Thinking about getting back into the blogging thing on a more regular basis...don't hold me too anything, but I have some thoughts swirling in my head and want to get them out.

One thought I wanted to start with and share deals with some seemingly divergent thinking that I wanted to bring together. Let me share a few points that are in no way earth-shattering ideas:

1) We've heard much over the past few years (especially since Pres. Bush brought back the idea of "compassionate convervatives" and the Democrats sought to "get religious") about social justice int he church, questions about what we are doing for our
fellow brethren. Church en masse are tripping over themselves to respond to the AIDS crisis in Africa or the next natural disaster (both good things, I may add).

2) As a result of that, much of the pr that is sent out into the media (at least the good stuff, see below for other pr) has focused on "what we are doing for the poor and marginalized and others." Again, this is not a bad thing.

3) Other than what we are doing socially, the other pr that gets thrown to the wolves exists around what we are against rather than what we are for. I'm reading David Kinnaman's "UnChristian" as I write (a book that I feel I won't like, by the way, but feel I should read) and he writes, "Most people I meet assume that Christian means very conservative, entrenched in their thinking, antigay, antichoice, angry, violent, illogical, empire builders; they want to convert everyone, and they generally cannot live peacefully with anyone who doesn't believe what they believe."

He goes on to say that the top three perceptions of modern-day Christians are, you guessed it, antihomosexual, judgmental, and hypocritical. Nothing new there.

Here is my point, as we've often heard it said, we've taken the focus in Christianity off of Christ and put it on the Christians. From the political definitions of faith to how we have portrayed ourselves in the world to what others think of us, we've allowed our faith to be judged not by our leader but by His followers, we've made our faith about what we do rather than who we are and who Jesus is. None of these moves I would consider wise.

As I read this book and reflect on the world and it's opinions and thoughts about Christians, I'm saddened by the fact that none of the perceptions, whether right or wrong, have anything to do with Jesus. I heard yesterday (though have yet to confirm) that Rick Warren's Purpose-Driven book - one of them anyway - is the second highest selling book behind the Bible. Warren's an all-right guy and he isn't evil (that's about all I can say for him, I hope I put it nice enough) but he is a perfect example of what I am referring to. Ask people about Rick Warren and they may say meag-pastor, mega-church, AIDS activist, political debate moderator, etc., but very few people will equate him with follower of Christ. Read his work or listen to his speeches and you may hear a few Scriptures and such, but little talk of the person of Christ and how Christians follow Him. I'm not saying he is not a believer, but when people think of him, few equte him as a follower of Christ.

My hope and my goal is that when people think of me (and Christians in general), they don't think of whether I drink alcohol, whether I'm pro- or anti-gay, whether I belong to the NRA, or whether I'm conservative or liberal. When people think of me, I want them to think of me as a follower of Christ, nothing more, nothing less.