Oak Ridge Today

Guest column: Imperial religion has no place in the Kingdom of God

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Preparing for the greatest day of the year, Easter, was a bit harder this year than last. On Thursday, the night we remember how Jesus was betrayed and handed over to both the religious and political empires of his day, I happened to read of the new bill that seeks to designate the Bible as the state book of Tennessee.

There are a ton of ways to scream “no” to this legislation, starting with the both the Tennessee Constitution and the United States Constitution. There is also the objection that the bill places the transcendental and eternal qualities of the Bible on the same footing as the lily (our state flower) or the raccoon (our state animal). Of course, then there’s just downright common sense: The laws I use to influence my neighbor’s religion (or lack of) can easily be the same laws by which my neighbor one day attempts to subjugate me.

Those are fine ways to oppose this bill, but they are of lesser concern to me as a Christian pastor of 25 years. I am most deeply concerned at the way in which an action like this stands in stark opposition to the actions and words of the Bible itself, most especially as revealed in the person of Jesus. [Read more…]

Guest column: ‘More than true’…Christmas matters

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I had a talk not too long ago with a very intelligent person about Christian Christmas stories. He asked, “Surely you don’t actually believe that the Christmas story you preach really happened?” It was a question that I settled long ago, although it reminded me that many people still struggle with their faith around the holidays.

Even though there are probably some good reasons to ponder the “reality” of the Nativity story over the holidays, I honestly don’t even think about it anymore. I once read a quote that went something like, “The question is not always whether it is real, but whether it matters…the things that matter most become reality.”

Atheist Sam Harris has written about “tiny lies” and the cost they have on our culture. He even discusses Santa Claus, taking on a popular non-religious Christmas tradition as a form of deception. I see Harris, much like my friend, in a very “stuck” place. When we bring the wrong question to the table, we often feel the need to “force feed” answers. No one likes being force-fed.

When it comes to Santa, the question for families is not so much whether or not he and his reindeer troop are real; rather the question is whether or not he matters. Because if he matters, every family finds a way to make him real during the season. [Read more…]

High Places has ‘Walk Thru the Bible’ on Sept. 7

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High Places Community Church

High Places Community Church in Grove Center is pictured above.

High Places Community Church will be hosting a special “Walk Thru the Bible” event on Sunday, September 7, at the historic Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road in Oak Ridge.

The event has been booked as the result of a passion, one that stretches back more than 30 years in the heart of High Places’ founding pastor Martin Fischer, who also celebrates a birthday on the same date.

“What I want for my birthday is to host a party where anyone in attendance will be given a chance to experience the same thing I once did in a ‘Walk Thru the Bible’ event,” the Rev. Fischer said in a press release. “Years ago, I came away with a better understanding, appreciation, and even fascination for the way the Bible story unfolds through history. It was life-changing for me.”

This event, which focuses on the Old Testament, offers a unique and highly interactive way to gain better handles on the Bible stories that show how God built a “faith family” with the Hebrew people in the two millennium leading up to the birth of Jesus. [Read more…]

A service of lessons, carols at First United Methodist Church

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Tis the Season! Tis the season when Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and what better way than through a traditional service of lessons and carols? Come to this festive service, comprised of the stories and songs of Christmas, on Sunday, Dec. 1, at 6:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church at 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The Service of Lessons and Carols was first held on Christmas Eve 1918 at King’s College in Cambridge, England. Since then, it has been celebrated throughout the world, sometimes still on Christmas Eve, otherwise sometime during the season of Advent, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. While the backbone of the service, the lessons, has remained virtually unchanged, there is much beautiful and moving Christmas music to choose from when organizing such a service. [Read more…]

Faith column: Change the world like it really matters

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What an amazing sight! A middle-aged woman and a man sitting at a picnic table surrounded by fascinated young people all listening attentively to what she was saying. I wanted to go over there but didn’t. I waited to see what would be said afterward.

Revonna has had visions. You might ask, “Visions? Were they about the past? The present? The future?” The answer is yes. They are as ancient as the earth and as modern as tomorrow. These kids wanted to hear about it.

We don’t do church like everyone else. We didn’t even mean to start a church, and I’m not sure we should even call it a church. One night with seven people present, after three hours of nothing but prayer and scripture, suddenly the Holy Spirit broke in and spoke to us that we were to meet in our basement on Sunday morning, and have Rich Bean bring the message. We were shocked honestly because none of us had talked about it. Rich didn’t even answer whether he would do it or not. One woman said, “Yes, please.” I responded as any gracious hostess would, though tentatively, “Ok.” Everyone then left. [Read more…]

Faith column: Imagine greater

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I have a heart for skeptics. I understand what that feels like. When I used to read the story of doubting Thomas, I could relate. Jesus tells him in John 20:29: “You believe because you have seen. Blessed are those who have yet to see and still believe.” My response to that was usually—”Well, how convenient Jesus!”

It wasn’t always this way for me. There was a time that I didn’t have any doubts at all. To be quite honest, that made me a downright scary person. I know it isn’t this way for everyone because I’ve met a great many people with a deep, deep faith who aren’t scary people. They love and serve, and their lives are completely admirable. Still, I have spent just enough of my life with a doubting Thomas inside to know skepticism and even to appreciate it.

I had an experience this summer, however, that touched me to the core. I saw God in such a way that I won’t ever need to see anything more. It sealed the deal. You may never understand how difficult it is for a naturally skeptical person to make a statement like that. [Read more…]

Faith column: Building on the firm foundation of spiritual gifts

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The new mindset compared to the old way of thinking

Have you checked your thinking closet lately? What old ways and what new ways are going on all around you? The struggle with many people is: What are the old ways that I want to keep, and what are the new ways I want to accept.

Jesus noticed the problem and used a parable of wine skins to illustrate his point. (Luke 5:33-39) He understood. He knew the reality of change. He fought against some of the need for change that he was bringing himself.

Here are a few thoughts on the subject of churches and changes. Many, many more could be added to the list. [Read more…]

Faith column: Laying up treasures in Heaven

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By Sarah Jane Carson

It’s frustrating when you choose the godly road but seem to see other Christians acting any way they want, seeming to never get chastised for it. However, we should never allow other people’s actions to dictate our actions.

  1. Our actions aren’t pending on the actions of someone else.
  2. You will reap what you sow, so some day if all you have planted in your garden is cauliflower, you will eat cauliflower. In other words, if everyone seems to be grouchy to you all the time, quit being grouchy to others, especially the family God placed you in. God’s Word teaches: Treat others how you want to be treated. It doesn’t say except if they’re your family then it doesn’t matter. Remember, Jesus said He was sent to His family first (the Jews). God has His eyes right on how your attitude is around the family God placed you in. Why? Because you are your real self around family you are not trying to please, impress, or win; you are you, and that’s what matters most. [Read more…]

Faith column: Storm thoughts

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As I write this, the death count is 24, happily down from 91, following the massive EF5 tornado that recently ripped through Moore, Okla. Since I used to live in that state, and traveled through that area of Oklahoma City, the video of the devastation was of places I recognized. I mourn the loss of life, the property damage, and the disruption of the lives of those who survived.

Natural calamities like this prompt many questions, many of which cannot be answered, but some of those questions reveal some of our faulty thinking as well. No one can say why God allowed this disaster; no one can say why one person was spared and another was taken. But the fact that questions like this are even asked assumes that we somehow believe that we have a right to live, or, stated conversely, that God has no right to take our lives before we have had the opportunity to live most of our “three score and ten.” [Read more…]

Faith column: This ‘High Tech…Low Touch’ world of ours

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Occasionally while holding our grandson in my lap as he begins to drift off to sleep, he will look up into my face with all the inquisitiveness of any four-year-old. Slowly and gently, he will reach upward to touch my nose, lips, and eyebrows and with his tiny fingers begin to explore what to him must seem like a vast terrain of the unknown. My eyes follow his, and then unexpectedly I begin to experience the kind of bonding that develops when one gazes intently into the face of another. This small gesture of a child touched my soul in a way I didn’t anticipate, much different than, for instance, shaking someone’s hand, even of family and friends.

A book came out some 30 years ago called “Megatrends,” which predicted a major shift in the world, in one instance characteristically described as “high tech…low touch.” The more technologically advanced we are, the less is our interpersonal connectedness. We see evidence of this today in our relationships with one another, especially in the fracturing of the traditional family and the steady decline of meaningful interaction within households. This brings to mind how important it was for Jesus to gather his disciples around a table and be able to look into the faces of those whom he loved dearly. The next time we gather with family and friends around the table, take a moment to gaze into the faces of those around us. There is something magical and perhaps even mystical about what happens to us when we are intently focused on the face of another, especially when we remember it is one shaped in God’s own image.  [Read more…]

Kern Methodist has ‘Living Last Supper’ on Maundy Thursday

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Kern United Methodist Church Last Supper

Members of Kern United Methodist Church will perform a “Living Last Supper” in the church’s Family Life Center at 7 p.m. on Maundy Thursday, March 28. (Submitted photo)

On the eve of Jesus’ Crucifixion, Jesus and the twelve Apostles met in an Upper Room in Jerusalem to observe the Passover. At this meal, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, a memorial observed by Christians to this day. As they ate together, Jesus announced that one of them would betray Him. Leonardo da Vinci sought to capture their reactions in his famous painting, “The Last Supper.”

Several members of Kern United Methodist Church will recreate this masterpiece on Maundy Thursday, March 28, in a dramatic interpretation of “The Living Last Supper” at 7 p.m. in the church’s Family Life Center. In addition to the drama, there will be several musical and dance selections. The service will conclude with Holy Communion and dismissal by prayer. [Read more…]

Faith column: Dimensions of the Resurrection

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Resurrection

On several occasions, I have stood beside empty tombs or graves. I have seen the incredulous, empty stares of shocked family members forced to bury a loved one. Many times the death has been untimely and seemingly unfair. It is hard to make sense of death. But its pain can be absorbed by the promise of resurrection. The apostle Paul reminds us that everything truly stands or falls on the resurrection.

This holiday (holy-day) comes around annually. It is never on the same Sunday, and sometimes I am amazed at either how early or how late it is for that particular calendar year. Teachers and students eagerly anticipate its appearance on the calendar for Spring Break. Though hardly ever on the same date, it comes around like clockwork. But its annual appearance is obscured by the fact that it falls in line with a host of regular holidays. We often know that it comes around spring time, and before Mother’s Day. [Read more…]