christ

What’s next? Chick-Fil-A Boycott Day?

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / Leave a comment

Since my move and start of a new position in Houston,  I have been busy and have not updated as much as I had before. Thank you to you my faithful readers for sticking with me. Hopefully once things settle down I will get back in the grove. Below is a piece I wrote a while back about Chick-Fil-A ceasing their funding to organizations that are anti same sex marriage.

Thanks again for your support.

In a major announcement, months after the company was embroiled in a public debate, Chick-fil-a according to a LGBT support group has stopped making donations to organizations that are against same-sex marriages.  You can read the full article here.

Chick-fil-a in an internal memo stated that the company will treat every “treat every person with honor, dignity and respect-regardless of their beliefs, race, creed, sexual orientation and gender.”  How about that… Chick-fil-a finding their Christian roots again.  So now what are the throngs of people to do that went out on August 1 to support Chick-Fil-A’s right to “free speech” (read: believe same-sex marriage is a sin.)?  Are these God-fearing Christians now going to boycott this institution because they have gone back on what they one stood for and claimed to be Christian?  I wonder if now the leaders of Chick-Fil-A will now be allowed to get divorces and have second and even third wives.

The fact of the matter is that this is a step in the right direction.  For me, Chick-Fil-A’s original comments and actions were against my understanding of what the gospel is calling the Church and followers of Christ to be and become.  In the entire Bible, there are about 6 verses that actually in some way talk about homosexuality… that’s it… six.  No long discourses from prophets or even Jesus or even one of the dedicated disciples.  These verses are found throughout the Bible in different testaments and writings.  There is no unified voice on this.  There are more verses about proper eating habits and dietary laws than verses about homosexuality.  Where are the protests of the McDonald’s or other fast food restaurants for making people fat and indulging them in guilty, which by the way it is a sin.  But no mention of that from people in society.  Sadly the some followers of Christ have made the singling out of this small segment of the population their sole focus.  No mention of unconditional love, no mention of free grace, nothing just righteous indignation and self-righteousness, the complete opposite of what the gospel calls us to be.

If Christ was of the radical embodiment of God and acted as such, then why aren’t all followers of Christ?  Today people focus too much on one particular issue that they believe is at the center and forefront of what is means to be a follower of Christ.  In the end, does is matter if someone loves someone else of the same gender?

Chick-Fil-A has the absolute right to run their company the way they want, but the problem that many people had is that they drug all Christians into the mix.  It made all Christians look bad and it gave Christianity a bad name.

 

In Christ,

 

Rev. Evan

The Gospel According to Facebook

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / Leave a comment

My latest article for the Orange County Record.

Facebook is one of the most popular websites to date with nearly 500 million users from all over the world.  From its humble beginnings in the dorm room of Harvard University, Facebook is now everywhere.  From your personal computer to your Smartphone, one is never too far away from social “interactions” found within Facebook (or as a friend of my calls it ‘faceless book’).

Facebook connects us to the world around us and we are able to share things from vacation pictures to memorial pages for those who have died.  Facebook at its core is a social networking site, connecting people across various socio-economic statuses, education levels and even religions.  Facebook in my opinion has moved past its original intent of just social networking between friends.  Businesses, churches, civil groups, clubs and even TV shows all have a presence on Facebook.  Breaking news is reported, shared, liked and commented on, all within the confines of one website.  The goal has moved from friendly conversations to specific advertisements and mass information around like issues, causes and beliefs.

What does Facebook do or has done for Christianity?  Has Facebook helped or hurt the gospel message?  Recently I began to see more and more pictures shared that read “Like if you Love Jesus” or “Keep scrolling if you love the Devil, like if you love God.”  If you are a user of Facebook like I am, you have more than likely seen these pictures (or others like it) before.  These pictures call for Christians around the world to share their faith boldly and proudly on their Facebook page so that all who may grace it will know that they are a follower of Christ.

To be honest, I can’t stand them.   They clutter my news feed and are not the reason I get on Facebook.

I do not like them for a number of reasons.  First, it makes Christianity something to do, not something that is done.  Followers of Christ are called to continue the message of Christ in the world around them.  Often in churches there are talks of “letting your light shine before others,” but there is also a warning about doing things just to get attention in the name of faith.  Does it really mean I am “less of a Christian” if I decided not to click the ‘like’ button on a picture?  Does this mean that I have sold my soul to the internet Devil because I am too consumed with posting pictures of my children?  Absolutely not.  Its one thing to have a faith and have that faith inform your life, but it is another to have a faith and guilt trip others into following your actions.  Christ did not call for us to plaster our faith across the internet.  Christ calls us to be the presence of God at all times, in all places and to all people.  A person’s faith or commitment to God/Christ is not contingent on whether or not they share a Facebook photo with their friends.

Facebook and other social media outlets like it have made the gospel a bumper sticker, for good or for ill.  Since the interaction happens in cyber space the relational connection is lessened.  Because of this the scriptures, quotations, theology and sermons can all be taken out of context and promoted as truth with little or no dialogue, conversation or explanation.  Of course this can happen anywhere, but for some reason the internet has brought this to the forefront.  Is this the 21st century model of evangelism?   I sure hope not.  Social media has it place in the propagation of the gospel, but evangelism at its core is grounded in relationships.  Evangelism is a scary word for some people because they believe it means inviting people to church or knocking on people’s doors and passing out ‘salvation tracts.’  While some people believe this is the best way to promote ones faith, I believe that being in a relationship with someone first helps to “open the door” to evangelism.  One does not even have to speak the name of Jesus Christ to get the message of Christ across.  This is what Facebook and these “like if you love Jesus” pictures fail at doing; there is no relationship, just a pretty picture with a cute font.  The gospel demands more than that.

Christianity and 9/11: 11 years later

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / Leave a comment

Below is an article I wrote for the Orange County Record. It will be published tomorrow but I thought I would post it today on the anniversary of September 11, 2001.

Yesterday marked the 11th anniversary of the terror attacks that took place across the country on September 11, 2001. On that day nearly 3000 people lost their lives. Every year the country is called to stop and remember those who perished in a senseless act.

Since then the world is a much different place. Wars were fought in remembrance of those who died; soldiers gave their lives defending the freedoms that we have here in this country today. But one of the biggest things that happened because of 9/11 was that Islam was put on the map and under a microscope.

Christians have had a choice to make sense that day: live in fear and hatred of another religion or learn and find way to connect via common ground. Many people, many Christians have made all Muslims the enemy of the United States and even of Christianity itself. This is a tragic outlook for Christians to take; this makes all followers of Christ look bad and it is still happening today.

Since 9/11 a number of anti-Muslim websites, rallies, posts and possibly sermons have taken place. Most of them have been based in the fear, assumptions and thinly veiled truths. The other day I saw a bumper sticker that read “Mohammed is dead, Jesus is Alive!” This got me thinking, would this sticker have ever been produced if 9/11 never happened? Why are some Christians so afraid of this particular religion? Why are debates being held on whether the President of the United States is or is not a Muslim? It is unfortunate that all peaceful Muslims here in this country are lumped into a class of people that advocate to the death of innocent life. Most Christians do not want to lump together with Westboro Baptist. If we do not want to have this done to us, then why are some so quick to do it to others? Where is the grace? Where is the love? Where is the notion that all of humanity is created in the very same image of God that you and I are created in?

Islam has been around for centuries but until 9/11 I really did not know much about the religion. I knew that Islam’s holy book was called the Koran, followers of Islam or Muslims had a very strict prayer life and their prophet was named Mohammed. That was it- like many I was pretty limited on my understanding of this particular religion. Some have still not taken the time to learn more or get to know their fellow Muslim neighbor. Protests and rallies are held across this country to stop the building of mosques. Remember the big uproar that was caused when an Islam Center was going to be built near where the World Trade Centers once stood? People who were against the mosque cited that it was because of Islam that the towers fell. This is a poor analogy. If that is the case then across Europe there should be no new churches because of the atrocities of the Crusades.

When I was in seminary in Kentucky I took a World Religions course. As part of the requirement I had to visit various centers of worship across different religions. Next door to the seminary was an Islamic center. The class was invited to visit the center and witness daily prayer. After the prayer session I was able to speak to the Imam about Islam and the center itself. One of the questions I asked was “Since 9/11 how have you seen a change in the way you are treated here in Kentucky?” The Imam stated that he wished that more people understood that the terrorists did not follow what was written in the Koran and that not all Muslims acted the way they acted. He followed that up and said, “Never before have I ever had to defend my faith.”

This country was founded on the notion of religious liberty and freedom. Christians are called to be the hands and feet of God in the world at all times and to all people even those of other religions.

September 11, 2001 was one of the worst acts of violence ever enacted and we should remember those who lost their lives. But making all of Islam the villain of freedom and Christianity is wrong.

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

And You Wonder Why People Aren’t Christians: Part VII

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / 1 Comment

Here we go again… its time for another segment of “And You Wonder Why People Aren’t Christians.”

Our story today comes from the land that put racial tolerance and acceptance on the map, Mississippi. (/sarcasm)

You can read the story here, but in a nutshell the First Baptist Church in Crystal Springs, Mississippi informed an engaged couple that they could no longer get married in the church. Did I mention that the church is predominately white and that the couple was African-American? Did I also mention that they church informed them just a couple of days prior to their actual wedding date?

Church officials were quoted to have said that they  “welcome any race into their congregation.”  Umm… no I do not think you do.

Once again race and Christianity has reared its ugly head.  It is hard to believe that in 21st century race still a factor in whether or not one is seen as a worthy human.  As I have said many times before if Christ did not discriminate in whether or not people were allowed to come and hear the gospel message, then why are some followers of Christ doing this?

Aside from the racial issue that is staring us right in the face, there are some other issues to this story.  First, the church must have granted permission for the couple to have their wedding at the church prior to this event; the couple had sent out the invitations and everything.  I think it would be a bit presumptuous of them to just think that a church they are not a member of would allow them to use the facility without asking.  Next, the minister stated that it was “a small minority” that was against the wedding being held at the church.  A small minority?  Sadly, this small minority must have a lot of power and pull because they basically overruled the church’s previous decision.

This is all to common in churches; many people dislike the notion of centralized power in Washington, D.C. but are powerless to anything about it in their own churches.  The way churches are today, it only takes one wrong move and people split and the money is gone.  I am not saying that the church should have allowed this distorting of the gospel to take place, but the though of ‘making waves’ scares people.

If I were the minister in that congregation I would have still had the wedding at the church no matter what the church’s a small minority believed.  Also, that would have been the last act as a minister in that congregation.  No two week notice, no reception, no farewells, gone.

The gospel can not be trampled like that and expect me to stick around.  There would be no amount of meetings or discernment that I believe would change some people’s minds.  Christ never turned people away and here we are claiming to be his followers and look at what we are doing.

I think another series or title of this post could be “And You Wonder Why The Church Is Shrinking”… case and point… people in Mississippi are still living in a world where their God is a god who discriminates.  If we are all made in the image of God, then why are we trying to make our church look like us?

How can the gospel of love be turned into the gospel of difference is not acceptable?

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

The Problem With The Chick-Fil-A Debate

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / 17 Comments

My latest article for the Orange Leader regarding the on going Chick-Fil-A Debate

It has been all over the news; talking heads from both sides of the aisle have taken to airwaves to voice their opinion  Argument have started between friends, feelings have been hurt, names have been called.   Hundreds, if not thousands of Facebook posts and Tweets have flown through the internet regarding a particular chicken sandwich company– Chick-Fil-A.

Recently, as you may recall, the owner of the national restaurant chain stated on a Atlanta radio show that his company was “guilty as charged” amid reports that he did not support same-sex marriage.  He further explained that he is running his company on Biblical principles and that society has no business trying to refine “traditional” marriage.

Reports have come out that support this; Chick-Fil-A has given millions to organizations who actively oppose same-sex marriages.  With all of these things combined, a firestorm broke out.  Some people are now boycotting the restaurant because they do not want their money to go to causes that discriminate against a certain group of people. Others however  are actually eating there more believing that the more they eat there, the larger the profit, which then in turn will cause Chic-Fil-A to give more money to anti same-sex marriage organizations.

Jim Henson has pulled their toys from kid’s meals at the restaurant. The mayors of Boston and Chicago have spoken publicly about this issue.  Former Governor Mike Huckabee has even started a “National Chick-Fil-A Day” to support Chick-Fil-A’s right to run their company how they want.  All of this is a gigantic mess.

The problem with the Chick-Fil-A debate is that it is just that, a debate.  People once again are choosing sides and are drawing metaphoric lines in the sand and people are hurling their “points of view” back and forth and back and forth.  No one is actually speaking to one another.  The anonymity of the internet and social media is one of the greatest tools that people have in this or any debate.  Someone can post something online with no regard to another person.  It is much easier to speak your mind when there is a monitor between you and the one you are speaking about.  Since no one is speaking to one another how then will a decent, intelligent conversation ever be had regarding the multitude of issues in this particular story?  The answer- it will not happen.

The hot button issue obviously here is same sex marriage.  This is something that people have been debating for years and still each side is getting angrier and angrier.  Where are the civic leaders calling for a forum?  Where are the church leaders calling for a discussion on this topic?  The answer lies deep within our own hearts, minds and souls.  The answer is most people do not want to hear the other side.  This side believes they are correct while this side believes they are correct.

Some churches recently have taken up the task of having faithful discussion about homosexuality and same sex marriage.  I applaud them for at least having the discussion.  Many more churches and Christians need to have this same discussion.  Too often when people tell me their view about this issue the answer generally is “well I am against it because it is wrong.”  No explanation, no interjection of scripture, no nothing.  It is just “their personal belief.”  Well it is time to have the conversation. I call on all Christians from all walks of life and backgrounds to have faithful conversations about this issue that is dividing the church.

By faithful I mean being open minded, wanting to be challenged, wanting to learn more, wanting to grow.  Not just espousing what you have been taught or what you think the Bible is directing Christians to do and become.  Christians today need to stop telling people what the Bible “says” and focus more on what Bible is calling the followers of Christ to become; let’s stop as Brian McLaren says going to the Bible to support want we already know about God.

The reason why people are not doing this is because to have this conversation means that one has to be vulnerable and accept the fact that what you might have been taught or always believed could be incorrect.  Charles Schultz, the creator of Peanuts Comics, once drew a comic that speaks to this notion.  Snoopy informs Charlie Brown that he is writing a book of theology; Charlie Brown asks Snoopy what the book will be titled and Snoopy replies, “Has It Ever Occurred to You That You Might Wrong?”  For many people this thought of being “wrong” has never crossed their mind.

In this Chick-Fil-A debate the key here is discussion.  Not rhetoric, not partisan politics, not conservative Christians against liberal Christians.  It is time that the church stops placing people on the periphery, speaking about them like they are outcast in society or that they have a mental illness.  Let’s talk about it.  Let’s actually have a discussion on why homosexuality is or is not a big deal in the church today.  Let’s talk about a loving God creating people and then turning around and hating them.  Let’s throw away the things that we were taught as children and come to an understanding of the love of God in a new and exciting way.

So let’s put down the chicken sandwich, stop the protesting and debating and come together.  You might be surprised what will happen.

What Is Sacred To You?

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / Leave a comment

Here is my latest article for the Orange County Record.

One of the aims of religion is to determine what is sacred or holy verses what is secular or profane.  Debates have been held to try to navigate this delicate delineation.  In Christianity the understanding of holy is pretty complex.  It is generally understood that the source of holiness in itself is God, but outside of that it is a bit difficult to pin down.

Some people believe that God is calling Christianity to a particular way of life: abstaining from certain actions, alcohol, foul language and pre-marital sex.  However others believe that if the followers of Christ should hold true to the commands of Jesus himself.  Others hold to the teachings of the writers of the letters and epistles more than anything else.  And still others believe in a combination of all three.  As you can see the sacred is not something that one can put in a check list and hope to attain easily.

For every person that proclaims to be a follower of Christ, there are that many understandings of God and expressions of what it means to serve Christ faithfully today.  On top of that, the notion of what is sacred varies from person to person as well.

This however this is not a bad thing when it comes to Christianity.  Too often the church is seen as a place that dictates laws or recites laws that they believe are from God.

The church is not a place that makes rules or establishes what it means to be holy, rather the church is a place where people can come and share their experiences and their expressions of faith.  By changing the mind set about what church is, people might have a better understanding of what Christianity is really about, trying to live as faithfully as possible to the teachings of God and Christ.

The problem that the church has found itself in is that it is trying too much to remove itself and fellow followers of Christ from the secular society, to try to make a holy community.  The problem with is that if we cannot agree on one proper interpretation of scripture then how can we begin to broach the question of what is sacred?

Each person has their own understanding of what is sacred.  I recently attended a seminar in which the keynote speaker stated that every person has their own personal canon when it comes to faith expression.  By canon I do not mean a weapon but an authoritative guide of what is holy.  For Christians the canon which guides their life is the Bible.  But even with that said, the Bible is different between Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant denominations. The word canon comes from a word that means “measuring stick,” so when we claim that the Bible is a canon, then we are stating that we use it to measure our lives and actions against it.

Many things can be sacred to people: scriptures like Psalm 23, 1 Corinthians 13, 1 John 4.  Things like music, art and dancing can bring us to a place of connection with the Divine; they can renew our faith and soul.  All of these things transport us to a deeper relationship with God and you may never have to set foot into a ‘church’ to find it.  During our life when the hard times set in we will all return to that place of comfort and rest; we will go to our sacred canon.  We will return to that place to seek out God once more.

Most people’s canons will grow and change over time and that is just fine.  Our relationship and understanding of God can never be static.  As we mature and have differing life experiences our view of God will change; this does not mean that the central driving message of God’s love for all and the acceptance of all people changes, rather the way that we understand God moving and working in the world does.

What is sacred to you may not be sacred to me.  What connects you to the divine may not connect me.  But by having conversation with the central understanding that we are all serving and worshiping the same God, then we might actually learn from one another.  I might not be a practicing member of an Orthodox church but I can learn from their liturgy, I might not be a practicing member of a Catholic church, but I can learn from their devotion to prayer and confession.

In the week ahead come try to find those places what connect you to the divine.  Do not try to find them in a list of rules or commands, rather in nature or art or in the so called secular world around you.  If we claim that God is everywhere then why are we only looking for God in a set of rules?  God is found a stream in the forest and in a painting by Van Gough.

Where will you see God and experience the sacred?  You might be surprised where you have overlooked God.

Mission Trips For The 21st Century

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / Leave a comment

Here is my latest article for the Orange County Record.

When I was in High School I had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. and New York City.  This was no ordinary trip; it was not a family vacation or a school sponsored trip, rather it was a mission trip hosted by my denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  High School students from Oklahoma and Texas met in Dallas to begin our adventure.  The theme of the trip was “Poverty and Homelessness in the Big City.”  During our trip we were going to meet with people and organizations that had devoted their lives to the cause of serving the poor and the homeless in DC and New York City.  This was no ordinary mission trip; it was something that I still remember clearly to this day.

During our week long journey, we served meals to people from all walks of life; we talked with them about their life, listen to their stories of hurt, pain and even struggle with addictions.  Coming from a medium sized town, I was not exposed to the homelessness on the scale that I witnessed in New York City.   Sure I knew that they more than likely existed but it wasn’t something that I thought about.  Because of this trip, I became more aware of the people in my city that needed assistance.

Now that it is the summer, churches are gearing up (or already have) for mission trips.  Generally the appeal of mission trips to go different places to see a different part of the country or even the world.  Mission trips, especially for youth and young adults, are essential when it comes to faith development.  These experiences, memories, discussions and connections provide a foundation for what is means to be a follower of Christ in the 21st century.  Seeds of faith are planted as a result of these trips.

In 2007, I was blessed to go to the continent of Africa, more specifically the country of Malawi.  I was there for about two weeks, touring the country, visiting with local missionaries and church leaders.  I saw people who lived in one of the poorest countries in the world cling to their faith in God.  At one of the churches I visited, one of the leaders showed us an area in the back of the church.  It was a small room but it was filled with bags of corn, wheat and flour.  It was recently harvest time and the members of the church donated ten percent of their crops to the church so that the church could use it to serve other people.  When the group I was traveling with return to the United States we had conversations about our experiences.  Many of us agreed that we went to Malawi to find a way to help the people in that country with some need that had rather it was water or sanitation, but all returned changed.  The people of Malawi through their generosity and bold faith in spite of what was going on in their life transformed us; we were not the same people when we returned.  Our hearts were filled with the goodness of the people, our souls were renewed by the faith that was expressed and our eyes were opened to a culture and people full of life and devotion.

Mission trips in their inception were started by people who wanted to share the message of Christ to those who had not heard it before.  Missionaries would risk their lives going into areas where the story of Christ had not been told before.  But now, mission trips have evolved.  There are not areas where the gospel has not been spread to, there not places were missionaries have not already been, so what are the point of mission trips now?

Mission trips have the power to impact those attending the trip just as much as those who are being served.  These trips have a way of exposing us to things that we rather not see or talk about.  If we are going to be followers of Christ in the 21st century then the idea of mission trips has to change.  The idea of swooping into a place and announcing that you have all the answers is not what people are looking for.  Anyone can build a house with Habitat for Humanity or even feed the homeless.  The focus of the mission trip should be on what God is doing the world and how we as followers of God can join in.  Missionaries of old believed they were bringing God to the people, but now the mind set should be finding God where we go, knowing that God as been there for a while now.

On most of the mission trips I have been on it wasn’t always the big service projects that made the most impact.  It might have been a nightly devotion or story of why a homeless shelter was started.  So as many churches send their members off to serve others, let us remember that God has been on this voyage long before we arrived, let us be open to the transformation that is possible when we open ourselves up to what God is doing and has already done.

Sermon: “Let’s Celebrate!”

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / Leave a comment

Today I preached a sermon based on Luke 15:1-10 entitled “Let’s Celebrate.”

Enjoy!

Sermon link

 

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

Milestone: 3000

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / Leave a comment

You have done it again!  On July 5, the blog had its 3000th page view!

It only took 26 days to go from 2000 page views to 3000!

I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Please keep reading and commenting and sharing!

You make this blog what it is!

Here’s to the next 1000!

In Christ, 

Rev. Evan

Just To Be Clear… It’s All Your Fault

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / 2 Comments

The wonderful world of Facebook is at it again providing me with the resources I need to continue my writing to which you will read. 😀

This picture above was re-posted by a friend who said he got it from a friend who said he saw it on a Facebook group “Religion Poisons Everything.” Can’t say that I am fan of this group, but I thank them for this gem. It has to be one of the most awkward pictures regarding Jesus that I have ever seen. Time and time again people continue to surprise me with their rationalizations of one of the most basic human questions, “Why do bad things happen?”

Whomever created this picture believed that the bad things in our lives are the result of God removing God’s care and protection from us. This totally erases the notion of grace, forgiveness and love. God and/or Christ does not sit around waiting for someone to stumble so they can swoop down and inflict you with an illness.

One puzzling aspect of this pictures is Jesus punishing the child picture by spanking. I have trouble articulating in words why I this is so terrible.

Christians should be out raged that the Savior of the world how came to restore people has been reduced to someone who seeks out those who are subverting his will and authority and offering illness and spankings in the meantime.

(insert sarcasm) Yeah, that’s in the Bible alright… yep that’s the Christ I know….

So just to be clear that child that has terminal cancer and won’t make it to his 10th birthday, yeah totally his fault, God took away God’s protection because he told a lie or something. When someone has a recurrence of cancer or some other horrific disease, again, it is their fault for speeding or questioning authority. Every time you catch a cold you brought it on yourself, right?.

The pharmaceutical companies must love it when you sin…

In Christ,

Rev. Evan