Is America a Christian nation? Should we call it a Christian nation?

Jesus’ message was clear. The “key” or “theme” of his message was “The Kingdom of God.” The Kingdom of God is the people of God doing the will of God on earth, making the world a better place to live. If I go into a room, a store, a house, a country, I either bring with me the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of hell. God’s Kingdom is brought with me when I obey the teachings of Christ whose words are literally God’s words. Hell’s kingdom is brought with me when I don’t obey Christ’s words to heal, help, serve, feed, et cetera.

We are to establish the Kingdom of God on earth as Jesus directed. With this as the case, to call ourselves a Christian nation is probably not accurate. Even so-called “Christians” bring a lot of hell with them everywhere they go. Maybe you’re not aware of the factions, racism, and judgmental attitudes that exist among some Christians.

If a Christian nation is a nation where the Kingdom of Christ is spread, then we cannot, with a clear conscience, call ourselves a Christian nation. A nation with Christians would be a more accurate statement.

I’m not so sure that Jesus wanted us to create a Christian nation. After all, it was after the death of Constantine, when all other religions except for Christianity were declared illegal, that a nation of Christians who were persecuted became a nation of Christian persecutors.

To be honest, I am not as interested in being a Christian nation as much as I am interested in being a nation that accepts Christians who are free to enter and invite others to enter the Kingdom of God. The Jewish people have understood this philosophy throughout the millennia, as they are a nation no matter how scattered they are and regardless of the country in which they live.

A Christian nation is a nation without borders. The Kingdom of God is the only true Christian nation.

In His dust,
Johnny

© 2008 Jonathan P. Gainey and Flock’s Diner.
All Rights Reserved

Century after century, people have questioned whether it is more holy to remain single or get married. Many followers of Christ, clergy and otherwise, have chosen to live a life of celibacy in order to please God with their complete dedication to him.

In the rabbinic count of biblical commands, the very first command is “Be fruitful and increase in number” (Genesis 1:28). As a command, the act of marriage would be considered the desire of God for his children.

So, why didn’t Jesus obey this command?

Throughout the last two millennia, it has been believed by a majority of Christians that Jesus’ decision to remain unmarried (which is assumed, because the Gospels do not mention that he was married) should be modeled by those who desire to give themselves fully to God.

What if there is a much more practical reason for Jesus’ decision to remain single?

Jewish disciples would finish their studies at or about age thirty, when they would begin their own teaching ministries as sages. The responsibility of a first-century rabbi required many years of travel, which would require a husband to spend long periods of time far away from his wife and children. Due to such frequent absences, many of these rabbis would not marry until late in their thirties or even into their forties.

Jesus’ singleness has caused some to judge those who are married as less devoted to God than those who remain single. Is that judgement justified or affirmed by Scripture?

It is possible that Jesus never intended for any of us to remain single as a way of proving our devotion to God. It is also possible that Jesus’ decision to remain single was not a decision at all, but an outcome of his death at an early age. As Dr. David Bivin has succinctly stated, “He (Jesus) was still relatively young when he was crucified, and his death may have come before he would have had a chance to marry” (New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus, page 68).

In His dust,
Johnny

© 2008 Jonathan P. Gainey and Flock’s Diner.
All Rights Reserved

Where did all the good attitudes go?

For two days I have tried to take my son to get his hair cut. Yesterday our schedule was tight and we had about an hour to spend on getting his hair cut. We went into the barber shop where there were two barbers and two people getting their mops chopped. We walked in, they asked for my son’s name and told us to have a seat. Twenty minutes later, one of the barbers finished, cleaned her equipment, swept around the chair, and then disappeared into the back of the store. She never even looked at us.

We left.

Today, we thought we’d try again, so we went to another hair cutting establishment. My twelve-year-old who stands about five and a half feet tall was placed on a booster seat, covered in a kiddy apron that barely covered his shirt, and when the barber was finished, he stood up with hair all over him, which was not even brushed off his neck or shirt.

I have a suggestion: “If you don’t like your job, quit and get another one, or quit the passive aggressive whining and at least smile.”

It seems to me that too many people feel no need to be kind. The friendly cashier, the talkative barber, and the caring doctors are all but a fond memory in far too many business establishments.

Even if you don’t believe in God, believing as Richard Dawkins does that science has freed us from believing in a creator, you have to admit that treating others as you would expect to be treated is pretty good advice. At least eight ancient religions, including Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Taoism, have a form of the “Golden Rule” within their perspective holy writings.

What harm would it do to have a good attitude even if you have a job you don’t like? With a good attitude, you might have a chance of receiving a better job offer from a customer, but with a bad attitude, all employers are just glad to know that you are some other employer’s problem.

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you… (Matthew 7:12a) NIV.

In His dust,
Johnny

© 2008 Jonathan P. Gainey and Flock’s Diner.
All Rights Reserved

Jesus wore two articles of clothing, a halluq (ha-luke) and a talit (ta-leet). The talit is an undergarment. It is usually made of linen and covers the body all the way to the middle of the shin. The talit is a prayer shawl, also known as a prayer closet. The talit is worn over the halluq, and is pulled up over the head during prayer. On the corners of the talit are 4 tassels called tzitziyot (tzitzit - singular). The Jews continue to wear these tassels because of the command to wear them in Numbers 15:37-41 and Deuteronomy 22:12.

The English word that is translated “hem” is a translation of the Greek word “krespedon” which means “a tassel of twisted wool.”

The Jews of Jesus’ day believed that the tzitziyot (tassels) that were tied to the corners of the prayer shawl of the Messiah had healing powers. They believed this because of Malachi 4:2, which says, “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.” The “sun of righteousness” is a Hebrew figure-of-speech or idiom, which means ”the Messiah,” and the word “wings” is the Hebrew word kanaph (kanaphim – plural), which is the same word that is used to when referring to the edge of a prayer shawl.

The woman with the issue of blood was considered to be unclean (see Mark 5). She had spent years alone, because she was not aloud to touch anyone. She was lonely, she was desperate, she was knowledgeable about the Scriptures, and she recognized the Messiah when he came. This woman would not have touched just any rabbi, because touching a rabbi as a ceremonially unclean person would have gotten her into trouble with the Temple authorities. But she believed that this Jesus was not just any rabbi. She truly believed that he was the one of which Malachi spoke. She believed it so much that she was willing to walk out into the middle of a Jewish crowd and touch the tassels on Jesus’ talit.

No matter how sinful we are, we can rush through the most religious, righteous crowd, touch the Messiah, and be healed.

Forever learning,
Johnny

© 2008 Jonathan P. Gainey and Flock’s Diner.
All Rights Reserved