Socialism is Sin

I wrote an article a couple of years ago about whether Jesus would be a Republican or a Democrat. I got a few comments about that, even though I ended the article with no conclusion one way or the other. In truth, Jesus never expressed much interest in politics other than saying our leaders are given their right to govern by God. I don't believe he has much regard for either party. Recently, I saw a question posted on a Christian web site which asked what Jesus would do regarding the health care debate. One reply to the question stated that Jesus was pretty much a socialist.

I have seen many people make that claim over the years, but I have to disagree. There is this utopian mindset among some on the left that socialism is this ideal thing where you help your fellow man and everyone is happy. Unfortunately, if you take a look at most nations who have ever attempted socialism — from the national socialists of Germany to the communists of the former Soviet Union, China, or Cuba — you find a rather repressive society. However, I am not trying to focus on the human rights aspect of socialism. This is a spiritual matter.

That being said, there are a lot of good Christians who may disagree with my premise that socialism is a sin.

Being Rich is not a sin
Many people point to the parable of Lazarus and the rich man as a sign that wealth is a sin. They may also point to the story of the young rich King who asked Christ how to be saved and the reply about it being easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter Heaven. These people forget a few things. Nowhere does it say that it is any easier for a poor man to enter the Kingdom. These are lessons about greed and personal sacrifice. You see, Jesus was all about personal commitment.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus says "when I was hungry, you fed me." That passage goes on longer, but the point can be made just with that one piece. Who does Jesus say fed him? The answer is YOU. In no translation of the Bible does he say "when I was hungry, you passed a law and took food from your neighbor and gave it to me." Everything in the gospel of Christ is about personal responsibility. I believe the Christian community is becoming complacent. You can be liberal and Christian without falling victim to the socialist lie. By the same token, you can be conservative and Christian without believing everyone else is going to hell. I don't believe either side of the political spectrum has cornered the market on good will. We should all want to help our fellow man, but passing the buck off to a secular government to do it for us is spiritual mediocrity.

God is your Source
God promises you abundance. If you have faith, he will meet your needs and overwhelm you with blessings. In that sense, socialism is a spiritual void. It is no accident that faith was shunned by political leaders in socialist nations and it is not coincidence that Marx, Lenin, and the creators of socialism were atheists. In a very real sense, in a socialistic society, government replaces faith as it tries to provide you with the bare necessities. It seeks to be your source, but government cannot provide you abundance.

The danger in this spiritual void is that socialism breeds a generation of people who do not rely on God as their source. Even more to the point, socialism nurtures the mentality of lack. It creates the notion that you do not deserve more, that you are not blessed, and that you cannot manifest abundance. There is a reason Cuba forbids its citizens from riding on boats. People don't risk their lives trying to escape from utopias.

Spreading the Lie
When people can no longer manifest abundance in their lives through faith, socialism creates a society with no middle class. When no middle class exists, the barrier between the rich and the poor is more pronounced. It is true that one of the side effects of abundance is greed. That was the lesson in the parables of Jesus regarding wealth. However, if you share your blessings, you need not be ashamed of them. On the other hand, the side effects of poverty are covetousness, envy, and jealousy. This is not to say that all poor people sin in this way because all people are equally sinful in one way or another. Socialism fertilizes these sinful thoughts about our fellow man because it teaches that anyone who has prosperity or abundance has somehow wronged those who do not. What's more, it seeks to take from the blessed and give to those who have not believed in their own blessings. Again, I am talking about the poor class under socialism, not all people in need. Jesus said the poor would always be among us. This is why we are to give cheerfully and without compulsion.

Capitalism versus Socialism
Capitalism has its own faults. Certainly, as people become financially comfortable they can become complacent or even, at worst, greedy. However, capitalism offers freedom and, as Ben Franklin said, a person who gives up freedom for security deserves neither. Socialism provides for some basic benefits, no doubt, but at what cost? We are spiritual people and we have to look at things from that point of view. In the Gospel of John, Jesus told the crowd that he was speaking of spiritual things and offering spiritual answers. Two sentences later, it says, most of the people stopped following him that day. People do not always consider the big picture when it comes to political decisions. In that verse, people were looking for immediate gratification - just like people today. They wanted someone to give them a sandwich, not someone to teach them to bake bread.

That being said, when you see someone who is hungry. Feed them. What you do to them, you do to Jesus. However, it is important that you feed them from your blessings. Don't push it off on your neighbor, society or the government. Faith without works is dead faith. Also, when you feed the poor, don't do it for recognition or publicity - God knows your heart.

We cannot shirk our responsibilities as a community of faith and pass the buck along to government. Government cannot save souls. If we are seeking to provide health care for the poor, take the initiative. Volunteer at a clinic, give to a homeless shelter, lobby your congressman. There is nothing inherently wrong with looking for better solutions. The problem arises, in the faith perspective, when people place their faith in their fellow man. God is a God of abundance, as I keep saying. Socialism, aside from the utopian idealism, is a void where people no longer expect blessings or prosperity and that is truly a god of lack.

A long time ago, I spoke to a group of friends on this subject. What if we built health care cooperatives along the same model as credit unions? People in a given community or profession could band together and share (willingly) their supply by investing in a health care credit union to purchase insurance for all members. I am not the right person to work out the details, but I believe that is infinitely better than a system of envy and covetousness.

People of faith. of all political persuasions, listen. Your blessings already exist. We have to teach people to accept them. Jesus was apolitical for a reason. There can be a new way of doing things and a spiritual awakening in the world. This awakening is not the result of an election, legislation, or even a political leader. Acting on faith is personal.

Down to the Well

One of the great challenges in reading the Bible is sifting through multiple layers of relevance in the gospels of Jesus. Recently, I was reflecting on the story of the woman at the well. Aside from the obvious illustration of Grace, the brief encounter has layers of meaning that can be understood only when we understand the culture in which it occurred.

Culturally, Jesus was not supposed to speak to a Samaritan woman because he was a Jew. Jesus, as we know, was not one to conform to social norms. So, when he asks her for water it catches her by surprise. This is when we see the depth of meaning in the story. Jesus offers her living water which we often equate with eternal life. However, it is much more. In Jewish tradition, baptism can be done two different ways - ritual washing of hands or immersion. A tevilah, or baptism, is a Jewish ritual cleansing. I have discussed the reasons for Jesus' baptism in an earlier article, so I won't go too deeply into that here. In many cleansing rituals, the person being baptized must be immersed in a stream or Mikvah (baptismal) with flowing water. The flowing water is called "living water" and is supposed to wash away the dirt. In the traditional sense, Jesus is offering to wash away her sins.

So, how does she react? At first, she does not appear to understand the significance. It is then that Jesus begins to reveal his identity to her. When he asks her to fetch her husband so that he can also accept "living water," she explains that she does not have a husband. Jesus explains that he knows this fact and elaborates that she has had five husbands and is currently living with a man out of wedlock. She begins to understand who he is. He confronts her shame as a way to reveal his power.

It is important to understand here that Jesus is not judging her or condemning her. She is not a Jew and is not under the Law - so preaching at her would only turn her away from his ultimate message. Even today, we see that it is easier to persuade people with gentle words than with condemnation. Many people have been driven to the gates of hell by well meaning Christians spewing fire and brimstone (condemnation and judgment) when Grace would have yielded a spiritual harvest. As Jesus reveals his identity to the woman, she begins to understand that "living water" is forgiveness.

On a personal level, we do not know much about the Samaritan woman but we can discern a few things. She'd had five husbands and was currently living with another man. She was not proud of her place in life. It is likely that she had been shunned by her family and, like many women today, found herself in a life that was not what she dreamed of as a young girl. This is revealed by the way she questions why Jesus would be speaking to her. She had resigned herself to a lower station in life and expected little good. It can also be assumed that her presence at the well at noon (the sixth hour in the Jewish view of counting time) was during the hottest part of the day - when she would have seen few people along the way - thus avoiding confrontation.

Jesus knew her shame, her pain, her guilt, and her issues with low esteem. He did not judge, but offered her redemption in his "living waters." He spoke to her in such a way that she confessed her wrongs to him. In doing so, he created a believer who evangelized to the rest of the village and many more were saved.

Too often, we follow the example of the Pharisees and apply legalism when we should offer Grace. The Old Testament is an amazing group of books detailing the path of humanity's relationship with God leading up to the arrival of Christ. However, we must remember that the Jews ASKED for the Law and it became their burden. Paul called it the tutor, but what was it teaching? Many would say that the Old Testament laws tell us how we MUST live. This is not true. The Old Testament laws were a tutor because they taught us that no one is righteous and no one is perfect.

Jesus came to complete the Law. With Grace came freedom — and that is a good thing.

But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. (Gal 3:22-25)

Legalism is a curse, of sorts. To be kept in custody is to be kept in prison. The Law served to bind people in their sins so that they would realize that they needed Grace and Faith and could not be righteous through their deeds. Thus, to bind yourself to the law is to bind yourself to sin. Keep that in mind the next time some well meaning person begins to quote legalism. We cannot pick and choose. If we choose the Law, we must follow all of it. In doing so, we reject Grace. The Bible also tells us to gently minister to someone when we see them stumble so that we don't also stumble.

Being a Christian means emulating Christ in our own lives. So, when we approach someone, it is ok to disagree but it is never acceptable to judge or condemn. We don't have the insight Jesus had. We cannot see the pain a person carries in their life, but if we ask and listen we might be able to ease their burden.

Teach Us To Pray

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he gave us what we know as the Lord's Prayer. It is a simple, yet magnificent, example of what it means to pray. It is an affirmation in the truest sense. As Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew, God already knows what you need before you ask him.

As I was trying to have some quiet time this past week, I could not clear my head of distractions. Instead, I tuned into a podcast on meditation and prayer. One comment the teacher made stuck with me more than any other. This lesson was about using anything you do as a means to prayer. I may have mentioned before, I pray while in my car. It is often the only time I am alone. While driving, I sometimes concentrate on things that I need to let go of, or I repeat simple affirmations - positive thoughts of thanks and appreciation.

Never meditate while driving. Keep your eyes open.

The comment that stuck with me was provocative - everything is prayer. As I started to think about this simple comment, a thought hit me. God knows our every thought and our heart's desire. If we dwell on something, we are lifting that thought up to God. When we have dwelled on our anger, our resentments, our thoughts of revenge - we have technically prayed for God to cause harm to others for our own satisfaction. What are we praying? I am glad that God's discernment is there to sift through our prayers.

You cannot grow spiritually if you are clinging to negative thoughts.

Some people go their entire lives bitter and resentful. Some cling to anger and loss. Some people, even those who claim to teach others about Christ, have no joy in their lives. What is the point of faith if you refuse joy?

If we are praying negative thoughts by dwelling on them or if we are not affirming our blessings daily, we are not growing. If you are angry at someone, and refuse to forgive them, you are not harming them. When you forgive someone, the forgiveness frees you. They are not bound to accept your words, but you are free from the burden of your own negative ways. Perhaps this is why Jesus tells us to pray FOR our enemies.

Blogging Vacations, Part 2

I have to admit, for someone who started off the year planning to write more, I have failed miserably (so far). As I have written before, I have a love affair with coffee. I am starting to realize that my blogging could use a shot of espresso - some caffeine to get things going. I named this post "Blogging Vacation, Part 2". The completely unrelated Part 1 is posted on the Alabama Football blog, Alabama Gameday, where I am a guest slacker - I mean blogger. So, if you are into Alabama Football, check it out as well.

Lately, I have been consumed with work and I am presently working on launching a new company — details on that are coming very very soon. I have also been spending more time with family, friends, and resting. While I am not willing to give up any of that precious time, I do plan to spend more time in the coming weeks writing.

There are many exciting things going on right now. As I mentioned, I am stoked* about the new project, I am also stepping into uncomfortable territory at church — I have volunteered to lead a small group for new believers. It may or may not happen, but actually agreeing to do it (if needed) was a step that I took into the abyss.

I heard some interesting things on the radio this week. I am going to develop them into blog articles very soon. Sorry if my blog has turned into a "blahg" lately. I will try to do better.


* This is the first, and likely last, time I have used the term "stoked". Someone, keep me accountable on this.

From the Stacks

I collect books. One of my favorite things is to stumble across a signed first edition, or an unusual book somewhere. So, I decided to take a book that I found interesting out of my stack nearby and share a bit about it with you (as if anyone is reading this).

Today, I grabbed the Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx - the guitarist and main songwriter for Motley Crue. Although this book is not signed, nor is it a first edition, it is interesting. My friend Tony, who has enlisted me to write for his blog, Alabama Gameday, has given me grief in more than one conversation about paying too much attention to rock lyrics and looking for evidence of spiritual meaning in secular songs.

Granted, Motley Crue doesn't have a cover version of Kumbaya in their recorded catalog so there is really nothing to decipher lyrically. It is my association with the Celebrate Recovery program at my church that made this book enticing. I should offer a warning. This book contains a lot of profanity and graphic detail. If you are the type of person who doesn't want to have to wash your eyeballs after reading profanity, or if you have a stick up your bottom, don't read this book.

That being said, the book wraps up with two very important lessons. The first lesson is to give away as much as you can. The other is to let go and let God. Both are spiritual lessons and the writer admits that his addiction has given him a spiritual awareness he never knew existed. As he said, his addiction gave him recovery and the ability to give back.

We have a saying in Celebrate Recovery, where I lead a men's general issue small group, that says that nobody ever seeks to recover until they have found the bottom of their despair. In every life, there is a rock bottom moment. In the case of Nikki Sixx, dropping dead and being revived by a passing pizza delivery guy was probably the bottom.

In the world of music, so many stories have a tragic ending. The roster of the rock and roll dead is long and likely to get longer. This story, at least, offers a bit of hope to the regular guy that recovery is a better way of life.

Five Things for February

1. Today, we are taking the kids to feed the homeless. I am glad they want to do good things for others and I am thankful that our church supports this ministry.

2. So far, I have not done much toward accomplishing my goal of writing more this year. It is still early.

3. I am thankful for all of the old friends I have reconnected with lately.

4. A few weeks into the Obama administration, and the world hasn't ended. Also, not much of real substance has been accomplished either.

5. I am building a web design and hosting company. Contact me for more info.

Let Them Eat Cake

I watched the inauguration yesterday. Along with the good cheer and good will that comes with such pomp and circumstance, I remain proud of our great country. In much of the world, leaders enter office and leave office with a struggle, a bullet, or a revolution. Certainly, our young nation has had its fair share of struggle, and a couple of revolutions, but our typical transition of power does not come from violence but with a handshake and an embrace.

Yesterday, amidst the media evangelizing, power once again transferred hands in the usual way. There were no choirs of Angels singing from on high, no doves descending from the clouds, and no burning bushes (not even a GW Bush). There was a ceremony, a parade, and lots of celebration. Rightfully so. The Republic still stands and the methods put in place by our founding fathers for a peaceful transition of power worked yet again.

However, something struck me as I looked back over the course of the day. In a year when banks are failing and the world economy is shaking with uncertainty, when campaign slogans were filled with financial fear and doom and gloom, our government threw the biggest inauguration party in history — with some estimates as high as 170 million dollars.

After the inauguration ceremony, our nation's leaders attended a lavish lunch in Statuary Hall. In that amazing building, Senator Diane Feinstein spoke eloquently about the tradition of the inaugural lunch which dates back to a modest fellowship meal hosted by President Eisenhower and Vice President Nixon in the 1950s. After the lunch, the Senator from the bankrupt state of California presented all of the politicians in attendance with gift bags filled with watches and other items to commemorate the event. History is filled with government elitists living the good life as their people prepare for revolt.

Nero, get your fiddle!

God bless President Obama. I didn't vote for him but I wish him well. He has his hands full with these people.

Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe that another year has moved into history. Happy New Year to everyone. I hope 2009 brings you all the good you seek.

I have to say, 2008 was a strange year for me. Every year presents challenges and every year brings new joy and new lessons. As I have said many times, you learn much more from the difficulties you face. I believe this. It is this faith, this belief in grace, that gives me peace. It helps me get out of bed in the mornings.

Looking back, I grew a lot in 2008. With growth comes growing pains.

In January, I abandoned a bid to purchase the design company I helped create in 2005. Instead, I remained attached to it as General Manager and decided to look for other investments. In April, I found an interesting new venture that turned into a real adventure for me personally and professionally. Although it has been rough — and I have sunk a lot more money, emotion, and time into it than anticipated — 2009 could see that investment turn into profit. I hope and pray that it will for everyone involved.

In my own company, I have taken on more design work and I have developed a web hosting and design business that I plan to focus on in 2009. I hope to post some exciting info on this in the coming weeks.

In February, I had the worst anxiety/panic attack I have endured since the late 80s. It was foolish on my part because I learned that I was not taking good care of myself physically or spiritually. The two are connected. I didn't write about this attack but, as I look back on it, I did learn my limits.

In August, the new owners of the company met with me to tell me that they were eliminating my salary but wanted me to continue to work for them on a contract basis. I agreed, for the time being, but I was still focused on other investments and upon growing my own company. As I stepped back from them, and I do wish them all well, I learned another thing about myself. I have always treated my clients as if they were my own company. I take an interest in their business, their products, and their lives. Many of the people I worked with over the years approached me to offer me work. It validated my work ethic, and I am thankful for that lesson. It took a few months, but God was again faithful in his promise to prosper me and not harm me. I am glad He is God instead of me.

After Thanksgiving, I took my family to Disney and we had a great time. I blogged about it earlier if you are interested. My son now shares my roller coaster addiction and I could not be more proud.

We had a great Christmas filled with fellowship and family. It was good to see everyone and I look forward to keeping up with friends and family a bit better in 2009.

I am not a big fan of new year's resolutions. I believe that every day is a resolution. When you get up in the morning, you make a choice to stay on course or wander off course. No insincere, but well intentioned, statement on January 1 means anything if the discipline is not there every other day. However, there are a few things I hope to do in 2009 that are worthy of listing here.

• I hope to show my kids more of the world and more of the good in it.
• I hope to focus on helping others more than I have.
• I hope to get in better shape physically, financially, and mentally.

So, in short, I need to pray more, laugh more, exercise more, eat better, sleep better and take a deep breath and relax now and then. That's it. No half-hearted resolutions. I do intend to write more, read more, and have more quiet time.

Don't let the world determine who you are. It doesn't matter who will be President, what the stock market thinks, or what you do to earn a living (as long as it is legal and doesn't compromise your morals). Hope and change comes from you, not from catch phrases and sound bites. Be thankful for what you have been given. Choose not to participate in a bad economy or a negative environment in your personal life. With the faith of a mustard seed, as the parable goes.

As C. S. Lewis once said: "You do not have a soul, you are a soul. You have a body." You are here to grow and learn. Savor the good times and pay attention to the bad times. In short, BE GOOD.

Another Day, Another Theology Quiz

So, I found another theology quiz while taking a break from a design job. This one is more precise than the other one. It's interesting how some of these rankings have turned around as I have grown over the last few years. Let me know how you do. Here are my results:

You Scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists.

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

79%

Emergent/Postmodern

71%

Neo orthodox

54%

Classical Liberal

54%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

50%

Modern Liberal

46%

Reformed Evangelical

46%

Roman Catholic

39%

Fundamentalist

36%

Would it Kill You?

Hey, if you read this regularly (yeah, right) or if this is your first time here, do me a favor. Click on an ad while you are here.

When I was in college, there was a local bar owner who (I've heard) would make announcements over the speakers to say things like "drink up, my kids are having to drink powdered milk" or "buy another round, I have an alimony payment due in ten minutes".

Well, things are not that bad here, but I would appreciate a click or two.