DAMNED IF YOU DO

My next paper is due a week from tomorrow. It's all about the various critical theories (Critical Race Theory, Fat Theory, Queer Theory, etc.), their roots, and how the Church can address the social injustices that they seek to address.

I am kind of stuck because I am very pessimistic about the church's ability to make any postmodern social justice warrior happy. 

Believe me, I know - I have gotten entangled with one before. When the starting point is that I am automatically racist because I am white*, there is absolutely nothing I can do to satisfy that person. 

When I moved to Haiti to serve as a teacher, apparently, it was out of a sense of superiority and a chance to feed my ego as a "white savior". 

And this was the perspective of a professing Christian! 

What a load of ... cynical "mind reading". 

But there was no convincing her she was wrong. And this is the way with the postmodern social justice warriors. 

It is the epitome of the "damned if you do and damned if you don't" situation. If I ignore the problems of Haiti, they will say I am racist. If I move my family to Haiti to help, it's because I am racist.

How do you even engage someone who believes that sort of garbage?

*I am actually beige. 

CLEANING HOUSE

Today I helped a friend clean out the house where she had raised her family. She's in her 80s now, the kids have their own families, and her husband passed away several years ago.

After his death, my friend had moved into a small condo. The family home remained in her name, mostly empty of furniture but not quite ready to be sold. 

The kids and grandkids recently decided that it's time to finish the job - and that meant sorting through remaining papers and knick-knacks and dishes. 

Her husband had gone to seminary later in life and was a voracious reader - so this sweet lady wanted me to look through his library and take any of the books which I might find useful. 

I took at least a hundred for myself and had to pass over hundreds more. There was no time or energy to find those unclaimed books a new home. 

So they went into a dumpster. Over a thousand books. Billions of words. Countless ideas. 

It was hard to witness.  

BY ALL POSSIBLE MEANS

In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, the Apostle Paul describes his approach to evangelism. In doing so, he demonstrates his awareness of psychology: 

To the Jews I became like a Jew – to win the Jews

To those under the law I became like one under the law – so as to win those under the law

(Though I myself am not under the law.)

To those not having the law I became like one not having the law – so as to win those not having the law

(Though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law)

To the weak I became weak – to win the weak

Paul seems to know inherently the tendency of humans to be more receptive to those who are like them in some way - big or small.

In his famous book, Influence, Robert Cialdini describes "liking" as being one of the central factors of persuasion. In short: if we like someone, his or her opinion means more to us. And we tend to like those who are like us in some significant way. 

Cialdini tells of a social experiment in the 1970s. It was the hippie era, and the researchers hit a college campus to track the responses of random students asked for a dime to make a phone call.

The researcher would dress as a "square" or as a hippie before making the ask. If the researcher's outfit matched the student's, the dime was given more than two-thirds of the time. If the researcher was dressed opposite of the student, the dime was given less than half the time. 

When it comes to something as important as sharing the gospel, every little advantage matters. 

Paul explains his motivation for identifying with his various audiences as much as possible in this way: "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." (1 Cor 9:22)

What would this look like in our own lives today?

RUNNING THE RACE

When I turned 40, I was too poor to pay for a proper mid-life crisis, so no red convertibles for me. 

Instead, to prove "I still had it" - whatever "it" was - I signed myself up for the Indianapolis 500 Mini Marathon. I had never run 13 miles before at one go, so it was a proper challenge for me.

At the time, I could handle 3 miles without too much trouble. So I worked my way up to 6 and then 9. I think I ran and walked 12 miles on a Saturday or two before the race in early May.

On the big day, the starting line was a sea of athletes - almost 40,000 of us. I planned to run with my sister-in-law, but I lost her as soon as the starting pistol sent us all surging forward.

I found my pace in the first couple of miles and really enjoyed the atmosphere - cheering crowds clustered in places along the route and other folks provided music or water at regular intervals.  

By the halfway point I was slowing down. On this particular course, the runners actually get to pound the pavement of the Indy 500 track at about mile 6. The jumbotrons were lit up and were displaying reporters interviewing the winner of the race! 

For 13 miles, he had run more than twice as fast as I was running. That sort of took the wind out of my sails. 

I was hurting pretty bad by the finish line, but I made it. I don't remember my time exactly, but I think it was in the two hours and 40 minutes range - a personal record! (Easy to get a PR since I had never run a mini-marathon before. 😉)

My favorite part of the entire episode, though, was when I got back home and Caleb, Hannah, and Samuel crowded around me in the living room asking, "Did you win the race, daddy?!"

No, I didn't come in first, but I did beat 17,000 other runners!

MISDIRECTION

The most prominent missionary in Haiti has spent the last two weeks denouncing the Asbury revival as a work of Satan. 

You may wonder how she knows with certainty that what happened in a small town in Kentucky was not a movement of God - well, she's glad you asked: "I prayed for a day & a half begging God for discernment, understanding & a word. He spoke to me Asbury is a counterfeit." 

She's no fan of the new Jesus Revolution film, either. From today's post: "Reportedly Collegiate Day of Prayer organizers coordinated w Jesus Revolution producers to release the film on the heels of Asbury's 'spontaneous revival'."

Everyone knows the Collegiate Day of Prayer organizers are tools in the hands of Satan! 😈

At least she is not claiming that God Himself is her source for this 'news'. I am no expert on such things, but it seems logical to me that film release dates are set months in advance. Is she saying the release date was moved up to take advantage of the revival or that the revival was a publicity stunt to promote the movie?

She continues: "The film's astounding profits bring to mind Jesus's words as He overturns money changers tables in the Temple, Mt21:13 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." 

I am confused. Is she saying movie theaters are now God's house? Christian movies should be free? I think if Jesus was to clean house in a movie theater, He would begin with the concession counter and their $8 popcorn! 

(For the record, by "astounding profits", she means $15 million. Hardly "astounding" by Hollywood standards.)  

As a side note, and not a bit surprising to me, as far as this missionary is concerned, "Reformed Theology" (AKA Calvinism) is orthodox and Scriptural. 

She and her husband exert great spiritual influence over Haiti through TV programming and local preaching. I don't know much about her husband, but I am hoping his theology, discernment, humility, and maturity are much greater than hers. 

The last thing Haiti needs is spiritual misdirection. 

THE NEWS

I wrote yesterday that I had some news to share ... but it isn't completely settled yet, so I will share the half that IS settled.

I am currently interviewing with a small local congregation about the possibility of taking on the role as their pastor.

It is a part-time position and I will continue working with Mission Resource regardless of the outcome of the interview process. 

Ever since we returned from Haiti, I have had a growing interest in preaching and pastoring. Now we will see if this is God's direction for me. 

I will share more details whichever way it gets settled in the next couple of weeks. For now I am just asking for prayer - for discernment and wisdom, for both myself and the congregation. 

(P.S. - I checked and - to my relief - they are not Calvinists. 😏) 

A LONG DAY

I have some news to share - soon - but I just finished a 4,000 word paper for my class on World Religions and my brain is fried. 

It was a tough day. I didn't really WANT to write this paper. 

So to make the day extra challenging, my brain and bladder decided I needed to get out of bed this morning at 2:45 am. I was in the kitchen, cleaning the Keurig, at 4 am. The rest of the morning is a blur.

I managed to get back into bed around 10 am for about an hour, but I still dragged all day.

I will sleep well tonight.