Prior to the forum and now in its wake, people ask: how involved should a church get in politics? Rick Warren explains his position in an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg:

I believe in the separation of church and state, but I do not believe in the separation of politics from religion. Faith is simply a worldview. A person who says he puts his faith on the shelf when he’s making decisions is either an idiot or a liar. It’s entirely appropriate for me to ask what is their frame of reference.

I’m with Rick Warren on this, though I can understand why secularists pale at politicians “submitting” themselves to a pastor’s interview. Secularists argue that public policy should not be defined by any particular religious values: “A neutral secularism which neither grants a preference nor imposes a burden upon any particular religious system is preferable in a pluralistic and free society” (Austin Cline).

The key to this disagreement is that secularists have a narrow definition of religion while Evangelicals have a broad definition of religion. Secularists see religion as beliefs that are confinable to private practice. Evangelicals say their beliefs drive every aspect of their lives, both public and private.

In general, the more devout a believer (of any faith), the broader their definition of religion. Devout believers see that all aspects of their lives are driven by their core beliefs about the world. And since secularists also have a set of values that drive their decision-making, secularism is a “religion” (broadly defined) — a worldview, on the same level as any other religion, whether or not they would call it such or not.

In politics, then, all voters aim for the common good. What that is and how to get there depends on one’s worldview. Since elections are manifestations of a state’s values, neither secularists nor people of faith should feel compelled to mute their worldview. Christians voting their values are no more an imposition of their faith on others as secularists voting their values. This is what civil dialogue and the political process is for and I for one am glad to see Rick Warren take a step in this direction.

“Do you agree that the magical potency of today’s ceremony is exactly equal to the magical efficacy of ceremonial baptism with dihydrogen oxide, and do you agree that the power of all magical ceremonies is nonexistent?”

If this didn’t make me so sad, I would find this rather funny.

A couple notes: First, this ceremony, albeit funny, shows that atheists continue to define themselves by what they are against. Sarcastic humor unites by tearing down a foe, but sarcasm is hardly creative. Nor does it create community.

Secondly, the de-baptismal formula quoted is utterly devoid of any sort of moral demand. Baptism in the Bible is about both faith and repentance from sin. At it’s barest meaning (i.e. devoid of “magic”), baptism is a statement and commitment to humility, growth and change. The de-baptism formula above is simply about declaring “unfaith,” which I find insipid and uninspiring. As such, and quite ironically, Christian baptism is more humanistic than this atheistic de-baptism.

(Please pardon me while I tear my hair out.)

I appreciate that this prospective juror is taking seriously “Do not judge, or you too will be judged,” but we need to read that command in context: Matthew 7:1-5. Judgment of a person’s behavior is wrong if unfair, hypocritical and arrogant. Proper judgment, as Lewis Smedes says, is necessary:

I would suggest that, in our day and age, we need more—not less—judgment. Modern Americans suffer from a fear of judging. Passing judgment on the behavior of fellow human beings is considered an act of medieval, undemocratic intolerance.

Why? Because, our culture tells us, we are all flawed people, and people with flaws have no right to judge other people’s flaws. Furthermore, modern Americans do not believe that there are objective standards by which to judge. And where there are no standards, there is nothing by which to measure behavior.

Standards are vital. “In a sinful world, no community can exist for long where nobody is ever held accountable.” (Smedes, again) There is no holiness without standards, no love without judgment.

All I can say is, please judge me. Just do it fairly, humbly and with love, and always aim for repentance and reconciliation. And of course, know that full, final and eternal judgment is God’s alone.

For instance, Glenville advises, “A special occasion calls for special treatment, and taking the time to visit your hairdresser, go for a massage, and have a facial scrub will all add to your confidence.” In another section, he tells us, “At sporting events, whether cheering your team on or participating yourself, the wrong footwear can completely skew an outfit.” I wonder if Chipper Jones knows this?

Stinson’s point is that pampering oneself encourages the sin of self-absorption. “We do not need prettier boys. We do not need softer men. What we need is a church culture that will call boys and men to lives of self sacrifice as exampled by the picture of Christ in Ephesians 5 who loved the church and gave himself for her to his own neglect and sacrifice.” [Read the article]

Although the verification test has changed to adapt to new scientific understandings about gender — athletes are now evaluated by an endocrinologist, gynecologist, a geneticist and a psychologist — critics say the test is based on the false idea that someone’s sex is a cut-and-dried issue.

“It’s very difficult to define what is a man and what is a woman at this point,” said Christine McGinn, a plastic surgeon who specializes in transgender medicine.

I’m not in a position to debate all the intricacies of the genetics of sex and such. I appreciate the complexity. But I do think that the “intersex” exceptions should not rule the day and encourage us to blur the lines between men and women. One of the basic ideas of creation in Genesis 1 is that God is making order out of chaos by making distinctions between things: light and dark, sky and water, water and land, land and plant, plant and animal, animal and human, human male and human female. If God makes distinctions in creation, we should uphold these distinctions as good.

…
2. Pray for the followers of Christ in Myanmar:

• That they would be still and know that God is God (Psalm 46:10; 100:3).
• That they would be awakened from the illusion that this life is long or sure or the main point of eternal existence (James 4:14)….

3. Pray for the millions of unbelievers near the calamity and far from it:

• That they would see the helplessness of man before the Power that rules the world and fly to Christ who alone delivers from the final cyclone of God’s wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10)….

4. Pray for those of us who live in the seeming security and prosperity of America:

• That we would see what is about to break over us in due time—either collectively as God removes the hand of his providential restraint, or individually as one by one we are whisked to the hospital, then wheeled to the nursing home, and then carried to the funeral home (Hebrews 9:27).
• That millions would be made to see this and repent from the adultery of treasuring anything more than Christ (James 4:4)….

Read the whole post from Piper.

I’m also greatly encouraged that our denomination has been working hard on getting immediate relief into the country, especially when there are so many political obstacles. Some details from our denomination:

Under the direction of the EFCA TouchGlobal Crisis Response team, ReachGlobal staff in Asia and our ministry partners in Myanmar, we are making preparations to assist those most severely affected by this devastating event. The immediate need is funding to begin the process of rebuilding lives in this area of the world. We want to show compassion to those most in need and through the efforts of our ministry partners and the generous support of our churches here in the United States, lives will be transformed.

God has shown favor to ReachGlobal by allowing us to develop an exciting ministry partnership with the Evangelical Free Church of Myanmar. This partnership has positioned us well for responding to this disaster with people in-country who can effectively meet the needs of their fellow citizens….

We have established the Myanmar Disaster Relief fund and are accepting donations. Please send checks to:
Myanmar Disaster Relief Fund #21709-3989
901 E 78th Street
Minneapolis MN 55420

And finally, if you’re worshiping with us locally, CEFC will also help channel relief help through TouchGlobal to partner churches in Myanmar. I am especially moved that we can help empower local people to meet local needs. May God have mercy on us all.

…some atheists are taking seriously the idea that atheism needs to stand for things, like evolution and ethics, not just against things, like God. The most successful movements in history, after all—Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, etc.—all have creeds, cathedrals, schools, hierarchies, rituals, money, clerics, and some version of a heavenly afterlife. Churches fill needs, goes the argument—they inculcate ethics, give meaning, build communities. “Science and reason are important,” says Greg Epstein, the humanist chaplain of Harvard University. “But science and reason won’t visit you in the hospital.”

Essentially, some atheists want to throw out the baby and keep the bathwater. The socializing functions of church are desirable, but the crux of the church—God and the Gospel—are to be laid to rest.

The movement to “churchify” atheism is in a very early stage. There is disagreement even on what to call it. To define a movement simply by what one is against (i.e. “atheist” or “Anti-Theist”) is strikingly uncreative and uninspiring for a movement that celebrates humanism and achievement. More importantly, to define and “canonize” what a movement believes (as opposed to what one simply stands against) will be a challenge that I don’t see atheists overcoming any time soon.

To be passionately anti-Something easily galvanizes movements. Stones thrown from any angle can all hit the target. But to be passionately for-Something takes submission to an authority greater than the community itself. That authority, in turn, shapes the community. Christians look to the Bible. Muslims look to the Qur’an. The U.S. looks to the Constitution. Since some of the defining characteristics of atheism is skepticism of authority and even the possibility of knowing anything for sure, I’m very interested in seeing how the movement tries to define itself.

I must say, as a leader in an organized religious movement, it’s hard enough keeping people together when God is on our side. Good luck without.

Childers goes on to say, “Prepare your heart to hear THE GOSPEL this Sunday, proclaimed by a man who cares deeply about your soul, even if his gifting is below average.” It is, after all, the Holy Spirit and the Gospel that moves hearts, not a preacher.

I do notice that when unchurched people come into a church sanctuary, they’re a little more quiet, respectful and conscious of things numinous (i.e. the spiritually “other”). This is why I think our wedding ministry is an important outreach to our community that we haven’t fully realized.