Scott Freeman

Jesus lived a consistent life. His actions and His words match up all the way down the line. And that’s a good thing.
If His actions deviated at any point from His words, then He would relinquish His diety.
And He would be a hypocrite.
That’s why there are a couple of problematic verses that people want to gravitate to whenever the contemplate the non-violent example of Jesus.
One thing that continually amazes me is the speed with which people go to the temple incident
as if that negates everything he said about loving your enemies and turning the other cheek.
Yes, Jesus was angry. Yes, he drove out the the animals. But the passage never says that He used physical violence.
It also does not say that he drove out the moneychangers.

The original Greek reads like this:
(He drove out the sheep the oxen poured out the sellers money overturned the tables)

Reading physical violence into this is a mistake in translation. It’s not there.
The word (exeballen) was not physical. It was the same word that was used in conjunction with sending out. In fact, every other time it is used in the NT that is the translation: Sent out.
Simply put, he did not hit anyone. He did not use violence to make a point. If He had, His entire message of turning the other cheek would have been lost.
Turning the other cheek was a way to shame the oppressor. It was an active way to seize the upper hand at the same time retaining your own humility.

Another amazing point of the temple story is their reaction after the fact. Was Jesus arrested for assault? No.
Did anyone try to fight back? No.
Where were the Roman Guards? It’s Passover. The Roman Guards are on HIGH ALERT for any type of insurrection with up to 2.25 Million Jews in Jerusalem. But they do nothing.
If Jesus is beating people up, they would have intervened.

Instead, the Jews ask Him a question! “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”
A reasoned discourse is not typically the follow-up to an assault.
If that is the case then the Pharisees would have been the one to turn the other cheek. Not Jesus.
Jesus would have been a hypocrite. With an amazing lack of self-control.
And therefore, not the Messiah.
But get this: Luke indicates that He continued to teach in the temple.
If He had assaulted people, would He have been allowed back?
Of course not.

To maintain that Jesus used violence in the temple is reading into it your own ideas. There is not one whit of evidence that He did.
We still have to wrestle with what Jesus said and did, which was remarkable consistent. If we are able to construct a defense of using violence in our lives, then we have to look somewhere other than the Christ in which to do it.

Part of the problem with this discussion is due to our proclivity to jump ahead in the story. To proceed in a systematic order we have to determine the best place to start.
With the guidelines firmly in place (and I am thankful for the civil discourse thus far) it is imperative that we find the most appropriate place to begin.
When initially thinking of penning this series I intended to begin chronologically with the Hebrew Scriptures. However, I think that moving along a linear timeline loses the normative voice for the Christian’s conclusions on non-violence.

The normative voice is Jesus. I believe that most of us who affiliate themselves in the Christian colony can affirm that the standard is Christ.
In any debate that centers on matters of a Christian nature then Jesus must be both the author and perfector of that argument. The Alpha and Omega, so to speak.
What does Jesus say? Let’s begin there. Pardon the length but this is just a sampling of what Jesus has to say on the subject.

For the purposes of this post let us strive to look at what He SAID and not place our human conditions on that. We can suss out further implications as we go along. (Quotes from English Standard Version)

Matthew
5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
5:11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

6:12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
6:14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

26:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”

Mark
11:25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Luke
3:14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

6:27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

6:32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

6:37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

9:51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. and he said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man came not to destroy people’s lives but to save them” 56 And they went on to another village.

10:25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

10:29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii [3] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

23:32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” [2] And they cast lots to divide his garments.

John

8:3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]

The evidence is staggering: Jesus chose the way of the cross. Our mind typically flies to scenarios where this kind of living does not make practical sense. Where if falls outside of human wisdom and reason. But yet, that is what Jesus did. It’s how He chose to live and His teachings to us smack of grace, mercy, love of enemy and turning the other cheek.

Here is where we must start. Are we called to live like Him? If yes, then we must look deeply at the implications of what He said. For ultimately, our allegiance must be to Him, and Him alone.

Last night, Tracy and I had an insurance agent come by our house. Out of respect and deference I will not name the company. Now, the last thing in the world that I want to happen at 8:00 on a Tuesday night is to have to talk to somebody about health insurance.
My feelings about the state of insurance companies in America is well-documented.
But, Tracy begins a new job in a couple of weeks and we will no longer have coverage through her work.
Hence, the need to scramble and find a provider, stat.
So, this guy comes by last night to tout his company and its superiority to all the other insurance companies vying to not pay our claims.
An hour and a half later he left.
While he was there he painstakingly told us about every aspect of the coverage and all of the benefits, exclusions and supplementary riders.
So much for watching “Gilmore Girls.”
I kept waiting for him to get to the cost. Of course, I wanted to know the specifics of the coverage but the important thing to me was the bottom line.

I’m a bottom line kind of guy.
I can find myself getting way too irritated when people belabor a point and won’t get to the heart of the matter.
Tell me how much it costs first, then I’ll determine if I’m interested.
Hook me with the story in the first 30 pages or I’m going to a different book.
Grab me in the first 10 minutes or I’m changing the channel.
You know what I like? The Four Word Film Review.
They give a review of the movie in just four words. To wit:
Gone With The Wind: Scarlet has midwife crisis.
Titanic: It hit an iceberg
Casablanca: Rick loses chick.

That’s great stuff.
And that’s one of the reasons that I love John so much. My favorite gospel doesn’t beat around the bush all that much.
Whereas in the synoptic gospels we get a lot of Jesus telling the disciples not to tell others who He truly is, John dispenses with that pretty quick.
In the synoptics we hear Jesus say quite a bit, “Don’t tell anyone about this.”
It takes John all of 14 verses to tell us that Jesus is the Son of God.
And that is in keeping with his purpose: John writes so that we might know who this Jesus is. That He is the Christ, the very Son of God (John 20:30–31)

Where the other gospels give us a more historical account, Clement of Alexandria said that John wrote a spiritual gospel. The Son of God, The Messiah, the Christ comes into full view in the pages of this beloved apostle.
In John, Jesus boldly and unapologetically claims who He is. In the book of Exodus when Moses is dispatched as the great deliverer of the Hebrew Scriptures he asks God who he is to say sent him. God’s reply? “I Am Who I Am.”
That phrase, Yahweh, meant something to the Jewish reader. It was the very proclamation of the name of God. 23 times Jesus identifies Himself with the descriptive appellation “I Am.”
Seven times He gives us even greater insight to who He is:
–I AM the Bread of life (6:35)
–I AM the Light of the world (8:12)
–I AM the Door (10:7)
–I AM the Good Shepherd (10:11, 14)
–I AM the Resurrection and the Life (11:25)
–I AM the Way, the Truth, the Life (14:6)
–I AM the true Vine (15:1)

Unequivocal. Clear. Direct.

And in case we fail to get the message through the continuous assertions of Jesus, John provides us with seven signs that point to Jesus as God in the Flesh:
He turns water into wine signifying His place as the giver of life
He heals a official’s son signifying His mastery over distance
He Heals a lame man at the pool of Bethesday signifying his dominance over time
He feeds 5,000 signifying His sustaining power
He walks on water and stills the storm signifying His dominion over the physical world
He Heals a man blind from birth signifying the Light He brings to the world
He raises Lazarus from the dead signifying His victory over death.

I like that. There’s no waffling here. We know precisely who Jesus is in the gospel of John.

He is the Christ.

I’m not a pacifist. At least in the sense that it is a definable position for me. I do, however, subscribe to what I believe is the very Christian idea of non-violence. What I mean by that is that I do not believe that my commitment to non-violence exists as a belief structure outside of my commitment to following in the steps of Jesus. In other words, to me, non-violence is non-distinguishable from being a Christ-follower.

Topics such as pacifism and non-violence are getting a lot of press these days. In the midst of war and terror, I feel that is only appropriate. There must be discourse and dialogue during any troubling and problematic time. And the interchange of ideas is crucial in a world such as this.

My understanding of non-violence is shaped by many thinkers, theologians and, yes, even bloggers. I do not kid myself into thinking that I can shed any greater light on this debate than that which is provided by far loftier minds than mine. If you need a more scholarly treatment then I can give you some quality resources. However, over the course of the next few weeks I will attempt to carve out my own territory in this debate.

As a result I hope several things occur:
1. That greater understanding is secured among those who disagree. I am committed that this discussion proceed in a civil manner.
2. That legitimate objections to non-violence can be addressed without condescension, flippancy or evasion.
3. That I can work out my own salvation in this area. My response to a violent world is something that robs me of sleep and peace far too often.
4. That the discussion can be accessible and understandable for folks like me who are a little slower on the uptake.

As I progress I hope to specifically address some problematic areas that proponents of non-violence are often confronted with. Far too often, these questions are side-stepped and avoided rather than honestly and sincerely dealt with. Concerns we will address include:
–God’s apparent saction of war in the Hebrew Scriptures.
–Whether Jesus used physical violence in the Temple
–Our allegiance to Rome as Paul encouraged in Romans 13
–The scenario: what do you do when your family is being attacked.
–The notion that non-violence represents cowardice, passivity, or naivete.
–The co-existence of non-violence and “security” forces.
–The problem of evil in today’s society

It has become readily apparent to me that non-violence can spark some pretty strong and negative reactions from people. It also must be acknowledged that those who subscribe to non-violence can also be fairly “physical” in their words and attitudes. Therefore, to keep this discussion in the realm of civility, here are some guidelines, caveats and disclaimers:

1. Many godly men and women have served their country in various ways out of the sincerity of their conviction. I do not, in any way, disparage their convictions and contributions to this world.
2. Please participate in the discussion. But limit it to the topic at hand. If we are discussing war in the OT please don’t jump ahead to “The Scenario.”
3. Play nice. Peace means nothing if it doesn’t first begin in our own hearts and words.
4. Agree to disagree. Godly men and women can draw different conclusions.
5. Please, please, please understand the distinction that is made when I talk about “we.” I am talking about the church, not the US or any other nation-state. This is not a political issue for me.

From Luke 5:27:32. It starts a few seconds into my reading the text.

Click here to get your own player.

I love history. From time to time I will go to the library and pick out a retelling of some historical event. I have a very simple method to separating good historical works from bad ones:

If I’m able to read it with the possibility that the outcome might be different, it’s good.

In other words, although I know how the story ends, I still read it as if it hadn’t happened.

One of the best examples of that was my reading of Taylor Branch’s masterful Civil Rights saga: America in the King Years. In the final installment of the three part series, At Canaan’s Edge, I knew that when Martin Luther King, Jr. went to Memphis that second time that he would be assassinated. But as I read the book I couldn’t help but hope against hope that the ending was different:
–That MLK used a different hotel,
–That James Earl Ray missed,
–Or he did not go out on the balcony of the Lorraine hotel.
Although I knew the outcome I still read as if the ending could still turn out differently.
That, to me, is the mark of a great historical work.
I’m currently reading Douglas Brinkley’s detailed account of Hurricane Katrina and it’s aftermath, The Great Deluge. Again, I’m reading believing that the ending might somehow change: that the hurricane will veer further off course, that the levees will hold, that the government will be prepared.
That is the mark of a great historical work.

That’s the impression I get when reading the gospel of Luke. Luke the physician is a master chronicler. He writes with the air and authority of the great historians.
Luke flows with context, content and climate. In Luke we see the Kingdom come to life through the Messiah of God. We see the hope of redemption for the outcast and downtrodden.
We see the Christ walking amongst the people pointing the way to Calvary.

What separates Luke from Mark is the insertion of a travelogue between His Galilean ministry and the Passion. In 9:51 when we read “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem” the reader can sense a dramatic shift in the movement of the book.
Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. In Mark that trip takes one verse. In Luke, it takes 10 chapters, a full third of the book. This travelogue is rife with the sayings of Jesus, but we are continually reminded that He is on His way to Jerusalem.
I couldn’t help reading this segment with the idea that it might be different: that there could be another way. That He wouldn’t have to die. That He would take His time to get to Jerusalem.
And I couldn’t help thinking what I would have done. He set His mind to go to Jerusalem knowing full well that He would die there.
I’m pretty selfish. It’s not an attractive quality but I know it’s still there. What would I have done if I had known that going to Jerusalem was a death sentence?
Here are some possibilities:
–I would have found a reason not to go;
–I would have dawdled in every city I entered;
–I would have started a smear campaign against my potential executioners to turn the tide of public opinion decidedly my way.

But that is not what Jesus did. He didn’t dawdle. He didn’t delay. He didn’t denigrate.
Instead, this is what He did:
–He warned. He told of the coming kingdom and warned the religious, the Pharisees and the legalists that love of money, dismissal of the poor and neglecting the forgotten was anathema to the way of God. His warnings were not for those outside of the halls of faith but for those of us who live as if we all have it figured out.
–He taught. He showed the the way to pray, the way to treat others, the importance of living Kingdom lives.
–He healed. The kingdom was announced through the miraculous power of the Son of God: The blind can see, the lame can walk, the prisoner set free.
–He forgave. Even the most blindly religious could find peace and hope. By laying down the chores, by giving, by being childlike, they too experience the fullness of the Kingdom.

Christ in Luke is determined, committed and persistent in fulfilling His mission. He lived His life on the margins where the people were. By setting His sights on Jerusalem He plotted a course that wound its way through the highways and byways where the lost, downtrodden and neglected were pushed to the side.
On that way He provided a message of healing and forgiveness, teaching the Kingdom purposes of loved and generosity of spirit. In that is great warning for those of us who have reduced Kingdom living to a list of rules, habits, disciplines and purposes. It’s not a list of rules but the road we travel that matters.
Ultimately the road He calls us to travel is the same one He did winding through the hearts and lives of people.
All the way to Calvary.
That is Christ in Luke.

The gospel of Mark teaches us that Jesus was human. What does Jesus teach us about being human? Click the link and find out.

http://sfreeman.podOmatic.com/entry/2006-09-24T14_07_13-07_00

One of my favorite movies as a child was “The Poseidon Adventure.” I watched repeatedly the story of this disparate group of people as they struggle to make their way up and out of a capsized ship.
At a 2 hour running time you were able to get a great handle on the individual characters and how they contributed to the group, each bring specific strengths (and weaknesses). The interplay between Gene Hackman’s man of faith and Ernest Borgnine’s grizzled and cynical cop was the highlight of the character development. Also contributing to the dynamic was a stellar cast featuring such cinematic heavyweights as Red Buttons, Shelly Winters, Roddy McDowall and Jack Albertson.
And that song. There’s got to be a morning after, right?
Earlier this year Hollywood gave us a remake. Poseidon was to be a fresh take on the nautical classic.
Was it? That’s debatable. What was noticeable was that it was about 30 minutes shorter than the original. When you cut a movie like that usually the first thing to go is character development.
So, in the new version what you have is a whole lot of action and a whole lot less about the individual characters. Not necessarily a bad thing but you have to pay a lot closer attention to ascertain who these people truly are. Dialogue takes a back seat to movement.
That’s the feeling I get when I read Mark right after reading Matthew.
The first gospel is chock full of character development. Matthew is showing that Jesus is the promised Messiah. This Promised One holds forth repeatedly in lengthy discourses.
Mark dispenses with all of that stuff. It’s all about the action for him.
Obviously his audience is a lot different than Matthew’s. Mark is writing to Gentiles. Most likely believers in Rome. It was less important to posit Jesus as the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures. It was not essential for the Messianic proof of Matthew to be spelled out in Mark.
Following Matthew and its rich detail can render Mark a little disappointing. It can seem disjointed, brusque and a little bit choppy.
Initially I found myself a little bit irritated that it moved so quickly, devoid of any great discourse or elaboration of its themes. Like Poseidon, I wanted to know more about those relationships and the greater truths that were contained within.
But as I read and re-read I began to fall in love with its subtlety, with its minimalistic brilliance.
For Christ in Mark is more like me than in the other gospels: He’s human.
Here, what we see clearly, is that Jesus, although God was fully man.
He slept, he ate, he walked, talked and laughed.
Jesus is not captured in Mark in grand speeches or controversial encounters. Instead He is captured with a not-so-subtle sigh, a sympathetic glace.
He is rendered as playful with children.
As compassionate to the plights of others.
It is in what is not said in Mark where we truly see Jesus. It’s through reading between the lines, taking into account what He did.
It’s the action that matters–but the actions reveal the character underneath.
Character development is a great thing but what truly counts is what we do, how we live.
How we treat others.
That is what develops our character.
That is what Mark has to teach us.
Jesus exemplified His character through a tender touch, a loving look and a gentle embrace.
He touched.
He loved.
He lived.
You don’t need a lot of words to do that.

I’ve been somewhat critical of the commodification of Christian music. But I cannot deny the impact that many artists and songs have had on my life.
I began to think earlier this week about which songs would rank as my top 10 of all time. As I began to hone the list I decided to stick with CCM songs and stay away from the field of praise/worship songs. These songs are probably not ones that you sing on Sunday morning. I also decided to limit it to one song per artist. If I didn’t it would probably be 6-7 Rich Mullins tunes and a couple of others.
Also, they had to have stood the test of time for me. If they grate on my nerves now, they don’t make the list–sorry, “Awesome God.”

10. Thank You–Ray Boltz: This is a sappy song, sure. But I can’t think of a Christian song that had a greater initial impact on me than this one. 15+ years later I still well up when he sings that line “Now, I know up in Heaven you’re not supposed to cry but I am almost sure there were tears in your eyes.” What we do on this earth matters. Boltz catches that beautifully here.

9. Two Sets of Jones–Big Tent Revival: Randy Williams, the guitar player, was a good friend of mine in high school. But that’s not the reason this song makes the list. It’s the strongest lyric BTR ever put out and does what a great story-song does: leaves an indelible picture in your head. I see this song in my head every time I hear a certain parable now.

8. He Came, He Saw, He Conquered–Petra: If you are a fan of Christian Rock at all, then you owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Petra. They are the pioneers of the field. This is nowhere near their best tune but it is the one that taught a relatively uptight 19 year old that Christians can rock to lyrics that extol God.

7. Secret Ambition–Michael W. Smith: I went through an intense, and necessary, period of questioning my faith between the ages of 19-21. When I emerged on the other side relatively unscathed this song was waiting for me. I’ll never forget a somewhat bizarre journey to Nashville with two good friends to catch a glimpse of Amy Grant. This song was listened to repeatedly on that trip. I still wasn’t sure why Jesus would die for me but I was sure glad he did.

6. The Robe–Wes King: When you leave behind a world of legalism, songs that capture the awesome grace of God become earth-movers. This song’s stirring lyrics continually remind me that it doesn’t matter what I look like, or where I’ve been. To Him, I am always loved.

5. Wedding Dress–Derek Webb: Webb is a gadfly and contemporary prophet in the world of Christian music. This song was too much for many Christian retailers. But we have played the whore too often. This tune, on his debut solo disk, was a sure sign that his music would shake the Christian community. And it’s still his strongest song.

4. Untouched by Human Hands–Wayne Watson: 18 years after first hearing this song, I still wrestle with the implications of it. Watson challenges us to dirty ourselves through our willingness to be “touched” by the least of these. This song, and much of Watson’s early work, serves as an appropriate forerunner to more socially conscious Christian artists today, such as Derek Webb.

3. Hold Me, Jesus–Rich Mullins: No Christian artist has had a greater impact on me than Mullins. He lived outside of the commerce of Christian music and made art that was unflinching and uncompromising in its honesty. No song captures that as vividly as this song of doubt, uncertainty and, ultimately, surrender.

2. Hands in the Air–The Waiting: Another timeless song of surrender, this tune acknowledges our propensity to fight against God, to resist what He calls us to do and be. How hard it really is to say “Have thine own way.” I mourn the passing of this band, whose self-titled album is one of the greatest in Christian music history.

1. Worlds Apart–Jars of Clay: I have a strong affinity for songs of weakness and struggle. We have this false notion that ministers are further along on the road to having it all together. I’m not. I am frail and fallen. I struggle with the chasm between what I live and proclaim. I’m a hypocrite proclaiming the mercy of God. I tremble at the notion that God can use even this jar of clay to do His good work. No song captures that struggle like this one:

I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
And wipe away the crimson stains
And dull the nail that still remains
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
Battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain,
And wash my feet and cleanse my pride
Take the selfish, take the weak,
And all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears
My sin-soaked heart – make it yours
Take my world all apart,
Take it now, take it now
And serve the ones that I despise
Speak the words I can’t deny
Watch the world I used to love
Fall to dust and blow away
I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
And wipe away the crimson stains
And dull the nail that still remains
Steal my heart and take the pain
Take the selfish, take the weak
And all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears
Take my world apart
Take my world apart
And I pray, and I pray, and I pray
Take my world apart
Worlds apart

What about you? What are your thoughts on these tunes? What songs would make your list?

This begins my new sermon series titled “The Scarlet Thread, Part 2: Who Jesus Calls Us To Be.” Today’s text is from Matthew 5:48, “Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”
I got worked up a little.

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