When the problem is in here, not out there

Josh McDowell is a legendary figure in speaking to parents and teens about making choices on what is right or wrong. My son spent a year with him in his early 20's and was profoundly affected in a positive way. As a pacesetter in the current Christian worldview movement, the culture is identified as the main culprit. In his most recent message, McDowell focuses his audience to the latest cultural influence on how teens make choices: it's no longer what I know to be right, or think is right, but what I feel is right that matters.

Here are some points he makes from his recent book, "Set Free to Choose Right":

1. "It's moral relativism that sets the human conscience adrift."
2. no doubt we feel a "formidable competition from our pervasive culture."
3. kids feel as long as no one else is hurt, I can choose what I feel is right.
4. "In today's culture, much of our moral concerns for our teens center on sexuality."
5. "Teenagers emotions develop far ahead of rational thinking."
5. "Confronting and understanding these issues will lay the solid foundation from which we can set our kids free to choose right."

Yet at the same time, McDowell notes that beginning with the fall of Adam and Eve, the human condition desires to be the arbitrator of right and wrong. He points to Paul's focus on sexual immorality pervasive in the culture of the early church. In fact Biblical accounts of dysfunctional choices (such as David and Bathsheba) and recent observations of moral conflict in adults of all ages suggests something more than recent shifts in culture and child development stages that put teens at moral risk.

Certainly the developmental facets of a person's brain until adulthood have implications for learning. Yet, the idea that emotional dominance over cognitive activity is associated with teen developmental factors and cultural degradation discounts what is within all persons warring against moral choices.  While Josh's work to raise awareness of these is helpful, it does not put anyone in the best position to "confront and understand the issues" related to how teens make choices (or anyone for that matter). 

What is often mistaken for emotion is basically deep seated biases or core assumptions that sit squarely in the heart of each person, young or old. We seem to explain these influences on our choices by how we feel because the effect of core assumptions on our thinking operates below an awareness that we are actually "doing thinking." It seems as if it must be our emotions, but in fact it is much more stable and substantive than a feeling. As a side note here, psychology has not been able to actually separate affect (feeling) from cognition (thinking).

Core assumptions are endearing beliefs (that's the feeling part) that we never question but trust (the thinking part) to "prove" everything else, The core assumption that leads to moral relativism, is actually an absolute. It is a universal obsession with justice. Sages of antiquity, Greek philosophers, and contemporary psychologists all recognize the basic influence of justice on humans' idea of virtue.

Judging whether an action is fair or rightfully deserved is what sits front and center in all emotion and thought. Without much awareness, this obsession has affected moral choices from the beginning of time and for all ages. If you don't think teens have developed this fully, just reflect on what is the most common response of teens to their parents, "Mom/dad, that's not fair."

The human condition does not make moral judgments about an action itself, but rather the fairness of the action. 

In summary, here is my thesis.

Everyone actually agrees in a moral absolute. It's that the absolute everyone accepts as true virtue is justice. The varying cultural influences across time and place affect how people perceive what is just. Its judgments people make about what is fair from their own perspective that is relative.

This is a big and complex topic when understanding "moral choices" and is not a criticism of Josh or other worldview leaders. While legends like Josh McDowell have a lot of things correct in their research and writings, this is a piece critical to fully understanding moral absolutes that I find is missing. Moreover, the absolute obsession for justice and the relative effects of culture is what confuses Christians of all ages and creates doubts about the worldview message of moral absolutes. I think and feel it should get some attention.

I'll just let you ponder this. You might begin to see what is going on way down deep in the human condition. I feel it's a bit unfair to blame what is outside us (culture) when there is plenty blame to go around with what is in us (human nature) .......

JUST taking a wrecking ball to peace

I know, we are in the holiday season of "peace on earth." I know that every reasonable person you would ask would say they want peace more than anything. But, this is not really true. Psychologist, sociologists, anthropologists, economists, and philosophers have found that the human condition obsesses with justice. You might say, "well, aren't they the same?" No, what I would want you to ponder is that an obsession with justice is like taking a wrecking ball to peace.

How can that be? How can justice destroy peace? Let's take a closer look.

Peace or "shalom" is not just an absence of conflict, but the presence of all that is good. So, isn't justice a virtue? Is it's presence not good? Let's ponder justice a bit more and see.

Justice is merely reciprocity. It is the actions that restore equilibrium. Justice is "an eye for an eye" and "you reap what you sow." The problem is what is just for one person is often an offense to another. I can do whatever to you I want if I deem you deserve it. Acts of justice are rampant in marriages often leading to divorce. "You have not treated me fairly so I can leave." We find enacting justice leading to broken relationships between parents and their children. Discipline is too often a punishment for wrong doing, not instructional. We see justice in organizations when people are fired, in public discourse when injustice needs to be protested and of course in the criminal JUSTICE system.

Are you beginning to see that when humans enact justice they create havoc for someone and division between people? Is this "creating all that is good" for everyone?

You are probably thinking, "God sees justice as a good thing, doesn't He?" Yes, in fact it is in His nature to be just. He also frowns on humans taking over that role in His name. This is really Adam and Eve's fault. We inherited this obsession from them. They were persuaded by the serpent that they could decide what was right and what was wrong. If man's obsession with justice is a flaw inherited from the fall, how can it create shalom?

The Jews were continually in chaos and separation from God because "everyone continued to do what was right in their own eyes." Jesus said, "you have heard it said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but I say ..." in contrasting what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.

Humans have a natural bent to justice. This is not something that appears in Kingdom dwellers only. The desire for justice is a built in bias in everyone. That's actually the problem, not the solution. Jesus did not come to judge, but to save us. From what? Judging? Jesus did not come to bring peace to this world (His words, not mind). He came to make a way for us to be reconciled back to the God of shalom. The futility of peace in this world through our efforts JUST points us to a Kingdom of shalom that is not our making.

We have everything good in our relationships when we are not standing on our rights, demanding what we deserve and seeing justice through our own eyes. This would transform the Middle East, reconcile our political parties in the US, restore marriages, and make us all great parents, but for our need for justice.

We say we want an "attitude of gratitude," so what is in our way. You should at least ponder a little bit that to have this attitude and a heart of thanksgiving, you may need to "JUST take a wrecking ball to justice." Unmerited favor (grace) produces shalom, not justice. This idea about justice and peace will sound strange to you until it doesn't. Jesus knew this when He said, "He who ears to hear let them hear."         

The oppressed and the oppressor

Yesterday I had the opportunity to walk from Bethlehem into Jerusalem. The issue with the walk was not that it was a long walk from the hotel in Bethlehem to Jerusalem. It was fairly short. The issue was the imposition of a military checkpoint at the border. Yes, Bethlehem is a suburb of Jerusalem, but there is a massive checkpoint involving turnstiles, several hundred yards of walking across neutral land, metal detectors, and passport control. We went at around 9:30 am and it took us about 30 minutes. For the 20,000 Palestinians who live in Bethlehem and work in Jerusalem, they would have to leave home around 5am to get to work by 8am. Everyone had to go through this one checkpoint walking. None could drive to work. This is only one of many constraints and demands Israel places on Palestinians who live and work amongst each other.

It is difficult to comprehend how oppressed these Palestinians feel by the Israeli government. They long for peace and freedom. Their crime, they are Palestinians who no longer have the right to live where they do. From their perspective the Palestinians have a clear reason to feel they are treated unjustly.




We were picked up on the other side of the checkpoint and driven by bus to the Holocaust museum. Two hours of pictures, films and articles about the oppression on the Jews by the Nazis. It was overwhelming to see the atrocities and injustice dealt the Jews. Millions killed in horrible ways. 20% were children. Their crime, they were Jews who no longer had a right to live where they do.

Today, we went to the West Wall of the Temple grounds in Old Jerusalem. It was a vibrant place with visitors coming from all over the world to pay respects. A bar-mitzvah was being celebrated with all of the traditional pomp and pageantry.

An interesting note our guide shared about the wall. Until 1967 it was called "the wailing wall." Israel was steep in lamenting loss of its land. It had lived in various forms of oppression for centuries. In 1967 the name was changed to "the West Wall." No longer must the Israeli Jews "wail." They had been given back control of Jerusalem.

Israeli Jews are no longer oppressed, but in the eyes of the Palestinians in the West Bank, they are the oppressors. How is it that a people so oppressed for such a long time can act as oppressors? What is it about the human condition that accommodates inflicting injustice on another person? What can break the cycles of people justifying oppressing others? It can't be that the oppressor was once oppressed.

This blog is not about the political conflict and complexity in Israel. Nor is it judgmental of the Jews. However, seeing this first hand raised profound questions about the psychological state of perpetrators and victims of oppression and injustice. One member of our travel group provided a keen insight. To what degree does an oppressor experience destructive influences on their soul? We easily understand the negative feelings of the oppressed, but maybe not as much when it comes to the oppressor.

Here are my thoughts. People can be oppressed and experience injustice in collective ways, such as nation state conflicts, and in a personal way, such losing a job because the boss doesn't like them. A sense of injustice can create a sense of victimization. This brings feelings of frustration, despair, and hate, among others. On the other hand, those who oppress and treat others unjustly are subject to an arrogance of superiority, some kind of sense they are right to do what they do. They generally operate in fear and anger as motives to justify their actions.

In either case the soul is in bondage to destructive forces. Nobody wins. Often the people feel this and wish to resolve the situation in a way that both can live in peace. However, it is in the political leaders interest to help perpetuate the victimization of the oppressed and the pride of the oppressor. There is lack of political will to solve the problems separating the two sides.

It is the Christians in Israel and Palestine who seek relationships across differences to build a collaborative framework for both to live together in harmony.

A question I am left with as I look specifically at Israel and Palestine and more broadly across history and into the future, is there a futility in thinking humans can break cycles of injustice and oppression without Christ dominating the souls of the leaders of both the oppressed and the oppressor? Can grace and forgiveness, which is necessary to bring peace out of injustice, flow from a fallen human nature?

The implications to this question are pervasive, and each of us can only answer it in our own soul.       

resident alien

As I have passed through sites where Jesus was showing and teaching the Kingdom, a key message apparent to me is that we are resident aliens in this world. Certainly for a time, I am passing through.

However, in the big picture, I am a citizen of God's invisible and eternal Kingdom with all of the privileges and provisions of the Heavenlies. Sure, I have a Kingdom purpose while I am here, mainly pointing to and showing others His Kingdom. Life on this earth is not my identity. It is not who I am. It is not my "end game."



This is what Jesus taught His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, focused their attention on in Caesarea Philippi, and brought to life with the Samaritan women at Jacob's well.

Contrast this with the time spent in Bethlehem with a mature, serious (not ultra Orthodox) Jew and an Palestinian Islamic Imam. While there are particulars to each gentleman, at the core of their message is their human identity as a Jew or as a Muslim. Their identity is not in a political, economic, military or even religious  context, but rather the cultural framework for living their lives.

For the Jew meaning and purpose is the connection he has with the land of Israel, the land God gave to them thousands of years ago. This identity that links his life to a land is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Of course, political power bases exploit the peoples' obsessions with this identity, but Jewish identity attached to a specific land is fundamental.

The Imam spoke succinctly about the virtuous life God requires of people. Identity for Muslims is sourced in the practices and traditions of justice, charity and prayer. The journey to gain God's favor defines who they are and their purpose in life. Over the years factions have taken Islam into war between themselves and others based on power and historical views of land.

Psychologists call these attachments of Jews and Muslims their social identity. It is the way a human self-identifies with his/her tribe. A person's social identity is established through culture from the beginning of one's life until they die or become a Kingdom dweller. It is not unique to Israel and the Palestinians. I saw it growing up in Ala in the 50's and 60's related to the Confederacy. This is why the business of finding your heritage is flourishing and the book "Roots" was so widely read.

I sum it up this way - a person will always be in bondage (psychologically) to "an identity of residence" until liberated by Jesus to be a resident alien in this world and a citizen of the King.

I have pondered this over the recent years but never is it more apparent than when you walk the historical path of Jesus and see the chaos and upheaval of a world that rejects His invitation to a new identity.

Competing Kingdoms

Throughout history Israel has been a land of obsession for various people groups. Today, in an area the size of New Jersey, there are Arabs and Jews who comprise a myriad of religions and languages. each wants to take the land for their own Kingdom. Such a small part of the world seems to dictate much of man's battles and search for peace.

This is a picture of Caesarea Philippi. This town is now in ruins and has had many occupiers and names across history. It only has this name for a short time around the time of Jesus. It was a seminal point of pagan worship for the Romans. It is in the very northeast of Israel, on the main road called "the way of the sea" on route to Damascus. It was 25 miles north of Capernaum as the crow flies. totally out of the way from where Jesus called His disciples. Yet, this is where He takes them after his initial instructions about the Kingdom.

Imagine Jesus and His disciples viewing this Arab/Roman sacred pagan place and asking His disciples, "who do you say I am?" The correct answer based on Jewish history and prophecy would have been, "you are the anointed One of Israel." But, this was not Peter's answer.

Peter said, "you are the Son of the living God." Jesus replied "correct." But Jesus said more. He explained to His disciples that Peter could never have known this through human processes of logic and reasoning. The only way peter could know is that God told him. This idea Peter had was through revelation, not observation.

Jesus then something even more amazing. he said that it is on this revelation that God will build His church. But more, "the gates of hell will not prevail." They were looking at what the world claimed to be a fortress of Hell that was a force unequal in all the world. Then He said, "I will give you the keys to the Kingdom." 

Jesus speaks of a Kingdom that is not part of the fight for this land. Israel represents man's quest for a kingdom that man can govern and call its own. Jesus brings to us a competing Kingdom. One that is not subject to man's pursuit, but one that is the provision and privilege of God Himself.

Man s knocking himself out competing for the land of Israel. All the while God provides his eternal Kingdom. This was the message of Jesus. The competing Kingdom and He gave the keys to His disciples at Caesarea Philippi.

This was my day's pondering. Maybe you can think about the Kingdom Jesus ushered in when all the world is focusing on the land of Israel.

who chose whom

Our first day of touring Israel set the stage for viewing Jesus' ministry and what it means to be in His Kingdom. Our leader, a Jewish Christian, took us to Bethsaida, Korazim, and Capernaum. These places are on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee and form the basis of Jesus' start as He was driven out of Nazareth (southwest of the Sea).

Here's a little background. In the first century AD all Jewish children (boys and girls) were educated until about age 12. At this point the girls prepared to become wives later and the boys took on the trade of their father.

Most boys aspired to become a Rabbi, but it was a long and uncertain journey. Those who had the chance would start hanging with a local Rabbi. The Rabbi would basically ignore the boys interested. The boys must persevere and show a strong interest to be asked to move on. Over many years a boy may become noticed by a Rabbi. Eventually if they impressed enough people and demonstrated they were smart and good enough to be a Rabbi, they could be tapped to train more directly with a Rabbi.

The boys at this point shaped their entire life to be exactly like the Rabbi, who had the power to make them successful. In short, almost every Jewish boy wanted to be a Rabbi, but almost all simply followed the route of their father, ultimately taking on his trade profession.

It was into this culture that Jesus went to common towns, way off the main stream of the Jewish elite  and chose His disciples. "They immediately left their nets and followed Him."

Can you imagine? In their minds this can't happen. They had not been able to achieve this through the processes available to them as Jewish boys. A Rabbi chose them, they did not choose Him. They never convinced anyone of anything. Their excitement and abandonment of their status quo was so AMAZING.

The Kingdom is like this. When we realize God has come to us, in the midst of our status quo and called us unto Himself. What is our response?

Are we obsessed to become just like the Rabbi that has called us?

Probably worth pondering .....

Oh, and one more thing. These 3 towns that were in God's plan to start Jesus' ministry are now in ruins and have been for a long time. They were never restored. They certainly didn't flourish as humans might think they should since God used them in such important ways.

Maybe that is the way the Kingdom works too. I don't know what to do with this, but Jesus cursed the very towns He went to at the perfect time in His life on earth. "Woe to you Bethsaida, woe to you Korazim."

God's ways are not our ways!