The Exclusivity that is Poisoning the Church

William Tyndale once said, "The Church is the one institution that exists for those outside it."

Yet, in the world today, the Church has become selfish, self-centered, and focused on petty, trivial issues for the members within it. At the end of the day, the Church is no different from the country club that has very expensive membership dues, prompting an exclusivity for the wealthy, and prohibiting the middle to lower class citizens.

Now, I am a Malayalee Marthomite, so this post will be directed towards the Mar Thoma Church. This is not because I have a hatred towards the Church, or because I am being prejudiced towards the Church. Rather, since I hope to be ordained as a minister and serve within the Church, I would like to see the spark of change that will bring our churches to be a place for the brokenhearted, lost, and spiritually destitute people that are seeking for something, but haven't yet found it. I want the Church to be a place where we introduce Christ into the lives of various people, igniting a fire within the hearts of people of all races, colors, creeds, and life choices.

I don't think I've ever been as burdened about this issue, as I am now. Yet, it has always been in my heart and mind, but I never thought to speak up, and now I realize, if someone doesn't speak up, how can change be spurred? If Martin Luther King Jr. didn't march on Washington, we wouldn't see a sense of equality in this nation (Keep in mind that I say "a sense of equality," because I don't believe true equality has fully been achieved). Anyways, let me stay on topic. I've begun to wonder, are present day Christians behaving more like the Pharisees of old, or are we trying to imitate Christ? I ask this question, because the Jesus I see in the Bible is one who promoted inclusivity. As Christians, the Bible should be our sole authority or as Paul tells Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (II Timothy 3:16-17).

In Luke 7:36-50, Jesus was invited to eat at the house of a Pharisee named Simon. Let's maintain culture and context as we look into this passage. Back in those days, everyone walked around in sandals or were barefoot, and of course this is the Middle East, so it can get very dusty/sandy. Before walking into someone's home, usually people were given water to wash their feet. Yet, as Jesus addresses Simon, this was not done. Now, here is a woman "lived a sinful life" that was standing behind Jesus. Chances are, she was a prostitute. I love what Jesus says to Simon. He says:

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head,but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little” (Luke 7:44-47).

Jesus shows love and mercy to this woman. He accepts her. Yet, in the Church today, we wouldn't dare let anyone whose sins are uncovered into our churches. We end up gossiping about them. Yet, there are so many people that are engaging in sins that the members of the Church do not know, folks with "power," and they come to church, gossip about those that are weak, vulnerable, and broken, and there is no shame. Pharisees were religious rulers who walked around with pride and pomp as religious authorities, but here is Jesus who is THE religious authority, who is GOD, and He wanted none of that. His ministry and life was so humble. Yet, we come to church in our best suits and saris to show off, and brag about it in the church as if we're models. Can you imagine if someone came into our church that was homeless or working poor? Oh, how shunned they would be! We boast about doing neighborhood missions, and we go out into the at-risk areas. Yet, after we give them some sandwiches, we think our job is done, but that's not the case. Mission is about sharing Christ, and it involves welcoming them openly into our churches. I would like to see that happen one day.

In John 8:2-11, Jesus is teaching in the temple courts. To no one's surprise, here come the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law, but look, who is it that they're dragging along?! Who is that woman?! These leaders bring this woman to Jesus, and say, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" Umm, if I'm not mistaken, adultery is an act between two people in the wrong. Where's the guy? As verse six says, "They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him." Clearly. Yet, Jesus once again, spares this woman's life. He says, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Does this mean Jesus tolerates sin? No, but rather, He is welcoming and extending an opportunity to be in a relationship with Him, to walk with Him. He even says at the end in verse eleven, "'Then neither do I condemn you,' Jesus declared. 'Go now and leave your life of sin.'" He instructs her to leave her life of sin! Jesus does not tolerate sin, because as a perfect God, God does not accept sin. Yet, He accepts the sinner, and we must realize that is what we all are, sinners in need of a Savior. Therefore, as the Church, we can't be throwing verbal stones at fellow believers, ESPECIALLY after taking part of the Lord's Table, as is commonly seen in Church General Body. Can we extend some grace? Can we acknowledge that he/she may be in the wrong, or maybe I am? When the Church becomes a place where people can openly express what they're thinking, only then, can we be inclusive of all generations. We know that the second generation Marthomites feel like they are voiceless. Agree or disagree with me, but I believe this to be true. It's because there is always pushback, attacking them, and saying that their ideas are worthless. Whether it be clergy or the older generation, this is very prevalent. We must stop, because the Church should be cohesive, a working together of all generations, an area of safety.

I see that this is getting really long, but bear with me. I want to talk about one church mentioned in the Bible. The Apostle Paul was a man who went around preaching the Gospel to various areas. Now, one particular area he went to was known as Philippi. There, he met a very wealthy woman named Lydia. Now, Lydia was a seller of purple cloth, so she was doing well for herself. It was like she was the owner of Prada back in those days. Well, Paul preaches, she and her family surrender their lives to Christ, get baptized, and become believers. Then, Paul runs into a slave girl who was demon possessed which enabled her to predict the future. Paul got really fed up with the demon, so he cast it out of her. I'm sure she also surrendered her life to Christ. This doesn't end well for Paul though, because he's thrown in jail. There, he and Silas are singing, praying, and praising God, and all of a sudden, God causes an awesome earthquake to break their chains. No questions asked, I would jet faster than an F-16. What does Paul do? He stays behind, and good thing he does! The jailer was about to make a really bad decision. He was about to commit suicide. This jailer saw something else through the work of the Holy Spirit in Paul and Silas' lives, and he too surrendered his life to Christ. Right then and there, three individuals and their families are now the first members of the Church of Philippi. Three people from three very different walks of life. Easily, there could be exclusivity, shunning of the slave girl, so many wrong things could happen, but when Paul writes his letter addressed to the Philippians, he is praising the work of the Church, and what Christ is doing through them. With this understanding, you should read the book of Philippians. I can't begin to tell you how amazing it is to see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in a church.


With all of this happening, and Jesus saying to Zacchaeus the wee little man, "You come down, for I'm coming to your house today" (Try and read that without humming the song, I couldn't), you will see just how inclusive the Church is intended to be. Contrary to popular belief, heaven is NOT going to be only for Malayalees (*shock*). Might as well start to get along with folks of other races, lifestyles, and statuses than we are while we are on this earth. It's good practice for heaven.

You know, I've seen and heard various stories of people of other races being kicked out of many of our churches. There has been a situation where a Caucasian couple walked into a Mar Thoma Church, and they walked out halfway through the Communion, because everybody's eyes were on them, not in worship. There was a story about an African American single mother who brought her children for Sunday School, and the church had to have an emergency Executive Committee meeting to address the situation. Once, a woman was told that this is an Indian Church, not open to Americans, so she was forced to leave. I mean, I can go on with the stories. If you know of any of these stories, or you believe that I'm talking about your church, chances are, I am, but let's maintain confidentiality, and not expose or get upset with me for sharing these stories, but use it as a way to learn and grow.

What amazes me is, in India, mission work is thriving for the Mar Thoma Church, and people of low castes are being reached out to, but here, we're staying away from all of that. Why? I was a bit surprised when I read a quote by Mar Chrysostom who said, "The ethnic Church, therefore is really a contradiction, in terms. If you are saying that this church is only for the people from Kerala, then that is not the Church of God." Yep, you better believe it. Let's get rid of this poisonous thought that is plaguing our churches, and open our doors to the world. It may not be easy at first, but it is a lot better than the contrast. Can you imagine if Jesus said to us, "You wouldn't welcome in any of the least of these, so you didn't welcome me in. That means, I don't welcome you into heaven. Depart from me!" That would be just terrible!

Kick out the exclusivity that is poisoning the Church, and open the doors for the least of these.

"So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."

–Galatians 3:26-29

"'As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?' When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, 'So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.'"

–Acts 11:15-18 

#DoSomething Mission in Colonia Mar Thoma, Mexico

Louie Giglio in the book, Finish the Mission: Bringing the Gospel to the Unreached and Unengaged wrote, “There is a ripple effect to the gospel that’s inevitable. There’s a ripple effect to true grace. It doesn’t lead us to only sit and contemplate what happened to us. It leads us to proclaim what’s happened to us—and what can happen to anybody and everybody on the planet.”

Do something. That was my motto for my desire for mission work. Throughout the course of the past ten months, I have been undergoing a pre-theological training in the Mar Thoma Church as preparation to join the Mar Thoma Theological Seminary in Kottayam, Kerala, India. While I was training, I began to see that I’m so well take care of, and people from each church that I’ve gone to have been meeting my needs beyond what I ever expected. Yet, I felt something was missing. I began to desire to do mission work, but I began wondering where I would go. If I was sent to India for mission work, how would I be able to afford getting there, and since I’m the only one training right now, would I be the only one going? Then, I thought about Mexico Mission, and for quite the long time, I heard nothing was really happening in our mission field in Mexico. Yet, when I got plugged into the Diocese, I began seeing more of the mission work in Mexico, even the chapel that was built there was monumental, because to be quite honest, I had absolutely no expectations of the field. After speaking with the bishop, I realized that wasn’t the case, and I requested to be sent to Mexico to stay in the mission field for two weeks. Things were arranged, so I could come into Mexico, and on Friday, June 27, 2014, I stepped foot back in Mexico for the first time since December 2008. This is a chronicle of my time in Mexico.

When we arrived on Friday, June 27th, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Now, initially, when I requested the bishop to send me to Mexico, I was feeling very adventurous and dangerous, because I said, I want to go to Mexico, and I didn’t really take an effort into finding someone to join me. Then, the bishop went to a house which had a 16 year old boy, and asked him if he would like to join me. He himself admitted that he wasn’t all too sure about what to get into. Yet, we partnered up, and as the ten days go by, I feel that we’re getting closer. I must admit, I’m glad I had company. Can you imagine not having someone to talk to in a language that you’re comfortable with? Absolute craziness.

Matthew West, Christian singer and song writer, came up with a song called, “Do Something,” and the lyrics are powerful, based on a young lady who went to study abroad in Uganda, only to come across a neglected and abused orphanage. It compelled her to stay in Uganda to rebuild an orphanage for those children and share the love of Christ to those kids. Now, that orphanage houses over one hundred orphans! Her story is so powerful, because she left her life in the US, and the conviction in her heart made her strive to do something. My prayer throughout this time has been, “God enable me to be Your hands and feet,” to the people in this mission field. I want to, “do something.” I even had a Twitter and Instagram hashtag, “#DoSomething” on everything that I posted.

Well, we began our work here, and as much as we try to do something, we do run into our fair share of obstacles. More than that though, the one thing I realize is that when one serves in a mission field, the devil seems to attack in more pertinent and visible ways. I don’t quite know what it is, but he has been trying to break us down, but praise God that our God is greater than any other, and if our God is for us, then who can really stop us? I feel like our Spanish has improved quite drastically, definitely the work of the Holy Spirit. Remember in Acts 2, during the day of Pentecost, the Apostles stood up and began preaching? Yeah, and here’s the kicker, the people listening had probably never met these Apostles before, nor do they all speak the same language, but God opened a door in that situation too, so I must ask, why not us? The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in us, after all.

Basically, some of the work that I’ve been doing here is collecting information of the people living here, and I am trying to organize updated information to pass along to the diocese, but also, we’re trying to get a playground built here, so just kind of assessing that situation. We also play fútbol (aka soccer) with the kids. I believe my soccer skills are improving as well, because when I was goalkeeper, I was blocking shots left and right, from nine-year-old boys. Yeah, not proud of it, but got to start somewhere. I mean, there’s a lot of playing with the kids. We even played catch with an American football which kind of turned aggressive really quickly as it became a game of chase the person with the ball. This place has some tough as nails girls, because they have no fear to go at it with some of the boys here. I think it’s absolutely amazing.

I think what’s more important than all of this though is how God continuously works and makes His presence known. If you have ever doubted the presence of God, well I can tell you this much, don’t do it. God is just as present and prevalent as He was years before. One example that I can give you is Sunday night, the enemy tried to attack one of the most spiritual, caring, and motherly figures here by giving her a severe medical emergency. One of the men in the area who knew how to drive a car took her to the hospital. The next evening, she comes back, and she is doing much better. Can you imagine? That could have gone so much worse, but if God’s presence wasn’t here, would she have recovered so quickly? Not possible.

Here’s another example. Every evening, I conduct evening worship in the church that we have here. I try to be a stickler for time, especially when it comes to worship. I don’t think people here appreciate that, because they’re used to going at a slower pace than I am. Anyways, I began it Monday night, and what I would do is, five to ten minutes before 8:00 PM, I would walk around the colony, yelling, “Oracion en la Iglesia en cinco minutos o en diez minutos,” (Worship the church in five minutes or ten minutes). Monday night, I had ten people there. That was still more than I ever expected. Tuesday evening though, I had a total of 45 people there! Can you imagine?! What I’ve been doing is, leading them in some Spanish songs I know, and they sing some of their own, then reading a Psalm, a prayer, and then into the message. Monday and Tuesday, I haven’t had a translator, so I show them, “Yo Soy Segundo” (I Am Second), in hopes that the testimonies of these other people’s lives would inspire those that haven’t already to surrender their life to Christ. That is how God works. There is hunger for spiritual growth here, and God has created you and me to reach out and minister to those that are hungry. Throughout the course of the week, people started coming in on time, and numbers never decreased. It brought my heart joy!

One of the mornings, I was doing my Bible plan, and the particular reading for the day was Matthew 9, and as I read Matthew 9, I came across verses 35 to 38, and in there, it says, “…he [Christ] had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” I feel like my compassion for these people grew daily. It really is sad that they are harassed and helpless almost, because they can be so neglected and turned aside.

Politics has been a source of hindrance in more ways than one in the church. I see that in the mission field as well. There have been people that I’ve met who would discourage the work going on in Mexico, and there are many who see it more as a business venture. Since the mission field is not producing a net gain for us, we should cut our losses and move on. It breaks my heart when I hear people saying things like that. There is so much that can be done, but it involves us to do something. It involves us getting out of our comfort zone. We can’t look at this as a business venture, but rather, we must look through the eyes of Jesus, with compassion.

I hope, you the reader will find this post to be encouraging to not be content in simply sitting in your AC filled home, with ample water, and electricity, but hear and experience the call of God in your life to go and serve. For every Christian, it’s not a question of IF God is calling you to do mission, but rather, WHERE.

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

–Matthew 9:37-38

God Will Give You More Than You Can Handle

Fredrick W. Robertson said these words on suffering. "As the tree is fertilized by its own broken branches and fallen leaves, and grows out of its own decay, so men and nations are bettered and improved by trial, and refined out of broken hopes and blighted expectations."

First and foremost, I would like to go on record to state that this post is not like my previous posts. There has been a lot that has happened in my life. I have begun my steps into my ministry, and I am currently undergoing a one year training process. During this training, I go all across the U.S., and I shadow the ministers that are assigned to each church. I preach, assist in the worship service, visit people, and do essentially whatever the minister would like for me to do in terms of serving the church. In return, they accommodate me in their houses. After this, there is an entrance exam and then an interview (both around August to October 2014), and I will start seminary in India (Mar Thoma Theological Seminary in Kottayam, Kerala) which is a four year Bachelors of Divinity degree. Please do keep me in your prayers, and I appreciate all the prayers that have come my way this far.

That being said, I return back to stating this is not like my previous posts. I want to share something that has been burdening my heart for some time now. As most everyone knows that reads my blog knows, my best friend and brother Patrick passed away on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 from what was the worst day of many people's lives, including mine. During those days, many people said to me and to several of my close friends that grieved the loss of Patrick, "God won't give you more than you can handle." I have seen this phrase being used countless times before this incident and countless times after. I began to think to myself, "Well, that sounds a bit weird. Why wouldn't He give us more than we can handle? Is that even Biblical?" I am here to state that I respectfully disagree with anyone who claims that God does not give us more than we can handle.

Most people tend to refer to the verse in I Corinthians 10:13 where Paul says, "And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." I don't see suffering being mentioned even once in that verse. To be honest, suffering is not even mentioned in that entire chapter. Also, when you look at the context of the chapter, Paul is speaking out against the sins of the Israelites, and how Christian believers are not to fall into the same temptations they were. God does not tempt you, but He allows us to be tempted. James says it well in James 1:13, "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." Note that falling into temptation is a choice. Going through suffering is not a choice. In fact, if we are all honest, then none of us really wants to suffer. We would rather live a peaceful, enjoyable life here on this earth. Yet, there are storms that come in our life, and during those storms, Christ is with us.

God does give us more than we can handle in terms of suffering, but that being said, He has promised to be by our side throughout it all, both the good and the bad moments in life, and I can give you thousands of Bible verses to prove that. For example, let's start at the Old Testament. God tells Joshua in Joshua 1:5, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." How about the story of Job? God says to Satan, "There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." Yet, Satan requests God to allow him to wreak havoc on Job's life, and God allows Satan to do so. Job goes through hell and back, and he mourns like no one else, and he refused to be comforted. 41 chapters of basically the most depressing, agonizing words that have ever been written in the Bible! The 42nd chapter is of course God restoring and doubling everything that he once had. Can someone really say this wasn't more than Job could handle?

In New Testament, countless examples are given as well. How about Joseph and Mary? Mary was pregnant before marriage. Savior of the world or not, she could have been stoned, or Joseph planned to divorce her. Folks probably gossiped about the both of them. I'm sure they suffered a lot, but none of it is mentioned in the Bible. Jesus Christ Himself suffered more than He could handle, but He did it, so we wouldn't have to take the punishment of sin on ourselves. Paul was given a thorn in his flesh, and he asked Christ three times for it to be taken away from him. Christ responded by saying one of the verses that actually brought comfort to me during this time in my life. He said in II Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul goes on to say something so remarkable, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." When Christ told Peter to walk on the water in Matthew 14, Peter ends up taking his eyes off Jesus, and he sees the storms of life, and he begins sinking. During that time, Christ could have let him drown, or He could have said, "I told you not to doubt," but in verse 31 it says, "Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him." 

You see, there will be things that go on in life that will be more than you can handle, and the pain may seem like it will last forever, but reality is, eternity with Christ awaits us. You may suffer more than you can handle, but God is by your side throughout every storm that comes your away. Whether you are going through a terminal illness, loss of a loved one, natural calamities, multiple public place shootings, or whatever else may be burdening your heart, He tells you that He loves you, and you are His child. What you go through will cause you to lean on Him like never before. What you go through will be used for the glory of God. Trust me, that is something that I have seen. There is beauty in the broken.

As I wrap up, I want to share a song that I always liked. It's a small song. It begins like this, "Holiness, holiness is what I long for. Holiness is what I need. Holiness is what you want from me. So take my heart and mold it. Take my mind, transform it. Take my will, conform it. To Yours, to Yours, Oh Lord." The last verse says, "Brokenness, brokenness is what I long for. Brokenness is what I need. Brokenness is what you want from me." I sang this song several times, and it's a song that I loved, but I realized I didn't know the depth of those words. When you get to a point in your life when you're so broken, then you know, you can only rely on God to reshape the pieces.

One thing I will say, whenever you are with someone that is hurting so much that God seems distant, then take that time to sit with them and pray for them, cry with them, let your presence be with them. In those moments, what they need is not a sermon, what they need is your love and care, so that they may experience God through you.

God will give you more than you can handle, but the God of Angel Armies will always be by your side.

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."

-Romans 8:18

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

 -Romans 8:37

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

-Isaiah 41:10 

 

Start of a New Chapter

Just to update everyone in what's going on in my life, I have moved to New York on 09/17/13 to begin my one year practical training prior to studying in seminary for ordained ministry in the Mar Thoma Church.

For the past twenty years, Dallas has been my home. I left India when I was two, so I have no memory of my life there. Yet, I will say this, as much as I've griped about the heat of Dallas, for me, there will be no other home on this earth that will replace Dallas. The reason being, for better or for worse, that is where I was shaped into who I am today. Ever since I was a kid, I always wondered why my parents didn't move to New York, because I had learned in school, that was the place where immigrants would first land, and it's the place where the most interesting things are and happen. Looking back, I'm glad I didn't move to New York at that time, because God knew the plans He had for my life. He knew that I needed to be in Dallas, in St. Paul's MTC, studying in the schools that I did, meeting the people I did, forging relationships, coming to a personal relationship with Him, and answering His call to ministry.

Now, as I move forward, I'm in New York. He knew the plans He had for me when He brought my family to Dallas. He knows what's next in my life. He has never left me alone. Through the good times and the bad times, He has proven to be the Lord of my life. I know whatever good things come in my life will be from Him, and whatever obstacles I face, I can only overcome with Him leading me.

To my Dallas friends, I love you all. I'm glad that I've had the opportunity to spend the past twenty years of my life in this great place. God brought us together for a purpose, and you've impacted me. To those that texted, called, posted, messaged, etc., thank you so much! I'm ready to start this next chapter. Although the previous chapter ended in a heartbreaking manner, I know the book of my life is not done yet, and the Author and Perfecter of my faith is continuing to write the pages of my life according to His will, as I journey on the road to His will.

I will leave you with the verses that God convicted my heart with when I entered into a personal relationship with Him.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
-Jeremiah 29:11-13

Reflection on Christianity

Christian author C.S. Lewis once said, “If Christianity is untrue, then no honest man will want to believe it, however helpful it might be: if it is true, every honest man will want to believe it, even if it gives him no help at all.” 

Being a Christian, the session on Christianity was a bit interesting. I did learn a few new things, but I did not feel that the session was a thought provoking one. While I appreciated the session from Rev. Jean-Claude Basset, I respectfully felt that he stated his remarks from a very academic point of view. He taught as one who has studied Christianity which is a necessary view to impart. Yet, I believe his focus should have been more on the beliefs and what is the meaning of being a Christian. What I experienced in the sessions with Rabbi Guedj, Shady, and Mahmoud, was that they academically knew the teachings of their religion, but they taught as a person within that religion, and I believe that should have been the direction of sessions on Christianity as well. Nonetheless, I believe that I did learn quite a bit, and I was exposed to the various teachings in Christianity.

            

Based on our sessions, I came away thinking that Christianity cannot truly follow the commission of Christ as we are not very united ourselves. There are over thirty thousand Christian groups in the world today, but there are only 350 that are members within the World Council of Churches. That means not everyone is working for the unity and the mutual respect between the churches. You can tell everyone about Jesus, but at the end of the day, if they knew this much information, then they would ask why they should join something that is so divided. Yes, I do agree that diversity is great, but unity within diversity is important. Otherwise, enmity will spring forth. Also, I do believe that the region, culture, and languages play an integral part of the creation of denominations, but from an outsider’s perspective, the more groups there are, the less unified we look, regardless of what we do.

Despite our diversity, I believe that we are unified in the essentials of Christian faith. Rev. Basset considers the essentials to be: Jesus, Bible, Faith, Church, Salvation, Mission (Love), and Spirituality. I believe that these are points that any Christian can agree on. Jesus is the Savior of the world, and he came to the earth to redeem us from our sins. Now, we live our lives to glorify his name. Rev. Basset also went on to say that when we refer to Jesus as the Son of God, we do not use that term in a biological way, but rather, he is the visible image of God, just as mentioned in the Gospel of John and in the Epistle of Hebrews. Then, the Bible is our sacred text, and we see the Bible as the fundamental basis of our faith. Faith has two definitions. First, faith is about having confidence and trust in something that we are otherwise not sure of, and faith also means to be faithful. We should be faithful to God, and if we say we trust him, then we ought to live in such a manner. The church is not a building. In Greek, the word used to describe church is known as “ecclesia,” and ecclesia means “assembly.” Therefore, the church is not the structure, but rather, the believers or the body of Christ that assemble together. Furthermore, our duty as Christians is not just to sit inside the four walls of our building, but we are called to live what we learn, and that is the purpose of being a church, in my opinion. Salvation has two meanings as well. First, salvation is about liberation which is in context of slaves. We are slaves to sin, and liberation is freedom from being a slave. Salvation is also about redemption for prisoners. We committed wrong, and we are imprisoned for that, but freedom comes from Christ. Mission, which he interchangeably used with love, is not merely a doctrine, but a way of life. We are to live a life that reflects our Savior. Finally, the last essential of faith is, spirituality. The church began with the day of Pentecost which was the Holy Spirit coming down on the Apostles. Similarly, Jesus’ ministry also began when the Holy Spirit manifested himself. These seven are essentials, and of course, several denominations has various beliefs about each of the seven, but I think they’ll agree on the seven.

            

Rev. Basset discussed the various aspects of Jesus that each of the Gospel writers tried to pinpoint. Matthew would be the Gospel closest in context to Judaism, because Matthew presents Jesus as a Jewish master. Mark presents Jesus as the secret Messiah, because in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus works very hard in making sure his true caricature is not known until the end. Luke presents the moral teaching of Christ, and Luke shares parables of that Christ told. John is of course the most different from the other three. The other three are known as the Synoptic Gospels, but John enables those that read the book to see the spiritual side of Jesus, and that he is the image of God the Father.

            

Jesus left the earth around 33 A.D. Christianity was truly established as a religion in 313 A.D. Until then, the early church was worshiping and teaching about Jesus, but did not deem the need to be established. Once Constantine the Roman Emperor converted to Christianity, he felt the need to provide Christianity with structure, so as to not allow the religion to fall off.

          

In the Nicene Creed, we read the church being described as the “Catholic and Apostolic Church.” Apostolic, because most of the churches were founded or started by one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. In the context of India, Thomas was that disciple for India. Many wonder why Catholic is the term used here, and they begin to wonder if the only church to be saved will be the Catholic church, but the truth is, Catholic means universal, and one day, the divided groups of Christianity will be united and proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord.

            

In our group, we had quite the heated discussion about witnessing. My friend felt that as Christians, witnessing is just the diplomatic way of proselyting, but I viewed that on a very different scale. We do not proselytize, but we share the joy that is in our heart. There is nothing that we can do to gain more of heaven. Christ died on the cross for our sins, and he paid the ultimate price for us. Now, we live our lives as he did, doing good things for others, because we want to. This was perhaps the most heated and the most conflicted of discussion that I have had after coming, but I am glad I did. I did not expect everything to be all happy go lucky, but our time together should stir disagreements, and really get to seeing each person’s perspective. I believe that overall, I had a great experience today.

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

-Matthew 5:16 

            

Reflection on Islam

            One of Prophet Muhammad’s sayings is, “Do you love your creator? Love your fellow beings first.” 

Living in the United States, I feel that the media has worked very hard in portraying Islam and the Muslim community in a negative stereotype by saying that they do not love other people, and if they do love anyone, they only love their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters. The Islamic community has been viewed in such a negative light that it is a shame that the rest of the world do not know the real truth. I believe as I have gained further understanding about Islam, I have been able to mature in my knowledge, and I can appreciate both the Muslim people and the teachings of Islam far more.

           

Islam means to submit or to abandon one’s self under the power and the will of God. That is why the teachings of Islam seem a bit strict. I believe that they are truly expressing that having God in charge of your life means that you truly have to submit yourself to Him. You cannot simply say that you believe in God, but your life not reflect that truth. For them, they must reflect the full extent of that truth. In Islam, Muhammad was given the Quran through the words from the angel Gabriel. His intention was not to create a new religion, but he was to remind the people of things God had said before which people forgot or chose not to follow. They even recognize Jesus as a prophet, and they give him high esteem, but they do not consider him to be the Son of God or the Messiah of the world. They also reiterate several truths that are given in the Torah, and they discuss the teachings of Moses as well.

            In the lectures, the primary focus was on justice and equity in Islam, but that message was carried as a beacon, not only for all the religions but for the people of the world. Justice is a personal value, and the believer is encouraged to attain justice as part of his God-consciousness. Seeking justice is definitely a value within both Christianity and Judaism. One group should not have more focus than another group. As humans, we tend to not be able to attain justice at the fullest extent, and God is truly a just God, but as we seek justice, we will move in the direction God wants for us. The Golden Rule is something that is familiar to all religions, and there might be different ways that the verse is expressed in the various teachings of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, but the centrality of the message is clear. We ought to treat others the way we expect others to treat us, and we also must love the way we expect to be loved. Yet, justice cannot be decided forever. The world is a changing world, and we as humans grow in our knowledge and understanding. The way humanity viewed the world in the time of the Quran, the Bible, or the Tanakh is not the way the world is in the present age. Justice is dynamic, and there must be a sense of flexibility to the teachings that we can undertake. For example, in the United States, there was a time when people had African Americans as slaves, but in our time and context today, African Americans are not going to be slaves. Everyone should be paid for the work that they do, and they must be paid equally, without regard to color, creed, or gender. When the Constitution was first written, equality and justice was only intended for the “rich, white man,” but justice and equality today must be for all men and women. That is the case of the United States, and the Quran should be understood in a way that the rules are not all rigid.

            Mr. Shady Ammane, our lecturer shared with us the concept of the dynamics of group which I felt were very important. In a sense, the dynamics of group was looking through the lens of a Muslim. Usually, we only consider two parties are involved in injustice. There will be a victim, and then there will also be a group who pick on the victim. Yet, in order for a group to pick on a person, there must be an initiator that has the power to start or stop an attack on an individual. I view the dynamics of group in a school playground setting. There is a little child being picked on by a group of kids, and the kids laugh and harass that child, but how did that child begin to get harassed? There was one other child who felt the need to hide his or her own insecurities, so he or she begins to pick on a smaller child, and then gathers a group to join along, thus creating the dynamics of the group.

            Sharia law is something that the media has misconstrued, and the world has misunderstood. First and foremost, Sharia law is not intended for the world, but that is the law for Muslims. In Christianity, we all have the Bible as our fundamental teaching, but each denomination has their own dogmas and beliefs that are continuously passed on, and each member of a particular denomination must uphold those values. Yet, just as I mentioned before, there must be a sense of flexibility and not rigidness. As time progresses, we too must progress. Several people feel that they must hold onto the ideologies from the beginning. In Islam, there are those that believe one should do everything like the Prophet Muhammad did, but they fail to realize that in such a situation, one would not be able to drive a car, have air conditioning, and have smartphones. Similarly, in Christianity, there are those that feel they should hold onto their faith traditions and will refuse to let go of what they have. Yet, Mr. Mahmoud Hammoud said something that truly stuck with me. He said, “Faith traditions do not require for us to be idealistic but work on the betterment of the future for our children.” Regardless of what belief an individual has, they ought to realize that their children live in a very different time than they do. What, then, is the primary focus for them to impart to their children? Should the primary focus not be to provide for the child’s future in a better way? That is what should be truly expressed in each of our three religions.

            Finally, the media has misconstrued and the world has misunderstood the concept of jihad as well. There are two types of jihad: greater jihad (inner jihad) and smaller jihad (outer jihad). The greater jihad means to fight against one’s own personal urges and selfish desires. The smaller jihad states that if someone else attacks you first, you should only retaliate. The greater jihad is the primary focus though. Also, context applies! The Prophet Muhammad had no other option but to go to war in that time setting, so he did. Yet, if he did not have to go to war, then he would not have.

            I learned a lot about Islam in these past two days that I did not know, and a lot of things that I did know were reinforced. I truly enjoyed these sessions.

"Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother or sister."

-I John 4:19-21 

Reflection on Judaism

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, “Wonder rather than doubt is the root of all knowledge.” We were instructed to do a few assignments during the time of this course. First assignment was to write a reflection on Judaism. Since my reflection was two pages, I may consolidate it a bit to not prolong it more than necessary.

As a Christian, I have been exposed to Judaism as Christianity had beginning roots in Judaism. Of course, the Old Testament in the Christian Bible is the sacred text of Judaism, and is known as the Tanakh. The Sabbath or Shabbat is the day that Jews consider as the day of rest that God had commanded to the people of Israel. The Shabbat begins once the sun sets on Friday and continues until the sun sets on Saturday. They consider the Shabbat as a way to return the keys of the world back to God, as Rabbi Marc Raphael Guedj states. I consider his statement about returning the keys of the world back to God as a profound and deep understanding. As humans, our lives move forward with the various activities of our days, and the Jewish people will take some time out of their lives to give the keys of their life to God. As we had the privilege to attend the Shabbat service on Saturday, I was given a glimpse of what life is like for a Jew who observes the Shabbat. The service clearly had deep symbolic meanings, and every expression was deeper than what I could perceive. Rabbi Guedj even mentioned that in Judaism, there are several series of rituals and meanings. In order to keep the meanings, they create dogmas, and the dogmas provide meaning and understanding to what is being conducted. Being in an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, I could see that there might be distinct traits that would separate them from a Reformed Jewish synagogue. First, I noticed that the men were sitting closest to the Torah, and the women were in the balcony. I also thought that the blessing at the end was very impacting. The people could not look at the priests, and the priests had the tallit covering their faces. That is such a deep way to connect the presence of God among the people, because in the Torah, God told Moses that seeing His full presence would kill him, so to be in the presence of God, one should not be looking straight at His face. 

There is a prayer that was included in the second Morning T’fillah that really moved me. The prayer was in the beginning and discusses how the soul is pure and was shaped by God. He is the Almighty. I felt that the prayer really gives God His authority and lordship over the lives of the people. Personally, I do believe in the power of the soul, because when a body is dead, his or her body has a sense of emptiness, but when we are alive, the soul is what truly moves us forward.

Rabbi Guedj went into the deep realities of the Pesach, Sukkot, and the Shavuot which are holy days for the Jewish people. The Pesach is the passing over the angel of death which took the lives of the firstborn of Egypt as the tenth and final plague before Moses and the Israelites were able to depart from Egypt. The Sukkot also known as the Feast of Booths. During the time of the Sukkot, there are two and a half walls, and leaves are patched together for the roof. They spend a week inside, and that is a time of remembrance. The Shavuot, also known as the Weeks, commemorates the anniversary of the Torah being passed to the Israelites. During the time of the Shavuot, the Jews do not sleep during the night, and they study. The Shavuot is a remembrance that they should be alert, unlike the Israelites who began to worship the golden calf and Moses found them asleep as he came down Mt. Sinai with the Torah.

The Kabbalah is a certain mystical teaching within Judaism that Rabbi Guedj shared with us.The Kabbalah is the work of reaching the harmony between contradicting values. The Kabbalah has such a divine inspiration that most of the Jewish texts are influenced by the Kabbalah, and in such a manner, can be prompted to provide wisdom to the Jewish people. Of course, the Kabbalah is not something that should be taken lightly. For the Jews, several people say that the Kabbalah should not be taught to anyone under the age of forty. 

As Rabbi Guedj came to a close in his sessions, he shared with our group about the loss of universality. When the people attempted to build the Tower of Babel, God split the languages of the people. The Tower of Babel was a building enterprise for monolithic singularities. We, as humanity are in exile of a lost universality. When he said that we as humans are in exile without a sense of connection, I was so awestruck. I truly agree with him, because in today’s day and age, we love to express our individuality, and sometimes that becomes more of a priority for us. When our individuality becomes more of a priority, we begin to strive to not have a commonality, and when others do not share with our commonality, strife and conflict become the object of our world today.

I realize that I may not have learned the whole of Judaism, but as I continue to move on in this course, I hope that what I have learned thus far will be able to be connected to the future learnings of Christianity and Islam. With the newfound knowledge that I have received, I hope to utilize for future interfaith dialogue.

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating he had done."

-Genesis 2:2-3 (NIV)