Living Without "In or Out"

Now the Star-bellied Sneetches had bellies with stars.
The Plain-bellied Sneetches had none upon thars.
--Dr Seuss, The Sneeches

We've been taught that all people can be categorized into two groups: Christians and non-Christians. Believers and unbelievers. The "saved" and "unsaved."

Those who are IN and those who are OUT.

Sneeches with stars on their bellies, and sneeches with none upon thars.

And we've been told that being IN is the only way to be able to please God. In fact, only one of the categories can please God at all, in any way.

I've been wondering for a few years if this distinction is the best way to view things. And it's become unbearable.

If I live my life by the model of In or Out, then I must accept that every single person is in one of those two categories. Logically, (assuming that I am IN) the first thing I ought to do when meeting a new person is find out which category they are in. If they're Out, then I should try to get them In.

The trouble is, the In or Out model has become the central notion in defining the way we relate to one another. This is true for all denominations, all religions, all people of nearly every faith tradition. This has proven to be a divisive, disastrous mindset and teaching, for this reason:

In or Out has absolutely and completely taken the place of Love.

In or Out makes "believing together" more important than "living together." After all, the criteria for determining In or Out is what a person believes. The net result is that there's an awful lot of convincing going on--a lot of compelling, explaining, telling. Certainly not a lot of inviting.

Also, because we recognize a distinction between the Ins and the Outs, we end up treating the "Ins" differently than the "Outs." It ends up that I only like (love) those who are like me. Ugh.

How did it come to this?

With In or Out, the most important thing we can do for someone who is Out is to try to get them In. We unconsciously elevate some kinds of human activities above other kinds of activities. Soul-winning, evangelism, preaching, etc. (activities directed specifically at moving people from Out to In) are the ultimate.

Comforting the suffering, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, helping the poor--these are second rate activities, because they don't really (directly) move people from one category to the other.

Think on that for a minute.

Regarding In and Out, the best we get from Jesus is "Go all over the place and make disciples." Being a rabbi, His words made perfect sense to those listening, but have been reinterpreted in light of today's In or Out mentality.

I don't believe He was implying that we should roam the earth seeking to convert people, to get them In. He was actually saying something more tangible than that, something more like:

Go and teach as I have taught, live as I have lived, walk as I have walked, love as I have loved.

And He didn't exactly tell us what this was all about. Jesus didn't say that we should teach, or live, or love with any particular objective in mind relative to In or Out. We don't love in order to obtain a result. We don't love in order to get something we want. We don't love to see something accomplished. We don't love people in order to "win" them.

We love because we can't help it. Jesus in us makes us loving. We love because we are "in Him." It's almost like the action of loving is the end in itself. That a good deed is good simply because it's good.

So what am I suggesting? I'm not saying we should change our methodology for getting people In. And I'm not saying that all people are In by default. I'm hoping there's something that trumps In or Out as the central mindset of our walk with Jesus.

Here's what I mean:

What if all people are forgiven; only some continue to walk in darkness. They are sheep, only they are LOST sheep. He came to seek and rescue those who were lost.

(Come to think of it, wouldn't it be best for us to help people who think they are found to actually "get lost"? Once they get there, to that lost wilderness, they'll be found and rescued by Jesus. Hmmm. May have to follow up on this one.)

What if Jesus got done what He came to do, and He did it fully, and that His desire is for all to know Him, the way He knows the Father (John 17)? And now He makes Himself known in a variety of ways--some of which result in hardly any noticeable outward differences, especially admission to a set of beliefs regarding "conversion".

What if Life isn't defined by a belief system? Or even better, what if Life doesn't happen right after the conscious decision to hold to a set of propositions (no matter how factual or accurate)?

What if a person can be IN Jesus without even "knowing" it--what if it isn't about choice or knowledge or certainty at all? What if Jesus continues to pick whom He will to follow Him?

After all, at what point did Jesus' closest followers actually "believe"? After His resurrection. And even then, one asked "Please help my unbelief!"

I'll push this further. What if by coming to know US, by being loved by US, those in darkness can see His Light? What if by coming to know us, those in darkness are coming to know Jesus? What if the Light that shines from us somehow helps them walk in the Light, even when it isn't coming from inside them yet? What if our Light somehow makes its way inside them?

What if we are Jesus to them? Would we continue to evaluate one another, and look for Stars upon Thars before loving them?

Here's a fun read, if you want to read the whole Dr. Seuss story and see how it all turned out: Bellies with Stars

The Glory of the King is His People

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God! Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us, all of us. And as we let our Light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others."

Nelson Mandela (quoting Marianne Williamson), 1994

But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.

David, The Psalms, #3

I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.

Jesus' prayer for us, John 17

God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

Paul, Letter to the Roman Believers, chapter 2

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Paul, Letter to the Roman Believers, chapter 8

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Paul, Second Letter to the Corinthian Believers, chapter 3

The reason we enjoy fairy tales—more than enjoy them—the reason we identify with them in some deep part of us is because they rest on two great truths: The hero really has a heart of gold and the beloved really possesses hidden beauty. I hope you got a glimpse of God’s good heart. But what about the second great truth—could we possess hidden greatness? It seems too good to be true.

Remember, the theme of veiled identity runs through all great stories. As Frederick Buechner reminds us, "Not only does evil come disguised in the world of the fairy tale but often good does too." The heroines and heroes capture our heart because we see long before they ever do their hidden beauty, courage, greatness. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White—they're not simple wenches after all. The beast and the frog—they're actually princes. Aladdin is "the diamond in the rough." If the narrative of the Scriptures teaches us anything, from the serpent in the Garden to the carpenter from Nazareth, it teaches us that things are rarely what they seem, that we shouldn't be fooled by appearances.

Your evaluation of your soul, which is drawn from a world filled with people still terribly confused about the nature of their souls, is probably wrong. As C. S. Lewis wrote in The Weight of Glory,

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare...There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.

John Eldredge, The Sacred Romance, 92–93

Shine--
Make 'em wonder what you got
Make 'em wish that they were not
On the outside looking bored.

Shine--
Let it shine before all men
Let 'em see good works, and then
Let 'em glorify the Lord.

Newsboys, Shine

Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty—He is the King of glory. Selah.

David, The Psalms, #24

What We Believe

The following is from the page called "Core Beliefs" on the website of Mars Hill. I've read this before, and maybe even posted something about it. But it's worth reading once a day. They touch on most of the main mythic realities that I love to write about. My comments are in [brackets]...

Mars Hill is devoted to joining the God of the oppressed in the restoration of all creation. [mythic reality: captivity and restoration]

We believe the Bible to be the voices of many who have come before us, inspired by God to continue to speak to us today [mythic reality: the purpose of scripture is to tell us the stories of God's interventions]. God calls us to immerse ourselves in this authoritative narrative [mythic reality: life is a story] and to continue to faithfully live out that story today [mythic reality: we are modern day bible characters] as we are led by the Spirit.

God, the author of all things good, created humans in his image to live in fellowship with him, others, our inner self, and creation [mythic reality: fellowship with each other, communion with God]. God is in a communal relationship with himself and his creation and he created us to be relational as well. Sin entered the world and our relationships with God, others, ourselves, and creation were broken and distorted [mythic reality: sin defined in terms of how it compromises communion with God or fellowship with each other].

We believe that God did not abandon his creation to destruction and decay, rather he promised to restore this broken world. God chose a people to represent Him in the world [mythic reality: the image of God in man]. This people started with Abraham and his descendants. God promised to make them into a mighty nation. In time they became enslaved in Egypt. They cried out to God because of their oppression and God heard their cry. He brought them out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. He brought them to Sinai where he gave them an identity as his treasured possession, a Kingdom of priests, a holy people [mythic reality: identity]. The story continues, revealing God's refusal to give up on his people through their frequent acts of unfaithfulness to him.

God brought his people into the Promised Land. They were blessed to be a blessing and called to put God on display to the nations. They made movement toward this missional calling, yet they disobeyed and allowed foreign gods into the land. In Israel's disobedience they became indifferent and in turn irrelevant to the purposes God had called them to. They were sent into exile, yet a remnant looks ahead with longing and hope to a new reign like David's where peace and justice would prevail.

We believe these longings found their fulfillment in Messiah Jesus, born of a virgin, mysteriously God in the flesh [mythic reality: the mystery of Jesus]. Jesus came to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the broken hearted and set captives free. He lived a perfect life proclaiming the arrival of the Kingdom. He was rejected by many, crucified, buried, and rose again. His death and resurrection bring hope to all creation. Through Jesus we have been forgiven and God is reconciling us to himself, each other, ourselves, and creation. Jesus is the only mediator between God and humans. For all who accept his sacrifice he gives the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth through a communal life of worship and a missional expression of our faith. The church is called to put the resurrected Christ who lives in and through us on display to a broken and hurting world.

We believe the day is coming when Jesus will return and reclaim this world, the earth's groaning will cease and God will dwell with us on a new and restored creation [mythic reality: we were created to walk on this soil].

After Pain, Healing Power

If you've spent any time watching someone's heart monitor, you probably have experienced some pain and worry. Being the beings that we are, we want to know that there is some significance to be found in these kinds of things.

What does it mean to feel pain? What good is it? Why does it happen?

Henri Nouwen wrote a book called, Wounded Healers. The idea is that those who have suffered a great deal are also now very powerful agents of healing.

Reminds me of Jesus:

He was despised and rejected by men,
A man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

Surely He took up our infirmities
And carried our sorrows,
Yet we considered Him stricken by God,
Smitten by Him, and afflicted.

But He was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,
And by His wounds we are healed.

When I'm suffering, there's no one I would rather be comforted by than someone who has suffered. My friends (you know who you are), you are more than you were before this happened.

Jesus has given you some of His healing power.