America's kneeling problem

Not many things that happen in society surprise me anymore, but I admit that I am flummoxed over the current kneeling controversy.

Some players in the National Football League chose to kneel (or sit) during the playing of the national anthem in protest over alleged ongoing police mistreatment of black citizens. 

Now, a lot of other people are imitating the kneeling protest for their personal purposes.

I am not going to involve myself in the merits of these actions.  However, because I am a product of the Vietnam war era of the 1960's and 70's, I generally perceive peaceful public protest as an ordinary American occurrence.  In fact, only those unschooled in our nation's history would think otherwise.  

I am not highly offended by the players' actions. But many other Americans are offended beyond measure.

Standing up to oppressors is at the root of independent American thought, whether the oppression was religious, political, economic or racial.  It brought Pilgrims to North America along with many of the immigrants who followed them.  

What is at the root of the sharp denouncement of the protesters?  

At its core, I believe the controversy is neither political nor patriotic.  It is religious.

Recently I read an article in which the author maintained that a decline in religious faith does not necessarily lead one to greater immorality but it does push one toward increased tribalism and viciousness.  Current events in America and around the world tend to confirm this.  

The push-back against the NFL's kneeling protesters is understandable if we look at it from a this different perspective.

American cultural "Christianity" is a worship mixture of God and country, where the flag is both a religious and a national symbol and the national anthem is the chief and abiding hymn.  

This cultural religion is what encourages many Americans to claim Christian faith with no knowledge of who Jesus Christ is or what Christian faith entails.  It is what allows these so-called Christians to reject the Church while claiming its benefits.

For cultural Christians, the protesters' "attack" on the flag and the anthem is an attack on their nation and their religion because the two are so closely interwoven.

As often happens, discussion of the merit of the protest is sidelined in favor of other more violent arguments.  Jesus experienced this himself while on trial before the high priest.

"Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” (John 18:23)

We know how that turned out.

People who should have knelt before him murdered him instead.

The really big issue in the kneeling controversy is not the football player facing the star spangled banner on one knee, but his opponent who bends both knees to it.

Search for perfection

I keep telling myself to stop reading comments posted on internet news sites.  The majority of internet commenters are rude, highly opinionated and clueless. 

Generally, the back-and-forth sniping simply makes me angry - like the old Point-Counter Point debates that were once part of CBS' 60 Minutes back in the days when that program actually uncovered and reported important news.   

It is amazing that people are so eager to reveal their gross lack of knowledge and vast deficit of insight in such a public manner as the internet.

But hey, look what I'm doing.

There is a common thread in many comments - a politician, athlete, business executive, relative etc. - failed to live up to someone's expectations.  Therefore, he or she must pay the price of failure, intentional or otherwise.

Fire her, impeach him, give her the boot, arrest him.  It doesn't matter how, just get rid of them. 

For one reason or another, people seem convinced that there is a perfect man (or woman) somewhere who has the power and the ability to make all of our lives better.

If we could just find that person!

The other night I watched the PBS broadcast of "Martin Luther: the Idea That Changed the World."  It was a reasonably accurate portrayal of the life and work of the man credited as the spark that finally ignited the reformation of the Christian church.  

Sometimes we fail to emphasize strongly enough what Luther was seeking that eventually led to his uncovering the truth of the Gospel in scripture.  

He was seeking to overcome his imperfection.  

After years of trying to become a perfect man he realized he was involved in a fool's errand.  There is no such thing. No one can live up to God's standard because every person has the same problem - a nature corrupted by sin that cannot be shed.

Yet, men keep seeking it.  If not in themselves, then in someone else who they pray will make things better for them.

Disappointment follows, because invariably hope is placed in a person just like one's self.  

Let me suggest something that changed me just as it changed Luther.  It will change you too.

Trust Jesus.  

The good news rediscovered by Martin Luther is this:  we are made perfect in God's eyes through faith in Jesus Christ - his death for our sins and his resurrection from the dead for our assurance of life with him.  Nothing we can say or do can add to what he has done.

"This promise is for you and for your children and for everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." (Acts 2:39)

Stop searching for a "perfect" man or woman, politician or preacher to make everything right in the world.

He's already here, and the work is already done.

  

Blowin' in the wind

This morning when I arrived at King of Kings Lutheran Church I noticed two unfamiliar vehicles at the far end of the parking lot.

Two men were standing there, engrossed in something.

After a while it became apparent one of the men was preparing to take flight using a para-glider powered by a backpack-mounted gasoline engine attached to a propeller.

(Silent movie comedies spring to mind.)

I'm not certain why anyone would want to strap two gallons of gasoline to one's torso, start it slowly but precisely exploding and then fly into the sky on a wing resembling a very large pair of flimsy ladies' underwear, but this is what he did.

Now I want to do it too.

Joking aside, this fellow was very precise in how and where he attempted to become airborne.

In fact, he jabbed a portable windsock into the ground not far from the church in order to determine the exact direction needed in order to take off into the wind to utilize the best lift.

As I contemplated the windsock in that location - next to the church - I wanted to rip it out of the ground.  It is so incongruous next to a building housing a confessional congregation.

The windsock is the source of most of the problems of the Christian church in America today.

Too many denominations, congregations, pastors and individual Christians have decided the Church must check which way the cultural wind is blowing and "adjust" its teachings and doctrines to match the wind's direction, no matter where it takes them.

Unfortunately, most of these churches, including many Lutheran groups, have departed so far from the Bible's clear teachings that they may never find their way back.

According to the cultural wind, sin is no longer sin.  And without sin one certainly has no need of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.
Remember 1 John 1:8? "If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."

The truth is that sin is still sin, separation from God brings eternal judgment and our only hope is the redemption won for us by Jesus, our Savior.

God's Word is clear on that.

The next verse, 1 John 1:9, is also clear. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The one who admits his sinfulness and desires to change his life is forgiven.  We call it being justified, made right with God.

God's Word is clear on that, too.

The moral of this story?  Windsocks are necessary for para-gliders but they are death for the Church.