Best Of Both Worlds?- Where Hip Hop Meets Life

There was a time when R. Kelly and Jay-Z decided that, given their respective success in RnB and Hip Hop, they should record an album and tour together. Jay-Z was quoted as saying that this collaboration would be like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, two widely known figures from the civil rights movement. Incidentally, the two men stood for very different values and did not always appreciate the other’s work. But back to 2002, what a huge promise Jay-Z made! This was going to change everything. What exactly? We can’t be sure. How? We would have to wait and see. I loved music so much back then, and I bought this lie hook, line and sinker.

What happened with the tour did make history- I don’t think two artists have ever sued each other for the kinds of things that happened and then didn’t happen between them. R. Kelly’s name was notoriously scandalized for statutory rape and currently awaits trial. Jay-Z turned out to be a proper businessman, and recognizing that this was a bad deal, did what he could to cut ties and settle the whole thing as quietly as possible.

You might be wondering why I’ve taken this entry point. It certainly doesn’t read like my usual style. Back in the early 2000s, social media was not a hot ticket yet. We still bought CDs and listened to the radio to hear new songs, although Napster and Limewire had already begun changing the way we store music. I had a little local radio show with a friend in university, and we would spend hours downloading hot new music to play.

Back then, music artists were revered as stars. We didn’t have access to their private moments and pictures of their lunch yet. We would to read magazines, watch TV, and go to concerts. For this reason, award shows were a big deal. We wanted to see what people were wearing, who they were dating and what little tidbits of gossip would be dropped. Both R. Kelly and Jay-Z were respected names, who had already crossed over into more mainstream culture. Some survived that crossover, others didn’t. What I think Jay-Z was trying to say is, imagine if two people who have crossed over from the margins put their success, creativity and talent together to create something new? Not only will we garner more success, but we will create a path for others to follow us and for greater fandom.

When this Best of Both Worlds tour and so forth came out, it mattered to the people who cared to know about it. For two people who had star-power and followings, their fans listened and tried to support. Such big words were quickly unravelled by one of those artists pride causing the entire thing to fall. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I was disappointed, not just by this failure, but by everything that R. Kelly has done. I know his music was demonic, the way it had me. I really had to break away from it, and now that everyone knows the mindset of the person who created all that music, it must be making sense that the darkness he carries pervades everything he creates. I think about all of the people who “restored” him, Christian and otherwise. It was for show and for the trial and now look at where things stand.

These were two celebrities had followings who kept up with them and believed in them. If anyone could have made a change that would be lasting, it would be them, given that they had money and sway. In spite of all things, nothing changed.

Here is the word for the hour- You may not be R. Kelly or Jay-Z, but social media can make you think that you are a celebrity, although only to your friends list. Jay-Z and R. Kelly used a microphone to be heard across the airways, declaring that their collaboration would cause the world to change. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram has given each of us microphones of our own and all we keep doing is turning up the volume to drown out others in order to draw more attention to ourselves.

I use social media as much as you do. Celebrities use it even more than me. What was shrouded in mystery has become plain as day- I can tell you where they have been, what they ate and what they think based on their posts. The more we run through and expose ourselves to this, the more desensitized we become, but you already know this. The more attention we get, the more daring our posts become, but you already know this. Although we may be sharing and resharing about issues that matter and the gospel, it is very hard to detect when pride begins to puff up and you start to believe your own press- this you may not know. It’s an ever so slight tilt of the nose that changes the tone of your message from “I mean well and believe this” to “I’m superior because I believe this”.

Here is what you don’t know, what you haven’t figured out about these platforms and how they are used. If the enemy can convince us that these cheap soap boxes we get up on are actually podiums for respectable folk, it will be less about the message and more about the tone, because it is changing YOU. It is removing you from being anchored in your identity in Christ and instead telling you that what you post is important and meaningful when the truth is, it’s only meaningful to you. You didn’t fast and pray for a word, you took what idea you had and now you’re squeezing Christ into it, so it can still be Christian flavoured: a square peg destined for a round hole.

Today, I’m asking you to partner with the Holy Spirit and examine what you share on social media. Ask Him to reveal to you the true intention of your heart, or your motives in why you post what you post. As Christians, who recognize that God gave power to words as part of creation, we have to steward the words we use.

These days, words are used to commit violence. Everyone knows that physical bullying is not allowed, but people have taken to spitting out in words what they want to do with their fists. Words are not physical violence, but the level of poison that is emanating from some of the words I see indicate a deep, internal bitterness. Bitterness causes sickness. Your body and health deserve to be treated better. 

And since I’m on the topic, I encourage you to resist interpreting silence. I don’t know who told you this, but you have the right to speak and not to speak. In the same way that you are not responsible for the version of you that someone has created of you in their head, you have the right to remain silent without being subjected to interpretation. When people interpret your silence as your lack of support, they are not respecting your right to reserve your thoughts for a time that you deem appropriate. It’s ridiculous to the point of, if I don’t say something that accommodates your bullying, to make you feel like your views are superior and RIGHT, then I deserve to be brutalized however you see fit. When did communication become so militant? And to what end? You’ll notice that when people who use violent words to get what they want are not successful in doing so, they quickly resort to physically destroying everything around. Don’t even try to compare that with Jesus turning over some tables in the temple- it just isn’t the same deal.

Final point- You are not R. Kelly or Jay-Z (in Jesus name! haha). While both had achieved a level of success to validate the big words they threw around, what they promised never actually was achieved. In a world where too many nobodies have social media microphones, I encourage you to choose your words carefully, in light of the one you represent, that being Jesus. You don’t have to be and do like everyone else. You don’t have to give into US and THEM thinking. You don’t have to share your opinion, sometimes you can just pray on it. You don’t have to sell the gospel. Spend time living it and working hard in meaningful real life connections instead of fruitless “raising awareness” ways. 

“The best of both worlds” is a cliché and a lie. The Bible says no person can serve two masters, and that money and evil corrupts all that is good and holy. I encourage you to be uncomfortable on this planet, because it is not your home. If you want to make it to the world that is beyond your imagination, you need to pinch yourself now and then on earth and remind yourself that all of these things will pass away. The only work that matters is that what you do for God, and by the way, the things that you do that have nothing to do with him, or present him in a poor manner, will not count. I can’t say that I’m a stripper for God- theologically, it doesn’t work. This world however, will try to convince you that it can work, that you can make it work so that you can have the best of both. So much is being compromised, make sure that you know who you are in Christ so that it never seeps into your identity.

To my brothers and sisters in the USA, I see you hurting and I am sad for you. I want you to know that we are praying for you through all of the civil unrest and political upheaval. You are not forgotten, you are loved. Thank you for emails- let me know how I can support you in your walk with God.

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Waiting for the World to End

I was in a course last week at seminary, and while interacting with fellow students, I heard the most alarming thing. Apparently… some Christians are tired of waiting for Jesus to come.

Is this true? I am horrified, even now after a full week of thinking about this, to think that perhaps you don’t have the excitement and desire to see Him. During quarantine, I discovered that there are many Christians out there who have no idea about what the end of the world means for believers. That bothered me too, but not as much as the idea that people are just tapping out because they can’t wait anymore. It’s like…

Truly, I’m not trying to judge or call out anyone, but there are a few things I need to bring to your attention about the End Times. In fact, let me say that I was the first one to be fed up of Bible studies that were stuck in Revelations Chapter 2. I lost interest when I realized that everyone was just going to get in trouble and then a whole lot of bad things would happen. Of course charismatic churches steer clear of any talk about sin, death or the end and prefer to swim in the shallow, warm waters. In the midst of pandemic, global warming, swarms of locusts, civil unrest and political war, it’s no wonder that people who go to cookie cutter church service are wondering where God is… they haven’t been told.

The study of the end of the world as we know it is called “eschatology”. This is the theology that looks at death, final judgment and what comes with eternal life. Because it is heavily based on Revelations (a vision that was given to the Apostle John) and it is about a time period that is “yet to come”, there is plenty speculation about which ideas have been properly interpreted and which ones are vagrant. I believe that we all need to take the time to comb through this on our own, to make sure that we know what is said an we can weigh it individually with the guidance of the Holy Spirit to arrive at what you accept.

In this post, I won’t go through everything, but I will talk about what’s imminent. First of all, you have to get used to the idea that God’s idea of time and space are not like ours. We have a basic understanding and He has an aerial view. They are vaguely comparable. I think that Jesus knew that we would struggle with time. Many times when He was with the disciples, He was trying to teach them about things, but it was hard for them to grasp. At the time of writing of the New Testament, the authors were convinced that Jesus would be coming back very soon, and this was all the work that needed to be done until He came back. Here’s what Jesus actually said:

1)    He is coming back (John 14:3, Matthew 16:27, 1 Thessolonians 4:16-18). On a cloud, presumably in the sky (Revelaton 1:7, Mark 13:24-27).

2)    We won’t know when it’s going to happen (Matthew 24:42-44, Mark 13:32, Acts 1:7-8), but Jesus gives us some signs to watch for. Paul writes it will be like a thief in the night (1 Thessolonians 5:2). Like a bride waiting for the bridegroom to come and the wedding to begin(Matthew 25). Two people will be gathering in the fields, and suddenly one will disappear(Matthew 24:40, Luke 17:34-37). This event will be the rapture, where those who have accepted Christ will rise up to join Him in the air and be whisked away to a Heavenly place (1 Thessolonians 4:17, Revelation 3:10, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53).

3)    Even those who have died and accepted Christ will rise on that day, so presumably, there is still some remnant of human spirit that is at rest until this glorious event will take place (1 Thessolonians 4:16, Daniel 12:1-2).

4)    After we go, there will be 7 years of terrible, terrible things. Like, worse than we could imagine, worse than what’s going on now. When we look back at times we thought were bad, and then look forward in time to what is bad now, we can see the progression of wickedness. It was always there, but it’s like new conceptions of rotten things stuffed with even more rotten things. (Revelation 7:14, called the Great Tribulation. Also Matthew 24:15, Revelation 16:12-16).

5)    After that 7 year period, we will return to earth with Jesus and His fully installed Kingdom. It will come down and we will live again, but this time there will be no sin or death (Revelation 20:4-6).

Now, there is more to the story. That’s literally the beginning. I will be studying this formally in 2021, so if you can bear with me, I will get through it and then put up some thoughtful pieces to help you in the process of combing through. For now, I want to stop here and just talk about the tension of not knowing when He will come back.

The early roots of Petencostalism began with the Methodists and Holiness Movements. A new move of God, characterized by an outpouring of the Holy Spirit where tongues and other spiritual gifts were activated en masse at Azusa Street in Los Angeles mobilized people for the mission of taking the gospel to all ends of the earth. This movement resulted in many being trained for leadership and others going to help establish missions in various countries. Those who could not go funded these endeavours through generous giving. Churches lived off the embers of the experiences of missionaries when they would return to share what God was doing abroad. 

Pardon me, my 2020 is showing, but I do have to point out that not all of these missionary experiences were people doing the right thing. There were plenty of issues with money and power attached, and you know that human hearts are deceitful when left to their own conceptions. These days there is plenty of outrage directed at colonialism, and missionary efforts, for their assimilation practices and stamping out of culture. I can’t say for sure, I wasn’t there; and neither were you. I can tell you this: if you talk to the people who lived in colonial and post-colonial contexts, you might be surprised to hear that they aren’t all bitter and damaged. My parents grew up in the Caribbean, and despite me trying to free them, they love the Queen and think of her as their own. When they were part of a colony, everyone had flour and when the country moved to independence, they lived through racial riots and goods embargos.

I grew up in a Caribbean church located in Canada, and I have to say, it was a really good church. The teachings were very sound, the structure was solid. Now that I’m a seminary student, I recognize that it was their careful emulation of the missionary examples that established such a strong foundation. Always consider there’s a side of the story that you don’t know!

All this to say, the Pentecostals were determined the spread the gospel to the ends of the earth in order to fulfill the mission of God in preparation for the return of Christ. I have recently identified that the emphasis on Jesus’ return is diminished by charismatic churches because it’s problematic in that it forces them to take a stand on hard things like sin, judgment and the reality that not everyone will make it. Oh yes, read it again. In 2020, no one wants to talk about this, because according to secular morality, it’s exclusive.

Jesus is the same as He was before they hijacked the copyrights to what’s right and wrong. He offers salvation to all who want to be reconciled- that’s free and inclusive. Your life has to change if you intend to get there, and you can’t change it on your own human will power, you need the Holy Spirit to help you. 

The reality is that many people give their lives to Christ, but not all experience the transformation, because we are like fruit: some were picked too soon, some have bruises and wounds, some have a worm deep inside that needs to be excised. Once that spiritual surgery takes place, and God heals you, suddenly you are not working hard to prove the fruit of the Spirit in your life, you find yourself harvesting love, peace, joy etc. regularly.

Fruit of the Spirit grows in your life because we are part of something bigger, like a vine, and we are abiding in it (John 15). The time you spend in the vine that is Christ, the stronger you become and the more attached to Him you are. Friends, this is when you’re a vessel that’s fit for use. God will open to you spiritual gifts that are meant for you to use in the church. The gifts are here to keep the church encouraged by giving them a glimpse into what will come when we are fully reconciled with Christ. The gifts are not to wow people at parties, or to convince non-believers to believe. They are for the church and the people of God FIRST. And they point to one big thing! Jesus is coming.

If you are a Christian and you don’t believe that Jesus is coming back, I have news for you- you’ve truly missed possibly the biggest part. We don’t love God for the gifts He gives us. Something that is much bigger than your personal life story is in the works where Good and evil will finally face off. Of course you are important to God, and He is able (and wants to) concern Himself with fashioning your life story interwoven with His, but you gotta know that His story is BIGGER and involves ALL of us. Your Christianity needs to be a balance of being willing to look at your life and see what needs to be changed in order to live the life God wants for you as well as contributing to the overall mission of God.

Charismatics won’t press you for this- I can now say I know why. In a similar way, I got tired of being in a church that was so focused on doing the work of God, even when the tasks we were given as the work did not seem related. I feel like Charismatics are Pentecostals gone bad, who just want to do away with everything that leads to restriction, and just get fat off the good stuff of experiencing God or using spiritual gifts. The result is gross imbalance, where people are lovesick for God but no longer progressing in life. This is not what you were called to. You were called to live a life yielded to Him, obedient and exemplary of your newfound joint heritage in Him. You were called to be socially responsible within reason, and to be a proper steward of all creation. You were called to unify and not to destroy the church, choosing love and forgiveness above pettiness and offense. You were called to work with your hands and to wait on Him.

Back to my horror- I said, “What do you mean people are disinterested in waiting for Jesus?” There was an uneasy silence, and then one spoke, “there are people who have been in church their whole lives, and they aren’t seeing Him come, so they are… cold.” Others began to speak, and I learned that in some places, the emphasis is fading on the crucial tenet of the faith, because it’s been a mere 2000 years and Christ still hasn’t returned.

Let me tell you, nothing in my life has come easy. There were plenty of times I gave up on the idea that I would get married or have the job that I really wanted. With time, and a lot of work, and tears where I learned to submit my will to God for His, those things that had preoccupied my mind for so long came to pass. There are others who began at the same starting line who are still where I left them, and I can’t help but notice it has to do with attitude. Friends, if after being saved, producing fruit of the Spirit, being baptized in the Spirit and exercising Spiritual gifts, if after surrendering the things of this world to God’s will over yours, if after deliverance prayer and counselling, you still cannot progress, then there is serious problem and you need to get real with your pastor.

 Things won’t move in life until you make sure you’re starting with a lamp that’s full and not cracked or a wineskin that’s not leaking… that’s where deliverance and inner healing come into it. After that restoration and filling, then you grow in the grace and knowledge of God, and you find yourself doing His work in small ways or maybe big ways. All of this is progress. I can’t imagine anyone abiding in the Vine that is Jesus and not being sure or excited that He is coming back.

Then I consider what my Christianity was like when I was in a nice big church and I was comfortable. There was no impetus for change, to look inside, to say what else can you prune on me, Lord? I was a Sunday only Christian, I was on a rotating worship team and none of the demons deposited on my soul were disturbed by my church going.

It wasn’t until I got to Quebec and found myself in an unchurched place that I realized what it must be like to be a missionary. Even the basics of life seemed to be missing in this new place- it really is spiritually dry. Historically, people have been oppressed by the church, and spiritually, it is hard to plant new churches. I had to come to this dry land for the numbness of Churchianity to wear off of me. I had to feel cold, hungry and vulnerable again. I had to remember that all our church position and structure is a drop in the bucket on a world’s stage. Not even! I just moved over one province!

Here’s what Jesus said: Be hot or be cold. Don’t be a little bit here and there, lukewarm, or else, I’ll spit you out of my mouth. That is harsh, folks. You could have the best set up, everything you want out of life, but if your insides do not burn with love and anticipation for Christ’s return, you’re jeopardizing your eligibility. Your attitude in the waiting, the way you cultivate desire for Him while He is here, but not yet arrived, is deeply intwined with how you progress through life. Your story is interwoven with His story, so while you are playing out the mission of God, equally, there should be change in your life. You may say Sis, I don’t have the means to live in anything but poverty, my friend I encourage you today, it isn’t your circumstances, but instead, whether or not you have God’s point of view of you and your life. The light in your eyes will lead you to enjoy life no matter what you’re facing. 

There are times to build and work hard. And there are times to enjoy what has been accomplished. Let me also say, it wasn’t natural or easy for me to love God. It isn’t until He started transforming my insides that I went from merely speaking words of love to Him to actually feeling that love. Sometimes now, when I am having a beautiful moment with Him when I feel so close to Him, suddenly I find myself in tears because I long for Him! It’s all good to abide, but I long now to see Him face to face, to see what He looks like when He’s looking at me, to touch His hands, scarred and strong enough to have held me all this time. When I look at the world around me, I hear His words to watch for these things that happening now. His return is right around the corner! It’s imminent. I don’t care if I am an old woman and I die not having been raptured as yet, I will wait for Him every day the way a dog waits for the owner to come home. I want the same for you!

You Be the Judge!

Last week, I woke from a dream and managed to write down this very important message: when judgment is high, discernment is low. After taking some time to contemplate and seek God for further explanation, these are the thoughts I have.

As Christians, we know that we are not supposed to judge each other; since we are all deeply flawed, and we are prone to wandering, we cannot independently on our own maintain a standard of holiness to the degree necessary for us to fairly and accurately judge. So the short version is, Jesus said don’t do it (Matthew 7:1-3). The Lord also reminds us that justice and vengeance are His (Romans 12:19, Deuteronomy 32:35), and if we really believe in the fullness of His character and trust His authority as sovereign Lord, then we have to humbly reckon that our sense of justice is much lower than His (Psalms 19, Isaiah 55:8-9).

After all, we are human. Our emotions get the better of us in most cases. We forget what is convenient to forget and our brains are highly suggestible to plausible truth without substantiating the source and then holding it against the scripture. All of that vetting takes a long time, and I know before I started seminary, I was more likely to let things go without holding it up to the Bible for a perspective because I didn’t know where to look or how to inquire about contemporary issues in such an old document. (Google has become a good friend… I encourage you to make use of it!)

And yet it indeed part of our design to be able to judge, that is evaluate, for the purpose of making decisions. This is a different kind of judgment. In education, teachers use professional judgment based on their training and the criteria of the curriculum to determine competence. Any order that requires certification must have individuals who have experience and knowledge to declare yay or nay in accepting new members. Finally, in determining value, it is important to have a select few who can validate the quality and authenticity. I am sure there are many more applications that I haven’t even mentioned here.

Evaluation and entertainment have a long history together. Back when I was young, pageants were televised, and we waited up late to see who would be crowned Miss Universe. Televised talent shows were popular too, like Star Search. There was an understanding that the judges were competent to evaluate, and to keep things impartial, they were only briefly introduced and then did not appear on camera. Ballots and tallies were collected in isolation, and after deliberation, decisions were announced and prizes won. The judges were trusted, and even if we disagreed, generally their judgment stood. This form of entertainment was not a regular thing: these shows were special and would often pre-empt sitcoms, dramas and contest shows, so we looked forward to them. Games of chance were more popular, because they sold a dream that anyone could be rich, it all depended on luck.

By the early 2000s, contests and talent shows came back, but with a new focus on the personalities of the judge. The viewer was now aware of who would be rendering the final decision, and as such, the viewer was able to judge the judge on everything from their looks, demeanor and credentials. Judges would give their verdicts publicly and directly to the candidate, making the evaluation feel more personal and thrilling. We watched as candidates were crushed or relieved by whether they would stay on the show for another week. And suddenly, all viewers became judges…. of the performances, of the judges comments and of the judges. Suddenly, we were all qualified to say what was a good performance and what was “pitchy”. We judged the judges with the same language they gave us: we “made it our own”. We tuned in every week to see if our favourite nobodies-come-stars would make it another week.

It took a while to realize that reality TV is scripted, and footage manipulated to tell a “story”. We fell for the life stories and humble beginnings of these real-life characters, and we loved seeing the mean and prideful dismissed. Now the element of the game of chance was incorporated into to sell a new story: anyone can be a star, you just have to be discovered. (Another part of the story is that enduring judgment makes us better.)

This trend of judging without background knowledge has extended to other parts of life as greater development in technology put tons of information and data in our hands through the Internet. Smart phones made for smart people, that is, individuals had greater confidence that they were “right” because information was easily accessed and regurgitated. Eventually, questions arose about the validity of sources. It was determined to be a critical thinking skill of the 21st century to ensure that students know how to evaluate sources on the web. In spite of this, misinformation continued to spread to the point where “fake news” is actually a “thing”. Now we know that there are at least two sides to every story, and depending on your political leanings, you will pick which side of media to get your information from.

(Side note: I am starting to think that neither side is reliable anymore, because the first-hand sources and eyewitnesses can no longer be counted on to tell the truth. Testimonies that seem solid after a little digging turn up crucial information that significantly change the story. It is a good practice to take everything with a grain of salt.)

Now that everyone is a judge, qualified and certified by having a smart phone, we are able to consult information, validate the sources and as such make informed decisions about everything. In everyday life, we have decisions to make. What we wear depends on the forecast and season, as well as our experience living in the climate we know. We choose what we eat, and if we will exercise. We choose what music to listen to and what to do with our free time. We choose to work… or not. We choose how we react to news that directly impacts our lives and news that is coming from the global village. The choices we make, combined, provide a mosaic big picture of our character. Who we are can be pieced together by what we believe and what we do.

Social media adds another layer to this, beyond the impact our choices have our the development of our character. Social media sells a lie that every person is a celebrity within their own circle, and as such, their opinions and views need to be shared and evaluated for authenticity. The problem is that once they are shared, they become part of the collective set of “information” that we, the judges, now pick apart and construe our own meanings from. People are no longer judged by the mosaic; in one fell swoop an event from the past can be blown out of proportion and ruin a career. Or an attempt to reinforce a popular message that everyone else is saying is judged as being inadequate or not demonstrative enough. We are the stars of our own show, and as such, we will amass in our followers critics who may not be qualified to judge us, but sure feel entitled to.

I believe Jesus wants us to have an opinion; He created us with the ability to evaluate for the purpose of making good choices. Choice is very important to God- He specifically created humans with the ability to choose so that we could be more than servants and instead, sons and daughters. Choice matters so much to God that if you choose not to roll with Him, He will respect it. Spiritually, He will always be longing for you, and trying to set up people and events to break into your everyday life and remind you that before time, you had a first love who loved you before you knew how to love. But ultimately, He will let you decide.

 When you step back and look at our design, we truly have beautiful minds. Sadly, they are being rewired and manipulated to destroy us from within. This mental war is very hard to articulate. Everyone recognizes the effect of stress, negative thoughts and poor self-esteem that drive us to our own end. People keep saying we need to do things to alleviate this, but there are no answers on how to solve the mental health crisis. Our own natural brains are turning against us, regardless of our nationality, race or culture, and we cannot detect who the enemy is. The enemy is Satan himself, the war is for your soul, and the Triune God, is your Creator whose creation is being used to destroy itself. When you want to be angry at another human who is flawed and bruised just like you, remember who your real enemy is. This is essential to making it through days like these.

Back to my dream: The Lord reminded me that our ability to judge for ourselves can have negative consequences if not kept in check. The Apostle Paul wrote that knowledge puffs up and inspires pride, and pride unchecked leads to errors in judgment (1 Corinthians 8:1), but even more than that, pride sears the conscience (1 Timothy 4:2) and obliterates humility (James 4:6, Proverbs 16;18, Phillipians 2:3-11). When we are no longer humble, our blindspot increases and we are not able to see the error in ourselves. The choices we make and the persona we project through social media becomes synonymous with our identity and seeks to replace our identity in Christ. This persona will not cultivate fruits of the Spirit. It seeks to dilute the activity of the Holy Spirit in your life, and replace the voice of God. While not everyone may have a spiritual gifting for discernment, generally, the Holy Spirit does give all believers a dose of this to guide you in living for Christ. Snuffing out His presence will make it harder to live for Christ because you will not hear His voice anymore. 

Let’s make the choice to put Christ first. There are a few things that can be done if you see yourself falling into a similar pattern of behaviour as described above. First: spend less time with devices and more time with Christ, old school. Like read the Bible or pray. I guarantee you at first you will find the task impossible, because our minds are already so accustomed to waiting for notifications and FOMO. If you can do more of this, you will begin to break those negative patterns (and this is consistent with secular research on how to take care of yourself mentally). Once you’ve worked on being still and quiet, without goals but just focusing on God, ask Him to renew your mind. Ask Him to guide your reading of the Bible to see what your identity in Him is. Read it, or if you can’t kick the device yet, search it up and then ask yourself, am I behaving like God’s child? I am cultivating the habits I need to in order to properly represent Him? Beloved, we cannot hope to bring the love of God to people when we are routinely participating in the abuse of the vehicle that brings it to them. Remind yourself actively that you are in this world right now, but the best is yet to come for you as a child of God. In keeping with the car analogy, you will incur damage on the road and through usage of the vehicle that is your body and mind. The remedy for damage is still the same: renew your mind through practising the spiritual disciplines but the responsibility of tune ups and oil-changes are up to you to maintain. 

SOMEONE TELL ME THAT THIS IS TOO HARD. Sis, you are right! Living for Jesus is hard right now. There is more maintenance to do personally than it was sold to you when you were going to church where all you had to do was attend and sit and enjoy. By now you must realize that there are fires all around you, no matter where you live. Tings falling apart girl. Now is time to make haste and work on your relationship with Christ! The same way you prioritize working out, or eating right, except He is more than a habit. He is God, expressed in the Trinity, and within that complex system has experience with human pain, suffering and nature, as well as living daily with humans throughout time. If you think about it, the Holy Spirit is a constant presence on the frontlines, able to convey to the Godhead what’s going on and how bad it’s getting from our point of view. As God’s child you are meant to be a part of those conversations, but to hear His voice in these times, it is crucial to set some time aside and work on it.

God bless you. Write me nah. (secretsfromursister@gmail.com)

On Culture and Christianity

I rarely write an essay for academic purposes that I feel really pulls together my thoughts and presents my point of view well, so I’ve decided to share parts of an essay I wrote about the development of Culture in North America (my context is Canada, but I also discuss the USA) and its impact on the church from modern to current times. Please enjoy this excerpt of how we came to be the way we are.

The purpose of this paper is to share reflections on what the role of the church is in communicating the gospel message in the context of postmodern culture. Each historical period carried cultural traits that resulted in presenting challenges to Christianity as a movement and the church as an institution. This paper will explore some of those traits and their direct impact on the gospel, documenting how over time the culture of Christianity changed to meet the new demands of society.

MODERNITY

The period known as Modernity is marked with the beginning of the Enlightenment, which followed the Renaissance. In a similar way to the sudden flourish of art and expression, advancements in mathematics, science and logic became a status symbol of advancement. Intellectuals began to challenge the belief systems in place, in effort to liberate people from control by the government, who enforced laws and morality. The Apostle Paul wrote, “knowledge puffs up”; one of the limitations of human beings is that the more we are convinced that we possess facts and evidence, the more convinced we are that we are superior. As general society intellectualized, the church was faced with the challenge of needing to provide supporting evidence to many claims of the faith.

As Christians struggled to defend their beliefs, many began to privatize their practice of the faith. Another approach to the conflict that emerged was that defenders of the faith engaged in rigorous explorations of plausible explanations to difficult questions of the faith. This contributed to the development of theology. This portion of society was largely comprised of clerical people, but the concept that all believers must be equipped to defend their belief in Christ became a major proponent of Christian education. Advancements in industrialization fostered the emergence of a work force, where people now found themselves in communities where the main commonality was that they were working for pay. Increasingly, citizens begin to distinguish between the public life, where work and positions dictated one’s reception by others, and the private life, where one was free to express their beliefs.  While the church suffered because it was no longer the center of the community, its members benefitted as the general understanding of Scripture and biblical teaching increased for the average citizen.

POST-MODERNITY

For the purpose of this paper, I will refer to the post-modern period as 1990s to 2000s and beyond that will be post-post modern, because the dominant culture of the last twenty years has presented us with even greater challenges that we must address in our present day. By the 1990s, reason, logic and science had eliminated the “wonder” of life; with nothing left to marvel at, society began to seek out ways to bring back the “soul” while resisting Christianity. At least in the Western world, the divide between personal and public increased, with people challenging moral judgment in organized ways; labour, gender equality, racism and civil rights movements gave voice to those who were typically marginalized by the dominant culture. Plurality emerged as the order of the day; people were encouraged to explore different religions and lifestyles in effort to bring back an aspect of spirituality to their lives.

The implications of these developments led to an overall attack on Christianity and the church, for being a leader in exclusion and moral judgment. Marginalized voices moved from asking for tolerance to demanding praise. Society moved to greater acceptance of nuanced sexual orientation and gender identity. This blurring of the lines that define male and female also impacted the division of labour in the home. The shift in gender roles moved towards greater criticism of men, in that they were encouraged to be more in touch with their feelings and expressive. I was an adolescent during this time period and attest from experience that TV and media taught us how to accept these things. Sitcoms literally gave us the scripts for how to have crucial conversations and handle awkward situations like people “coming out of the closet”, or dating outside of their race, or women wanting more satisfaction in their careers. The impact of this on the gospel and church is that this new script of how to cope replaced the Christian education that people used to receive on Sunday. TV programming became available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; this significantly increased the exposure young audiences had to this new indoctrination. Increasingly, church became a social community and attendance was habitual. This breakdown in community and promotion of isolation through consumption of media also lead to a desensitization effect where violence in real life increased.

There were huge changes in the operation of the church during this period in time, particularly in North America. In the United States, lines were drawn between conservative and liberal values. Within church structure, there was an increase in hierarchy and positions; presumably to create more roles for average church-goers to fill, in hopes to keep them committed and engaged. Evangelical worship became more secularized and open to creative endeavour; this created further separation between people who felt that this was a more authentic expression of liturgy versus traditionalists who did not want to see worldly aspects of entertainment brought into church practice. It is worth noting that worship overall became more feelings based, as people wanted to be touched and moved by religious expression. There was an increase in society seeing men of God as flawed humans. Their public failings may have shaken the faith of congregants, or else, caused them to identify with the shortcomings of the human being, and forgive. Perfect church leadership was beginning to show major cracks; the media contributed to this in that it trained us how to shame fallen leaders like Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart.

The reaction of the church to the challenges presented by post-modern thought led to a softening of the gospel message, bringing the love of God to the forefront. The emphasis on sin and conformity to Christian values was placed on the back burner. By identifying with the humanity of all people, clergy began to give context to the struggles of the ministry, and the pressures of being an example. This message also helped in negotiating the increasing plurality of society through immigration. For example, Christmas became a time where various cultures celebrated similar religious festivals like Diwali, Eid, Kwanzaa and Chanukah. The Catholic church became more inclusive as well and changed the focus of their Outreach efforts to be more humanitarian in nature.

POST-POST MODERNITY

As an educator, I have always felt that there was an additional cultural shift beyond post-modernity that includes our current cultural framework. Building on the idea that knowledge has created disillusionment and a lack of soul, it was evident through TV and media that people were hungry for supernatural experiences and encounters that mean there are greater forces at work who guide people to encounter truth. The workforce has acknowledged that wellness of employees includes mental health and spiritual practice. Mindful practice emerged as a way to pray without focusing the intent on God or religion. That being said, there was an increased tolerance for all religions except Christianity, unless you live in the Bible belt of America.

In the last twenty years, mainstream culture has moved far left in that liberal politics have become the dominant voice. They set the moral code and tell us who to love and who to hatehate; they promote shaming and “doxing” people with differing opinions, that is, exposing details about where they live and how they can be found in real life so that people can make their lives difficult. As leftist politics dominate the culture, they are worse than the church ever was in the sense that their technological tools can be used to destroy individuals who decide to voice anything that is contrary to the dominant culture’s message.

The tolerance that began in the 90s, where one side listened to other voices for better understand has stopped now that the margins rule, and to be fair, a large proportion of this movement is successful because guilty white people have identified certain people of colour and gender fluid individuals that they have made into poster-children for the cause.

Christianity has moved away from the gospel as John the Baptist would proclaim it and now hides in a framework of love and grace, to minimize conflicts between people and God. Mega churches have proven that taking sin, evil, hell and holiness out of the conversation will lead to success in increased membership and financial reward. Again, the media is the leader of distributing the left’s message to society on how to behave, what to accept and what to reject. Social media turns its participants into weaponized mouthpieces for various causes.

Concerning social media and the church, now the average Christian can livestream their own sermons, gain followers and preach to others without anyone validating the message. They create online experiences that exploit the individual for consumption by the masses. The ability to stream and record and replay has never been more powerful, as it enables people to filter out what they don’t want to hear. This ability to filter, customize and select content means that the user can create false truths by simply choosing to eliminate other perspectives. People are easily offended and expect dire consequences to be applied to anyone who transgresses society’s moral code.

Churchgoing has changed dramatically to include online platforms. Not only do churches stream services to accommodate those who may have to work or miss out a service, but there are people who intentionally watch this content and believe that it is sufficient to replace the act of going to church. Online church going reduces the attendee’s ability to interact with other Christians. It is a normal part of community that people should disagree and learn to forgive each other. By simply following the hashtag on Twitter, #churchhurts, one can read countless stories of how the church has hurt people to the point where they may even turn away from the faith. While it is true that this data is not entirely reliable, it does provide some idea of the perception of church in North America, and why so many do not attend.

One of the advantages social media provides is that there is more access to information than ever before and it is reasonable to expect to connect with those who are developing and sharing the content. This gives ministries like deliverance a chance to directly meet the needs of those who seek it out. For those who attend church, social media can be used as a means to stay connected to the community throughout the week, providing a more immersive experience where congregants can interact without much effort. This can contribute to a greater sense of community.

To meet the challenges presented by an increasingly egocentric society, the church began to tailor the gospel message to be more focused on the individual believer. One’s personal experience with God became the center of God’s redemptive work on earth. This displaced the church to “secondary status”. Sermons were aimed at building personal discipleship, and less about the church as a collaborative body of members.

In the mid-nineties, a new approach to church planting saw a rise in the amount of people starting churches that did not own their buildings. Instead, the church would rent out a public space, like a movie theatre, and host service there. One of the reasons this was successful was that it helped people who had negative experiences with church hit a reset button, and start fresh in a neutral place that was familiar and associated to leisure time. Another feature of this approach is that the church focuses less on Christian education and more on getting people involved in activity-based “serving”, so that everyone feels implicated in the life of the church. There are also social justice campaigns aimed at raising funds for various causes. This is a feature that young people of the millennial generation are attracted to. While many of the social and community actions are “feel good”, in an attempt to win those young people, the effects are not lasting or contributing to membership. Mostly, this kind of short-term action helps to alleviate the conscience and provide a fake sense of accomplishment quickly. Once young people see this, they tend to move on to new churches or fall out of attendance altogether.  

RECONCILIATION AND THE GOSPEL

This new approach to church planting is instrumental in the church’s attempt to reconcile with the general population. I believe that there are some things that the church can do in order to reconcile with those who have been hurt by the institution. Because there is such disdain associated with the buildings, it certainly is a reconciliatory measure to have churches that meet in various public spaces and homes. This places emphasis on the gospel and not the institution.

I believe that the best way to support new believers is in a small group format that is led by a mature Christian. It is important to have a leader who is not easily put off by conflict or resistance. This person has to know how to mentor, even in resistance, in a way that is loving and challenging. I believe that Christians need to encounter conflict in the church in a way that allows them to practice forgiveness and realize that it is possible to love people even when they don’t agree with you, or receive your love. Too many churches around me are either overinvolved with the lives of congregants or so hands-off that congregants barely know their pastoral team.

            I believe it is important to listen to people’s church hurts, and provide appropriate contexts for them to share their stories and receive prayer for forgiveness. This is the kind of inner-healing work that I have been doing with individuals for the last thirteen years. I find that churches at large are willing to help people with food and resources, but stop short of dealing with the social and emotional issues that often keep people isolated from participating in community. When the church is willing to abide with people while they are going through spiritual and inner transformation, I believe that authentic love will be cultivated and members will trust each other. Everyone has to be willing to be a little more open and live a little closer to each other if the relationships we build are to be lasting. When people feel cared for and sought after, they are more likely to become contributors to the community in similar ways, and in this way, the gospel and God’s love begin to proliferate in a deeper way. I am continuously aware of that my stance for delivering the gospel must be framed in reconciliation and the desire to see those who have been hurt by history’s legacy brought back to their first love. This awareness is crucial if we are to continue reaching all people with the gospel message.