Drive-By Disbelief in God, Lent Part 3

Spirituality Column #228
March 22, 2011
Current in Carmel - Westfield - Noblesville – Fishers
(Indianapolis north suburban home newspapers)

Lenten Series 2011: Just Not that into God, Part 3
Drive-By Disbelief in God
By Bob Walters

The “Center for Inquiry,” a group plainly just not that into God, recently installed billboards around Indianapolis, Washington DC and Houston, Tex., exclaiming:

You don’t need God – to hope, to care, to love, to live. Livingwithoutreligion.com.

What a great discussion starter. It’s even better when transposed into a question: Do you need God? In a hundred different ways Jesus asks the same thing throughout the Gospel. The billboards are fascinating.

First, note that they contain no direct mention of Jesus Christ. The billboards merely and clearly target the Creator God. If they meant someone else, it would be small-g god. I wonder whether it was politeness or perspicacity (shrewd awareness) – it likely wasn’t faith – that led them to capitalize “God.” And if their main pitch is that God is insignificant or doesn’t exist, then they capitalize to patronize.

I mean, who would both admit capital-G God exists and claim He is unimportant?

Second, and however, these particular billboards obviously and especially target Christ because they appeared the first week of Lent, the purely Christian season preceding purely Christian Easter. Citing “hope” and “love” – two of the big three divine gifts (faith, hope, love) of 1 Corinthians 13:13 – it is a dead giveaway, so to speak, that denigrating Christ, the giver of all life, is central to cfi’s anti-religion pitch.

The group says, soberly, that the Lent timing is “just coincidence.” Whatever.

Third, the group’s logo is an inscribed circle surrounding lowercase initials “cfi.” A flame dots the “i.” A flame … symbolizing human intelligence? The eternal hope of the Holy Spirit? The eternal flame of Hell (capital H)? None of the above?

Fourth, the billboard logo says “Center for Inquiry.” The real cfi logo includes the unpunctuated motto: “Reason Science Freedom of Inquiry.”

Reason? They nullify the author of all reason, Jesus Christ.

Science? Ultimately science doesn’t replace God, it reveals God.

Freedom of Inquiry? Except … don’t freely inquire about God.

Jesus was big on free inquiry. He asked, “Who do they say I am?” “Who will cast the first stone?” “Do you love me?” When people asked Jesus questions, He typically answered in thoughtful and thought-provoking stories. He wanted us – then and now – to constantly inquire with our entire minds, hearts, souls and faith, “Who is He?” and “Do we need Him?”

These are questions we should never fear, tire of asking, or stop answering.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) believes it’s more of a “God thing” than a cfi “coincidence” that the billboards popped up now. PS - Following publication of this column, cfi responded that the flame in its logo "symbolizes the light of knowledge that science shines on the (dark) world." That, evidently, is what they believe.

I'm Just Not That into God, Lent Part 1

Spirituality Column #226
March 8, 2011
Current in Carmel - Westfield - Noblesville – Fishers
(Indianapolis north suburban home newspapers)

Lenten Series 2011
I’m Just Not That into God, Part 1
By Bob Walters

We are conditioned by our culture to believe that God – especially the person of Jesus Christ – is merely one of life’s extracurricular activities, not the full-time source and center of our humanity and life itself.

There is doubt. God is OK but organized religion is a pain. Yeah I suppose there is a God but until He proves to me he or she exists I’m looking out for No. 1. When I sincerely tried to pray, I got no answer. What’s God ever done for me?

There is reason. Survival depends on my ability to reason, to choose and to judge right and wrong. I’m supposed to deny my powers of reason and “believe” in a God I can’t see? Who allowed his own son to be killed? Who needs a father like that?

There is precedent. I’m free, aren’t I? Don’t Bible-thump me with that Jesus nonsense. Arose from the dead? Loves sinners? Forgives even the stuff I’ve done? C’mon. I’m too smart for that. I know things. And don’t mix faith with public schooling. It’s my God-given right to have church and state separated!

“God-given?” Alas.

Truth is, people generally accept the existence of God. Survey after survey pegs “atheist” as identifying only four percent or so of the US population. Not that God tracks his ratings, He’s there whether we believe in Him or not. But our culture of media and personal esteem makes it far too appealing and easy for us to seek reality elsewhere.

I did that for about 30 years.

I never thought God didn’t exist. Nor did I think Jesus, the Bible and the church were all that important. Just a bunch of old characters, old stories, old thinking. Jesus was a good man, the Bible has lots of good advice … but, the center of all life?

I just wasn’t that into God.

Thing is, I realize now, I wanted to BE God. As I grew to understand that the job was already taken, Jesus – our human-divine connection with God – suddenly became very important.

Lent, the church season of Christ’s passion and sacrifice, begins tomorrow and ends at Easter. Traditionally, many Christians give up something for Lent.

To take the critical step of putting Christ in the center of our lives and recalibrating / downsizing popular culture, let’s give up trying to be God.

That job’s taken, and it’s a full-time gig.

Walters (email rlwcom@aol.com) will look at non-believers through Lent, urging believers not to give up on them.

No Short Shrift to Lenten Season

Spirituality Column #171
February 16, 2010
Current in Carmel - Current in Westfield - Current in Noblesville
(Indianapolis north suburban home newspapers)

No Short Shrift to Lenten Season
By Bob Walters

Shrovetide? Fastnacht? Pancakes, anyone?

How about … Mardi Gras, Carnival, aka Shrove Tuesday?

This week begins the ancient Christian season of Lent, 40 days of fasting, self-examination, prayer, and penance observed by Roman Catholics and traditional Protestants beginning Ash Wednesday (Feb. 17) leading up to Easter. Orthodox Christians begin Lent two days earlier on “Clean Monday.”

“Shrove” means “give a full hearing” or “hear confessions.” The faithful cleanse their souls by confessing their sins Shrove Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday (“short shrift” means “not fully hearing”). “Fastnacht” means “night before fasting” and also is a German/Dutch yeast donut. Eating pancakes in Shrovetide used up fat and eggs which were verboten during Lent. “Easter eggs” likely originated to celebrate fasting’s end.

What some of the faithful often did (and still do) – human nature being what it is and with 40 days of abstinence looming – was party their brains out during Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”) or Carnival (“end of meat”), misbehaving on a magnitude worthy of 40 days of penance.

Easter in 2010, for everyone, is Sunday, April 4. Western and Orthodox Easters usually are on separate dates. This has to do with the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, Hebrew, Julian and Gregorian calendars, Passover, ecclesiastical dates of the Vernal Equinox, and the Paschal Moon. Google “Easter Date” if you’re thirsty for more.

In the West, Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox March 21. This year April 4 follows a March 30 full moon.

Scheduling Easter would have been easier if someone had simply written down the date Christ was crucified. Scholars tend to land on April 3, 33 AD. No one is sure.

But that brings up a huge point: the New Testament never mentions observing dates, feasts, seasons or holidays, or even the Sabbath, as a condition of salvation.

Humanity’s great gift of eternal communion with God through the fully-divine, fully-human person of Jesus Christ is not a matter of temporal festivals. Redemption, salvation and eternal life are entirely matters of 24/7/365 faith in Christ, which we exhibit by obeying the two great commandments – loving God and loving others.

That could explain why dates for Christ’s birth and death aren’t known. Christ very plainly tells us salvation is about faith (Luke 7:50, Ephesians 2:8), not records.

I believe God hides – and can be found – in our hearts, not on our calendars.

Walters (www.believerbob.blogspot.com, email rlwcom@aol.com) isn’t knocking church traditions and urges Bible Christians to study more church history, even though reason suggests there are no dates in eternity.

Kick This Habit Up a Notch

Spirituality Column #121
March 3, 2009
Current in Carmel (IN) newspaper
Current in Westfield (IN) newspaper

Kick This Habit Up a Notch
By Bob Walters

How’s this for great advice?

Read the Gospels.

Recently I heard a sermon about another topic entirely, but the pastor made the corollary point, “If you haven’t read them lately, read the Gospels.” What a capital idea.

Over the remaining five weeks of Lent, which started last week with Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25, and ends with Easter, April 12, why not take the time (daily if you can) to grab a Bible, sit down and read – or re-read – the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John?

Read one book a week – 28 chapters of Matthew, 16 chapters of Mark, 24 chapters of Luke and 21 chapters of John.

That’s what I’m going to do, and write about them weekly. I’m “in” the Gospels all the time, but I haven’t read them end-to-end in five years.

If you’re not now a regular Bible reader, they say habits form over a period of 21 days. I don’t know of a better habit than daily time spent with God’s word, reading the Bible. We make lots of attempts to break bad habits at the start of each New Year. Why not resolve to create one new good habit at the start of this season of renewed life?

This is a “habit” we – Christians or anyone who’s interested in Christ – could work on together, even though many Christian churches don’t implore their congregations to read the Bible, and many other Christian churches do not celebrate Lent.

The good news is … well, the Good News is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But for the purposes of this particular plea, the good news is that all Christian churches celebrate the resurrection of Christ. It’s what we call common ground, and that’s the message of the Gospels.

This is a good season to put away sectarian disputes about Biblical origins, versions, translations and interpretations, and just read. Let’s not fight about “The Bible.” What we want as Christians – regardless of doctrine – is for everyone to know the Gospel message, and to read the Bible.

So, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John over the next four weeks.

Know the best way to start? Pray. Get the Holy Spirit involved.
Need a prayer? Try, “Lord Jesus Christ, help me understand what I’m about to read, that it may bring Glory to You. Amen.”

Need a Bible? Let me know.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com), who reads the NIV Bible because it’s easy, will find you a Bible if you don’t have one.

Lent: Give Up or Give More?

Spirituality Column #120
February 24, 2009
Current in Carmel (IN) newspaper
Current in Westfield (IN) newspaper

Lent: Give Up or Give More?
By Bob Walters

Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, is next week. Thus begins a 46-day run-up to Easter, the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection signifying the fulfillment of God’s promise of everlasting life.

I like Lent. It’s not in the Bible but it’s a tradition that goes back to the fourth century A.D., before the great schisms of the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Roman Catholic) churches.

When Luther and the subsequent Protestants rebelled in the 1500s, their re-formed Christian but non-Catholic churches largely followed the Roman Catholic ecclesiastical, or church, calendar and traditions.

As a young boy in the 1960s Episcopal Church, to me Lent meant much the same functionally as it did to the Catholics. Ashes on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday, and you “gave up” something for Lent. It was a symbol of sacrifice, what the monks would consider ascetic (harsh discipline) self-denial.

To “give up” something for Lent was a big deal. It seemed, well, pious … in a good way. It had to be something you liked and was available; no fair giving up, say, watermelon, because it wasn’t in season. But you learned to be strategic. One year I gave up “candy.” Big mistake. The next year, I gave up Reese Cups. I liked Reese Cups, but did just fine with a Clark bar.

I am now an active member of a Bible-based, Jesus-believing independent Christian mega-church – East 91st Street Christian – that does not observe the ecclesiastical calendar outside of Easter Sunday and Christmas (also not in the Bible … in fact, the New Testament doesn’t specify any holy days or even the Sabbath because – Biblically – Christ is to be honored all the time).

Still, Lent is sort of the 800-pound gorilla in the resurrection room that Christian believers of the non-ecclesial persuasion have a hard time ignoring.

We start counting down “shopping days until Christmas” on November 1. Without an observation of Lent, all of a sudden it’s Holy Week and then Easter and then it’s over. Hence, Churches not observing Lent often plan a community prayer regimen or purposeful reading program during the 40-day season.

If you don’t “give up” something for Lent, you can never go wrong “giving more” during Lent, whether it is money, time helping others, or time worshipping God. Giving is love, and love is why Jesus died for us.

Here’s wishing you a well-spent Lent.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) knows Lent is 40 days but said “46 days” above: you don’t count the six Sundays.

Lent Symbolic of Christ's Sacrifice

Current! In Carmel - #15 - Lent
February 20, 2007

Lent Symbolic of Christ’s Sacrifice
By Bob Walters

Today is Mardi Gras, French in reverse for “Fat Tuesday.”

The resurrection of New Orleans, while laudable, is not the reason for the holiday.

Tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, begins Lent, the Holy season of Christ’s last days on earth. To Christians it is a season of denial, fasting, self-examination and repentance, once, of course, they get home from New Orleans.

Lent represents Christ’s 40 days of denial and resisting Satan’s temptation in the desert. Tradition among many Christian denominations is to “give up” something for lent, symbolic of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

The idea is to give up something important, to honor Christ’s command that we must “die to ourselves” to serve God and serve others. Too many people give up watermelon or something that doesn’t constitute much of a sacrifice.

Lent isn’t in the Bible but was known in the early centuries as the quadragesima pasche, “40 days before Easter,” mentioned in the writings of the famous Council of Nicea in 325 AD.

Fat Tuesday was about having a feast the day before the Lenten fast. On Ash Wednesday, which became common tradition in the 11th century, ashes representing our sin are placed on the foreheads of penitents, those who are sinners before God.

Um, that’s everybody.

The ashes look like a smudge but are administered by a priest with his thumb in the sign of the cross. You’ll see them on people’s foreheads tomorrow. It used to be they didn’t wash them off until the Thursday before Easter, aka Maundy Thursday, the day of the Last Supper of Christ.

If you count the 40 days of Lent on the calendar you’ll note that Easter is April 8, which is actually 46 days away. The six intervening Sundays are already Holy and don’t count as days of Lenten fasting.

Walters, a Carmel resident, hopes New Orleans hosts the Super Bowl in 2012, right after Indy hosts it in 2011. Contact him at rlwcom@aol.com