Walking as Christians in the Age of Fulfillment

Live from the Mecca of Mormonism, SALT LAKE CITY, Utah. This is Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology. – And I’m your host, Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion.. Let’s keep learning together about walking as Christians in the age of fulfillment.

Show Overview

PRAYER

Show 26B LIVE SHOW Follow-Up to Flawed Aired June 14th, 2020

. . . Have you had enough yet? (looooooong beat)

Have things gotten bad enough for you? Sick to deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. of all of this schtuff? Do you feel like you want to just hide under a rock with confusion and frustration, like the world is falling apart and it’s only getting worse, and every other opinion is in conflict with every other opinion with one side screaming for you to rise up and another side screaming for you to sit down? I do.

And I must suggest again and strongly that the answer to it all is . . . Jesus with our eyes single to the glory of God. As we have ALWAYS said and maintained, the ANSWER is not in this world, not in its drugs, its sex, its escapes, its powers. The answer is not in politics, warfare, attacks on flesh and blood or protests. Its Him and His kingdom – of which people are a part . . . by faith.

Christianity and societal norms

Even back in the earliest days of the New Testament, when the horrors of polygamy, misogyny, and slavery were all around Paul, writing to believers in Colosse he said: “Masters, give unto your slaves that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.” Isn’t it interesting that Paul was not (in Jesus' name) trying to fix the horrors of slavery? He was trying to use the heart of Christianity to make the situation better by taking what was a very accepted practice in hand, slavery, and trying to deal with the reality of it by appealing to the conscience of Christian masters and telling them to deal justly with their slaves. Appealing to the goodness of their faith and to the work of the Spirit within their hearts. Not a word about the injustice of slavery. Not a word about the horrors of abortion. Not a word about rising up to attack the powers that be. Only a word about turning to God through Christ by the Spirit and loving those they associated with.

It troubles some people, many non-believers to be honest, that in Christianity slavery continued. To me, this is a direct proof that Christianity is not so much about rectifying this world and all of its failures as it is rectifying the hearts of those who receive Christ by faith and fixing it from this perspective. Because slaves had no recourse with the Laws of the land in that day they were dependent on the equity and kindness of their masters.

Paul makes it clear in his writing that “in Christ” there was no difference between male and female bond or free, again endorsing the idea of total equality in Christ some 2000 years ago. If only this nation and the world would embrace the teaching.

The ethos of unity in Christianity

In fact, Acts 17:26 says that all are of one blood and 1st Timothy 6:2 (and Philemon 1:16) says that we were all redeemed by the same Savior. Guess what that makes all Christians? Brothers and sisters of the same God, serving the same Lord. This places masters and slaves, men and women, Jew and Gentile all in the same boat, rowing the same direction under the call of the same Lord and God. This is both the model of being a Christian and from that point it is a model on how this world could be fixed. Every other model has failed and will fail because the heart of individual humans have to change for agape loveSelfless love marked by patience, mercy, and humility—central to living in spiritual liberty., humility, real mercy, and contrition to exist amidst our differences.

Unfortunately, even Christians have adopted other methods of living in this world and focused their efforts on sharing them – instead of Christ. But that is NOT, never has been, never will be, Christianity.

How can I say this?

Let’s go to the board where I want to introduce you to three believers one by one:

JAMIE

JEAN-GENIE PAT J

Exploring Christian Approaches to the World

The first is Jamie. Jamie is all about social justice, he protests every weekend. He wants to defund the police, he riots for the rights of all people, and he is deeply ensconced in the political fray of life. This is Jamie's choice on how to live in this world, how to spend his time and how he sees the world. He is a Christian and uses Jesus name in his activities at fixing the world but closely runs with those who identify with his aims. Of course, his politics insult those who do not see the world as he sees things – believers and not – and such souls certainly do not appreciate the Jesus he says he represents. Ladies and gentlemen – Jamie.

Paths of Political Engagement

Then we have Pat. I’ve drawn Pat as having one leg in the world and one leg out of it for a reason. He too is a Christian but he too is fully engaged in political activities. His approach is far less street-oriented and far more active in another way – through government, legislation, online forums, and the like. Pat takes part in think tanks and groups of like-minded movers and shakers working behind the scenes to keep America strong. Pat is considered a conservative politically and as a conservative Christian has one foot in the world Pat and with that foot speaks openly about his disdain for Jamie’s ways, and does this through outright animus, mockery, and division in social media.

Every time Pat and Jamie attend church, they talk more about the world, politics and spend more time ripping on each other's respective worldviews than they do about Jesus, love, forgiveness, and mercy. Pat is ardently opposed to all the liberal agendas but like Jamie, includes Jesus as his reason why. Jamie sees Jesus as a liberator of the oppressed and Pat sees Jesus as a standard for righteous living. And they, being of and in the world to some extent or another argue, attack, mock and even hate each other – or at least each other's views. Of course, they are both claiming love for God and Man!

A Different Kingdom Perspective

Did you know that there is a third party? I call him or her Gene Jeanie. Jean Genie is also a professed Christian. Notice I do not draw her touching this world. Why? Jean Genie is not involved in the world politically. She is berated by both Pat and Jamie for being an inferior, lazy do-nothing Christian. As a disappointment to God himself. Jean Genie spends her Saturdays serving the homeless – they happen to be of every race, every gender, and every culture and lifestyle. Jean Genie loves her white neighbor, her black neighbor, her gay neighbor, and her neighbor who is rich, and poor, and liberal, and conservative.

Jean Genie refuses to mix her faith, the Good News, and anything about it, with this world and its events, catastrophes, or challenges. I have drawn her out here because she is not of this world. She is of another Kingdom, with another King. And guess what? SHE FOLLOWS HIM. How? She does what he did. What he said to do? What He was. Pat and Jamie think she is a bad Christian but in reality, Jean Genie better represents the Lord and King much better than either of them. Looking at the words and life of Jean Genie is just like looking at the life of her King. AGAIN . . . what he said to

Christianity and Living in This World

do and what he did IS WHAT SHE SAYS AND WHAT SHE DOES. We could even draw Jesus right above Jean Genie because to see her is to see Him – that’s right . . . IN THIS MODERN WORLD. We don’t see Jesus the King, whose Kingdom was not of this world, doing ANYTHING that Jamie or Pat are doing. We see him doing what Jean Genie does.

Brothers, sisters – sons and daughters of God, true disciples of Christ: Don’t get on the bandwagons that are roaring around this world. The red ones or the blue ones. The Black ones or the white ones. On any subject. IF you are a follower of the King, follow Him! And his KINGDOM is NOT . . . of this world, otherwise His servants would fight. Do NOT join the fight. Join His Kingdom and love all everywhere unconditionally with agape love. Let your work for the Kingdom start inwardly, and work outwardly to your own family, your own neighbors, then to all you happen to encounter in your life. In the end that is doing more than either Pat or Jamie will ever do. GO BACK TO SEAT.

Personal Commitment to Christianity

As you know I have long promoted believers to not being much of this world – my focus is on Christianity and being a Christian in this age of fulfillment. I personally do not watch the news, read a newspaper, vote nor have I been involved in anything remotely political for probably thirty years. I will not protest. I will read the top headlines about things on my phone but really don’t have my finger on the pulse of the nation – But by God I try with his power and might to do my part in loving all people of every race, culture, gender or lifestyle whenever I can. One on one. If we all started there, the Christian power would have an effect in this world.

Heartfelt Transformation

When I spoke last week about how I felt I needed to change in my heart as a means to better serve individuals around me, the comments I made were politicized (by both the Pats and the Jamies of the world to be frank) and were determined to be either ineffective and downright wrong (by some) or going all lefty to others. But my comments were for Christian individuals to consider and had absolutely no intended attachments to anything OTHER than my own prejudices and failures and how I was going to start managing them . . . in my life, and from my heart, and from that point forward.

Admittedly, I was guilty of is choosing to teach people how to light a Bic lighter in a room filled with propane gas, but not being political in my life I did not see that as mattering. The message was clear. What did I seek to accomplish in saying what I said? To share what I saw might help me PERSONALLY as a CHRISTIAN, to rid myself of long held indifferences to people that have historically been known to collectively suffer in ways that I have not. People like the homeless and the homosexuals, and the Hispanics and the blacks; people groups like women, and people in abject poverty or the morbidly obese.

My comments were not to encourage entitlements or coddling or to promote governmental assistance or to demote it! The context of my comments was to help ME change the conditions of my vile heart for people I have never given the time of day. This was ALL that I was really describing! I was NOT, in anyway, describing going out to the streets to fight or protest, I was not remotely defending Black Lives Matter, White Lives Matter or Yellow lives matter – (because all lives matter to me) nor was I commending people to diminish the importance of individual achievement or the responsibility all souls have to be contributing citizens to this world through personal responsibility.

I was merely sharing the means that I have now embraced in order to “connect a disconnect” in my heart toward many alienated individuals in society whom I do not know personally . . . to develop empathy in my heart I am trying to include the hidden albeit historical facts that MIGHT potentially play into the state of their individual existences. Is that so wrong?

Since Tuesday night I have put my approach to the test. I was in a drive up line at Pollo Loco last week here in Salt Lake City and

Understanding Personal Bias and Empathy

A woman ahead of me was ordering. She was Hispanic – but my annoyance with her transcended racial prejudice. She was making a very simple order – but it took her a couple of minutes to get the order out of her mind and into her mouth, and then into the speaker – and then it took another three or four minutes for the employee to repeat her order to her and for her to ultimately accept it. Twice she felt the need to state her order and twice the employee repeated it back. And then she wanted another verification. So again, that’s two wings and two thighs, right? Corn tortillas and a small coke. It was hot. My car has no air, and I had forgotten about what I said on the show. Once she was satisfied with her order she took at least 30 seconds more to look away from the electric menu, take her foot off the brake, and creep forward at 40 miles a millennia toward the window to pay. And the frustration fomented forth – from everything from her gender to her race to her age and her hat.

Now understand. If the woman was white in the car I would have been just as biased as I would have considered her inept, uneducated, mentally ill, poor, white trash – whatever. If she was a lesbian, or Jewish, or black or rich – all of them would have been subject to my flesh and an attack. But in this situation, I suddenly remembered what I said I was going to try and do, which was to incorporate some thoughts into my attitude toward this stranger that might help mitigate my rude impatient heart.

Considering Possibilities

And so I said to myself, consider the possibilities in the life of this particular woman. Perhaps . . . “she has lost a child.” “she is on a really limited budget and isn’t free to just order without a care.” “she is new to this country and isn’t used to ordering like this and is confused.” And then the best one yet, “perhaps she is a really, really kind human being who loves the Lord.” And all the biased angry prejudice left me – instantly – toward this person I did not know anything about. But patience followed. Longsuffering. In fact, I found myself smiling at my stupidity, not at what I assumed was hers.

If that woman was the mother of my long-time friend from back in California, Ted Garcia, I would have been instantly patient and gentle toward her. Isn’t that funny about our natures? I would have probably laughed at her slowness and yelled out the window in love, “Mrs. Garcia! Mrs. Garcia! Say Hi to Ted for me! And by the way, you are the slowest driver in the world”! And this would have BEEN my approach BECAUSE I would have personally and individually known her.

Group Histories and Empathy

But in the collective, when dealing with and perceiving strangers like the woman in front of me, I was able to include “the possibilities” of her person to the situation and this enabled me to view and treat her with love, though I did not know her or the facts about her life. This is where group histories come in handy. How could I have empathy or sympathy for another if I have no knowledge of their potential plight? And so by considering general potentialities, I am able to introduce and apply them to specific people and my interactions with them.

I drove around the corner (remember we live downtown) and while waiting at another light, I watched a black woman walking across the street. To me, she was in her late 20’s and she seemed to arrogantly strut across the street, presenting her person to the world like a peacock. I interpreted her public presentation as being boastful or arrogant and instantly said in my heart, “Oh give me a break. Who do you think you are?” But then the perspective came back. I thought about my dear brother Michael Banks, a black man who lives in LA and was raised to steal and use coke by his mother. The Lord has used Michael greatly in spite of these things. And I re-thought how I was observing this woman. Surely, she could have been Harvard educated and arrogant because of that. I thought, or “Maybe she has never been able to walk with such assurance down a city street until now and is

Practicing Patience and Understanding

Feeling her liberty? Or maybe she feels for some reason real affirmation as a woman? Or perhaps she just left the dentist and is high as a kite. I also allowed myself to consider that she could be overcompensating for feeling insecure and of little value. In the end I also had the option of seeing her as an arrogant proud individual who was just that, but since I didn’t know this to be the case, I gave her the benefit of the doubt – all things considered – and my immediate resentment to her personal presentation faded to one of patience, longsuffering and an attempt to understand.

Christian Thinking and Overcoming Bias

What I am reiterating is not any part of being political – it is a practice of Christian thinking after living for nearly six decades by straight up bias toward all people I have not known. Many of you have experienced what I am talking about when you have been impatient with someone in traffic only to discover that they are your math teacher or your neighbor or boyfriend's parents. Bottom line – those we know we love or at least have the chance to love. I’m working on how to love those I don’t.

Natural Prejudices and Giving the Benefit of the Doubt

This method has nothing to do at all with the way God sees people – as some of you have tried to suggest. God may only see individuals in this day and age and look into their hearts, but God knows everything and everyone as he created everything and everyone – I played no part in this. So, while he may see all people as individuals and is not a respecter of persons, I am not so inclined – at least not naturally, and will do whatever is necessary to help end this immediate evil in my heart. Long story short, it seems to me that when dealing with strangers or groups of people, whom we do not know or fully understand, that by giving them the benefit of the doubt relative to our assessment of them is a great way to overcome natural prejudices within ourselves – prejudices that should not exist in the minds and hearts of believers.

So, there’s that. Let’s open up the phone lines and in the meanwhile let’s consider some of your written comments in order that they have come in.