God of good times and a New flannel-board Jesus

The other night, I heard a a short bit of an interview with a pastor at a large church in Africa. He was discussing some of the current teachings of religion. From what I heard of the interview, he seemed concerned with the "Health and Wealth gospel of modern Christianity." How do you tell someone that lives in a metal shanty that God will bless him/her, when your only concept of blessing is material possessions (ahem... Western "Christians")? The Health and Wealth gospel is convenient for people who drive nice cars to church on Sunday mornings, but what does that have to do with the poor in Africa, or the freezing in Russia, or the hungry in Abilene?
Granted, Jesus was very involved in the healing of the sick when He ministering; however, how do we not know that God might be trying to teach us something when we are constipated (I know first hand those discomforts, and the feeling of relief and great joy of a normally working GI tract)? How do we know that God wants us all to be able to live in a nice house, or drive nice cars, or be poor, or die untimely? Simply-- we cannot. God is God. God is.

I think if I were to write a book for current Christian publishers to compete with all the "7 steps" out there, I would write this book:
What you Need to do to not be Eternally Damned: The First Step on a Long Journey
On the first and last page I would write: Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. p.s. Only one Heaven exists, and it is not on Earth, so buckle up for a bumpy ride until then. All praises be to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords

I also have a great business idea. I would also go to this same publisher and see if they could make me a flannel-board Jesus that fits this discription:
"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himslef. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were follwing him, riding on white horses and ressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. " (John's vision, Revelation 19:11-16).
With this Jesus, they could reinact the final days of this Earth that we know of, complete with ultimate distruction, death, and the flesh-feast for the birds (Rev 19:17-21), and the salvation for those whose name is written in the Book of Life.

Comments

  1. Noël20/2/06

    Have I told you recently that I like you? A lot. You are so funny and have a way of illuminating God's majesty in such simple ways. I like the flannel board Jesus, and you should write a book.

    ReplyDelete

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