The 'Green' Pharisee
Nov/30/2009 16:23
In light of the recent Climategate email leaks, the Sunday Times Online ran an article about the Hollywood elite lecturing the world about their carbon footprints, lifting the lid to expose the Pharisees of Green. In true Sunday Times form, they left no stone unturned, no jet manifest unscrutinized, no hypocritical detail interned to expose the eco-hypocrites.
“There was Sheryl Crow, who had called upon the public to refrain from using more than one square of toilet paper per visit... It was revealed that while Crow travelled in a biodiesel tour bus, her 30-person entourage followed in a fleet of 13 gas-guzzling vehicles.”
“John Travolta notoriously encouraged the British public to do its bit to fight global warming — after flying into London on one of his five, yes, five private jets (one of which is a Boeing 707). In 2006 his piloting hobby produced an estimated 800 tons of carbon emissions, more than a hundred times the output of the average Briton, according to the Carbon Trust.”
“Jennifer Aniston told reporters that to save the Earth’s precious water resources she brushes her teeth while in the shower. But she also flew a hairdresser to Europe to accompany her on a recent publicity tour for the film Marley & Me.”
As I was reading the article it reminded me of Jesus’ words to the religious hypocrites during his earthly ministry:
The sad irony is, in one way or another we’re all hypocrites desperate for God’s grace through Jesus Christ. As Christians however that doesn’t give us a pass on hypocrisy. As Jesus taught, it is our job to first squeeze out the hypocrisy in our lives so that we can speak into the lives of others. A lesson apparently our Hollywood schoolmarms have not learned:
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”
Thank you Jesus for your continual, living reminder to first rid ourselves of hypocrisy before speaking to others. It just looks bad when we don’t.
“There was Sheryl Crow, who had called upon the public to refrain from using more than one square of toilet paper per visit... It was revealed that while Crow travelled in a biodiesel tour bus, her 30-person entourage followed in a fleet of 13 gas-guzzling vehicles.”
“John Travolta notoriously encouraged the British public to do its bit to fight global warming — after flying into London on one of his five, yes, five private jets (one of which is a Boeing 707). In 2006 his piloting hobby produced an estimated 800 tons of carbon emissions, more than a hundred times the output of the average Briton, according to the Carbon Trust.”
“Jennifer Aniston told reporters that to save the Earth’s precious water resources she brushes her teeth while in the shower. But she also flew a hairdresser to Europe to accompany her on a recent publicity tour for the film Marley & Me.”
As I was reading the article it reminded me of Jesus’ words to the religious hypocrites during his earthly ministry:
“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’”
The sad irony is, in one way or another we’re all hypocrites desperate for God’s grace through Jesus Christ. As Christians however that doesn’t give us a pass on hypocrisy. As Jesus taught, it is our job to first squeeze out the hypocrisy in our lives so that we can speak into the lives of others. A lesson apparently our Hollywood schoolmarms have not learned:
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”
Thank you Jesus for your continual, living reminder to first rid ourselves of hypocrisy before speaking to others. It just looks bad when we don’t.
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Jots 11/18
Nov/18/2009 21:09
I've been too busy to blog recently. Holding down a full time job, preaching, and preparing for missions has sapped my time but it has been a great time of refreshment, repentance, and renewal. There has been a ton of great blogging material over the past few days that I just had to link to here:
Time magazine explores the supposed differences between Europeans and Americans. (Hint: They're not a great as you would think.)
C. Holland at Missionary Confidential posted some positive aspects of the reverse furlough today. Well worth a read and a huge departure from the nightmare "normal" 1-year stateside furlough visit. I look forward to article number 2. He also linked to an older article from MissioMishMash about the missionary furlough visit. Recommended reading if you're planning your next furlough visit.
Have churches forgotten the Great Commission? Is your church partnering with long term missionaries for the spreading of the kingdom? If not, the Upstream Collective blog wants to know why not?
Missional Space had a great question regarding William Carey's decision to go to India to the detriment of his family. It's an interesting discussion. Come join the fun.
Time magazine explores the supposed differences between Europeans and Americans. (Hint: They're not a great as you would think.) C. Holland at Missionary Confidential posted some positive aspects of the reverse furlough today. Well worth a read and a huge departure from the Have churches forgotten the Great Commission? Is your church partnering with long term missionaries for the spreading of the kingdom? If not, the Upstream Collective blog wants to know why not? Missional Space had a great question regarding William Carey's decision to go to India to the detriment of his family. It's an interesting discussion. Come join the fun.The Prosperity (another) Gospel
Nov/04/2009 21:41
I affirm what Jared Wilson said today "People will go to hell over this."
Not only those who believe it and becoming teachers, teach others to believe it, but those who gifted us with this other gospel. See John Piper's thoughts on the subject.
The Prosperity Gospel from The Global Conversation on Vimeo.
Not only those who believe it and becoming teachers, teach others to believe it, but those who gifted us with this other gospel. See John Piper's thoughts on the subject.
(Missionary) Etiquette 101
Nov/04/2009 21:35
"Dress Code: Want to wear a Hawaiian shirt to your board meeting in Silicon Valley? Be our guest. But in Dubai? Not so fast. Here's how to look appropriate anywhere, from Indonesia to Italy"
Looking down at the pamphlet on the bench between my wife and I at the airport, the above line caught my eye. I've never seen anything in mass production like "Etiquette 101" before and we've been in dozens of airports through the years. I grabbed the little booklet and carried it with me on the plane to read. As I opened it up, I found out that it was a step-by-step travel guide on how, as an American, I can learn to dress appropriately when traveling in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, complete with instructions on how a women is to wear a properly wrapped Hijab in places like Egypt, Iran, Jordan, and cities like Dubai. Important stuff to know. I have to admit, in all my years of traveling I've never read or seen anything like it in an airport before, and there wasn't just one, they were scattered all over the terminal. When we were living in Ireland it was always a running joke between our friends on how many American tourists we could spot in city centre Dublin, not because they were obnoxious or unwelcome (most of the time), but because of the funny way they dressed. As one who speaks from experience, it takes time to become culturally aware of things like white sneakers and fanny packs!
Now that it appears that we Americans have finally become aware that not everyone dresses like us I started thinking of something similar for missionaries, Missionary Etiquette 101. When Americans travel to other places in the world we have an obligation to quickly learn the local customs, mannerisms, do's and don'ts, and fax-pas. Not because we're representing a nation or government, but we're representing the King. Our job is to be as attractive and winsome as possible, to, as Paul said, become all things to all people in order to win as many as possible. So, without doing something that contradicts scripture or is beneath our calling what are some things we should put on our Missionary Etiquette 101?
I know there are dozens, maybe hundreds of other things I could add to Missionary Etiquette 101 but these are but a few born out of personal experience. What would you add to the booklet?
Looking down at the pamphlet on the bench between my wife and I at the airport, the above line caught my eye. I've never seen anything in mass production like "Etiquette 101" before and we've been in dozens of airports through the years. I grabbed the little booklet and carried it with me on the plane to read. As I opened it up, I found out that it was a step-by-step travel guide on how, as an American, I can learn to dress appropriately when traveling in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, complete with instructions on how a women is to wear a properly wrapped Hijab in places like Egypt, Iran, Jordan, and cities like Dubai. Important stuff to know. I have to admit, in all my years of traveling I've never read or seen anything like it in an airport before, and there wasn't just one, they were scattered all over the terminal. When we were living in Ireland it was always a running joke between our friends on how many American tourists we could spot in city centre Dublin, not because they were obnoxious or unwelcome (most of the time), but because of the funny way they dressed. As one who speaks from experience, it takes time to become culturally aware of things like white sneakers and fanny packs!
Now that it appears that we Americans have finally become aware that not everyone dresses like us I started thinking of something similar for missionaries, Missionary Etiquette 101. When Americans travel to other places in the world we have an obligation to quickly learn the local customs, mannerisms, do's and don'ts, and fax-pas. Not because we're representing a nation or government, but we're representing the King. Our job is to be as attractive and winsome as possible, to, as Paul said, become all things to all people in order to win as many as possible. So, without doing something that contradicts scripture or is beneath our calling what are some things we should put on our Missionary Etiquette 101?
- Begin to think like a citizen of heaven, not of a particular country. Leave your localized politics behind.
- Learn their language in order to speak into the heart of the people you're serving. You'll never connect with the heart unless you do.
- Pay attention to the way people dress, talk, eat, socialize, discipline, mourn, celebrate, and play. This is called life and you need to learn how to live it.
- Never assume "the way I learned it is always better."
- Be careful to presume that you "understand" how they are feeling until you do. (This takes time)
- Recognize that you will always, on some level, be culturally different. Discover where you can be the same and where it's safe to differ without jeopardizing your ministry.
- Authenticity attracts real friends.
- Live as economically close to those around you as possible. Don't try to be someone you're not by faking wealth or poverty.
- Align yourself with the culture of Jesus as found in scripture then learn what cultural items you can safely acquire.
I know there are dozens, maybe hundreds of other things I could add to Missionary Etiquette 101 but these are but a few born out of personal experience. What would you add to the booklet?
