Seeking God's Justice in the Face of Abject Horror

It began three weeks ago, with a small story in the sports section about a burgeoning scandal taking place on the campus of Penn State University. Jerry Sandusky, a former assistant football coach to Joe Paterno, being indicted by a grand jury on 40 counts of sex crimes against young boys. The story grew bigger and bigger and began involving more and more people. The shocking news came out that Penn State officials, and perhaps even college football officials around the country, knew of Sandusky's penchant for young boys. Personally, I was flabbergasted by the news. So many emotions came out as a result of this story... shock at the cover-up, horror at the details of the acts, great sadness at the stunning amount of children's lost innocence, and disgust toward those who attempted to justify the decision to look away when confronted with the horrible crimes.

Then, a similar story came out of Syracuse University. Assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine was accused by former ballboy Bobby Davis of a track record of molestation that occurred over a staggering amount of years. I confess, when confronted with the facts of this case, that it seemed to me the accuser was lying, looking for publicity in the wake of the Penn State scandal. Davis had gone to ESPN 8 years ago with the story, but could not provide any corroboration, nor could ESPN find any through a lengthy period of invesitgation. Then, 8 years later, he brings forth that corroboration in the form of his step brother who says Fine molested him as well. I'm thinking, "yeah, right." Everything added up to this being a horrible publicity stunt aimed at destroying the career of Fine. Then, I read this article. What a stunning piece of damning evidence. Fine was fired today as more victims continue to come forward claiming abuse.

Honestly, I don't know what to say. This is a whole new level of horror. It's easy for us to see evil in the acts Fine and Sandusky are accused of. However, what could the response possibly be to those who knew about this and looked the other way? Where is the justice for the children? And how could this happen to so many and for so long?

As Christ followers, it is important that we seek God's justice in cases like these. What could that possibly be, however? Do we seek the punishment of all involved? Do we demand that the evildoers be given the ultimate punishment for these horrible offenses? Or, do we concentrate not on those who have done wrong, but on those who have suffered? Do we seek the restoration and redemption of their lives?

Personally, I totally understand the first response. I am so angry that these acts could have happened and be tolerated by grown adults for so long. I struggle with those feelings of anger, though, feeling that God's justice may look a little different than man's. I think God's justice seeks to right the wrongs that have occurred, not by punishing the offenders persay, but redeeming the offended. That is the outcome we seek!

He is making all things new! As we live in this advent season of anticipation, I anticipate the restoration of fallen man. I anticipate the overflowing compassion of God on those whose lives have been forever altered by evil men. And I seek the coming of a Messiah who can deliver on those promises. I do not understand why things like this happen, but I do sit and earnestly await the coming Kingdom of God where stories such as this have no mention. I wait for my King to come and ascend upon his throne, understanding that his throne looks a lot different than we think it might. This is the response I feel convicted to have in light of these stories. A response born not out of vengenace, but of hope. Hope that the sun will arise upon these frosted plains and bring new light and life to those who have fallen. 

Lord, may that Kingdom come... and may it come soon. Amen.

Generational Upheaval: Politics

**This is Part 3 of a series responding to "The Generation of Contrast," an article in the current issue of Relevant Magazine**

There is an undeniable shift going on in our culture today. Multiple generations are learning what it means to co-mingle and work together. The generation popularly termed "The Millennials" is increasingly gaining relevance and momentum in the world. We are in a very unique time period and I firmly believe that properly navigating this current balance and eventual complete shift between generations is the most important task we have on our plates today. Our goal is to continue to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven... a Kingdom whose citizens have no age or demographic. A Kingdom that invites all to join at the table, free from the weight of presupposition that we so often place around each others' necks. What I am trying to say is that in order for us to embrace a Kingdom of equality, we must learn about those presuppositions we all carry to the table. Here in this unique time period, a new generation is taking the helm and a distinct fear of the unknown has bubbled to the surface. As I mentioned at the start of this series, older generations are looking at these fresh faces and don't understand what they are seeing. As one of those fresh faces, beginning to take a role of leadership, I feel a certain responsibility to accurately represent my generation and help ease this transition. Fear of the unknown can be a powerful thing indeed, and so this series of articles is my attempt to shine light on just exactly who these twenty- and thirtysomethings are, with the intent of sowing seeds of trust among all who have been invited to the table.

The 2008 presidential election in the USA was like none that had come before. This generation, previously written off as apathetic towards politics, took an abrupt aboutface and engaged the process with more gusto than anyone could have predicted. While part of that was directly due to the success of the Obama campaign's embrace of social media and unconventional campaigning, the election nonetheless served as the coming out of a new type of voter that must be reckoned with: the young Christian. In my opinion, and from what I have observed from my friends and peers, the most important key to understanding our political beliefs is identifying the tension that exists on how Christians view the political process as a means to achieve moral or spiritual success in society. I think it is pretty safe to say that the tactics of the "Moral Majority" and the "Culture Wars" do not sit too well with young Christians. We see the intersection of religious views and political stances as a bit more complicated than perhaps previous generations of Christian voters did. To what extent should Christian beliefs influence public policy? That is a really good - and complicated - question to ask. While in the past, politicians pandered to the "Christian Right" and its rock hard stances on abortion and homosexuality, this new generation is coming out and saying that, well, it's a little more complicated than just a few issues can describe. Yes we are pro-life, but we are far less likely to have that issue be a deciding factor when it comes to choosing our candidate. Yes, we (for the most part) hold the belief that homosexuality is a sin, but we're not as certain that the government should legislate upon strictly religious beliefs. Personally, I believe my vote is precious and I will not give it away so easily to a politician that obviously panders to my religious beliefs. Instead, I want to give it to the candidate whose views I believe most align with the characteristics of the Kingdom of Heaven, because that is the reason I vote - to hasten its arrival.

Now, I must caution, especially in this series, against painting a broad brush. You simply cannot describe an entire generation using broad terminology and examples. There are exceptions to every rule. All I can do is interact with the facts and statistics (as presented in the Relevant article) and compare that with the picture of my generation that I see in my friends and peers. Having done that, this is what I have seen. Now there is an inherent danger of overcorrection here - running so far away from previous generations that we run right into the arms of the enemy. That is what happens when you choose to be reactionary in your politics. My hope is that instead of being reactionary to politicians and pundits, we may be reactionary to the gospel and objectively choose poltical candidates who will further the cause of Christ. That is our goal, and I'm excited to see where we go from here. 2012 will be a test for sure, but hopefully a test that is passed by all with flying colors.

Generational Upheaval: The Family

**This is Part 2 of a series responding to "The Generation of Contrast," an article in the current issue of Relevant Magazine**

Going to a conservative Christian college in the midwest, you can't help but detect a certain undertone of expectation. You hear stories of how parents and professors fell in love and married their spouse back when they went to college. You sit in chapels led by husband-and-wife duos who give expert advice on "finding the one" while in school. You hear over and over again the jokes about "getting my ring by spring" or "finishing up my M.R.S. degree." Marriage was a topic at school that always sat right beneath the surface, often shaping the conversation at hand. I even remember sadly having conversations with friends who honestly revealed to me that because they were going to graduate unmarried, they felt their college years were worthless and a failure.

I say all of this to provide a contrast to the reality that presently exists when it comes to marriage for this generation. The conservative Christian college view of marriage taking place early in one's twenties is certainly in the minority when compared to the rest of the world. The norm is the idea that marriage can wait. Only 12 percent of young Christians expect to be married by 25, just 9 percent expecting children. Adolescence continues to be prolonged and the ritual of marriage continues to be delayed from how it was for our parents and grandparents. There are several reasons for this:

• Learning from our parents. Divorce rates for the baby boomer generation are astronomical. A majority of twenty- and thirtysomethings grew up in a home affected by divorce. Knowing and understanding firsthand the effect divorce has on children, young men and women in this generation are far less likely to enter the covenant of marriage on little more than a whim. We understand that fairy tales don't exist in real life, so you want to make sure this relationship is something that will indeed last for the rest of your life before you enter that holy covenant.
• Delay of maturity. With the delay of adolescence comes a delay in maturity. The knowledge that mom and dad will be there to pick me up if/when I fall is a powerful thing indeed. We just plain aren't forced to grow up quite as quickly as the previous generations have, and various responsibilities aren't required to be taken as soon as they used to be.
• Delay of income. Money is a significant factor. Unemployment among young adults is high, and those who do find employment following college discover that the entry level compensation just isn't enough to raise a family on.
• High aspirations. Many in this generation have high goals: completing degrees, finding the right job, traveling the world, or making a difference in some tangible way, and tying the knot can delay or even outright cancel the eventual achievement of those goals.

As with all things, there are positives and negatives associated with this sociological phenomenon. I'm constantly floored by the idealism of this generation. We see the world that we are inheriting and we want to fix it. We want to avoid the mistakes our parents made. That is exciting stuff! On the other hand, we tend to fall into the territory of arrogance in desiring this activism. We think we know the solution, only to often find out painfully that we don't. Overall, while it may seem to be a negative when compared to the past ways of starting and raising families, I think the delay of marriage is a good thing. Divorce rates are down for 18-34 year olds and they continue to decline. We are waiting to marry, but it's usually for the right reasons. Personally, I find that I need to fight that ingrained notion that my upbringing taught me. I'm not married, and that actually is a good thing! I think back to who I was back in college when my friends were getting married and I cringe. I definitely was not ready for that type of responsibility. I continue to grow in maturity and I know that my 26-year old self has a lot more to offer my future wife than I did five years ago when the pressure to marry was at its peak.

There are HUGE implications here for the church. First, we have to release the expectation I described at the beginning of this article. Youth in this culture are predominantly unmarried well into their twenties and we cannot have expectations otherwise. The young single adult demographic is the number one most overlooked category in the ministry of the church. If (and that's a HUGE if) a church has a ministry to young adults, it is usually catered solely to college age and the next step offered is for newlyweds. Most churches cater to young couples with children and are far less capable of connecting with young singles. This paradigm shifted outside the church a looong time ago, and its time for us in the church to begin reevaluating our expectations of young people and start meeting them where they are rather than telling them where they should be. This is a crucial step for the church as we continue to march forward into the 21st Century.

What do you think? Is the offset of marriage a good or bad thing? What can the church do better to reach the unmarried?

Generational Upheaval: Where is the Hope?

 

I got the new issue of Relevant Magazine in the mail the other day and the cover story is particularly intriguing. They are taking a look at the values and beliefs of the current twenty- and thirtysomethings and asking the question of how this generation is shaping and changing the face of Christianity. From my viewpoint, it seems that we are continuing down this road of transition - the baton being handed from one generation to the next - and points of tension are increasingly becoming apparent. In the little Nazarene corner of Christendom, we have seen the birth of a grassroots campaign that is antagonistic and critical (some may even say concerned) of current leadership, questioning their decisions and seeking an upheaval in both theology and praxis. What's strange, though, is that this grassroots campaign isn't springing up from the exuberance and enthusiasm of young people (in general... there are exceptions to every rule of course), but from an older generation that is desperately grasping and clinging to what it believes to be the core tenets of the church that are now being demeaned and destroyed. It's been a bloody fight with even a few casualties along the way, as sad as that is to admit. I have seen dear friends stripped to the core by baseless and hateful attacks. I've even seen peers contemplate (and some even making the decision of) leaving the church, finding no hope in loving and serving a group of people that wish only for their demise. I'm not gonna lie... in my darkest moments, I too have considered this. Aggressive attacking and mudslinging is bad enough out in the secular world (just focus on the current "class warfare" debate that is going on in the press), but it is magnified even greater when it occurs in the context of the church. You know why? Because we should know better. Because we are called to a higher standard. Because Jesus taught us to love our neighbor, to focus on our planks instead of obsessing over others' specks. It's an absolute shame to see conversations that start out with good intentions and dialogue quickly regress to attacking, mudslinging, and condemnation.

So, in the midst of this generational upheaval, I ask a question that I try to ask continuously in every circumstance: "Where is the hope in this?" It's easy to focus on the negatives (trust me) but you cannot learn or progress if hope is not identified and sought. So, here are four places I see hope:

• 1. Conversation is happening.  Even though it has a tendency to backslide into dangerous and downright sinful territory, the simple fact that conversation is occurring is encouraging. Discussions are taking place on topics that wouldn't have even dared been brought up just 10 or 15 years ago. This is a good thing, as it forces us to continuously evaluate our stances and our structure. Evaluation is so important... you can't be right about the future when you're wrong about the past (to borrow a lyric). We continue to move forward and forward motion is the goal: it is what gets us closer to the Kingdom.
• 2. Essentials are being identified. "In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity." In the midst of these conversations, we are identifying and distinguishing the essentials and non-essentials. This is the key step in this evaluation process. What unites us? Focusing on that and discovering what that looks like brings hope. Even in the midst of what can be frustrating and banal conversations, we are learning what those things are that we can have some wiggle room in and conversely, what those things are that must unite us in orthodoxy.
• 3. The truth is being sought. Both generations are earnestly seeking the truth and that is encouraging. Real truth is blind: it does not know our preconceptions and motivations... it just is. The desire for finding that truth is a holy endeavor. My only prayer is that we seek that truth, being truly unafraid of what we may find. The truth will set us free.
• 4. And most importantly, God is working. I've had the absolute privilege recently of reading and interacting with testimonials from the event I worked on this summer. Every single one of them reflects the beauty of God's work. He is doing great things in the midst of our brokenness and it is so exciting to witness that. I'm not going to lie, I was concerned about the response the event may engender. It was a key event in the lifecycle of the church and has come at this crucial point of generational upheaval. It was entirely possible, in my mind at least, that the negative reception of a vocal minority could drown out the beautiful work that God was going to do in the event. I'm so glad I was wrong. Criticism remained solely in the realm of logistical frustration, which you're going to have no matter what when planning an event of this size. There were no picketers, no online petitions (at least none that generated more than 36 signatures...), and no theological distractions. Just the real, authentic, and honest work of the Holy Spirit. Thousands of young people received the call at NYC and I'm so excited to see this generation continue to find its place in the church and build confidence in the knowledge that they really do matter to God's work of restoration in this world. Trust me on this, God is up to something big. If you can't find hope in that, then you must have no pulse.

What do you think? I would love to hear feedback and comments from others on this topic. Where else do you see hope in the midst of generational struggle? In the coming days and weeks I will delve into the more specific aspects of the Relevant article, including the topics of family, politics, faith, and society. Okay... maybe I'll stay away from the politics one!

It is my hope that His hope encounters each of us in an undeniable and unmistakable way as we continue to grow into this new reality, this new picture of the church as it continues to march into the 21st century.

What's Real & What's Fake?

I just finished Source Code and it really was a great movie. The premise is a little hackneyed - picture The Matrix meets Inception meets Groundhog Day - but what it lacked in originality it more than made up for in execution. Paced perfectly, acted well, and another stellar outing from Duncan Jones... following up on the terrific Moon. No spoilers here: the main character is forced to relive the same 8 minutes over again until he can figure out who bombed a Chicago Metra train. As the movie progresses, the familiar sci-fi theme of reality vs. fantasy comes up.

Is this reality I am in? Or just a dream? Or something else entirely?

It's similar to thoughts I have been having recently in my own life. The past three months have been the most eventful I can ever remember. Looking back, I continue to ask the question: what was real? And what was fake?

In my job, I worked harder than I ever have, putting up 75-hour work weeks to accomplish the event I have helped plan for two years now. The event went really well. Like, best-case-scenario well - so well that I'm still waiting for the other shoe to fall. Basking in the glory of that moment (and now, continuing to live in it as the rest of the world moves on), I wonder what was real. Was it the agonizing and often-frustrating hours of preparation? Or was it the joy of seeing everything come to fruition - in essence, realizing it was all worth it? With both of those periods in the past now, I look back at it all and can't help but smile.

In my personal life, I too experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows. I started to see a new rhythm of life become unveiled as a new relationship blossomed. Then, I crashed back to earth: returning to the old familiar rhythm I had known all too well. It really was quite the roller coaster ride. Looking back, I ask again: what was real and what was fake? Was I simply fooling myself into believing this "new" reality, while all along I was still plugged into that machine - my body still existing in the "real world" while my mind wandered?

These are thoughts of evaluation. I am always seeking evaluation. What worked and what didn't? How can I do better? What do I need to know moving forward? And what steps do I need to take to get to the next level? Understanding all of that and evaluating the last months, I lean more toward the perspective that everything was real. I truly believe emotion is real and should be embraced, not discarded. If you feel it, it's real. No need to question it. Even though the low times sucked, they were necessary. To borrow a cliched statement: "the shadow proves the sunshine."

The next steps are crucial. Following evaluation, action must be taken. What was learned from this in order to improve the future? I think I know, at least to some extent, and I'm ready for the next chapter. Whatever that may be.

And, more than ever, God proves faithful. Just like always.

We are soooooooooo blessed.