A Christian’s Conundrum of Politics And Theology

Lisa Spencer3 Comments

What is a conundrum? For the purposes of this post I’ll go with “a confusing or difficult problem or question”, according to Dictionary.com. It’s what happens when weighing two options, both of which have benefits and costs. The goal is to determine what will have the maximum benefit with the least amount of costs.

I have a some conundrums, both in politics and theology. The conundrums create tension, especially in light of competing views. Politics first. I’ve long since been a registered independent because my convictions concerning governance of the economy and society have never squarely fit into a partisan system. I’m a believer in the free market and understanding the significance of capitalism as the engine of the economic sustenance. Government intervention is needed as a regulator of the capitalists enterprise. Otherwise, greed would undermine the benefits of the capitalist system.

But on the other hand, government does have the responsibility to all of it’s citizens. Optimum government occurs when the economic engine has the maximum benefit for all society.  Here is where I turn socially moderate and deem some social programs necessary for the sake of the whole. I’ve worked in the non-profit sector for the past two decades on behalf of low-income, disenfranchised and poorly skilled citizens. The superficial remedy of employment is tremendously challenging for some for a variety of reasons that are sourced in disabling conditions. Now that is more than just physical ability but socio-economic factors that are deeply rooted in cultural fabrics.  Government intervention is needed to maximize what is beneficial for the whole of society. Continue reading →

Who Are You…Really?

Lisa Spencer1 Comment

Have you heard a preacher or pastor describe who we are like this?

“You are not the real you. You’re spirit is the real you and you just happen to live in a body” OR “you are a spirit who has a soul and lives in a body”

Please know that the preacher is regurgitating one of the oldest heresies the church has battled. Gnosticism arose out of Greek thought that split the physical from the spiritual.  The Father was this mysterious unknown being who produced spiritual beings that had attributes of Christ and represented a higher spirituality. The goal in Gnostic thought was to attain  this higher spirituality through secret knowledge.  Anything that was physical was bad, evil and essentially didn’t matter.  The ultimate goal was for the real you, the spirit, to be released from your body.

This was heresy for obvious reasons; it destroyed the personhood of God, the basis of redemption through Christ, and our humanity. This was not who God made you to be, a spirit being in a casing that didn’t matter. We are whole people. Now there are two views of humanity

Dichotomy: humans are made up of two parts – body and soul. The immaterial part is our soul and interchangeable for spirit.

Trichotomy: humans are made up of three parts – body, soul and spirit. I do have problems with this view because it splits our humanity up in ways that resemble Gnosticism. It also removes the part that connects with the Spirit of God from our humanity. Continue reading →

Don’t Guard Your Heart

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In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul tells them

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:30-32)

The one word that jumped out at me in this passage was “tender-hearted”. The NIV translates it compassion. The word has the connotation of allowing yourself to feel for the other person, not necessarily pity but an openness. It’s taking the shield off that covers our heart that prevents us from seeking to understand where the other person is coming from and from showing mercy. Yes, compassion.

I tend to have selective compassion. For some, I am very tender-hearted – the abused, the dejected, the struggling, the ones with broken pasts. But for others I load up my heart with spiked armor and just wait for them to cross me – the proud, the self-righteous, the abusers.  When my buttons are pushed,  I put on my helmet and come out swinging. Continue reading →

Faith As Works

Lisa Spencer5 Comments

In Christianity, we put a lot of emphasis on faith. Jesus talked about faith and so did all the NT writers. Before the Law, their was faith and the necessary criteria for believing in God’s promises. That is why the righteousness of God was credited to Abraham, through his faith (Romans 4 anyone?). The writer of Hebrews says that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:1). And how many times did Jesus meet the uncertainty of the disciples with the same retort to their unbelief – oh ye of little faith.

But we can use faith as a work. What do I mean by that? Putting faith in faith. Wielding the faith sword as an accomplishment of our spirituality. Proclaiming that blessings were received because of the mightiness of our faith. I have, can do, am accomplishing because of my faith.   If we say we have worked for what we have because of our faith, then we have put the emphasis on our faith instead of the object of it, which is the Lord. It is boasting in our own accomplishments. Continue reading →

Desires

Lisa Spencer6 Comments

There are a couple of ways this verse has been interpreted. The more common translation is in the vein of Matthew 6:33 – “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you”. Make him your focus and eventually the things you desire will materialize. That’s one possibility.

I have grown fond of the alternative perspective. If you delight yourself in the Lord, he will implant desires in you according to his will. This makes sense to me given the functioning of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling and the impact that should bear on our souls. It makes sense that the Holy Spirit, who transmits the will of the Father and bears the presence of the Son, will fuel us with desires that should be course of direction for our lives. Kind of in the vein of Romans 8:26-27 – the Holy Spirit will give us what to pray for.

But what if the two interpretations are meant to converge? What if they are actually two sides of the same coin? That things that gnaw at your soul, that won’t go away drives you to the Lord to delight in his presence if only to settle it down. Though it never goes away. And what if by delighting in him, to put him first in everything, the desires are only fueled. I’m beginning to think that a dichotomy between the two interpretations should not exist. If one informs the other it is a signal of future realities.

I hope so. I hope that the desires that have gnawed at my soul will materialize in tangible ways. Desires for love, for reversals, for restoration. Desires for transitions, for ministry, for impact, for influence. Desires for my children, their salvation, their lives. Desires for healing and experiencing abundant life.

Dear Lord, I know you have looked deep in my soul and know it’s condition, its waiting, its longing and its desires. I pray that you settle my soul and encourage me to delight in you. I pray for the day that desires are fulfilled.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick. But a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12)