Book Review: "The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me To Faith" by Peter Hitchens

I enjoy a read that surprises me by taking me in a direction I hadn’t intended on going.  When I purchased “The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me To Faith” by Peter Hitchens, I was expecting to learn more about the nuances of effective apologetics and evangelism in the context of the postmodern fallout of the cultural revolution of the 60’s and 70’s.  Instead, I got more insight into the personal dynamics of apologetics, evangelism, conversion, and the integration of a prodigal back into a church community. 

The first nine chapters of “The Rage Against God” are the memoir of Hitchens’ faith journey from “anti-theist” teen coming of age in England during the late 60’s to adult convert yearning for the lost beauty of the Church’s past.  In chapter 1 “The Generation Who Were Too Clever to Believe” Hitchens begins with a colorful description of his attempt to tangibly reject God by burning his Bible on his school ball-field as a 15 year old during the spring of 67.  This incident sets off Hitchens' description of his youthful and young adult rage against British Christianity and the Anglican Church.  In the memoir section of the book, you get a vision of a young Hitchens who was not so much pressed into a raging anti-theistic world-view by his folks or teachers; instead, we get a vision of a young man who had lost confidence in the confluence of British civil religion and the Anglican Church (more so the cooption of the Anglican church by the civil cult of Briton’s patriotic dead and Winston Churchill).   Hitchens describes being raised in a seemingly benign passively agnostic military home, which in part led him to put his sense of pride and wellbeing in England.  His schooling wasn’t a purely secular education based on humanist revisionism; his education actually included a fair amount of Bible training and theological studies.  Ultimately, In the midst of the cultural revolution of the late 60’s, Hitchens rejected an imitation-Christianity that was used to support and justify British culture cart blanche.  What he seems to have found unbelievable was a form of pseudo-Christianity that exulted the mass loss of life in WWI and WWII as some sort of redemptive sacrifice and piety par excellence, which confused the good and valuable service of soldiers with the uniquely redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Instead of lifting up Christ, the Anglican Church had begun to utilize the Christian faith to glorify the British Empire. 

The turning point in Hitchens’ life came in three parts.  The first was Hitchens’ stark firsthand experience of a purely secular humanist society of the Soviet Union and the barbaric dictator driven breakdown of Somalia.  The man-centered evil of these two failed states led Hitchens to believe that humanity cannot be the ultimate determination of truth, and, thus, arbiter of culture and society.  Second, Hitchens was struck with a fear of final judgment while viewing Rogier van der Weyden’s “Last Judgment”.  While looking at the painting, he noticed that the many figures being led off to eternal punishment looked like him and his contemporaries (real average every day people who could have been seen on the streets of any modern city).  Hitchens writes:

“I had a sudden, strong sense of religion being a thing of the present day, not imprisoned under thick layers of time.  A large catalogue of misdeeds, ranging from the embarrassing to the appalling, replayed themselves rapidly in my head.  I had absolutely no doubt that I was among the damned . . . I have felt proper fear, not very often but enough to know that it is an important gift that helps us to think clearly at moments of danger” (pg. 103).

Third, Hitchens’ faith was further enlivened through the rite of swearing solemn oaths in his wedding ceremony, and in the service of baptism of his daughter and wife.  He writes, “The swearing of great oaths concentrates the mind” (pg. 106)

Chapter 7 “Rediscovering Faith” was the most fruitful part of the read for me, especially the concluding section of the chapter entitled “The Prodigal Son Returns Too Late”.  Here Hitchens laments the goodness and beauty he had missed in his years as a vociferous critic of the Church.  He recognizes that the Anglican Church has become tepid and overly contextualized to the culture as a result of an inability to engage or cope with the strong critiques flowing out of the cultural revolution of the 60’s and 70’s.  In part, he holds the Church responsible, but, in a heartbreaking passage, Hitchens takes responsibility for his part in the rage against the Church which pummeled the Church into its current weakened state:

“I quickly found that I was going to have to pay immediately (as well as in other, slower ways) for my long rebellion. The church that I remembered had been a dignified body of sonorous prayers, cool and ancient music, and poetic services and ceremonies that would have been recognizable to the first Queen Elizabeth and to William Shakespeare.  During the years I had been away – and not only away but actively hostile – the Bishops had felt the waves of hatred – from people like me – beating against their ancient walls.  And they had responded by truing to make their activities more accessible to the worldly. . . The church’s solution to this unpopularity was to abandon the requirement [of confession and penitence in the liturgy], replacing it with vague, half-hearted mumblings or – more often – with nothing at all.” (pgs. 106—107, 108)

Here one gets a portrait of a man who once mocked a mime of the Church; but, now, after coming home to the Church, he deeply craves the savory meat of the full counsel of God proclaimed in the whole of the worshiping community.  As a wayward prodigal, he wasn’t rejecting the stylings of the Church; he was rejecting errors, half-truths, misunderstandings, and sins that had grown in the church.  The primary lesson pastors and church leaders like me can learn from this part of Hitchens testimony is that our faithfulness in presenting the Gospel is much more important than our attention to the details of contextualized style.  There is a suitable time and a place for pastors to consider issues of the contextualization of ministry style, but, these considerations are to be subject to and secondary to our faithfulness to a full orbed proclamation of the Gospel.  Every pastor, elder, deacon, and lay leader in the church faces this pressure on an ongoing basis: we hear from many who bemoan their inability to relate to the antiquated concept of religion; however, those prodigals who come home to the church do so with a strong craving for meaty, deep, intellectually honest Gospel content that is deeply rooted in the grand history of the Church (note the growing number of prodigals who are finding a church home in the mysticism of the Emergent Church or the ancient trappings of the Eastern Church).  What are we to do?  We are to be faithful to the Gospel first followed by the historical roots of the Church, and, then – being secondary to and subject to Gospel faithfulness – we address issues of contextualizing ministry style. 

The concluding six chapters deal with three apologetic questions specifically geared toward the current rise in a peculiar raging anti-theism (virulent atheism) seen in the sales of books like “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything” by Christopher Hitchens (Peter Hitchens brother), “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins, and “Letter to a Christian Nation” by Sam Harris.  I found Peter Hitchens' apologetics to be sound because he turned the words of notable anti-religious secular humanists on themselves.  The only criticism I have of his apologetics is one of approach.  Apologetically he relies heavily upon the via negativa or negationis approach; he spends most of his effort arguing against those who champion a totally secular humanist society such as communist Russia.  As a side criticism, I don’t run into too many virulent anti-theists looking forward to the establishment of a purely secular humanist communist/socialist society.  More often than not, I run into neo-pagans who embrace religion on "their own terms", or blasé agnostics who don’t see religion as relevant or practical for daily living.  I’m glad that I have read Hitchens’ apologetic against the new-atheists; and, I’m sure what I have read will come in handy sooner or later; but, I find a need to deal with other more pressing apologetic issues at this time.  Obviously, Peter Hitchens finds himself in a much different context being the brother of Christopher Hitchens, who is one of the most notorious proponents of a religion-free totally secular humanist Trotsky-like communist/socialist society.   

My final critique of the book is that it seems to come to an unduly pessimistic conclusion about the future of Christianity.  It is as if Hitchens’ new found faith in God is so oriented toward present realities that it lacks an eschatology of hope (or any eschatological perspective).  Christ is King past, present, and eternal future.  

I am so glad I read this book.  I got a glimpse into the personal side of apologetics, evangelism, conversion, and the integration of a prodigal back into a church community.  This book taught me so much about pastoral ministry, pastoral care, discipleship, ministry integrity, the power of words in liturgy, and value of beauty and honor in worship.  I will be a different pastor because of this book (esp. ch. 7).  Oh, and I got some useful apologetic tools to boot. 

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Sunday Afternoon Reflections: Psalm 120 & Gratitude Driven Worship

Needs (felt or real) drive desire.  Desperate need really drives desire. 

From mid 2001 into mid 2003 I worked as a diaconal pastor in a poorer urban residential church.  A large part of my work went into planning, developing, and coordinating a mobile food pantry.  The mobile food pantry was of a converted soda-pop truck that would come to us from Second Harvest Gleaners.  We would open the roll-up doors and the sides of the soda-pop trailer, and each slot became a grocery bin filled with cast-off produce and past-date food goods.  Those who needed the groceries would gather for a devotional, grab a box and, form a single file line, and then file around the trailer filling their box with much needed food.  Rain, snow, sleet, or sweltering heat, nearly a hundred people would gather on Saturday afternoons for food.  Even though we scheduled the mobile food pantry for a two hours, most times, we could distribute 10,000 lbs of food in about a half an hour (after 45 minutes all the eatable food was gone).  While I was working as a pastor for this church, an agnostic acquaintance heard about the mobile food pantry and commented to me at a social gathering:

“What you’re doing is some radically important stuff man.  I mean, I couldn’t do what you’re doing – I’m impressed.  You know some people just need religion and church and all that kind of stuff.  If it weren’t for guys like you and churches like yours people who need that kind of thing wouldn’t have a place to go to get their needs met.  Some people just need you and the whole Christian thing.  I’m glad there are some people who can make use of religion and all that.” 

Implied in his comments (as flattering as they were intended to be) was the belief that he didn’t really need God, the Christian faith, or the church.  This acquaintance had a great job, a lot of money, a nice house, great health, a well off family, some cool friends, etc.  He didn’t seem to have any real needs that he didn’t think that couldn’t make up for on his own or with the slight help of his family and friends.  In his mind, God, Jesus, Christianity, and church are for those other people in life who need something extra to help them to get buy in life.  How about you?  Do you desperately need God or is God just an added bonus in life?

In Psalm 120 we will see that everyone is in dire need of God and his deliverance, and a realization of this dire need for God begins our approach to worship.  As we saw in the previous blog posting, the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120—134) were sung as prayers in anticipation or preparation for worship.  Upon first reading, Psalm 120 may not seem like a sung prayer that would particularly prepare someone for worship.  But, upon closer reading, we will see that this Psalm sets off our preparation for worship by highlighting our need for God who is the center of our worship.  Let’s take a closer look at Psalm 120.

“In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.” (v. 1)

To begin with, a simple observation, in the Psalmist distress he calls upon the LORD.  As simple as this observation may be, all too often, when we are distressed, we call upon anything or anyone but God.  When we find ourselves emotionally distressed, we quickly call upon our family and friends for deliverance.  When we find ourselves financially distressed, we rapidly call upon any stream of income we can find.  When we feel distressed over our self worth, we call upon our education, career, or our social circle.  When we find ourselves socio-politically distressed, we call upon the government or a political party for deliverance.  If we find ourselves distressed, we will find someone or something to call upon.  And, it is not that family, friends, finances, education, career, or government are not to help us in times of need.  It is important that our primary plea it so God, and that any assistance, aid, or help we receive in times of need is seen as coming from God’s hand (James 1:17).  In your distress, do you call out to God first and foremost? 

So, what sort of distress is it that has prompted the Psalmist to call out to the LORD?

“Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. . . Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!  Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.  I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!” (vv. 2, 5—7)

In a culture that tries to convince school children that “sticks and stone may break bones but words can never hurt,” the issue in this Psalm may leave you wondering, “What kind of hyper-sensitive basket-case would get distressed over lies and slander?”  Well, we all know that words do effect us, and speech has consequences.  In fact, a basic observation of history shows us that lies and deceit have almost always predicated actual violence.  Lies can lead to murder; propaganda fuels world wars; and deception has promulgated genocide.  According to Jesus, even seemingly innocuous mocking speech is murderous (Matt 5:22).  And, in Psalm 120 we see the explicit connection between deception and war.  We could re-work the tired old clichéd children’s rhyme into something like, “Words can do exceptional harm, and all too often they lead to bones that are broken by sticks and stones.”

Now, just in case we are tempted to see this as a personal problem of an isolated individual who can’t handle himself in this cruel world, Psalm 120 makes it clear that this is a problem of everyone who believes in God.  The reference to Meshech and Kedar provides us with an image of the Jews’ position in the heart of the ancient near-eastern world.  Meshech and Kedar are two geographically separate people.  The people of Meshech lived on the south side of the Black Sea, well north of Judea (Ezekiel 27:13).  The people of Kedar were descendants of Ishmael who lived nomadically in the Arabian Desert to the south of Judea (Genesis 25:13).  Instead of describing an actual situation in which the Psalmist was in a camp together with the people from Meshech and Kedar, this reference is most likely intended to be inclusive of gentiles as a whole.  And, most vividly, this is not a picture of an individual who has found himself in trouble; this is a picture of the Jewish people as a whole surrounded by people who slanderously intend them harm.  Psalm 120 is about so much more than a particular individual who happens to be slandered for his belief; Psalm 120 is about the predicament that all of God’s people find themselves as aliens and sojourners in this world.

So, how does the Psalmist anticipate the LORD to deliver him from the lying lips and deceitful tongues of those around him?

“What shall be given to you [liars and deceivers], and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?  A warrior’s sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!” (vv. 3—4)

The Psalmist’s expectations are simple and straightforward, he expects those with deceitful tongues to be utterly destroyed.  The arrows anticipate death and the burning coals of the broom tree anticipate an all consuming fire.  Utter destruction. 

Well now, before we come to the conclusion that Psalm 120 is about how God helps us poor decent folk with those amorphous other people who are deceitful and violent, we need to read Psalm 120 in light of Romans 3 and Isaiah 6. 

Romans 3 stuns us by bluntly saying:

“None is righteous, no, not one; . . . Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongue to deceive.  The venom of asps is under their lips.  Their mouths are full of curses and bitterness.  Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes . . . for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:10b, 13—18, 23)

Romans 3 makes it very clear that we are the ones with lying lips and deceitful tongues in Psalm 120.  We are the people of Meshech and Kedar who call for war as opposed to the one who is for peace.  When we read Psalm 120, if we are honest about ourselves, we should cry out along with Isaiah, “Woe is me!  For I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). 

Ouch, how does this Psalm provide any hope or comfort?  There is no hope or comfort in Psalm 120 apart from Christ, for that matter, there is no hope or comfort in any of the Psalms apart from Christ.  Now then, here is the hope in Psalm 120.  Ultimately, this Psalm is a prophecy of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is the ultimate sojourner who left the throne room of heaven to pitch his tent and dwell among us (John 1:14).  Despite the honor of having the Son of God living in our midst, we didn’t receive him (John 1:11).  We were God’s enemies.  And:

“While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, not that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.  More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Chris, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:10—11)

The one who was the ultimate victim of lies and deceit was Jesus Christ who was executed on a Roman cross after of being falsely charged in a fixed trial.  On top of that, Jesus was abandoned by his disciples, and one of his closest disciples even lied about knowing Jesus in front of Jesus’ face.  The person of truth in Psalm 120 is Jesus Christ who is “the way the truth and the life” (John 14:6).  The person of peace in Psalm 120 is Jesus Christ who is the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6—7).  The one who finds deliverance from lying lips and deceitful tongues in Psalm 120 is Christ Jesus; and the only hope we have in Psalm 120 is that our lives are hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3; Ephesians 2:1—10). 

So, what does this have to do with anticipation and preparation for worship?  Needs (felt or real) drive desire.  Desperate need really drives desire.  Beyond that, when our dire needs are met, gratitude becomes and irresistible driving force in our lives.  When we deserved to be consumed, God met our deepest dire need and reconciled us to himself in Christ Jesus.  This humbling reality ought to transform our attitude toward worship from a mere option into a delight.  Our attitude toward worship should shift from “what ever” to “I can’t wait to join with other to thank God for what he has done for us.”   Worship is no longer a burdensome legalism we have to do in order to earn some favor with God.  Instead, we are propelled into worship by an insatiable gratitude.  This grateful delight is the first step in our anticipation and preparation for worship. 

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A Pre-Sunday Afternoon Reflection: The Psalms of Ascent and Preperation for Worship

On an average Friday afternoon, what’s on your mind?  Maybe you’ve got social plans on your mind.  You might be perusing the local movie listings.  Maybe you have some calls out to a few friends for dinner.  Not up for dinner and a movie, how about a BBQ and board games?  Maybe you’re looking forward to a quiet weekend in with a book, some magazines, a DVD or two, and some popcorn.  You could be looking forward to watching a few good ball games on Saturday and Sunday.  You might have the perfect tee time set up with some of the guys.  Golf not your thing, maybe you and your gal-pals have a spa-day to look forward to.   You just might possibly have a big shopping weekend planed.  Family outings can be nice: youth soccer, a picnic, the zoo, the museum, a camping trip. And, then there are chores: car maintenance, yard-work, house-work, home-work, or just possibly putting off work.  What’s on your mind on any given Friday afternoon?

What about Sunday morning worship?  Do you think about going to church?  And, I don’t just mean passing thoughts such as, “Is it my Sunday to help set up the coffee and snack table?” or, “I hope we can catch up with the Smiths over lunch after church.”  I have something much deep and more passionate in mind.  As Sunday approaches, do you look forward to worship?  Do you yearn for worship?  Do you long to join together with other Christians in order to praise God?  More importantly, beyond a pleasant want or desire, is worship something you desperately need?  And, if worship is something that you long for and desperately need, do you spend time or do anything to prepare yourself for worship?  The Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120—134) can help us to evaluate and work through our attitudes toward gathering for worship. 

There is some ambiguity about the background of these Psalms and the historical context of their use.  That said, we shall see, it is reasonably clear that these Psalms of Ascent were grouped together and used to prepare ancient Jews to gather together for worship.  So, what are the theories about the Psalms of Ascent?  The first theory, Rabbinic tradition reports that these 15 Psalms were used by the Levites as they ascended the 15 steps of Solomon’s Temple to the gate of Nicanor into the Court of the Israelites.  Upon each step the Levites would recite one of the Psalms of Ascent in order to prepare their hearts and minds to lead the people of God in worship.  However, since there is no evidence that Solomon’s Temple had 15 steps leading up into the Court of the Israelites, many commentators doubt this interpretation because it is seen as a later Rabbinic legend.  The second theory is that these Psalms were sung by the Jewish exiles returning to Jerusalem from Babylon.  These Psalms were not simply sung in celebration of a return to Jerusalem; these Psalms were sung in eager anticipation of a return to worship upon the Temple mount.  Yet, some commentators reject this interpretation because it fails to make sense of the inclusion of four Psalms that are explicitly ascribed to David (Psalm 122, 124, 131, 134).  The third, and currently most accepted theory, is that these Psalms were sung by Jewish pilgrims returning to Jerusalem and ascending Mount Zion for the three yearly festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.  These Psalms were sung as prayers which prepared the pilgrims for worship.  But, some commentators aren’t satisfied with this answer because it seems too simplistic or generalized.  Ambiguities aside, there is one commonality among all of these theories: these Psalms were used to prepare God’s People for worship. 

Now, add to this the fact that these 15 Psalms of Ascent are the only Psalms out of all 150 that grouped together according to a theme, purpose, or event and we see just how important it was for the people of God to prepare for worship.  Sure, there are Psalms that are grouped by author (i.e. the Psalms of the Sons of Korah), and there are types of Psalms that could be classified together but are not textually grouped together (i.e. beatitudes, personal laments, and Messianic Psalms).  This sole grouping of Psalms with the Psalms begs us to take notice and pay attention.  What are they calling our attention to?  These Psalms of Ascent highlight our need to anticipate worship, to prepare for worship, and to be deliberate and intentional about our worship.  We shouldn’t just show up for worship without any forethought and expect to be blessed to the fullest.  As in the Psalms of Ascent, as we approach worship, we are to prayerfully prepare for worship. 

So, what are we to prayerfully consider as we approach worship?  We will examine this question in much greater detail as we explore each of the Psalms of Ascent in the coming weeks (look for postings under the heading of “Sunday Afternoon Reflections”).  Yet, before we begin to look at each of the Psalms of Ascent one by one, we can begin to answer this question by making a simple observation about the nature of Jewish worship upon the Temple Mount.  At the heart of the Jewish system of worship was the Levitical sacrificial system, and this sacrificial system was rooted in the deliverance of the Hebrew people from the bonds of slavery in Egypt.  This concept of deliverance is most vividly seen in the Passover celebration and sacrifice.  The blood of a pure unblemished lamb insured that the angel of death passed over the Hebrew people, thus leading to their deliverance from Egyptian bondage.  Once delivered, the Hebrew people showed themselves to be a stiff-necked and rebellious people.  Subsequently, God established a sacrificial system to provide atonement for this sinful rebellious people.  Worship in the Old Testament focuses upon sacrifice, atonement, and deliverance.  Day by day, month by month, year after year, Jewish worship revolved around sacrifice, atonement, and deliverance, all of which anticipated Jesus Christ who is the once for all atoning sacrifice delivering us from sin and death. 

Fast forward through history to the 21^st century on any given Sunday morning in Somewhere-Suburbia, USA.  We may enjoy exceptional music at church, but apart from Jesus’ atoning sacrifice we ultimately have nothing.  We may experience wonderful fellowship, but apart from Jesus’ atoning sacrifice we ultimately have nothing.  We may receive some impressive counsel, but apart from Jesus’ atoning sacrifice we ultimately have nothing.  We may be comforted or encouraged, but apart from Jesus’ atoning sacrifice we have nothing.  However, more often than not, our churches are more imperfect than excellent.  Especially in this case, apart from Jesus’ atoning sacrifice our Sunday services are little more than a so-so performance, a ho-hum social outing with some legalistic self-help advice, and an emotional pat-on-the-back to bolster our already fragile self-esteem.  We desperately need the blood of Christ, yet, too easily, we get caught up in a Sunday morning show (and all the busyness that goes along with it).

What are we to do?  The answer to this question is not so much about what we are to do as it is about what Jesus Christ has done for us.  Jesus Christ has released us from bondage to sin and death – he has justified us.  Jesus Christ continues to free us from bondage to sin – he sanctifies us.  And our worship is to be centered upon the once and for all atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  When we actively anticipate gathering together for worship, do we anticipate the transforming power of Jesus Christ to change our lives?

So, what does this look like on a practical level?  First, on a very basic level, are you ready for worship when Sunday rolls around?  Without setting up a legalistic “Protestant Mishnah”, getting a good night sleep, waking up on time, getting a good breakfast, and arriving on time are a good start.  This may sound moralistic, but if we truly anticipate the power of the Gospel to transform our lives, why wouldn’t we show up alert and ready to be engaged in worship.  We wouldn’t sleep through a conversation with a friend, why would we snooze through the grand conversation of worship.  With respect to timeliness, most of us wouldn’t want to show up twenty minutes late or even blow off an appointment with a close friend, so why would we habitually show up twenty minutes late for worship or even blow it off all together. 

Second, and more critically, we should approach worship with a deep sense of our need for the Gospel.  How do we do this?  To begin with, we need to develop an honest awareness of our sin and its destructive power in our lives.  From there, we need to cultivate a heightened appreciation for the love of Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice for our sin.  In other words, we need to grow in our realization that we are much more sinful than we have ever dared to imagine; yet, at the same time, we are much more loved than we could ever hope.  Whith these two sides of the Gospel as out starting point, we also need to develop a desire to fellowship with God’s people, a hunger for the Word, and a passion for prayer.   

You may be wondering, “Ok, how do I develop a disposition that is honest about my sin, values the love of Jesus Christ, desires fellowship with God's people, hungers for the Word, and is passionate about prayer?”  As the ancient Jews sung these prayers in anticipation and preparation for worship, we too need prayer saturated anticipation and preparation for worship.  We can pray for a more honest awareness of our sin.  We can pray for a heightened appreciation of the love of God and the Gospel.  We can pray for a deeper desire to fellowship with God’s people.  We can pray for an increased hunger for the Word.  We can even pray that God would give us a passion to pray.   The same God who calls us to worship is the same God who leads and prepares our hearts for worship.  So, pray that God will shape you into the worshiper that he desires you to be. 

This coming weekend, have a nice dinner, enjoy a good movie, have some fun with friends, and relax with some down time.  But, above all anticipate and prepare your heart for the transforming power of Jesus Christ in worship, and have a blessed Sunday.

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Book Review: "Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different" by Tullian Tchividjian

Being unfashionable doesn’t seem like an attractive aspiration within our culture.  The stacks of gossip and glamour magazines that line grocery store check-out lanes encourage us to be fashionable.  The local mall and the clothing stores that over-crowed its corridors encourage us to be fashionable.  Home shows, home improvement stores, and home improvement magazines encourage us to be fashionable.  Business seminars and sales training conferences encourage us to be fashionable.  Social networking site upon social networking site encourage us to be fashionable.  So, Tullian Tchividjian’s book “Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different” stands out.

Tchividjian begins with his own personal story of being a prodigal son.  All the fashionable things of this world left Tullian empty, burned out, and washed up.  He describes his return to the church as a “cry for something different” (title of chapter 1).  This personal experience sets up the primary principle of the book: because the fashions of the world only leave us empty and wanting more, the church can best make a difference by being different – by being unfashionable.  I liked how Tchividjian starts out with his personal testimony because it gives the book a level of credibility that an academic research piece wouldn’t. 

In chapter 2 Tullian likens our western cultural vantage point or world-view to living in a room without windows.  He suggest that scientific-like over classification, the illusion of technological control, and a sea of endless change has contributed to a narrow, small, and confined view of the world (reductionism for the sake of survival is you will).  In a world of seemingly endless change, for simplicity sake, we tend to interpret our culture by using stereotypical labels and utilize technological gadgets to gain a sense of control.  All the while, we loose our awe-filled sense of the transcendent – we live in a room without windows and assume that we’ve seen it all.  Then, in chapter 2 Tullian makes the case that when the church is seduced into being cool within the surrounding culture, the church becomes indistinguishable for the narrow myopic culture it is trying to love, bless, and serve. 

From this launching point, in chapters 4 – 10, Tchividjian elaborates on what makes the church different from the culture in which it is embedded. In these seven chapters, he describes six characteristics that make the church different so that it can make a difference: 

1).  The Cross of Christ defines us; as such, we are to die to self and live in Christ.

2).  We have been redeemed by God to be a force of renewal in the world.

3).  We live in the present with the sure and certain hope in the promise of eternal life.

4).  God is on a mission to seek and save his lost sheep and we are a part of that mission.

5).  God is building his church out of a mishmash of unfashionable misfits and ragamuffins; this miraculous unity is to glorify God.

6).  As the Body of Christ we are to actively make a difference in the world around us – Christ’s body is not ineffective.

For me, the payoff of this read came in chapters 11 – 16.  In these chapters Tchividjian lays out a practical road-map for how to develop a church, ministry, or group that makes a difference by being different.  He develops six practical points based Ephesians 4:25—ff:

1). The church is to be a truthful community, which means that we need to be honest about who we are as sinners saved by grace (simul iustus et peccator, at the same time justified and yet sinner).  Such honesty will go a long way toward cultivating a winsome humility that will surely stand out in our selfish culture.

2).  The church is to be a community that is moved by righteous anger.  On this point I wish Tchividjian had made another word choice.  Instead of titling chapter 12 “An Angry Community” I would have liked to have seen a title like “A Provoked Community” or “A Provocative Community” (even though anger is the word used in Ephesians 4:26).  Gabe Lyons takes this tack in his recent book “The Next Christians”: Lyons argues that the things which rightly anger or offend aught to provoke the church to action (I will post a review of “The Next Christians” in the coming month). 

3).  The church is to be a generous community that puts off stealing.  By stealing Tchividjian doesn’t simply mean stealing in the strictly legal sense – although he surely does not exclude stealing in this sense.  By stealing he means to include any form of undue or inordinate taking that precludes or hinders generosity. 

4).  The church is to utilize and employ redemptive, healing, life-giving speech.  Our words are to be a reflection of the Word. 

5).  The church is to be noted for hospitality.  We are to exude a God-instilled kindness among ourselves as Christians.  And, we are to welcome others into our midst so that they can witness that God-instilled kindness first-hand. 

6).  Finally, the church is to be a place where love trumps lust.  We are to be driven by love that seeks the ultimate good of others, as opposed to being driven by the whims of our physical appetites. 

What sets this book apart from the glut of Christian books that analyze culture is the practical nature of the book.  Tchividjian draws his practical applications directly from Scripture (Ephesians 4).  On top of that, his practical applications are corporate.  He doesn’t just exhort individuals to make a difference by being different; he instructs Christian communities on how to make a difference by being different.  To that end, the discussion guide for small groups is a wonderful bonus – this book offers more than theory.  If you are worried that this book’s subject matter may be too difficult or intimidating; fear not!  The writing style is clear, easy, direct, and to the point, and, the book itself is short.  Buy this book and read it with a group, then enjoy working out how you-all can implement what you have learned. 

Sunday Afternoon Reflections: Am I Religious? Yes, No, Maybe So

Not so long ago, an agnostic family member kept pressing me with ‘side-long’ comments like, “So, how are things in the world of the religious?” or “What’s up with the religious fold today?”  And “How’d your time with the ranks of the religious go this fine Sunday?”  I let the comments pass.  In small part, I let the comments pass in order to avoid a pointless conflict.  In large part, I let the comments pass because I had recently become confused about the term “religion.”  In one instance, I had heard a pastor I respect talking about the apologetic value of recognizing that all people are essentially religious, and that we can use this to demonstrate one’s need for real and true religion – the Christian faith.  In another instance, at a church planting assessment and training I was taught to avoid the term religion by insisting and showing that Christianity is a relationship as opposed to a religion.  On top of these two instances, in my college comparative religions class I was taught that the term ‘religion’ was originally an exclusively Christian term.  Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, or Taoists don’t have an equivalent term for the Christian term ‘religion’ (the Buddhist or Hindu term ‘yoga’ is the closest equivalent referring to a particular spiritual way or path that a person follows).  And, until recent history, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Taoists, et al didn’t us the western term ‘religion’. 

So, here’s the question, “Am I religious?”  What about all the people who I worshiped with this morning in church, are they too religious?  Well, let me put it this way: yes, no, maybe so.

IN ONE SENSE, YES I AM RELIGIOUS

In one sense, all people are religious.  And, I am no different than anyone else.  The word religion comes to us in part from the Latin religāre which means to tie, fasten, or bind.  In this sense, religion refers to our attempt to connect ourselves to something that will give us some sort of ultimate value that is greater than ourselves.  The problem is that we end up trying in vain to bind ourselves to things which don’t give us ultimate value beyond ourselves.  We try to get ultimate meaning from our career, and we end up tied down to our jobs.  We try to get ultimate meaning from our kids, and we end bound to their every whim.  We try to get ultimate meaning from nice things and stuff, and we end up lashed to the weight of materialism.  We try to get ultimate meaning from relationships, and we end up tangled in the knots of personal conflict.  Ironically, we even try to find ultimate meaning in ‘religion’, and we find ourselves bound up in an endless series of performance-driven, pious, pharisaical practices (i.e. pray more, read more, serve more, sacrifice more, and etc.).  We hope to tie ourselves to something that will buoy our lives; instead, we bind ourselves to a weight that drowns us in the sea of life.  So, in that sense, as a fallen sinful human being, I am religious.  Too often I find myself bound up in the tangle mess of life (a tangled mess of my own making); I desperately need to be freed from this bondage.  Don’t we all?

IN ANOTHER SENSE, NO I AM NOT RELIGIOUS

As a Christian, Jesus Christ has released me from the tangled bondage of my sinful life.  Because of my relationship with Jesus Christ, I am freed from trying to earn my value through things, stuff, or people; my life’s value and worth are in Christ Jesus.  And, I don’t have to work at an endless series of performance-driven, pious, pharisaical practices in order to earn my place with Jesus Christ.  By grace I have been granted a relationship with Jesus Christ.  By grace I have been reconciled to God.  By grace I have been adopted by the Heavenly Father.  By grace I have fellowship with the Holy Spirit.  In this sense I am not religious.  I don’t spend my days trying to bind myself to God.  God has bound himself to me in an everlasting relationship of his making, and I can rest in the grace of that relationship as opposed to frantically running after a relationship. 

IN AN ULTIMATE SENSE, I GUESS I AM RELIGIOUS

With all that talk of a relationship with God that transcends our attempts at trying to bind ourselves to something of ultimate value, in our relationship to God, God still binds himself to us.  In that sense, I guess I’m religious.  The term ‘religious’ has its primary root in the Latin word religiō, which could well be translated into ‘re-ligament’.  The shift in the Latin from religāre to religiō is telling.  Whereas religāre implies a cold matter-of-fact binding, tying, or lashing; by contrast, religiō implies a living, organic, relational, bodily bond.  The former is lifeless and impersonal; the latter is living, personal, and relational.  As the parts of a body are ligamented together in living unity, so too we as Christians are ligamented together by the bond of the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ with Christ as our head (Rom. 12:3—ff; I Cor. 12; Eph. 1:22—23; 4:25; 5:30; Col. 1:24).  We are bound to Christ as living branches grafted onto a living vine (Jn. 15:1—8).  We are bound to Christ as the marriage bond unites bride and groom (Rev. 21:2—ff).  We are bound to Christ as friend to friend (Jn. 15:12—17).  Through the bond of adoption we are the children of God, co-heirs with Christ (I Jn. 3:1—ff).  Once we had been severed from God, now we are re-ligamented together into the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22—23).  In this sense I am most definitely religious. 

It’s not that we attempt to tie ourselves to God through good works and self-righteousness – this is religiosity or false religion.  It is God who binds himself to us – this is re-ligamentation or true religion.  What makes religion in the sense of re-ligamentation so beautiful, meaningful, hopeful, uplifting, and motivating is that we can give up laboring to build ourselves into a feeble, fragile, false façade.  Jesus Christ re-ligaments us into his body.  And, those who are re-ligamented into the Body of Christ will never be separated or amputated from the Body of Christ.  The Apostle Paul writes:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:38—39

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