Bumper Sticker Faith

Call me weird.  Tell me I need to get a life.  Regardless, bumper stickers fascinate me.  I search bumpers for a catchy phrase.  Here are some that make me chuckle, some that generate a grimace.

Hokey Pokey Anonymous                                       

A Place to Turn Yourself Around

Jesus is Coming.  Look Busy.                                   

Make it Idiot-proof  and Someone Will Make a Better Idiot                                                                                         

It’s Been Lovely But I Have to Scream Now         

                                                                             

Jesus Loves You;
Everybody Else Thinks You're a Jerk


She’s Always Late                                                  

Her Ancestors arrived on the June Flower                

                                               

Honk if You Love Jesus.                                          

Text While Driving if You'd Like to Meet Him.

Honk All You Want.  I'm Deaf


When the Chips are Down the Buffalo is Empty


I Married Mr. Right.
I Just Didn't Know His First Name was Always


Thank you, Baby Jesus, for a Smokin' Hot Wife

 Bumper stickers often make a statement.  In 1974 (think Watergate) I had a beat-up Chevy van (Peace, dude) and I slapped a bumper sticker on it which read, Honk if You Think He’s Guilty.  KnowhutImean?  In recent years I’ve seen a bumper sticker that a number of Christians display and it, too, makes a statement.  Real Men Love Jesus.  I don’t know what underlies the motives of flaunting that bumper sticker but, I have to tell ya, I hate that statement.  Bear with me and if at the end of this post you think it was a waste of time, feel free to copy and paste this comment-- Real Men Don’t Give a Rip About Bumper Stickers.

I am offended by Real Men Love Jesus. Here’s why—it’s misguided.   It calls into question the manhood of anyone who is not a born again, evangelical, Promise Keepers attending Christian.  The reasoning seems to be, “I love Jesus; therefore, I’m a real man. You, on the other hand, don’t know or love Jesus; therefore, you are a limp-wristed, effeminate, testosterone-deprived excuse for a man.”  That kind of thinking assumes that only Christian men have integrity, only Christian men are faithful, only Christian men are men of courage and honor. It assumes that men who don’t know or love Jesus surely are not “real,” i.e. authentic, caring human beings.

I am offended by Real Men Love Jesus because that sentiment comes off as terribly arrogant as well as judgmental.  It’s arrogant in that it assumes a position of superiority on the part of Mr. Bumper Sticker.  “I’m real and you are not—after all, I, of all people, should know.”  It’s judgmental in that it assumes an inferior position about someone you don’t even know.  It categorically assumes, without even getting to know a man, that he is not a “real” man if he does not know Jesus.  Such a position is both arrogant (prideful) and judgmental—two qualities which Jesus loathes about the religious.  Jesus exercised the harshest judgment upon the religious, the “Christians” of his day, who were consumed with pride or harbored a judgmental spirit.


In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells a pointed story “to some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else. . . “   I imagine these were guys who had their chariots decked out with Real men Love Jesus parchment stickers. Jesus contrasts two men—one, a very religious and devout individual who thought to himself, “God, I thank you I’m not like other men,” and a despised social outcast who in his humility “would not even look up to heaven” but simply pleaded, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”  And Jesus declares that it was “this man, rather than the other” who received God’s mercy.  The other man, full of judgment, received God’s judgment.

I see myself and much of the evangelical church as often mirrored by the man who was confident of his own righteousness and looked down on others.  We tend to pride ourselves on possessing the truth (as if it were our ingenuity or determination that discovered it)—and doctrine is important—but the ultimate deal maker or breaker will be whether or not we have loved our neighbor and our enemy.  And I don’t think those with whom we disagree are “feeling the love.”  As an example, Brennan Manning, in The Ragamuffin Gospel, comments specifically on the pro-life stance of many Christians and his thoughts sober me up: 

“How I treat a brother or sister from day to day, how I react to the sin-scarred wino on the street, how I respond to the interruptions from people I dislike, how I deal with normal people in their normal confusion on a normal day may be a better indication of my reverence for life than the anti-abortion sticker on the bumper of my car.

We are not pro-life simply because we are warding off death.  We are pro-life to the extent that we are men and women for others, all others; to the extent that no human flesh is a stranger to us; to the extent that we can touch the hand of another in love; to the extent that for us there are no ‘others.’”

I fear we may echo the words of Christ, but sometimes fail to embrace the spirit of Christ in our words and actions.  Isn’t it time we embraced a Christian civility?  Civility is defined as “the act of showing regard for others; a courteous expression of esteem; politeness or courtesy in behavior and speech.”  You won’t find that word in the Bible, but you certainly find the quality as one to be embraced by Christ-followers.  The  Scriptures encourage us to act in this manner, “ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. . . if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  Again, “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?”  We are to be gentle towards other, esteeming them in spite of our differences.  There’s an old axiom by which I think everyone has a right to “judge” us:  “Don’t TELL me what a friend I have in JESUS until you SHOW me what a friend I have in YOU.”

I’m afraid many of our Christian bumper stickers and much of our “attitude” turns off and puts down those around us. Instead, I’m convicted to pursue an attitude of humility which sees and affirms the value in others in spite of our differences.

In the meantime, I’m having this put on my truck:  Real Men Don’t Have to Flaunt the Fact on a Bumper Sticker. 

Let’s forsake flaunting anything! Flaunting is so “in their face.”  May God give us grace to be in their hearts, their homes, and their lives as we love and serve others.

Civility: Am I In your Face--Or--In Your Corner?

Whether it's a ballgame, a political speech, a hockey mom, a PTA meeting, a church board meeting, civility has become a four syllable as well as a four letter word. Abrasiveness is in; diplomacy is out. Speech that is incendiary is chosen over talk that might calm the atmosphere. Light the fire, fan it, stoke it--add gas not water. Words are intended to incite and provoke, rather than promote understanding. When is the last time you saw a political ad that was about issues rather than character assassination? (I can't recall, either.)


Sojourners, an organization whose mission "is to articulate the biblical call to social justice. . . ," has formulated a "covenant of civility" in an effort to counter the prevailing cultural tide. Here are the guiding principles of this covenant. I invite you to consider these Biblically-based determinations.

1. We commit that our dialogue with each other will reflect the spirit of the scriptures, where our posture toward each other is to be "quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry" (James 1:19).
2. We believe that each of us, and our fellow human beings, are created in the image of God. The respect we owe to God should be reflected in the honor and respect we show to each other in our common humanity, particularly in how we speak to each other. "With the tongue we bless the Lord and [God], and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God ... this ought not to be so" (James 3:9-10).
3. We pledge that when we disagree, we will do so respectfully, without falsely impugning the other's motives, attacking the other's character, or questioning the other's faith, and recognizing in humility that in our limited, human opinions, "we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror" (1 Corinthians 13:12). We will therefore "be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).
4. We will ever be mindful of the language we use in expressing our disagreements, being neither arrogant nor boastful in our beliefs: "Before destruction one's heart is haughty, but humility goes before honor" (Proverbs 18:12).
5. We recognize that we cannot function together as citizens of the same community, whether local or national, unless we are mindful of how we treat each other in pursuit of the common good, in the common life we share together. Each of us must therefore "put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body" (Ephesians 4:25).
6. We commit to pray for our political leaders -- those with whom we may agree, as well as those with whom we may disagree. "I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made -- for kings and all who are in high positions" (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
7. We believe that it is more difficult to hate others, even our adversaries and our enemies, when we are praying for them. We commit to pray for each other, those with whom we agree and those with whom we may disagree, so that together we may strive to be faithful witnesses to our Lord, who prayed "that they may be one" (John 17:22).

Can you imagine the next PTA meeting or hockey game or church board meeting if those attending were taking these "steps?"

I wonder what I would be like if I were practicing these steps.

Tolerance of Diversity As Long As You Agree With Me

Can't we all just get along? Why is it so difficult for us to coexist in amicable fashion? I'm not talking about supposedly peaceable countries trying to live in peace with war-mongering rogue countries. I'm talking about you and me. I'm talking about me and the next door neighbor. I'm talking about the Left and the Right. I'm talking about the intoxicated college student whooping it up outside my bedroom window at 3:00 a.m. Why do people have to act so adversarial? The right certainly has some representatives who can be venomous and vitriolic in their spewing of rhetoric. Glenn Beck's recent vehement urging people of faith to exit any community of faith and reject any priest/pastor who talks about "social justice" certainly was divisive and mean-spirited, not to mention possibly stupid. I haven't listened to Rush in years because I could no longer handle the disdain and loathing which he seemed to possess in regard to anyone who might be "a liberal."

However, make no mistake about it; bias and prejudice are not a character flaw of only those who are right-of-center, whether politically, socially, or religiously. Bias and prejudice are Equal Opportunity employers, making no distinction as to race, color, age, gender, national origin, religion, mental or physical disability or ice cream flavor preference. Those who would and do criticize the conservative camp for its dogmatism and rigidity are often no more tolerant of differences than their conservative counterpart. They sound understanding and tolerant and accepting of differences, but they aren't.

An example. This past week the American Humanist Association supported a a judge's ruling that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. I don't particularly care whether there is such a day or not; each year there are 365 days of prayer at my disposal, so I'm not going to quibble over 1. What irks me is that the AHA wants that day revoked and in its place the National Day of Reason. Here's a comment from the AHA website, April 16, 2010: "This ruling is a victory for religious freedom and separation of church and state in this country," said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. "The government should not be directing citizens to pray. In addition to being unconstitutional, it's also especially offensive to people who don't believe in a god and are made to feel excluded by the observance."
The site goes on to say, "President Obama indicated that he still intends to recognize the observance on May 6, as the injunction against the National Day of Prayer would not take effect until after the appeals process has been exhausted. In response, the American Humanist Association urged the president to instead recognize the National Day of Reason, the non-theist movement's response to the National Day of Prayer. Also held on the first Thursday in May, the National Day of Reason is a day in which events are held across the United States in order to commemorate reason--a far more inclusive observance."

Maybe I'm missing something, AHA, but I'm not feeling the humanist love. You complain because you "are made to feel excluded" but you want to engage in behavior that is just a excluding by declaring the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional. You're not satisfied or content with BOTH a day of prayer and a day of reason; you want YOUR viewpoint as nationally-sanctioned, and yours alone. That sounds awfully Right of you, and certainly humanist but not very humane.

This is merely one example of how this polarizing by both Left and Right is frequently playing out in the public arena. Whatever happened to civility? George Washington, the "father " of our country, posted 110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation, based on a set of rules composed by French Jesuits in 1595. It seems we went from 110 rules of civility to none.

Yes, we differ. Yes, I surely hold some things to be true that you do not. Yes, my values may differ from yours. Can we hold those beliefs, those values in tension without creating tension between us as two human beings? I regard some things to be absolutely true and right; I regard an antithetical view or behavior to be false and wrong. But I am committed to regard and treat you as my brother, my sister. To that I am committed.

As a Christ-follower, I am committed to emulating the life and person of the one whom I follow. I am committed to a life of "turning the other cheek," rather than slapping the other's cheek. A Christ-follower is committed to peacemaking, not peace-breaking. A Christ-follower is committed to loving the enemy rather than making enemies. Jesus described his followers as "the salt of the earth." Salt served two purposes--preserving and flavoring. God, forgive us when our words or actions poison rather than preserve our relationships with those we love and those we don't. God, give us grace to provide flavor--rather than instilling fear--in the lives of those with whom we live and work.

A passage of Scripture (Colossians 4:6) contains this determination: "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Sadly, often my conversation seems to be full of grudge, seasoned with sarcasm.

Nonetheless, I'm committed to a different way of living, of loving, of treating people with whom I differ.

Jesus' way.