Interview with the Christian

Anne Rice has had enough.  In a recent post on her Facebook Fan Page (confirmed by her publisher as authentic) she wrote;

For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian. I'm out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being "Christian" or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to "belong" to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.

So, what happened?  I mean it wasn’t that long ago that the author of the Interview with a Vampire series became a Christian.  Just a couple of years ago Rice told USA TODAY, “I do get people saying, "How can you be such a fool to believe in God?" I sense many are young Goth kids who feel abandoned. I just say, look, you're looking for the same things that I was, transcendence and redemption. I found what my characters were looking for.” (USA Today 3/6/2008 Life Section)

Now, I don’t know who said what to whom or why but apparently much of Ms. Rice’s shift in direction has to do with the pressure she’s received from ‘Christians’ regarding her son, Christopher Rice, who is gay.  She continues on her FB page;

“I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.”

While there may be some who would be quick to say, “Good riddance Anne Rice.  I didn’t like your books anyway and you seem like a nut job.” I would caution you instead to consider what she’s saying because this same sort of thing happens to people of lesser note every day.  And you may have been one of the perpetrators.

See, while I, too, love Jesus I’m not wild about some of his followers at time either.  Too often I see far too much judging and not nearly enough grace. While I may not agree with Anne Rice’s views about homosexuality, feminism, birth control, secular humanism, science or politics it’s not my job to change her mind.  If I were her friend or confidante I would try to mentor, disciple and instruct her as to what the Bible teaches but I’ll leave it up to the Holy Spirit to change her mind.  I don’t want that responsibility. Plus I trust his wisdom and insight a lot more than I do my own.

The apostle Paul begins his second chapter to the Philippians by explaining the finer points of humility. He writes, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” He then talks about the humility of Christ and how it resulted in God exalting Jesus’ name far above all names.  This all leads Paul to then implore his readers to, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

See, it’s not our job to determine what is or what is not God’s plan for Anne Rice.  That’s between God and Anne.  Our job is just to love, fellowship, show affection and compassion and be encouraging (1-2).  We need to allow our brothers and sisters a little space to work out their own salvation not beat them up because they’re taking their own sweet time coming around to our way of thinking.  Trust the Holy Spirit to do his thing and he will “exalt them at the proper time.” (I Pet. 5:6)

Paul concludes by telling the body of Christ, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.”(14) This is supposed to serve as a testimony to all those other people watching to see if we really practice what we preach.  This seems to be where Anne Rice reached her limit.  Can you blame her?

Matt Mosler is the author of Way Off Base.

Off the Wall

As far back as I can remember I have used a New American Standard version of the Bible.  Well, there was that paperback “Good News for Modern Man” Bible from back in the ‘70s.  Remember that one?  It was illustrated with newspaper headlines.  We thought it was cool that it was written in “Today’s English Version.”

Now, I’m not trying to promote one version of the bible over another.  I don’t want to get anywhere near that argument.  I’m just saying that all the verses in my head are memorized in the NASB.  So when someone pointed out to me a particular verse in the King James I thought they were kidding, but there it was.  I Samuel 25:22, “So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.”

I’m not making this up.  It really says, “pisseth,” and it means just exactly what you think it means.  I guess the genteel scholars who put together the more modern versions thought the phrase a bit crude which is why it was later cleaned up to read “one male” (NIV), “one man”(NLT), “one man-child” (ASV), and “one male of any who belong to him” by the NASB.

Modern scholars cleaned up 2 Chron. 10:10 as well but I’ll let you look that one up for yourself.

Now being a guy myself I can appreciate how the word “man” became interchangeable with“one who pisseth against the wall.”Any guy who’s spent time in God’s great outdoors, especially in the snow, knows how wonderful it is to be a man.  But the scholars I read said the phrase didn’t just apply to grownups or soldiers but to any and every male in the family.

While most of us today might find the concept wholly inappropriate we mustn’t forget that back in David’s day they didn’t have indoor plumbing.  Still, I guess the thought of such a thing was so repulsive that modern day scholars apparently felt the need not to translate but to interpret the text.  Perhaps they were worried that if we read it as it was written too many of us would forego the facilities to write on someone’s wall.  But I think it’s important to remember that despite what you see on TV or portrayed in the movies or read in books and magazines men really aren’t that stupid…but they are different.

I’m not saying that men don’t occasionally need cleaning up but God made men they way they are for a reason and it’s not just to kill bugs or open stuck jelly jars.  Still, for some reason, even those in our popular church culture feel the need to apologize for our men.  Let me give you a good example:  My wife pointed out recently the differences between a Mother’s Day service at most churches and a Father’s Day service.  On Mom’s day she gets a flower and we celebrate the hard-working, tireless, loving, giving, Proverbs 31 woman.  Indeed she is great and worthy of praise.  But what do we hear on Father’s day?  Usually it’s about all the things we dad’s could be doing to be a better Father.

I know dads aren’t perfect but we’re not always wrong, either.  For example if we’re going camping and my son, after repeated reminders, still forgets his sleeping bag Dad says, too bad.  Sleep in the cold.  He won’t forget it next time.  Mom, however, will drive 100 miles to the nearest Wal-Mart so her little boy won’t get sick.  Mom is taking care of her baby.  Dad knows what it takes to be a responsible man.  Neither is right.  Neither is wrong.   Unless you ask Child Protective Services.

Now, let me be very, very clear.  I am NOT advocating that your men and boys go out right now and stain someone’s fence.  That’s not acceptable.  But men need to have the freedom to be different.  They need to know it’s OK to follow their hearts.  They need to be encouraged to take chances.  They need to be inspired to lead.  They need to have the freedom…to be men.  Just stay away from the wall.

Matt Mosler is the author of Way Off Base.

The Chicken & The Egg

I love science.  I really do.  But I think now and then that God gets a good chuckle out of scientists, don’t you?  Consider this recent story I read on my newscast:

“British scientists claim to have finally come up with the definitive answer to the age old question, ‘Which came first, the chicken or the egg?’  According to researchers at Sheffield and Warwick Universities the answer is…the chicken!   Their proof?  Well, apparently there is a certain protein in the shell of the egg that can only be produced inside a chicken’s ovaries.   Now that that question’s been answered, scientists say they will now begin working to determine why the chicken crossed the road.” (That last sentence wasn’t part of the study.)

That’s nice to know, isn’t it?  But I wonder how in the world they got funding for this project.  I mean, with all the issues scientists could be devoting themselves to is this really the best use of their resources?  Plus, didn’t Moses answer that question about 3500 years ago when he wrote,“And God created…every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.” (Gen. 1:21) I know they don’t fly but I would still consider the chicken a winged bird, wouldn’t you?

Still, I do love science.  Yeah, I know that many scientists have devoted their lives to disproving the existence of God but they’re not good scientists.  They may be smart but the scientific method says you don’t draw a conclusion until after all the evidence is in.  And as scientists continue to pursue the truth the evidence is mounting for the existence of a creator.  Just ask Dr. Antony Flew.

A few years back I wrote about how Dr. Flew, a legendary British philosopher and atheist who had been a champion for unbelievers for decades, suddenly reversed his course.   The year was 2004 when after years of bitterly deriding creationists Flew announced to the world that he “had to go where the evidence leads” and stated, "It has become inordinately difficult even to begin to think about constructing a naturalistic theory of the evolution of that first reproducing organism." (Philosophy Now Magazine, August-September 2004) All that bloviating is just scientist speak for, “There had to be a creator.”

Now I know there are all sorts of arguments that can be made on both sides of this faith/science/creation/evolution battle and I’m not nearly smart enough to even engage in many of the debates but I don’t lose sleep over it.  Because the fact of the matter is Christians have nothing to fear from science.  The Bible is perfectly clear when it says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”(Rom. 1:20)

Which means while tomorrow there may be headlines splashed from one side of the globe to the other about the discovery of the latest missing link or how bacterial life was discovered on another planet or that aliens brought life to this one but fear not.  The truth will get out and the science will prove it.  Science followed to its logical conclusion will always confirm the existence of God because God did indeed create the heavens and the earth. (Gen. 1:1) I’m not saying Science is Faith and Faith is Science but they can coexist rather nicely.  For more on this subject I encourage you to read a book written by someone much smarter than I.  In fact it’s called, Can a Smart Person Believe in God, by Michael Guillen.

So what’s the big deal about knowing the chicken came before the egg?  Simple, it’s just one more tiny drop in a sea of evidence that God is real.  He’s as real as the rings of Saturn, as real as a strand of DNA, as real as a new born baby.  And if God is real then maybe Jesus is real.  And if Jesus is real then maybe there is a purpose and a plan to my life.  That’s something worth investigating.

By the way, you do know why the chicken crossed the road, right?  To prove to the armadillo it could be done.

Matt Mosler is the author of Way Off Base.  Find out more atwww.beautifulfeetministry.com