The Darkest Hour

I remember sitting in a high school classroom and hearing a girl come over the intercom. I've heard plenty of morning announcements in my life, but this one stood out because about halfway into what she was saying she began to choke up and I could hear her crying. She was talking about drug addiction and depression. Not her own though, it was the one year anniversary of her brother’s drug overdose.

At the time, I’m not sure her message truly resonated with me. As I’ve been getting a little bit older and maturing, my perspectives changed. I had friends in high school that would cry for other friends and I had no understanding of that at all. I’ve become much more selfless in the past year alone and I too started to feel pain for other people’s mistakes. As I reflected on this moment of this girl crying over her brother’s suicide I thought about how much his action affected her and the rest of her life. Not just her, but their parents, friends and every person’s life that he would have impacted if he did not make that decision.

Sometimes when I hear about someone’s suicide I would think, what if I could have been there? At the very deepest, darkest moment in their life right before the action and somehow give them hope. I’ve seen posters around SCC entitled “I’m Glad I Failed,” about students who attempted suicide and survived. I wonder if everyone failed at taking their own life that at some point they could get to the place in their life where they could say, “I’m Glad I Failed.”

To anyone who has been there or know someone who has I just want to encourage you that no matter how hopeless or how painful the world and your life seems at the darkest hour that life is too beautiful to end prematurely. There are too many great experiences to go through and joy to partake in to let something that seems like an enormous problem ruin it. Suicide is ultimately selfish because you are not letting others experience the joy that you give them. If in the moment you decide to not perform the action, 20 years down the road you will most likely see that problem that seemed so huge will really look so minuscule. Dark hours come in everyone’s life, they make you who you are, but the good times in life outweigh the bad times so much more that no one can afford to miss out on them.

The Awkward Major

Being a college student as well as studying at a community college people always ask me what I plan to major in. I have to admit that I do enjoy this question most of the time because I know I will at least get some reaction, many times it is mixed, sometimes people are caught off guard, other times it can be a little awkward when I give the answer “theology.” After the word leaves my lips and enters their ears, then I see the eyebrows raise, the head nods and the consistent answer for some reason is: “Good, we need more of that.”

Really? We need more theology majors? Do people say that about other majors? I have never heard anyone say we need more political science majors. And why is it good? Are there college majors that are bad? I guess that reply is better than, “You’re wasting your time,” or “Ha, why not major in mythology?” I know people do not want to be rude or start an argument (especially if they want something from me). Yet, why say we need more of that?

1. People assume that when you say theology you automatically mean “Christian theology” which is not true. Theology is the study of religion, and every major religion has a theology. 
2. They also assume that when you study theology you believe in the very thing you study, which is not necessarily true. Critical thinking skills are important in any field. Usually, if people give a second response to my original answer it is derived from assumption #1 and #2 which is, “Oh, so your going to be a pastor!” Not every theology major is a pastor. I’m not even sure why people think we need more pastors. Is there a shortage of churches in St. Charles? If anything I think people need a clear, consistent and concise view of exactly what specific religions are meant and attempt to do. 

People are looking for stability, security, meaning, hope, morality, etc., and for thousands of years people have found those things in religion. I will admit that I affirm absolute truth, objective morality, God’s substitutionary atonement for humanity’s depravity and much, much more that would be consistent with orthodox Christianity. But when you say “Christian,” that means a lot of different things for a lot of different people. And for many, that is when the conversation about religion ends, if not before. If I could change that, then studying theology would be worth it.

The Sensationalist Game

I was having coffee with a friend of mine recently and I asked him why so many people fall away from Christianity as they make the transition from high school into college. He looked at me and said, “It’s all crap. They played the game for 12 years.” My friend is a person who affirms the Christian faith and probably always will. So, what is the game he is talking about?

In the Christian community, you always hear people try to explain why people turn their back to the faith. The answer usually is, “Oh, they must have never got it.” Got what? Isn’t that a cop out answer? You could apply that to anyone and everyone.

I think people who walk away from religion get a message, they just get the wrong one or a message that emphasizes some things over others that creates an unclear image of what the message really is supposed to be about. I see people try feverishly to attack the scientific world or other religions and then as soon as they walk through the doors of their church they stop thinking critically. Are people followers of Christ or of their pastor? Your pastor will be wrong on something, it is inevitable. It is important to call into question everything that you hear and decide for yourself.


As a Christian, how do you know a religion like Islam is wrong? Is it because you have studied it intensely and have spoken to Muslims to try and identify what they truly believe, or have you read one book on the subject, written by a Christian author that you bought at a Christian bookstore, which was suggested to you by your Christian pastor, who is endorsed by your Christian church?

Everyone has biases. Just because you have biases does not mean what you think is wrong. The Christian message is not about how fun we can make church, or how great the worship band was last week. The Christian message is not about God blessing you financially or God being a giant teddy bear and just loving everyone so much that he could never send people to Hell. The Christian message is that there is no life outside of Christ. It is saying that this message that is considered a “fairy tale” by some, is already better than living in a false reality.

Now that’s a “Big Jesus”

I think it is safe to say that any shred of a “Christian bubble” I had left in high school blew up when I hit college. Higher learning brings with it an array of opinions and worldviews that may seem bizarre, highly intelligent and extremely complicated at the same time. Experiencing this made me want to learn so much about how others see the world and at the same time have a deeper understanding of what I believe. I found great inspiration from apologetic writers. The more I read, the more I realized how much I really did not know. I want to quote a section out of a book called Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. It seems relevant to the college environment.

“Do you know anybody who grew up in a religious environment, maybe even a Christian one, and walked away from faith/church/God when they turned eighteen and went away to college? Whenever I ask this question in a group of people, almost every hand goes up. Let me suggest why. Imagine what happens when a young woman is raised in a Christian setting but hasn’t been taught that all things are hers and then goes to a university where she’s exposed to all sorts of new ideas and views and perspectives. She takes classes in psychology and anthropology and biology and world history, and her professors are people who have devoted themselves to their particular fields of study. Is possible that in the course of lecturing on their field of interest, her professors will from time to time say things that are true? Of course. Truth is available to everyone.

But let’s say her professors aren’t Christians, it is not a ‘Christian’ university, and this young woman hasn’t been taught that all things are hers. What if she has been taught that there is no truth outside the Bible? She’s now faced with this dilemma; believe the truth she’s learning or the Christian faith she was brought up with. Or we could put her dilemma this way: intellectual honesty or Jesus?

How many times have you seen this? I can’t tell you the number of people in their late teens or early twenties I know, or those I have been told about, who experience truth outside the boundaries of their religion and abandon the whole thing because they think it’s a choice. They are experiencing truth in all sorts of new ways, and they need a faith that is big enough to handle it. Their box is getting blown apart, and the faith they were handed doesn’t have room for what they are learning.

But it isn’t a choice, because Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, the life.’ If you come across truth in any form, it isn’t outside your faith as a Christian. Your faith just got bigger. To be a Christian is to claim truth wherever you find it. It’s not truth over here and Jesus over there, as if they were two different things. Where we find one, we find the other. Jesus is quoted in the book of John saying, ‘I and the Father are one.’ If Jesus and God are one, if Jesus shows us what God is really, truly like, and God is truth and all truth is God’s truth, then Jesus takes us into the truth, not away from it. He frees us to embrace whatever is true and good and beautiful wherever we find it.

To live this way then, we have to believe in a Big Jesus.”

Does God Hate Those Who Hate Others?

I wanted to wish the three Westboro Baptist Church members who stopped by our quaint town of St. Charles a loving welcome. I know that you three probably did not hear this when you were protesting at the soldier’s funeral in the face of hundreds of anti-Westboro protestors. I wanted to tell you that the Christian God you claim to worship is a merciful one and even when you spread hate, God still loves you. Even when you twist the Bible to try and justify your actions, God still loves you. Even when you make outrageous claims and act like you have some profound knowledge, as if God sent you an email on why he does what he does, God still loves you.

The Westboro church is nothing new; according to their website www.godhatesfags.com (how sweet) they began doing demonstrations at funerals in 1991. This church claims that God is angry at America for allowing tolerance of the homosexual lifestyle. They also believe Barack Obama is the anti-Christ, that God Hates Israel and most Jews as well as hating the media, and basically all other religions. They blame natural disasters, AIDS and many tragedies on these groups of people including blaming the recent Arizona shooting as being engineered by God. To support their position, they will take a verse like “Arise, O LORD, in your anger, rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake my God; decree justice. (Ps 7:6 NIV). In context, King David is writing for protection and favor for his kingdom of ancient Israel against their political and rival enemies, not a 21st century war on terror where soldiers are dying because of gun blasts and IED’s.

The thing about the Westboro Baptist church’s teachings is that they are missing a very important aspect of Christianity. The majority of Jesus’ ministry was breaking down the walls of racism, sexism, social taboos and religious hierarchy. The parables and stories such as The Good Samaritan, The Samaritan Woman at the Well, The Tax Collector Zacchaeus, The Adulteress, The Prodigal Son, The Sinful Woman and the Righteous Man, etc., are all examples of Jesus breaking through the stereotypes and loving, not the act of sin, but very much the sinful. The Jewish religious leaders, which were called Pharisees, would try to avoid these kinds of people because to them they were filthy and disgusting. The Pharisees put themselves on a platform where they saw themselves as greater. Jesus’ response to the Pharisee’s position: Hypocrites!

You see time and time again Jesus rebuking the Pharisees for their lack of love. “These people honor me with their lips, but there hearts are far from me (Matt 15:8 NIV).” Westboro Church members, does this describe you? How many homosexuals do you think would want to visit your church? I remember reading a history book that was teaching about the brutality of the conversion of the Native Americans by the Spanish in the early history of the Americas. There was a Native who was about to be burned alive but was given one last chance to repent of his heresy to a priest. His response, if you [Christians] are going to Heaven, then I rather go to Hell. I believe in living a life according to God’s law, but the reason I believe is because of the unfathomable love of the Sacrifice and the implications it had for mankind. Love is what made me a Christian, not hate.

The generational gap of generosity

Last week I had an article published in the Suburban Jorunals. The article was regarding my fear that Generations X,Y,Z are becoming more ego-centric then previous generations. The article focusd on my experinces at Oasis food pantry in St. Charles and how the majority of volunteers are in their later years. The question I raised is my generation going to be able to fill the shoes of the previous generations in the charity world. If interested check it out at: OPINION SHAPER: The generational gap of generosity

Make Believe Morals Part 1

I apologize for not blogging the past few weeks and promise to be more consistent as I learn the great virtue of time management. I left with what some might say is a depressing blog last time. I wrote about how I saw the world as a distortion of what it was meant to be and how the world had much evil in it.

The next logical question is how are we meant to decide what is good and what is evil? Many would say we instinctually know what is good and what is evil. I will write about what is called the Law of Morality. I promise I will not quote C.S. Lewis every blog but it is from his book Abolition of Man in which I will be referencing.

Lewis spent much of his life as an atheist, then as a theist and finally as a Christian in which his works are best known. Lewis laid claim to this Law of Morality and wrote about how every person instinctually knows this law but breaks it anyway. Lewis contended that human beings have not created new morals, per se, but that in such things as the Age of Enlightenment humans were just tinkering and changing pre-existing morals.

To paraphrase, Lewis states that this knowledge of good and evil has to be given by a higher being because it is meant for human beings to obey something or someone. He states that it is obvious that this higher being cares about love, faithfulness, goodness, etc.

When we look at major religions throughout the world we see many similarities. In the Appendix of Abolition of Man lies Illustrations of the Tao, which is meant to show examples of the law of morality within different cultures. It is divided into eight categories including: The Law of General Beneficence, The Law of Justice, and The Law of Mercy, to name a few. To show an example of this I will use the first law of General Beneficence in regards to murder:

'I have not slain men.' (Ancient Egyptian. From the Confession of the Righteous Soul, 'Book of the Dead', v. Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics [= ERE], vol. v, p. 478)

'Do not murder.' (Ancient Jewish. Exodus 20:13)

'In Nastrond (= Hell) I saw... murderers.' (Old Norse. Volospá 38, 39)

'He who is cruel and calumnious has the character of a cat.' (Hindu. Laws of Manu. Janet, Histoire de la Science Politique, vol. i, p. 6)

This is just one example of the similarities of societies throughout history with regards to expression of the significance of specific morals. I will make sure to post the link so that you can see other examples as well.

The question remains, why do these religions share these things in common even though they were written in different geographical locations and hundreds to thousands of years apart? Why do the Buddha and Jesus Christ both stress the importance of “The Golden Rule?” Why do they share similar morals? Why does our society view certain things as good and evil? If morals are man-made and relative to each individual how do we have a clear basis for any set of standard and consistent morals? If this was to be the case, how would we judge the Holocaust to be good or bad?
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/lewis/abolition1.htm