Turning green, are we?

So often we see the effect and spend most of our time combating the symptom rather than the cause.  If we have pain, we say we need asprin.  If we are broke, we think we simply need to make more money.  If we are overweight, we need a pill to be invented to block the fat on the food we eat.

What if instead of fixing the byproduct, we instead addressed the root of the symptom?  What should actually happen when we have pain?  We need to fix the broken ankle that's causing it instead of covering it up with asprin temporarily.  If we are broke, we need to stop spending money on video games, cell phone bills and coffee shops instead of simply getting more work.  If we are overweight, most of us should begin to eat differently or exercise more often instead of hoping for a pill to fix the symptom.

You see, no matter what you do in response to the problem, if the action or attitude that caused the symptom never changes, the symptom will always return.

Today?

Bailouts, money, stuff.  These are the topics of politicians in Washington, anchors on the 6 pm news, employees at water coolers, and moms at soccer games.

Our problems are mostly symptoms.  We have been living in sin for far too long and because of that sin, our present lifestyles are impossible to maintain.

This sin is not isolated to a movement or religion.  For believers in the way of Christ, it's a problem of the emergent church and the mainline denominations, the megachurch and the little chapel down the road.  It's time we were honest with ourselves and each other and confronted this sin that hounds us at every turn.

Sin? You're saying that this can't be the result of sin, right?

I would submit that it is.  There is a sin that has put us in the economic crisis we find ourselves in today. This is the sin that makes us always want that next thing, that nicer outfit, the newer car.  It's the sin that made us buy the house we really couldn't afford, and the car that we shouldn't be driving.  It's the one that makes us justify the $400 cell phone with the $100+ bill every month.

And until we address the sin issue, we will continue to build an economy that only works if we keep consuming stuff.  One that only works if we constantly want new clothes, new computers, new......

You get the point.

And now what happens when we all get nervous and cut back on our spending?  Well, people that manufacture the stuff we buy now don't have anyone to consume it.  People lose their jobs-unable to pay their bills, they foreclose on the homes.  And instead of having savings for the rough times, we find ourselves with closets full of stuff.  With storage units, garages and attics full of stuff.  It's hard to get rid of your old stuff. Mostly because everyone likes new stuff.  It has that smell, you know.

And when it comes to having a bunch of stuff, this time around, everyone got in on the game-Christians and non-Christians alike.

We all wanted to buy more stuff. Not just iPhones and new clothes. Some tried to make a quick buck on a preconstruction investment property that now they can't unload.   Some took out equity lines on their home to pay off credit cards that had balances from buying stuff.  Others?  You can probably list a few examples that I haven't mentioned.

This sin has a simple name.  Greed.  And what happens when the church struggles with greed?  What happens when believers think it's ok to do what the good ol' King James Version calls coveting?  What happens when we forget to be salt and light to a bland and dark world?

This.

30,000 Kids a Day, times 2 = ?

Christians for a long time have defined themselves by what they do not do. For many evangelicals this means that they have come out of a church background that reminds them that they aren’t to drink, smoke, gamble, sleep around, etc. But more often than not, the church has been so busy telling them what they shouldn’t be doing that they haven’t also emphasized those things that they should be acting out.

It comes down to the biblical teaching on sin. There traditionally have been considered two types of sin by theologians throughout church history-sins of commission (acts that go against God’s character) and sins of omission (not acting in a situation where God’s Word would have us act).

For many believers, it’s easy to make sure that we aren’t doing (committing) those things that are sinful. But it makes people uncomfortable to talk to them about the parts of the gospel that they aren’t doing (omitting). No one wants to hear about the things that they aren’t doing well-we all want to hear about the stuff that we have already mastered.

When a church has traditionally been strong on points of righteousness and truth, they have been emphasizing the biblical commandments against commission of sin. Most think of fundamentals and evangelicals in this category, who choose to enter the public and political arena to debate morality in areas of abortion and homosexuality. Like William Wilberforce, who chose to use his life fighting to outlaw slavery, these believers are doing battle to stop the commission of sin in our country.

When a church has traditionally been strong on points of justice and mercy, they have been emphasizing the biblical ideals of acting in a positive way as Christ would in a situation-not omitting the act of love, mercy or justice (yes, this should also include confrontation of sin). Most think of liberals and progressives in this category, main-line churches and denominations that try to do good deeds in the name of Jesus. Like Mother Teresa, who chose to give her life in loving the poor and oppressed in Calcutta, these believers are passionate about the acts that believers should be living out.

This is the testing ground for churches as we move deeper into the 21st century. The question isn’t if your church is cool enough, trendy enough, or if it has great music and media. The question has now become, can you balance the two? Can you be just as concerned about the poor and oppressed as you are about the unborn and the gays? Can you be just as concerned about living a holy life as you are about the AIDS victims in Africa? Because in the end, it isn’t an either/or issue. It’s a both/and issue.

30,000 kids are dying each day from starvation-a completely preventable problem. And 30,000 kids are being aborted on average every day worldwide-a completely preventable problem. And because we are believers who value life-both of these statistics should hurt our heart because of the sanctity of life. Unfortunately, most churches have chosen only one of these problems to care about while ignoring the other. I hope that you will see the injustice in both-the results of the sins of commission and omission.