break.
  
  
• Shawn from Ohio is the official agnostic of this site (not sure if he speaks cow).  I have a minor bone to pick with my buddy from the Buckeye state. In a recent post about how people search for meaningless info on web search engines I posed a list of questions that were worth searching. Shawn wrote this in response.

“Sadly missing from both lists (sorry, hope this isn’t too harsh) is TRUTH. Is truth so grotesque that we don’t want to talk of it? Are we that scared of what is true and want only “answers”? Are we out to confirm ours, or other’s conclusions of what their presupposed “answers” are? Can we not “handle the truth”? Not THE Truth, but truth, where ever that may lead.”

It isn’t too harsh at all and when did you become Jack Nicholson? It is a rather presumptuous suggestion that I am not willing to seek truth (I refuse to do the all caps thing). The list I suggested presupposes a search for truth. If you examine the claims of Christ honestly you cannot consider those statements in a vacuum. Of course I have studied other texts and religions. I am not a “cradle” Christian. I did not grow up with Christianity forced down my throat. I came to faith in Christ after a search much like you are pursuing. So I resent a bit the inference that I am not willing to seek the truth wherever that may lead. I like to think that I am a moderately intelligent person (okay…I lack self-awareness) so I am not interested in wasting my time or money on something that is not true. So please understand that just because you have temporarily reached a different conclusion does not mean we are not both seeking the truth as honestly as we can. So Shawn, I love you like a brother (and a Buckeye) and our legions of “Bad Christians”  will be praying for you.  

Bonus stocking stuffer…

My nomination for the most obvious lyric ever written is awarded to the Beach Boys.  In their tune “Little Saint Nick” the boys let us know this incredibly insightful piece of information.

Christmas comes this time each year!

(To be faithful to the text I will show it in context)

It’s the little Saint Nick
Ooooo, little Saint Nick
It’s the little Saint Nick
Ooooo, little Saint Nick

Ahhhhhh
Oooooooo
Merry Christmas Saint Nick
Christmas comes this time each year

So if the Christmas holiday has been sneaking up on you perhaps you haven’t noticed that Christmas comes at this time every single year! Thanks to the Beach Boys for that nugget.

Oh my…it’s that time this year. Ahhhhhh. Oooooooo. Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

I must begin with a brief disclosure.

• I am a member of the media and I am an Evangelical Christian. Both effect how I view a program like After Jesus. While being in television sports production makes me a lightweight to many who deal with hard news…the principles of journalism are the same. Being a member of the media causes me to be both sympathetic and suspicious when I evaluate a project like After Jesus: The First Christians. I am sympathetic because I know how impossible it is to cover such a sweeping topic to the satisfaction of all. I am suspicious because I believe that even the best journalists can allow a bit of bias to creep in…sometimes without even realizing that it is happening. So I was curious about how CNN would handle this topic.

I believe I am the third member of the Crosswalk bloggers to weigh in on the show. I confess that I am a little intimidated to follow Dr.Albert Mohler and Dr.Ray Pritchard. I am not nearly as smart as Dr.Mohler. And I am embarrassed to reveal that I am not nearly as smart as my friend Ray Pritchard. That is tough to admit. Nonetheless, I was asked to comment on the show so here goes.

My first impression was from the perspective of working in television production. I was blown away with the production values of the show. The technique used to give a three-dimensional look to classic art was amazing. I know a little bit about the amount of time and money needed to produce those images. I will watch the show again simply to enjoy the beauty of the images. Actor Liam Neeson provided first class narration for the project. From a production viewpoint I would give CNN a solid A.

From a journalism point of view I would have to grade CNN down a bit. I am not sure why programs like this can never seem to find a spokesperson who has an Evangelical bent. That perspective could have taken this production to a level rarely achieved by a network source. But CNN chose to ignore the perspective of millions of viewers by their selections of experts. I am not criticizing the other choices but it would have been a much better show if the producers had included the balance of evangelical scholars. To any network honcho reading this blog…I can give you names of brilliant and articulate evangelicals to contact for future productions. They do exist. Really. Because that balancing element was not included I would give the show a grade of B for journalistic integrity. That is a good grade but it could have been better.

The final grade will be on the handling of the topic of the early church. I admit I view this through my bias of being an Evangelical. I thought CNN did a pretty good job of providing background and historical information. Dr.Mohler provides an excellent overview of some of points that might be misleading or needed the balance that other scholars could have provided. I will not plow the same ground that his blog covers. Overall I was pleased with the CNN production. I would give the show a grade of B because some points were made that clearly (to these eyes and ears) deserved counterpoints to be fair.

The history of the early church is fascinating to me. According to some historians there were many, maybe even dozens, of men claiming to be the messiah during this time. How did Jesus and his rather undistinguished group of followers begin a religion that would number over two billion 2,000 years later. Why did Christianity not quietly fade away like all of those other “messiah movements”? Was it simply, as one expert noted, because Christianity was the “right religion at the right time”? Or is the reason much more powerful than simple timing?

I agree with Dr.Mohler’s assertion that Christians have nothing to fear from an honest presentation of the facts. I applaud CNN for this effort and challenge them to dig up an evangelical or two for the next production. I would give a final grade of B+ for After Jesus. I often joke that the most powerful apologetic for Christianity is that it continues to flourish despite Representatives like me…and perhaps you. It is indeed a miracle that the humble followers of the rabbi from Galilee changed the world. My buddy Ray Pritchard nicely summarizes the questions that the message of Jesus addresses.

Why did the message have enduring power? The answer is, Christianity speaks to two problems everyone faces:

1) What happens when I die?
2) How can my sins be forgiven?

No one escapes those questions. Here is the Christian answer:

The death of Jesus solves the sin problem.
The resurrection of Jesus solves the death problem.

After Jesus is a good primer for early church history and it is important for Christians to understand this period of history. I would recommend Rodney Stark’s book The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal, Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force as a good resource for further study. Understanding the early church helps us to understand our heritage and perhaps where we have lost our focus. The program After Jesus airs again this weekend. It is worth your time. Just make sure the show is a starting point and not the finish line in your quest for the story of the early church.

 

I love to learn new words. So when the term zeitgeist cropped up in a recent news story I immediately sought to find the meaning. Dictionary.com defines zeitgeist as a German noun that means the spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feeling characteristic of a particular period of time. Google has adopted the word to title it’s ongoing charting of the search patterns of internet users around the world. Each calendar year produces the “Year End Google Zeitgeist” which, according to Google spokespeople,  speaks to our collective consciousness. After reviewing the list I would suggest it reflects our collective cultural unconsciousness. I am not sure whether to laugh or cry or alternate the two responses.

If I hired the guy who does the movie trailers my thoughts would be something like this…(dramatic music)…

In a world full of suffering, genocide, hunger, loneliness, broken families, spiritual longing, and fear…millions of cyber warriors search for answers to save the planet. Nothing could ever prepare you for what these tattered legions decided was the most important search topic of this year.

Paris Hilton!

 

 

 

 

 

Pardon the gap. I had to take a moment to take a knee and catch my breath. Paris Hilton was, inexplicably, number one for the most typed in search item on Google news. That was the stunning revelation for me. I would have thought that Paris Hilton searches would happen at the regular site and more serious inquiries would occupy the news site. Wrong.

Here are the top 10 news searches of 2006.

  1. paris hilton
  2. orlando bloom
  3. cancer
  4. podcasting
  5. hurricane katrina
  6. bankruptcy
  7. martina hingis
  8. autism
  9. 2006 nfl draft
10. celebrity big brother 2006

A few serious concerns managed to work their way onto the list. Cancer concerns edged out Martina Hingis but could not pass Orlando Bloom. Autism searches were slightly more prevalent than people seeking NFL draft info. I don’t want to make this part of my grumpy old man series from earlier this year but I have to admit this list is a little depressing. Perhaps the bleakness of the news drives people to escapist entertainment. But I keep coming back to one huge concern.

Paris Hilton?

I know that millions of people search for more important info than the list detailed above on Google and other internet search engines. I regularly get comments from readers who “googled” certain terms and they find my website. So I don’t want to overreact to this list. But Paris Hilton?

Here is my hope and prayer for 2007. I don’t expect that any of these searches will be number one in the next zeitgeist list. But I do hope that millions will take the time to search for topics like these…

10. How can I find significance?
  9. How can I find joy and contentment?
  8. What happens after I die?
  7. What really matters in this life?
  6. How can I make a difference?
  5. How can I find strength to endure trials?
  4. Can faith help my family?
  3. Is the Bible relevant today?
  2. Who is Jesus Christ?
  1. What does that mean to me?

Even the men who followed Jesus for His three years of ministry had to answer many of the questions above. Jesus asked numbers one and two directly in this account from the Gospel of Matthew.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” 
Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

And that is the question that all of us must answer. If I could give you any gift this Christmas I would love to give you  the ability to consider the claims of Christ without the bias and baggage of bad experiences. There are people who have damaged the cause of Christ because of their false teachings, sin, and ungodly behavior. People have been deeply wounded by people who loudly lift the banner of Christ. I can not deny that fact. But that does not change the fact that I must answer this question.

“Who do you say I am?”

Peter responded to the question.

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 
Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.”

I believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. I believe that Jesus became flesh and came to earth on this event that most of us call Christmas. I know that belief has changed my life. I encourage you to consider the question. A relationship with Jesus is worth the search.