'Tis So Tweet to Trust...

A “Twitter Bible,” anyone?

For the uninitiated, “Twitter” is a web-based service that allows users to send messages of up to 140 characters to whoever is “following” the sender via a computer or cell phone. A lot of folks love Twitter, and there have been times, such as the recent disaster in Haiti, when this technology proved invaluable. But as a rule, there’s no one I find sufficiently interesting--myself included!--that I wish to know whatever free-floating association passes through their mind every hour or two.

But what if one could receive “tweets” (messages via Twitter) throughout the day . . . from God?! That’s the idea behind the Twitter Bible.

Some German Christians summarized key passages from the Bible into terse, Twitter-sized messages. Some of the imagined tweets from Jesus include, "40 days without food. Satan doing a full court temptation press. Does he really think he can win?"; "5 loaves + 2 fishes x the power of God = Fish and Chips for 5,000! Thanks for your lunch kid!"; "Watching my disciples as I ascend to heaven. They look helpless. Will send Holy Spirit soon."

The German language “Twitter Bible” fits over 31,000 verses of the Bible into just under 4,000 rapid-fire messages. For someone who made it though high school, CliffsNotes in hand, I must confess a certain appeal. But if Mrs. Lithgo, my English teacher, was right--that reducing Thomas Hardy’s Return of the Native to a soulless summary guts the work of its majesty and power--how much more so the Bible?

In fact, though Tweets are new, reducing the Bible to snippets of folk wisdom is not. Very few Christians have read so much as a single Gospel, much less the whole Bible. For far too many of us, our “Bible” consists of a few memorable sayings we think came from the Bible. Here’s a hint: “Time heals all wounds” and “Money is the root of evil” are not in the Bible.

For serious Christians, the Bible is our primary source of knowledge about Jesus. It is difficult to know, love, and follow Jesus without a working knowledge of the Gospels that tell his story, the New Testament letters that think through the implications of his claims, and the Old Testament that was Jesus’ Bible.

That’s why at the First Baptist Church of Christ, we are listening to the whole of the New Testament during the 40 days of Lent. And that’s why this Sunday night, we are beginning a three- Sunday night series on “How We Read the Bible about Moral Issues.” Because we want to do more than tweet the Bible. We want to learn how to plumb the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) in finding direction and meaning for our lives today.

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What's to Love About Macon?

Let me tell you a dirty little secret about Macon, Georgia.

No, let’s start over. Let me tell you some of the reasons I love Macon, Georgia. I love Macon because its people are warm and friendly, its southern cooking second-to-none, and its weather--the current winter a notable exception--is temperate year round. I love Macon because Sherman spared our fair city on his infamous “March to the Sea,” for reasons the historians continue to debate. At any rate, because Macon was spared, it is home to some of the most beautiful antebellum homes in Georgia. I love Macon because of its rich heritage of music, from Gospel to soul to southern rock. I love Macon because of the great stories locals tell about ghosts in the Hay House, Clark Gable learning to speak “southern” in Macon during the filming of “Gone with the Wind,” and such strange and tortured souls as Anjette Lyles who liked to add a dash of arsenic poison to buttermilk.

Yes, there’s a lot of reasons to love Macon, Georgia, and all of them swell my chest with pride.

But there is a shameful secret about Macon that needs to be said aloud, even in a “family newsletter” like this: our city is home to one of the most thriving “massage spa” cultures in the Southeast. Most such “Asian spas” have nothing to do with the therapeutic, medically sanctioned massage practiced by certified professionals. Many such self-proclaimed “spas” are simply fronts for seedy and illegal activity.

There are 25 “massage parlors” or “Asian spas” in Macon, a city of approximately 93,000 people. San Francisco, 10 times the size of Macon, has only 99. Why is Macon such a hotbed for this type of “establishment”? The fact that we are located at the intersection of two interstate arteries, plays a part, but the main reason is that Macon--unlike any other city of comparable size in Georgia--has no licensing or other requirements  regulating the “massage parlor” industry.

What goes on in illicit massage parlors is not a “victimless crime.” Underage minors and internationals who can barely speak English--lured into the “trade” under false pretenses--are routinely pressed into service as “massage therapists.” The Lord who began his ministry proclaiming “release to the captives” (Luke 4:18) would surely include such girls and women in his promised liberation for the oppressed.

There is a growing, interfaith coalition of clergy and lay leaders, of which I am a part, determined to address this blight in our community. Thankfully, the Bibb County Commissioners are poised to pass needed legislation at their March 2 meeting. God willing, the Mayor and Macon City Council will be next.

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Seven Deadly Sins

by Bob Setzer, Jr.
Years ago, at the old Baptist hospital in downtown Atlanta, I learned something of the craft of pastoral counseling. One day a week, I sat with several other counselors-in-training, and wrestled with real-world cases of mental and emotional illness. Under the supervision of skilled professional counselors, we also practiced what we were learning at various out-patient clinics around Atlanta.

One of the tools I was given was the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders." It was an encyclopedia of knowledge about the diagnosis and treatment of emotional disorders and full-blown mental illness. By consulting this manual, a counselor could draw on the received wisdom of how a particular disorder functioned and was best treated.

Fifteen hundred years before the DSM made its debut, Christian tradition developed such a diagnostic tool: it was and is called the "Seven Deadly Sins." The Seven Deadly Sins were not so much bad things to be avoided as they are windows on the soul. They were keys to understanding why otherwise intelligent and well-meaning human beings, keep doing harm to themselves and one another.

One modern interpreter has dubbed the Seven Deadly Sins "Seven Habits of Highly Destructive People." That gets to the nub of the matter. These seven character disorders are "deadly" because they set us on a course of becoming someone we don’t want to be. If one persists blindly and doggedly in any of these paths, long enough, the end-game is moral and spiritual disintegration or "death"--certainly "death" to the kind of vibrantly alive, fully-formed person we see in Jesus.

With the possible exception of envy, each of the seven deadly sins has something good at its heart: pride (healthy self-esteem), anger (righteous indignation), sloth (renewing leisure), greed (motivation), gluttony (appetite), and lust (God-given sexual desire). Instead of viewing the "deadlies" as inherently bad, they are best understood as the extreme end of a spectrum beginning with something positive. But when otherwise natural and desirable dimensions of our humanity become all-consuming--in theological language, gods--they destroy us. For example, the problem with the glutton is not delighting in good food and drink; the Bible commends such enjoyment (Psalm 104:15-16) and Jesus practiced it (Matthew 11:19). The problem with gluttony is trying to satisfy with excessive food and drink the hunger and thirst for something, Someone, else.

Starting this Sunday and continuing through Lent, we’ll be asking, "What’s So Deadly about the Seven Deadly Sins?" Each Sunday, the sermon will address one of seven proven ways of doing serious damage to oneself and others. Why bother? Because 1,500 years of Christian reelection suggests recognizing the true shape of our bondage is the first step in getting free.

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Gracious Politics

by Bob Setzer
Every pastor or counselor soon learns: hearing from only one partner in a troubled marriage gives the listener a very distorted picture of what is going on.

It’s not that the spouse unburdening his or her heart is deliberately misrepresenting the dynamics of the marriage. He or she may rightly complain about being treated unfairly or callously by the once beloved husband or wife. But what is almost always lacking in such revelations is any self-awareness of how one sometimes invites, encourages, and empowers such a response in the other party in the relationship.

When a counselor can get both parties from a troubled marriage talking to one another rather than about one another, miracles of reconciliation and healing are possible. Such miracles are not quickly or easily won, but they do happen when honest, heartfelt, face-to-face sharing replaces the angry, bitter monologues that went before.

The power of genuine dia-logue--a talking through rather than talking at--was hinted at in that remarkable exchange between the President and some of his fiercest critics last Friday in Baltimore. The President and the Republican members of the House of Representatives went toe-to-toe in a mostly respectful exchange. Granted, hard-liners of both the left and right--like fans watching a title bout--only scored points for their “champion.” But the rest of us--the folks mystified by why Washington has become so petty and mean--were gratified to see political and philosophic enemies talking with one another.

The one-liners, zingers, and sound bytes that have characterized recent political debate, were replaced by the “Yes, but” of thoughtful Republican critiques to the President’s usual stump speeches. And the President was able to confront those in the room who contaminated the political climate by vilifying him, rather than contributing to constructive debate. Maybe it was dreaming or wishful thinking on my part, but I thought I saw some “Aha” moments on both sides of the aisle: “Oh, I get it. So that’s what is driving this.”

Don’t hear me saying we’re now dancing merrily down the road to real progress on the many pressing problems facing our nation. That would require many more difficult and challenging conversations like the one last week in Baltimore. And at the end of the day, some Republicans and Democrats have such diametrically opposed visions for America, there is very little compromise to be found. Eventually, after a decisive issue has been fairly examined and debated, the matter must be brought to a vote and settled, at least for now.

But in politics as in life, the simple Christian grace of seeking out an adversary and trying to have a meaningful conversation, is an act of hope and healing. For whether that adversary is an ardent political opponent or the most intimate of “enemies,” there is no possibility for a real relationship until honest dialogue begins (Matthew 18:15-18).

Long before we can “love” our enemies, we have to learn to talk with them.

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Faith by Hearing

by Bob Setzer, Jr.
For years, I’ve been a fan of audible books. Audible books, once known as “books on tape,” are these days more likely to be “books on CDs” or “books on an iPod.”

Well, starting February 17--the first Wednesday in Lent (a forty-day season leading to Easter)--I’ve got a really great read lined up. I’m going to start listening to the story of Jesus as recounted in the New Testament, and I want you to join me.

Through our partnership with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, every member of our church will be offered a free recording of the New Testament. By listening to this recording just 28 minutes a day, one can listen to the entire New Testament in 40 days, just in time for Easter!

According to a recent Barna survey, fully two-thirds of self-professed “Bible-believing” Christians have never read the New Testament. Thus, by participating in this church-wide listening program, you can accomplish something most Christians have never done: read (ok, listen) your way through the New Testament, cover to cover.

Here are the particulars of our “Faith Comes by Hearing” emphasis:

• Audio recordings of the New Testament will be offered to every member of our church on Sunday, February 14 and at the Ash Wednesday service on February 17.

• These recordings are in MP3 format which allows the entire New Testament to be put on one CD-type disk. By contrast, it takes 15 regular CDs to hold the New Testament. Most computers and DVD players will play MP3 disks, as will iPods or other portable players. A portable CD player capable of playing MP3 disks can be bought at Wal-Mart for less than $25.00.

• This technology allows one to listen to the New Testament while driving, exercising, or otherwise on the move. Such listening is easily incorporated into one’s daily routine.

• A children’s version of the New Testament will also be available.

• Our church will sponsor an online forum at www.fbcmacon.org for sharing thoughts and questions about the “reading” for the day.

• To learn more about the “Faith Comes by Hearing” venture, go to www.thefellowship.info/ygtt or speak with our Adult Education Chair, Connie Jones.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes, “Faith comes by hearing and what is heard comes through the word of Christ” (10:17). There is power in hearing the Word of God. For 1,500 years before the invention of the printing press, most Christians only heard the Scriptures read in public worship.

Well, starting February 17, it will be “back to the future” at the First Baptist Church of Christ. During our Lenten journey this year, as many members of our church as possible will listen to the Word of God each day for 40 days. Those who do will likely be surprised and transformed by what they hear. And when we’re done, we’ll be a “people of the Book” not in word only, but in deed and in truth.

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A Suffering Mystery

by Bob Setzer, Jr.
Pat Robertson has taken a well-deserved drubbing for his remarks attributing the earthquake in Haiti to the judgment of God. Of course, he has also generated intense media coverage for himself and his enterprise so perhaps he’s not so foolish as he appears.

But there is a sort of “judgment” in the catastrophe in Haiti if by “judgment” one means awakening to what is most vital and precious in life, and striving to reorder one’s life accordingly.

When questioned about a cruel slaughter unleashed by Pilate, Jesus said, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? NO, I tell you” (Luke 13:1-3). In answering “no,” Jesus distanced himself from the popular theology then (and regrettably still much in vogue today) that all suffering is due to sin. An earthquake in Haiti? Obviously, someone did something wrong. Job’s friends advance this argument against him again and again. At the end of the book, God sides solidly with Job and with Jesus: suffering and evil remain a mystery that defies simplistic answers.

But in responding to the question about Pilate’s slaughter and another about the collapse of a tower that kills 18 people, Jesus not only rejects the simplistic theology of Job’s “friends,” then and now. Jesus also utters a shocking, surprising word: “But unless you repent, you will all perish as they did” (Luke 13:3, 5). In other words, the disasters that leave Jesus’ hearers thinking about others need to redirect their focus to themselves. Life is precious, life is fleeting. It can be snatched away in an instant. Given that reality--which in Haiti has seized the headlines and our attention--is the life we are living really the life we want and ought to live?

The loving Abba (“Father”) Jesus revealed does not handpick impoverished Caribbean nations as Ground Zero for earthquakes. But given the magnitude of this natural disaster (caused by shifting plates in the earth’s crust rather than God) can we not thank God for the heroism and sacrifice this disaster has evoked in so many? Can we not thank God we live in a nation that responds with such altruistic fervor to the suffering of our neighbor to the south? Can we not thank God for this opportunity for Haitians and their allies to build a better, safer, and more prosperous nation?

Crises, especially those of the magnitude of the one in Haiti, bring out the best and the worst in people: in that is the judgment. Following Jesus means we side with the suffering and the desperate in their plight, doing everything in our power to help: in that is the hope, and not just for Haitians, but for Americans and Asians and Africans and all the world.

If there is an “answer” to the question of suffering and evil, that is it.

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Sanctuary in Blue

by Bob Setzer, Jr.
The sanctuary has been feeling a bit blue lately. I know this because she and I visit often. Mostly she talks, and I listen. Listening is a big part of a pastor’s calling.

The sanctuary is feeling blue because all the gorgeous ornamentation of Advent and Christmas is gone: the glorious purple and gold banners, the enchanting Advent wreath, the Chrismon tree bedecked with twinkling lights. The crimson red poinsettias have snuck off stage and the baby Jesus is no longer resting peacefully in the hand-carved manger scene. Naturally, the sanctuary is feeling the loss.

I tell the Lady at the top of Poplar she is still beautiful, and she is. I tell her how I love her soaring buttresses, the sun-drenched rose window at her back, the skylights that lift the eye and heart upwards toward God. I tell her how it calms my heart to soak up the warmth and color streaming through her stained-glass windows.

She nods appreciatively, if sadly, as fading beauties sometimes do. Because truth be told, some of her beauty is gone. At least for a while.

Maybe you feel it too. The wonder of Christmas is behind us. The sweet, non-threatening baby Jesus has been replaced by a nettlesome rabbi with an attitude. The packed house on Christmas Eve has thinned. The hymns and anthems are still moving, but how does one trump “Silent Night” and “The Hallelujah Chorus”?

The church has an expression for this awkward, less exciting season in which we find ourselves: it’s called “ordinary time.” “Ordinary time” is the season between Epiphany and Lent/Easter and from Pentecost till Advent/Christmas. In other words, most of the church year is spent in “ordinary time.” Most of life is lived in “ordinary” time.

Yes, there are special, epoch-making moments when the joy bubbles up and gratitude spills off the plate: new births, graduations, weddings, silver and gold anniversaries, the once-upon-a-time gold watch at retirement. But those special times of celebration are formed and sustained by the day-to-day caring and commitment that gives them meaning.

The same is true in following Jesus. His invitation was not “check in with me whenever faith runs fresh and free.” No, his invitation, yea, his demand was and is “Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23) in ordinary time, that is today, tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that. Because following Jesus day-by-day-by-day is what it takes to slowly become a little more like him. And thankfully, even ordinary time becomes sacred and precious when spent in his company, his service, his joy.

As I left the sanctuary this morning, she seemed to rise to her new calling. I know God’s people at the top of Poplar will do the same.

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