Thursday, April 20, 2006

20th entry - A Controversial Christian Book and its Author


Recently I came across this article in Detroit News that made me raise an eyebrow. Titled "Minister finds Bible backs gay clergy and marriage", the article was about how an American Presbyterian church leader, Jack Rogers, in Southern California changed his opinion about marrying and ordaining gays in churches. Initially opposed to homosexuality, Rogers went through a process of theological scholarship and became a vocal advocate of ordaining gays and marrying gay couples in the church.

The article reads as follows:

"In 1993, Jack Rogers grudgingly agreed to serve on a task force studying whether his local Presbyterian church in Southern California should ordain gays.

Quite frankly, he wasn't interested in giving the topic serious thought. "I opposed homosexuality reflexively -- that was just what I thought Christians were supposed to do," he recalls.

But once he did embark on a scholarly journey, the Presbyterian minister found that his views changed 180 degrees: He's become a vocal advocate of ordaining gays and marrying gay couples in the church.

"I am so convinced that Jesus and the Bible, rightly understood, support the equality of all persons, including gays and lesbians, and that the church cannot continue going against its central values," says Rogers, 72, a former Presbyterian Church U.S.A. "moderator," the denomination's top leader.

"We can't keep making a group of people pariahs. Jesus would never have stood for it," he stresses.

How an evangelical Christian's views changed so dramatically on an issue that has divided his church since 1976 is mapped out in fascinating detail in "Jesus, the Bible and Homosexuality: Explode the myths, heal the church."

His thoughtful new book, which recounts "how the church changed its mind on other moral issues," couldn't be more timely: Presbyterians will again weigh the place of gays in the church at their June 15-22 General Assembly.

Rogers' turnabout came in part from his scholarly reading of the Bible verses mentioning homosexuality. He concluded that cherry-picking verses to try to justify prejudices ignores the ancient Near East's cultural norms, fails to address other verses suggesting different interpretations and disregards the Scriptures' central, loving message about the life of Jesus.

Asking fellow Christians to temporarily take off 21st-century spectacles, Rogers shows how the Presbyterian leaders deriding blacks and women in the 19th century sounded eerily like the ministers of today who brand those of us who are gay as sinful.

Back then, Rogers notes, most Americans believed women and blacks were especially sinful and that the Bible told them so: Both were viewed as morally inferior to white male Christians, sexually threatening and deserving of punishment.

Leading ministers confidently grounded their defense of slavery and the subordination of women in biblical verses, endorsing as simply part of God's divine plan practices now recognized as abhorrent. (See Genesis 9:22-25, Ham's sin of seeing his father naked; and Genesis 3:16, Eve's sin of eating forbidden fruit and sharing it with Adam.)

Presbyterian theologian Robert Dabney, laying out the slippery slope argument of his day, warned soon after the Civil War that allowing black men to be ministers would lead to race mixing. He later called the push for women's rights "a new attack on God's Word."
Society -- and the church -- of course changed, not the Bible.

"We changed our minds because we changed the way we read the Bible -- from proof-texting to looking at the Bible as a whole and especially through the lens of Jesus' life and ministry," Rogers says. "Most people don't pay attention to history. They say, 'Oh, that was different.' No, it is the same."

Jack Rogers' Bible study led him to see the light about gay people. He has faith his beloved church will soon have a similar revelation.
"

Currently, I feel that Christian leaders like Rogers are few and far between. Most do not pay much attention to historical contexts and many prefer instead to apply scripture literally. A fellow Christian brother of mine once said, and which I agree, that literalists often do not apply scripture consistently, as they only pick and choose what they want to follow. To me, what is worse is that they like to impose their views on others, judging those who fail to meet their standards (even though they might fall short of their own standards).

Nevertheless, I think that its nice to know there are Christians out there who are willing to stand up for their beliefs even if they appear to oppose mainstream conservatives. I am no activist myself but in my heart I cheer whenever I come across one and I secretly admire them for their courage. In my own passive way I support them - by writing about them and trying to tell others about these "heroes". To me, they are even more heroic than gays fighting for their own rights and decrying discrimination, simply because of their selflessness - they do not even gain anything by speaking up for the underdog! If such people dont deserve admiration, who does?

Monday, April 17, 2006

19th entry - Reflections on my Easter Weekend


Good Friday (14 Apr) is now celebrated as Christian festival to observe the day that Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Saviour of mankind, was crucified. On Easter Sunday (3 days after Jesus' death), Christians celebrate the resurrection of the King - the Lion and the Lamb. This festival is important as a reminder that our Lord sacrificed Himself for us so that we did not have to pay the penalty for our sins. This festival commemorates God's ultimate act of grace - and Love - for His people.

Christ's death and resurrection fulfilled the earlier prophecies and God's promise for the salvation of mankind. For Christians, the festival not only held the memory of the death of an important deity but also the remembrance that only by His death could the divine promise be fulfilled: that those who believe in Christ Jesus would not perish but have eternal life. On this account, Good Friday can be considered as one of the most important festivals for Christians. Symbolically, Christians can only walk in their new, sinless lives in Christ, purified by the blood of Jesus, after they have died to their old, sinful lives and nailed them to the Cross.

For others, Easter is just a festival to mark the Spring season and feast on chocolate Easter bunnies and eggs (see the Easter Story). For me, Easter held another important memory. It was the beginning of a new journey with God.

One year ago (2005), I attended the Easter Sunday service at a Methodist church near where I live. Prior to this, I had been agonising over the prospect of going back to church on Sundays, after having been a "backslider" for several years. I had been used to the idea of spending my Sundays at home with my mother (my dad usually worked on Sundays as his day off was typically on Mondays). Disrupting my comfortable schedule was hardly something I had looked forward to.

After reading the book, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren (which was given to me by a Christian friend of mine), however, I felt a desire to start attending church regularly again. Coincidentally, the church I had chosen to attend was on the verge of embarking on the Purpose Driven Life study series for small groups. I couldnt help but feel that the timing of my decision to return to church was timely and Spirit-led, not least because I was most reluctant to do so. There were at least 3 reasons for this: my previous relationship, my work and my own inertia.

I had moved to my current residence in Nov 2003, and not long after that I discovered this Methodist church. At the time, I was still attached to my ex, who used to be a staunch Buddhist but later stopped practising the faith. Similarly, I had also stopped attending church regularly after our relationship started in Aug 2002. We decided to put aside our differences in religious faiths to concentrate on our building our year-old relationship. I knew my ex did not like Christians or Christianity in general but yet chose to be with me because "love was blind". If I continued to attend church and became actively involved in church activities I knew this would create friction with my ex, so to avoid this, I dismissed the thought of checking out the church.

My previous job was another obstacle. Working hours were long and often included Sundays even though I wasnt paid for extra time. It was all right then, because I was finding it a challenge to meet deadlines and getting a kick out of churning out reports that were well-received by management. In a sado-masochistic sort of way, I was "enjoying" the process of working extra hours - the adrenalin rush of deadlines and drive to write better reports motivated me like a narcotic drug - plus the fact that people were praising me for working hard and in a way I was being recognised for it. I told myself - by giving my best at work, enjoying it and putting passion into it, am I not also worshipping God?

In contrast with my ex and my job, inertia was a much subtler factor that I did not realise until I was confronted with it. On one hand, I was already getting tired of going to the mall on Sundays with my mum. On the other hand, I was enjoying my mum's company and keeping my mind off my ex, with whom I was beginning to experience doubts. I could sleep late on Sundays, enjoy a relaxing breakfast with my mum, go out with friends if they were free, or go for some exercise, or view my favourite Japanese anime. Moreover, my memory of the days when I attended church regularly was not particularly pleasant: long and boring services followed by meaningless superficial exchanges with fellow church-goers. I had very little motivation to change my comfortable Sunday schedule.

Yet, in spite of all the aforesaid, I went that fateful Sunday in 2005, and to my greatest surprise, experienced tremendous exhilaration. I felt that the church members were close-knit, and warm and friendly. The church appeared well-organised and Spirit-filled. I experienced a closeness with God that I had never experienced before. Encouraged, I began to get really involved in church - serving in the prayer and ushering ministry, joining cell group activities and reading the bible more regularly. My spiritual maturity started to develop faster than I ever did before.

This Easter, I attended a different church. I was happy at the Methodist church, but I felt that I never truly belonged there. The saddest part was not about leaving behind my so-called church friends - it was the realisation that they were only accepting me for who they thought I was and not who I really am. This year (2006), I found the church where I am accepted for my true self, not someone I pretend to be. Praise be to God!

I also found someone to share my life with. S and I also met at the beginning of 2006. On Friday afternoon, I went to S's place where we made tender love almost immediately after I arrived at the apartment. Then we went out for dinner and came back to continue our intimate moments. On Saturday morning, we took a late breakfast and went out to swim at our recreation club. Afterwards, we went back S's place to rest before going shopping in town. We came home exhausted, and fell asleep in each others' arms. Next morning, I attended church with my friend KC. We went swimming after the Easter service and later S joined us for lunch. S and I then went to a warehouse sale to buy new bedsheets and a mattress protector for our new bed (see previous entry).

It was a enjoyable, special long Good Friday weekend for me.

Monday, April 10, 2006

18th entry - A Happy Weekend


I had a most enjoyable weekend with my sweetheart, S, and one of my dearest friends, KC. On Saturday, I went to S's place in the afternoon. In the privacy of S's room, we hugged and kissed, and chatted for while.

After resting briefly, we went to buy a mattress. We walked to the furniture shop near S's place and selected a new mattress that met our needs. The shop owner gave us a good discount, so we happily ordered the mattress and went home.

Back home, we spent some time together. I helped S to do some work, and felt really glad I could help. Just then, we heard knocking, and realised that the mattress had been delivered. We then began our challenging task of moving a bed frame from another room over to S's room. The previous owner of the Queen bed frame didnt want the piece of relatively new furniture (which was still in good condition), so S decided to "upgrade" the old Super-Single bed that we had been using by agreeing to take over the Queen bed to give ourselves more comfort.

Moving the bed was only one of the tasks involved in the whole process. We had to clean the bed, remove the old one from S's room, clean out the dust from the floor on which the old bed stood, shift the new bed into the room and re-arrange the rest of the furniture. It was quite a labour-intensive process, but doing it together as a couple made it quite fun and enjoyable. We decided to lay 2 of S's old bed sheets between the mattress and the bed frame, but these needed to be washed first.

While waiting for the laundry to be done, we went for dinner and shopping for new sheets at a nearby shopping centre. Although the place was crowded with weekend shoppers, we didnt mind jostling with them for space as we were looking forward to sleep on our new bed. When we got back, the sheets had already tumble-dried and were ready to be used. Not wanting to dirty the new bed and sheets, we went to shower together (and our foreplay started there...). After our shower, the new bed was prepared - and within 30 minutes, we were frolicking naked on our new bed... S and I made tender love that night, and fell into a satisfying sleep until the next morning.

On Sunday, we woke up feeling fully rested. I watched as S washed up - it was the first time I could do that at S's place as it wasnt convenient previously, and I was mesmerised by S's methodical movements as the washing ritual was enacted in front of me. Then I took a shower and we went out to a nearby coffee-shop for breakfast. S then walked me to the train station and I went on my way to church. I couldnt bear to part with S, but for now there was no other way. I comforted myself that there might be another opportunity to meet S later in the day (even though it turned out that there wasnt, unfortunately).

The church service was great. We had a good speaker who talked about Death (in line with the Easter holiday approaching on 14th Apr) - and the takeaways from his sermon were: (1) unless we "die" to our old selves, we cannot truly live in our new, victorious lives in Christ; (2) death can come suddenly and unexpectedly, and when it does, we will experience loss and pain; (3) we should learn to let go of the things and people we love after they were gone; (4) we should cherish our lives and try to live it to the fullest by doing something we really want to do or think we should be doing; and (5) we should try to make a difference in someone else's life. I also got a chance to talk to some familiar friends and some newcomers.

After the service, I met up with KC to go for coffee and dessert in Chinatown. KC then drove us to East Coast Park for our first outdoor watercolor painting session, which we had planned to do last week but couldnt carry it out due to the bad weather. Fortunately for us, there was fabulous weather on Sunday - it was neither too sunny nor cloudy - and we managed to pick a good spot for our outdoor exercise. After about an hour and a half, we completed our work. It was really not easy: in addition to strong wind, which speeded up the drying process and compelled us to work faster, there were distractions around us to contend with, such as curious bystanders and minor accidents like knocking over our brush containers.

In spite of the problems KC and I encountered, I was quite contented with my work (see picture above). KC was disappointed with hers, but in the end we both agreed that we would try to do this again. We went for a snack at MacDonald's before KC gave me a lift home. In the evening, I had the privilege of eating my Dad's home-cooked food and sharing my first painting experience with my parents. They liked my work, and encouraged me to go for more sessions. My parents didnt always support my interests, so I was quite thrilled when they did this time.

This was truly a happy weekend for me. It was one of those rare occasions in life where I experienced the immense joy of having it all - being in love with a sweet partner, being loved by God and having a church I could feel at home in, having a wonderful friend who shared an enjoyable new hobby, and experiencing my parents' love and support. I thank God for all these blessings, but I cant help wonder whether, like a roller-coaster, I reached the point when the train goes up, and the next moment everything will suddenly crash down ... Anyway, que sera, sera (what will be, will be).

Friday, April 07, 2006

17th entry - Prayers that Really Move the Heart of God


An article that I read recently on prayers set me wondering about my own prayer life. Written by Nancy Guthrie, the article titled "Prayers that move the heart of God" was about how we should pray to God by having the "right" focus - seeking God more than the things we ask for, focussing on deeper things that really mattered, keeping our prayers authentic and humble, and being submissive to His will rather than insisting on our own way.

I had attended a course conducted by my former church about how to say effective prayers. The course was called "Praying to make a difference" and the "instructors" used the Lord Jesus Christ's "model" prayer as a framework for how we should be praying - acknowledging God's role in our lives, thanking Him for what He has done for us, seeking His forgiveness through confession and repentence, and finally going to Him for our needs.

Whether our prayers are answered or not, the important thing to remind ourselves is that God really listens. I feel that no matter how we pray - what we say or dont say, whether we focus on ourselves or on others, whether we ask for superficial things or go deeper, whether we have the "right" attitude or not - God will listen. Whether He decides to answer our prayer is a different matter, however. The decision always lies with Him, and we only need to trust He knows best.

Ever wondered why people need to pray? For most people, prayers are requests for their needs to be met - they pray because they hope their needs, goals and/or aspirations, which are beyond their ability to meet, achieve or attain, will be met supernaturally or spiritually. For others, prayers are a way of communicating with God - those starting out will usually follow a "script" as guided by the more experienced and prayerful folks, while others, especially the more spiritual, may engage in "two-way conversation".

Sometimes I doubt that those people who claim to "hear" God speaking to them really hear God's voice, but I know anything is possible - just because something never happens to me doesnt mean it wont happen to someone else. But we often say that God knows everything - this means He knows what we need and do not need. He knows when we are in danger and when we need divine intervention. In this light, isnt prayer a redundant exercise? What's the point of telling Him something when He already knows what we are thinking even before we say it?

Jesus Himself prayed on the night before He knew He would be betrayed. I even visited the spot where Jesus supposedly knelt down and prayed that the cup would be taken from Him, but stressing that this be God's will and not His own. I could imagine the desperation and fear and anxiety and state of depression that He was going through - like a criminal on death row just before he would be executed. Why did He pray even though He knew nothing was going to change?

My own view is that we need to pray in order to remind ourselves to be humble before God and to remind ourselves of who God is in our lives. The fact that we go to Him to ask for our needs to be met shows that we need Him and only He can meet our needs, goals and aspirations - simply because He is God and we are not! There are things we can do (or think we can) using our own resources, but for all others we have to rely on God.

Praying forces us to reflect on our behaviour. At one stage, I was not praying regularly. Everything in life seemed to be going well, and I did not find myself in need. Slowly, I found myself becoming increasingly distant from God, and sinning. Then something bad happened to me and served as a reality-check. I returned to humble myself before God, sought His forgiveness for my sins, and asked for help. By His grace, I survived and became stronger.

The cycle would repeat itself. Even when I prayed regularly, I found that I could still slip easily into complacency and forget that I was praying to God the Almighty One. Reverence would sometimes be replaced by insolence - I allowed myself to be distracted, sometimes even by lusty thoughts, and get totally sidetracked. I realised that I could even slip up on something as easy as muttering an "Amen" at the end of my prayer. God allows such slips as part of Free Will, but sinning has its consequences and we need to be mindful of them.

Now, I try every morning when I wake up to pray for God's will to be done in my life today, thanking Him for all that He has done for me and asking for forgiveness of sins committed deliberately or unintentionally. I feel that prayer is the most basic and important thing to start my day with - and to prevent myself from slipping I make it a habit that I try to cultivate and maintain.

I dont hear God speaking to me directly, but I know He speaks to me through things that happen to me in life. More importantly, I believe God wants to hear our prayers, because He loves us. We only need to ask ourselves - if we love someone, dont we desire for the person to talk to us openly and humbly and as often and as regularly as possible? Dont we desire for the person to devote some of his time and attention to us at least once a day? Its the same with God.

It is well-known that most people pray only when they have urgent needs e.g. when its a matter of life and death. The Chinese even have a proverb to describe last ditch efforts as "grabbing the Buddha's feet at the last minute instead of offering incense daily". Apparently, there is even a temple in central China where devotees (especially young students before exams) would grab the feet of a statue of Buddha as a form of worship.

If our attitude is that we only go to God when we need help, rest assured that our prayers would be heard and, depending on whether they were consistent with His will, they just might be answered, too. For those who love God and desire a closer relationship with Him, who want to know His will in our lives and then align our behaviour and actions with it, then everyday prayer is a must. We learn better about ourselves and about God when we humble ourselves in prayer.

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. (Psalm 25:9)

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12)