Of Books, Bishops and Beatitudes

Thanks to a dear friend, I’m currently reading Rachel Held Evans’ 2010 book, Faith Unraveled and I feel such a kinship! I too grew up in a loving Christian home with intelligent people striving to prove our faith to a lost world. We devoured Lee Strobel, Ravi Zacharias, Josh McDowell, and the likes. Our second bible was CS Lewis’s Mere Christianity.

I was fortunate that my dad was a seeker and not afraid of my doubts and questions. We had many conversations about other faiths and both of us rested in the belief that God is Love, therefore wherever and in whomever genuine love resides regardless of status, religion, gender, culture, or race, God dwells. This belief is my foundation, the very reason I didn’t reject Christianity entirely, and, as I read it, the New Testament upholds this with Jesus’s own teachings.

Jesus turns conservative, capitalistic fundamentalism on its head. There simply is no way to make the beatitudes a defense for the blessedness of nationalism, capitalism and the health wealth gospel. The poor, meek, broken-hearted, the merciful, the pure in heart and the peacemakers…these shall inherit the earth. We are to love our enemies and turn the other cheek, pray behind closed doors in secret, and give away our possessions. We are to be Jesus’s hands and feet, to be the salt of the earth, to share the good news that God loves the world! The message is clear…love love love! Let us weigh every action against love to see if it is of God. Too many times I have listened to my own or others’ fears and called them God’s will.

My friend Michelle is experiencing Les Miserables Live on stage in Nashville this evening. Earlier today she and I were discussing Inspector Javert and how he could not conceive of the concept of grace. He put the law above all else and could not accept anything but dualism….”this is good and that is bad”, “I am right therefore you are wrong,”etc. Javert is a perfect example of what most humans think righteousness looks like, yet Jean Valjean is the one who radiates compassion and love (God’s heart) after he accepted the grace he was shown by Bishop Myriel.

As I was reading Evan’s account of her disillusionment with the church a steady stream of tears began to roll down my cheeks. I love my heritage, I love the people I grew up with, I love singing praise and worship music, and I love our world, I believe in civil rights and equality, and that God is bigger than my comprehension. God is bigger than my understanding, bigger than the Bible, than the church and its many leaders and congregations, God is greater than all of these. God is not limited to our religious boundaries and rules, and any time I find myself getting confused by the different voices here claiming to be the only truth, I ask myself…Is this voice one of Love, Compassion, and Grace? If not then it is not of God no matter how holy it seems.

Everything and everyone from books to bishops must be examined and weighed against Love.

The Beatitudes

He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:2-16 NIV