Two stories give different but not contradictory evidence

Reasons to Believe

This morning I did what I do after breakfast (hopefully not before). I looked at my Facebook feed, and quickly discovered two stories, both of which I had seen before (one numerous times). The more familiar one was the story of a hole in the ground, and what was found there. The newer one was the story of a hug.

The hole in the ground is in northern Israel, where archeologists found a church dating from the 5th century A.D. that had been burned and later buried over the centuries. As they excavated, they found that the floor of the church was covered with beautiful mosaics, including one of the the feeding of the 5,000 by Jesus. This is yet another evidence from the first centuries of gospel proclamation that the stories of Jesus were well known and understood by his followers. Similar murals and mosaics are found in various places attesting to the use of the New Testament to inform faith. Of course, this is only the latest in a massive number of recent discoveries that offer convincing evidence that David ruled in Jerusalem, that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city if 586 B.C., and that Semites (Israelites) lived in Egypt and left suddenly around the time of the Exodus. Archeology gives us much to rejoice in as verification of scriptural records. We don't need "proof" that God's Word is true since we accept it by faith, but outside verification is a wonderful, faith-encouraging way to let others know about our glorious God and his revelation's reliability.

The hug was just two days ago. It took place in a courtroom, as Amber Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the shooting death of Botham Jean in his apartment. Ms. Guyger, a Dallas police officer at the time, had entered his apartment by mistake--hers was one floor away, thought he was an intruder on her couch, and shot him fatally. The facts were never in doubt, but in the trial certain details of her past were brought out that made her look worse as prosecutors sought to assert more motive to the shooting than just fear. The jury sentenced her to 10 years, although the prosecutor asked for 28 and she could have received life in prison. As Mr. Jean's family were allowed to give victim impact statements, his brother, Brandt, stunned the courtroom (and the nation) by saying that he forgave her, wanted the best for her just as his brother would, and said that she would find it by turning to Christ and seeking God's forgiveness. The judge, wiping tears from her eyes, then allowed him his request to give Ms. Guyger a hug. Later, the judge gave Ms. Guyger her personal Bible and urged her to live in light of John 3:16. (Here is a link to the video of his remarks and the hug.)

This story has swept throughout news and social media, with many praising Mr. Jean (rightly so) and marveling at the grace and forgiveness he has shown.

What I find amazing is that both of these stories are powerful testimonies to the saving, life changing power of Jesus and his message. But only one grabs the heart--it is the one that doesn't look for factual corroboration of biblical claims. Instead, it clearly reminds us of just what Jesus did for each one of us, and what he calls us to do, as hard as that may be, and however much it may cost. And it reminds us that the mercy and forgiveness of Christ can flow through us to those who don't deserve it, just as it did to us in the first place.

Thank you, Brandt Jean, for not just honoring your brother's memory, but for walking in the footsteps of Jesus. 

In the World of St. Kanye

Wondering about faith, creativity, and celebrity

 We have been introduced to a new moment in our culture as Kanye West has been very publicly invoking faith in Jesus--not in the clearest terms, but still...

Recent news is that his long promised album, "Jesus is King," did not release as originally promised. That may or may not be a big disappointment to you, and knowing most of my subscribers, you probably weren't even aware that the album was coming. And some of you aren't sure who Kanye West is. Suffice it to say that he has been a one man celebrity and music dynamo, along with his wife, Kim Kardashian West. His music is hugely popular, and his antics are legend. But if you don't know about either of them, that's O.K.--this is Cedarville. I've included a picture for reference.

Anyway, he has been throwing a lot of religious language into his lyrics and posts of late. For all of his career, along with all of his other themes he has had occasional references to Jesus and faith. But recently he has been much more intentional, doing weekly "Sunday Service" musical settings, and openly calling himself a Christian. The most recent one was a remarkable gospel experience with a solid Bible message from a godly pastor (from my old hometown).

Reactions to all of this are pretty predictable. Some are ready to embrace him as the next Christian spokesman to the world, as various other musicians and celebrities have been. Anybody remember that young Christian sensation, Miley Cyrus? Or Katy Perry? Or Bob Dylan's Christian period? Or Jane Fonda's conversion (younger people won't recognize that last name)?

Others, because of the list above, simply dismiss it and assume it can't be real. My natural bent might be in that direction, too.

But, then I remember the story of Chuck Colson, the noted aide to President Nixon who pled guilty and served time in prison after the Watergate scandal. He, too made a public confession of faith before he was sentenced to prison, and many thought it was to get a lighter sentence. But when he came out of prison, he slowly built a ministry to former prisoners, reaching out to old friends who saw the change in him and helped him along in creating Prison Fellowship. By the time of his death, many never knew (other than by his own testimony) about the before picture of his life.

So, with Kanye, I am agnostic but hopeful, and even encouraged by early evidence. Agnostic means "I don't know," and that's really true. Lots of people use Jesus as a marketing tool, and he may be doing so. At the same time, I'm aware that there have been truly Christian influences in his life in the past and even more in the present, and that the music industry has insiders who are solidly committed believers seeking to win people to Christ. I also know that people who have had their share of problems and crises (as Kanye certainly has) are exactly the kind of person that the Lord has chosen in the past to redeem (can I get an Amen on that?). So I can hope--not just for him, but his wife, and those he loves.

And for all of us, we need to realize that our temptation to grab onto a celebrity testimony and say--"there, see, Christianity is great, because my celebrity says so." That is similar to hoping the cool kid in school will like us and that will make us cool, too. It doesn't usually work that way at school, and the credibility of Christianity will never be established by the latest celebrity who embraces it. Let's be careful to only let there be One that we choose as the best example of our faith, and that is the One for whom it is labeled in the first place--our Lord Jesus Christ.