Ignorant

I am not the smartest person in the world. I would guess that those reading this are not either. We all muddle through life not knowing a lot of things. For example I have no idea how the toaster knows when my toast is done. It is like magic.

There are things that I do know, very well. I know how to train a runner to attain a certain goal, for example. I have a 4 year Masters in Divinity that says I know something of the Bible and theology. I have 18 years experience teaching these subjects. I think it is safe to say, even though I am not claiming to be the leading expert, I have some knowledge and expertise in them. So I am perplexed when folks speak to me like I am an idiot when it comes to these subjects.

Why am I writing this? Because sometimes it just needs to be said. Are there people out there who are smarter than me on these subjects? Absolutely. I read and listen to these teachers and scholars and learn from them. But, they are not the ones who comment on my posts. They are not the ones writing barely literate posts in regards to the Bible and theology. They are not the ones who can barely put two and two together to make a point.

Ignorance is not a virtue. I am baffled by today's culture that so disdains people who are educated. When did becoming educated indicate someone to distrust? Or worse someone who is trying to undermine our "way of life?"

It took someone who was educated to teach us that eating with dirty hands leads to disease. Before that our "way of life" lead to outbreaks of disease that killed thousands.

Now, being ignorant in theology and what is in the Bible may not seem very important. But, it is the ignorant and those who manipulate the ignorant on religious grounds that lead us into horrible wars, deny women basic rights, take away freedoms, dictate what is taught in our schools, lead some to do violence in the name of righteousness, and separate the 'good' from the 'bad.'

If you think that what I just wrote has only to do with historically deplorable people, you are not understanding what I just described.

What I just described is happening in our own country. There are many religiously ignorant groups in our country clamoring for a war against Islam. There are many religiously ignorant people who want to deny women their rights for basic health care. There are many religiously ignorant people who want to curb the ability for certain people to a life long committed relationship. There are many religiously ignorant people who want our curriculum to teach only 'authorized' histories and equate theology to hard science. There are many religiously ignorant people who think bombing abortion clinics and shooting doctors who provide women basic health care a God directed act. And if you listen long enough to these religiously ignorant people, you know who is in and who is out.

So, please do not respond to my posts unless you are willing to have a conversation, do some research, and spend time writing something coherent. I take the Bible seriously. I read from it every day. I spend time with Hebrew and Greek texts to understand better what God is trying to teach us. I take theology seriously. I believe that how we talk about God is very important to how we live in this world. I believe that God sent his only Son to this world not to condemn but to save it. I pray every day for people who desperately need healing of all kinds and for a world that seems destined to destruction. More importantly God is acting in this world as we speak, bringing healing and hope. I desire only to be a small part of God's work in what I do.

I Sin therefore I Am Saved

As a Lutheran (A follower of Christ who adheres to the Augsburg Confession and other Reformation statements of faith) I enjoy reading what lies within our Book of Concord. In it is the many statements of faith, apologia, confessions and arguments why the Church (at the time the Roman Church) needed to be reformed. In these historical documents we are confronted with important ideas about the faith that remind us what is important to be the Church.

In today's world the idea of original sin has disappeared. That we are born into this world as selfish and lustful creatures seems antithetical to how our culture wants us to think. In fact I would say that we have turned that which is destructive to our communities into good desires. Take, for example, any one of the commercials on our televisions. They all are proponents of living for the self at all costs.

In the Augsburg Confession, published in 1531, the second article articulates a correction (quoted from Kolb/Wengert, The Book of Concord):

• Furthermore, it is taught among us that since the fall of Adam, all human beings who are born in the natural way are conceived and born in sin. This means that from birth they are full of evil lust and inclination and cannot by nature posses true fear of God and true faith in God. Moreover, this same innate disease and original sin is truly sin and condemns to God's eternal wrath all who are not in turn born anew through baptism and the Holy Spirit. Rejected, then, are the Pelagians and others who do not regard original sin as sin in order to make human nature righteous through natural powers, thus insulting the suffering and merit of Christ.

Modern Pelagians look on a baby and say how can this little, innocent human being be sinful? This just makes being cute into a way of righteousness. Anyone who is a parent knows how selfish these little ones can be! The minute you change a diaper and she poops again, she does not think, O my maybe I should I have done that before! No she screams to high heaven that you better change this one, too, and be quick about it!

The reason I think Original Sin is important to review is because we live in a day and age when we call a sin a virtue and a virtue a sin. For when one spews hate in defense of the Gospel we cannot call that good.  Neither can we call someone who shares love with another bad. When we begin with the idea that we are all born with sinful natures we cannot then point and call something what it isn't. When we, in the name of religion, place ourselves above someone else because of their perceived sin, we are ignoring our own sinful desires as part and parcel of original sin. 

This is a very humbling article to understand, because it calls us all to repentance. We are called even though we do not think we are sinful. As one professor put it so succinctly, we are caught in the act of sin every second of our lives. No wonder the Good News is so GOOD! Since we cannot escape our sinful natures on our own, God has done it for us! 

To call oneself saved, reborn, made clean, renewed, or sanctified it necessarily follows that you were in a state that needed saving! I sin therefor I am saved! It is through the act of God reaching down at the time of our baptisms, despite our being full of sin, that saves us. No work of our own brings this about. No perfect statement of faith. No particular lifestyle. No amount of good works. No correct understanding of the scriptures. Nothing earns this for us.

So, the next time you get all uppity and self righteous, remember you are just as horrible as the one you are belittling. They are as deserving of God's love as you are.