Conversations of Faith at Common Ground

Wright and Obama.

If you’re following the Democratic Presidential nomination race, you’re bound to have heard about the association between Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama. In recent days, Wright has defended and justified his words, and Obama is making overt attempts to “step away” from Wright and his rhetoric.

If you’re unfamiliar with the connection, Jeremiah Wright was the pastor of the church Barack Obama attended. Wright was Obama’s pastor, spiritual mentor, and, quite likely, friend. During Wright’s tenure at the church, he gave a number of charged sermons regarding the United States and the September 11th terrorist attacks. These sermons have been deemed offensive by some and denounced.

Without providing comment on Obama, Wright, politics or race relations, I see the whole fracas with Obama, Wright and Hillary Clinton as an interesting commentary about relationships.

Here’s the rub for me, disavowing a long-time relationship with someone because of what they said or did, seems rather expedient.

From a “Christ-culture” perspective, how should we handle relationships with people we disagree with?
Are the people we associate with necessarily indicative of our character? Here’s the obvious connection… How is a critique of Jesus, for hanging out with “ungodly” people, any different?

If Christ-followers abandon relationships with non-believers, their “enemies”, and/or folks who walk away from the Christian faith, what does that ultimately say about Christ? What would a godly solution and relationship look like?

I was reading through the book of Luke today and discovered something I hadn’t noticed before.

By way of background, an esoteric discussion floating around concerns when Jesus was crucified. Many understand the crucifixion of Jesus to have occurred on Friday, hence ‘Good Friday’. Others wonder if that would be possible given how time was measured. Those in this camp have argued for a crucifixion that occurs on Wednesday or Thursday. (With Passover occurring on Friday — which explains getting Jesus body down from the cross and into a grave.)

In Luke 13, verses 32 and 33, I observed that Jesus talks about a series of days. In verse 32, He says, “And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’” In 33, “Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.”

The series of days are today, tomorrow and the third day (in 32) and today, tomorrow and the next day (in 33).

The “third day” appears to be distinct from “the next day”. If they were the same, it seems like Jesus would have repeated Himself in verse 33 (not talking about a “next day” but the “third day”).

Putting it together, when Jesus rose from the dead on the third day (Sunday), the days preceding it would be today, tomorrow and the next day — Thursday (today), Friday (tomorrow), Saturday (the next day) and Sunday (the third day).

Mystery solved?

Enjoy…

Here are a few questions to stir the pot…

Given how China is treating the Tibet and its people, “If a government decides to oppress the Christian faith, how should Christ-followers living under this government’s authority respond?”

Coming closer to home, “If the U.S. government were to decide that churches were no longer eligible to receive tax-exempt status, how should the Community of Christ respond?”

Pushing this a little further…

In light of Romans 13, “How does the Community of Christ submit under a democratic form of government?”  If we can vote to overturn (overthrow?) laws we disagree with, what does submission look like?

What if our government/country decides it wants to destabilize or overthrow the ruling government of another country?  Under Romans 13, should followers of Christ protest this attempt because it works against the government God put into place?

Hope you’ll chew the fat with me…