Friends,

Here is Common Christianity #1024 (6-30-26), “Getting a Kick out of Christ.” I’m loving all these global World Cup soccer fans recently discovering the spirit of America – up close. What a country! See the column below, or at our blog CommonChristianity.blogspot.com, or on social media. God bless America … it’s our 250^th birthday this Saturday.

Blessings, Bob

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Spirituality Column #1024

June 30, 2026

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Getting a Kick out of Christ

By Bob Walters

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.” – Ezekiel 36:26

I know almost nothing about soccer, and have even less desire to watch it.

However, I have gotten a maximum kick out of this global World Cup futbol fan visitation upon America of late, and hearing/seeing their joyous and surprised reactions to just about everything American.  From Big Gulps to ranch dressing to Buc-ee’s, and from bar-b-que to grocery stores to gun ranges to the Americans themselves.

Americans are friendly. Americans are helpful and honest. We love a good houseguest. Our nation has wide open spaces, big pick-up trucks, and accommodating, endless streets, roads, and highways that go almost everywhere. Our air conditioning cools entire houses and whole passengers in cars. Our stadiums are mind-blowing.

All these folks never knew this stuff, and approached America with trepidation.

Here’s what they learned: to hate America, watch the media and surf the internet. To love America, visit it, drive it, experience it. How fun.  The world is loving us.

What a great gift for the ol’ USA on our 250^th birthday.

The Spirit of America, ostensibly, of course is a profound but still secular vibe of liberty of the human person. Not every visitor, and certainly not even every American, understands the Christian underpinnings of the freedom we enjoy and the patriotic fellowship we share.  Global visitors enjoying their American adventures and expressing their unexpected grasp of the zeitgeist of our uniquely American culture? Just fabulous.

We have all these great things going for this nation and I’m hoping these happy visitors continue to focus on soccer and the general abundance and fun of America. Not everyone understood when, nine years ago, President Trump signed off on hosting the World Cup in the USA – who watches soccer? – but this is the best possible way to celebrate this particular, momentous July 4; we get to share No. 250 with the world.

Contemporary U.S. politics being what they are – an ugly mess of conflicting priorities, a President who is both revered and reviled, and a dangerous cancer of Socialist activism permeating our largest cities – I hope our guests ignore the news.

As a Christian, would I like to see these visitors take a piece of Jesus home with them and let it blossom into a saving faith in their homelands? Oh yeah; I pray for that.

But while religion is a blood sport in many countries and completely ignored in many others, let’s hope all these American freedoms – especially freedom in Christ and our freedom in worship – linger in their memories of America.  It is good soil here.

I mentioned Jesus earlier and here’s why. I see a similarity in what these soccer fans are learning about America and what I learned later in life about faith. Mixed as the metaphor may be, I had a fairly informed idea about Christ but, until I was older, no experience being with Him. These soccer fans (who like many sports fans, worship their game perhaps too much but that’s another topic) have heard about America their whole lives but never experienced being in America … with actual Americans.

When I truly met Christ – not the watered-down, brokered church proxy Jesus of my youth but the thundering, loving, wise, holy, and righteous Son of God who leapt out of the Bible and into my adult heart, mind, and soul – I wanted to share the experience with others. To learn more, love more, live more, and pray more with this new Spirit.

Have fun at the World Cup, everyone. We’re getting a real kick out of it. Take some of the best parts of America home in your hearts. And thanks for helping us see things we too often miss.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) quotes Russ Blowers: “God loves to see His kids play!”

Friends: American Christians caught a break last week with the correction of various Federal discriminations against Christian faith.  It is a welcome step in the right direction. Blessings, Bob

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Spirituality Column #1016

May 5, 2026

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

'… But Not of the World'

By Bob Walters

“I have given them your word and the world has hated them…” – Jesus, praying to God for the disciples shortly before his arrest. John 17:14

We are all familiar with the phrase that Christians are “in the world but not of the world.” While not precisely scriptural, it is sound doctrine and a worthy posture.

But it is “in the world” that we currently are, and with which we must contend.

American Christians caught a break this past week when the United States Department of Justice issued a 535-page report cataloguing and in many cases reversing or easing purported systematic discriminations against Christian faith.

On the one hand I hesitate to bring this up because two lines will immediately form, neither having to do with religious freedom, philosophy, or practice. The lines will have everything to do, pro or con, with one’s opinion of the current U.S. president.

On the other hand, Christians who recognize various and ongoing governmental inconsistencies and outright invasions of our faith can breathe a short sigh of relief. While the overall American political landscape remains a conflicted cesspool, traditional Christian belief is, for now, only at the mercy of the culture, not the U.S. government.

I say “short” breath because these freedoms – supposedly our divine rights – are sadly, today, a fleeting function of partisan politics at the mercy of who gets elected.

On that subject, elections, Paul in Romans 13:1-7, says – and I’m paraphrasing – we get the government we deserve, we should obey the government, civil government exists outside the church, and that government rightly provides order for society.

Islam is a theocracy, Judaism is too, though Israel is not. Christianity is not. God ordains government to serve the people’s interests, not to dictate a person’s faith.

The Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution further establish the divine existence and supremacy of individual rights. James Madison presciently noted long ago that those rights will work only for a “moral and religious people.”

He meant it, and was absolutely not talking about “my truth” and “your truth.” Our founding documents were authored on the understanding of Christian ethic, human sin, and eternal judgment, and on the divine truth of God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible.

Freedom of religion? Sure. But not freedom from truth, which is our current and abiding political problem. God is more merciful than man, yet His truth and judgment are eternal; they are the same for everyone all the time whether one believes in God or not.

That, by the way, is how one can identify “real” truth: It is true all the time.

I’ve corralled a couple of – trigger warning – conservative resources (Here and Here) that flesh out what the Department of Justice came up with in its investigation over the past 14 months.  Yes, the report cites criticism (wokeness, DEI, abortion, etc.) of the last administration and does a predictable bit of cheerleading for the current one.

The Democrats say it is the end of democracy; the Republicans say it is about time. I’m on the side thankful for the disparities to be aired and, hopefully, cleaned up.

The Pharisees hated Jesus because He replaced their power, prestige, and, really, obviated their existence.  Unlike Jesus, Christians are merely sinners whose faith, properly lived and applied in the Word, point us to a world of love, not hate.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) qualifies for God’s grace only because he is a sinner.

Friends: In Jesus we are free to do what is right, not to do whatever we want. See the column.  Blessings, Bob

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Spirituality Column #1003

February 3, 2026

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Free, But Responsible

By Bob Walters

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free … The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Paul, Galatians 5:1,6

Having myself grown up in the “do your own thing” 1960s and then maturing in the “Me Decade” of the 1970s, I look back with dumbfounded gratitude that it was responsibility that my father pounded into me from an early age.

I’m neither perfect nor bragging, though I had a friend in college who leveled a criticism at me saying, “You don’t have to be responsible all the time.” But long before I had true Christian faith or freedom, I had, thanks to Dad, an on-board, secular sense of responsibility along with, sparing specifics, no shortage of examples of irresponsibility. 

The second of four kids born 1952-1959, I shared standard kid household chores like setting the table, clearing the table, washing the dishes, drying the dishes, taking out the trash, burning the papers (in our backyard we had a metal incinerator that looked like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz; trash went in a trash can; paper refuse was burned in the incinerator located between the garage and our basketball goal).

Any lack of attention to these or other chores was met with a sternly worded speech from Dad on being responsible. And it was many years later that I grew to fully appreciate the importance of what Dad was telling me.  It means far more to me today in a Christian sense and a civic sense than it ever did about pulling my weight at home.

In Galatians, and really in much of Paul’s writing and the New Testament overall, our freedom authored by Jesus was a function of “faith expressed through love” (Gal. 5:6), not about chores but about salvation. We think mainly of salvation from sin, but Paul was teaching salvation generally from death and specifically from the law.

Galatians overall is Paul’s book coaching believers in Jesus to understand that the game in Christ was now departed from the “yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1) presented by the Old Testament Law. My Bible mentor George Bebawi, who by the way, in Egypt, grew up Jewish and converted to Christ in his late teens, constantly made the point that Galatians was “a stick of dynamite” leveled against the Jews who refused to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. “Think like a Christian, not like a Jew,” was his common refrain.

This, at its most basic, is the meaning of “repent” (metanoia): Think anew.

Sadly, too many people through the ages – and our age is no different – see this difference of worldview, across all religions, as fighting words meant to wipe out opponents. With our freedom in Christ, we are urged to love God, our neighbor, and our enemy.  We are to be free of the enmity and condemnation the world so exemplifies.

And I’ll add, sadly even in our Christian family through the ages, history shows us that the name of Jesus and the idea of Christ have often created as much intramural havoc and hatred as any beliefs from the outside. In the centuries up through, say, the 1600s, Christian-on-Christian violence was a regular occurrence.  We see little of that today, but the mindsets of various Christian churches teach vastly different attitudes when it comes to the spirit of the age and the liberality of just what we are free to do.

As I teach high school students about history and government from the worldview of Christ and the authority of scripture, my dominant, accompanying point is that the most important, operative aspect of freedom is responsibility, Christian responsibility, of love for God and others. Jesus came to save, not condemn (John 3:17, Romans 8:1).

It is not about doing what we want to do; it is wanting to do what is right.

Walters’ (rlwcom@aol.com) father John passed away in September, 1991.

Friends: Politics, education, and God. We have nearly educated ourselves out of unity in Christ and into political ignorance. See the column below ...

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Spirituality Column #989

October 28, 2025

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Long Division   

By Bob Walters

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” Psalms 133:1 ESV

Let’s discuss politics, education, and God – the 30,000-foot view – in the context of humans getting along with each other. You may have noticed that lately, we aren’t.

Next week, all indications are that the good citizens of New York City will elect a Muslim Democratic Socialist as their mayor. At issue – truly – are neither religion nor party affiliation; at issue is bad American civics education laced with the dual despair of ever-rising prices and ever-falling hope. New Yorkers crave free stuff to face a fracturing future.

“Free stuff” is always an illusion, mind you, yet an attractive mirage for the poorly educated – college degrees and accreditations notwithstanding – in our current misguided though abating DEI cultural era. Illuminating human experience and philosophical wisdom have been beaten down in recent decades by entrenched socialist trends away from aspiration and merit, and toward equal outcomes for all. “Fairness” is a canard of a rallying cry, and a lie that destroys human flourishing. Division replaces unity.

It's not fair.

Lately, I’ve read two mind-focusing books of recent vintage on American public education. One is titled, The Marxification of Education by James Lindsay. The other is Hide Your Children: Exposing the Marxists Behind the Attack on America’s Kids by Liz Wheeler. Where education has led our nation astray is in our overall ignorance of what Marxism, socialism, and communism actually are: vicious, freedom-wrecking wolves in the sheep’s clothing of “fairness.” College education departments bit the apple long ago.

Socialism has been the overriding template of education training in America’s universities for the past century.  While history departments should be teaching about how America won its precious freedom and how to value freedom as a gift from God, bards of American education theory like Horace Mann, John Dewey, Paolo Freire, and others preached lock-step, socialist obedience in stultifying, one-size-fits-all curricula designed to defeat free-thinking. Once upon a time, to produce employees. Now, to foment activism.

There is truly no mystery why it is often the C students and dropouts who are the entrepreneurs. What we notice about socialism is a distinct lack of entrepreneurship.

Anyway, as I read these books full of anti-socialist scare quotes, what the books didn’t offer was a concise answer to the obvious question, “So, what’s wrong with socialism?” Despite our educational institutions based so heavily in clandestine socialist theory, free Americans still retain a visceral distaste for actually being called socialist.

I think the answer goes something like this: Americans value freedom, and freedom requires – above all else – personal responsibility. Christians are called to love God and love others, and to do unto others as we would have others do unto us.  This requires accountability and an objective, ultimate belief in the reality of truth, good, evil, and God.

What socialism deletes, first, is God, because socialism cannot abide any truth greater than itself. Next goes personal responsibility and with it, freedom. Socialism is people controlling other people; God gets in the way, as does one’s faith in God.

While Marxist/socialist/communist philosophy insists that workers are oppressed and everyone is owed fairness, its “leaders” replace God as arbiters of truth. That’s the lie: socialism calls itself a march out of oppression, yet replaces freedom with slavery.

Sadly, much of America falls for that lie because that’s what we’ve been taught.

There is no unifying force between the divisive, controlling diktat of Marx  and the flourishing of human freedom under the divine and unifying love of the Creator God.

How pleasant it is when humans are united, and how ugly is life when we aren’t.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) believes God unites us through Jesus; Satan hates it.

Friends: With the U.S. election on our doorstep, what role in government should Christians assume to be our own? What about the politicians? May our nation be saved. Blessings, Bob

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Spirituality Column #937

October 29, 2024

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Shepherd, Hireling, or Wolf?

By Bob Walters

“He who is a hired hand (hireling) and not a shepherd … sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. I am the good shepherd. I know my own … and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Jesus, John 10:12,15 (ESV)

This presidential election next week, combined with a random comment I heard in church on Sunday, got me to thinking.

For President of the United States, will our nation be better off electing a shepherd, or a hired hand? While I am set in my preference of the candidates, it also is obvious that nobody wants to elect a disinterested hired hand. A shepherd is better.

So, later I was thinking about the shepherd/hireling dichotomy vis-à-vis the election and realized I was asking the completely wrong question.  Christians often say that we are electing “a president not a pastor,” supposedly removing religion from the docket.  And for darn sure, we had better not be mistaking – or imagining – that either “shepherd” elected is Jesus Christ. My point: is it a “shepherd” we should even seek?

I suppose there are many folks who do indeed view, errantly, that they are voting for some sort of civic or cultural shepherd or “savior.”  Huh uh, no.  It is not Jesus the electorate imagines it is voting for; it is Satan the electorate imagines it is voting against.

But back to my continuing thoughts on the shepherd/hireling thing.  Driving home it occurred to me – and I teach high school American Government – that I don’t want to elect a shepherd at all.  As an American citizen – you, me, all of us – are not sheep, not where our government is concerned. The government is supposed to be our servant.

Is that currently an accurate reflection of the state of American government on almost any level?  No … the government is a wolf. But you know what else? As an American citizen, I am supposed to be a wolf. A hungry, free, independent, responsible, purposeful, creative, and aspirational wolf. That should be my civic identity, not a sheep.

The Lord, not the government, is my shepherd. Let me be a citizen wolf.

Now, am I a sheep in the kingdom of God? Oh yeah. And on all matters divine, Jesus is my Shepherd, Savior, Lord, Way, Truth, Life, and Body and Blood of all my faith, hope, and love.  That is who Jesus is, but it is not who I’m voting for. Jesus has no “term in office” and is not up for election.  Christ is permanent, forever, just, and good.

Jesus was and is the Son of God, maker of all that was made, savior of mankind, and our only mediator with God. But his first and greatest duty was and is as a servant.

So, let’s not confuse the government of the heavenly realms with earthly politics. That “pay grade” thing our American leaders often joke about when faced with a task larger than their office, should never be confused with Jesus, or fanciful about the extent of what an American leader needs to be: a servant. Like Jesus? Sure. But not Jesus.

Most nation/tribal leaders in all history have been wolves.  The U.S. Constitution, written with a close and sacred understanding of the Bible, works only with a just, moral, and Christian people. Obedience? Yes … but not sheep. Love God, love others, be just.

Romans 13:1-7 tells us government is to provide order, protect citizens, and help the citizens protect their persons and their aspirations.  Where God is concerned, I’m part of the flock. Where this election is concerned, I’m howling against false shepherds.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) notes: wolves are loyal mates and protect the pack.

Friends: The Apostle Paul was both free in Christ and a slave for Christ. Lots of people are. See the column ... Blessings, Bob

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Spirituality Column #927

August 20, 2024

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Freedom, or Slavery

By Bob Walters

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free … do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” – Paul speaking of the New Covenant vs. the Law, Galatians 5:1

My Bible mentor George Bebawi called Galatians a “stick of dynamite.” Galatians he said is not there for friendly advice about forging a gentle new path ahead in Jesus.

It is there to blow up the Jewish way of thinking about the mindset of the Law.

And who better to do it than Paul?  Early in the book of Acts we see this highly educated but rigid and murderous Pharisee hunt, torture, and mercilessly kill Christians for their disobedience to the Law. Paul then came powerfully to Christ (Acts 9), and in his 13 letters of the New Testament not only explains to all how to be a Christian, but how Jews erred in not accepting Jesus, the new covenant, and Christian thought life.

Later in Acts 18:1-17 we see Paul, rejected by the Jews in Corinth, declare “I will go to the Gentiles” (non-Jews), and is then told by the Lord to “keep on speaking.” Paul, once a vicious Jew who killed Christians brings the message of Christ to non-Jews.

As the Bible is organized, after Acts is Paul’s letter to the Romans, two letters to the Corinthians, and then his run of shorter letters beginning with Galatians. This is where we see Paul note (v2:4), “Some of our false brothers infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ and to make us slaves.” Paul is referring to Jews who insisted Christians, among other things, be circumcised.

Then in Galatians 2:11-21 is Paul’s vociferous disagreement with Peter on many matters concerning the Law. Paul’s “freedom” in Christ was from the “slavery” of the Law. No human could fulfil the burden of the Law from which Jesus frees us by grace.

Paul pounds that message throughout Galatians.  Today’s Americans see the word “freedom” and think “land of the free and home of the brave.” We see the word “slavery” and think of only past plantations, modern social injustice, and CRT racism.

To avoid today’s cultural horrification at the mere word “slavery,” modern Bible translations have largely cleansed the Greek doulos (slave) into “servant.” But here the English is either “slavery” or “bondage” and a “yoke” that limits life. Some form of doulos is used 125 times in the New Testament to describe a person who is owned by another.

But “slavery” is not always a horrible yoke. In Matthew 11:30 Jesus says “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” It means in Christ we are properly yoked with our master. When Paul says he is “a slave of Christ” in Romans 1:1, he is declaring his love and purpose of being owned by Christ. We are usually slaves to that which we love.

Another of my great Christian mentors, Russ Blowers, knew George Bebawi well and gave George the highest compliment I ever heard Russ bestow on anybody. He called George “a free man in Christ,” and Russ was among the greatest of encouragers.

Few anywhere could match George’s scriptural expertise (in many languages), his understanding of the ancient church and multiple doctrines, his life experience of having grown up a Jew in a Muslim neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt, converting as a teen to Christianity, becoming a Coptic priest, attaining a divinity PhD at Cambridge, teaching and serving in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and USA … and the obvious surety and humility of his faith in and love for Jesus Christ.

George joyously made himself a slave of Jesus, and freely shared his joy with all.

G.K. Chesterton wrote that our greatest freedom is to be free to bind ourselves to that which we choose. Freedom only works well when we choose Jesus.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) notes freedom also requires love and responsibility. And in case you missed it last week, here is a link to my recent guest slot on Rich Jacobs’’ “Finding Genius” podcast (48 minutes): Exploring The Culture Of Christianity With Bob Walters (recorded 7-31-24).

Friends, Jesus gave his life, but what did God get out of the deal? Are Christians supposed to be “givers” or “getters”? See the column below. Blessings! – Bob

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Spirituality Column #896

January 16, 2024

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Trading Up

By Bob Walters

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like unto it, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Jesus to the Pharisees, Matthew 22:37-39

Are you in church because you love something?  Or because you want something? Because of what you can give, or what you can get?

The greatest commandment, in the words of Jesus above, says our purpose in Christ is to love God and love others.  Jesus came to earth for our salvation because God is love and, in His grace, God is supremely giving.  What did God want?  He wanted us.  He had created us, and sent Christ not to tell us what He wanted, but to show us His love and give us a divine gift: restored relationship with God.

It is a gift we are fools not to accept, and we do not learn the lesson of Christ by sitting in church – or even by “being Christians” – because of some earthly thing we feel we want or need.  God had to give away His son to receive what mattered most in Heaven: the return to heaven of His favorite creation … us.

How many times have we heard someone – believer or non-believer – ask, in whatever words and however phrased – “If God wanted to save us, why go through all that Jesus-Crucifixion-Death-Resurrection business?  Couldn’t God just say, ‘You’re all saved!’ and been done with it?” You could call it, “Snap of the fingers” salvation.  It sure would have been easier for everyone.

Had that been God’s plan, I think we’d be justified sitting in church thinking of what we wanted rather than who we love and what we could and can give.  Because in that case, God would not have had to express His love and grace, and then to join in His eternal life, neither would we.  The lesson of Jesus – our lesson as Christians – is that value comes from love and grace, not from convenience and comfort.

It is maybe our worst modern trait – we think we are owed comfort, simplicity, happiness, and esteem, because that is what the modern world offers us. It is the core of our sin: not to want freedom, but to want free stuff … and easy stuff.  Freedom truly is never free; and freedom never comes without truly enormous personal responsibility.

And our own personal level of responsibility shows up in our own expression of love and grace … and giving.  Remember the famous John F. Kennedy quote – “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”?  Replace the word “country” with the phrase “God and others” and you have one of the most accurate, Christian, theologically loving propositions of all time.  To want? Or to give.

We live our lives – especially our American, secular, free lives – in the habit of even trade, fair wages, expected justice, due reward, reasonable punishment, a better tomorrow, the occasional calamity, probably some nagging guilt and regret, and most assuredly hoping we “get what’s coming to us.” We are sure it will be something good.

As a sinner saved by Christ … the last thing I want is what I truly deserve.

I’ve often made the point that I first showed up at church not because I wanted anything or feared something; but also, certainly, not because I wanted to give anything.  My own love and grace in Christ were still far down the path, but through time, prayer, study, and fellowship I see that what I’ve received is an opportunity to love with God.

I never see salvation as a purchase or transaction, but as an expression of God’s love.  And from my former earth-bound life, I can’t help but think I’ve traded up.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) is thankful, not cocky.

Spirituality Column #754

April 27, 2021

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

What the World Needs Now

By Bob Walters

My friend Jim was depressed.

Not “can’t get out of bed depressed” – we were after all having lunch at a favorite local spot – just “don’t see any good answers going forward depressed” about America.

Jim’s an older retired guy like me who stays busy, loves his wife, is proud of his kids and his country, has many interests, enjoys reasonably good health despite the years and mileage, and has a solid relationship with the Lord.  He forged career success in the U.S. military, education, and public service, and has many stories, friends, talents, and an outgoing personality that make him a fun guy to be around.

Except currently, he’s watching way too much news.

I’m no psychologist yet when I greeted Jim at lunch with a familiar “How are you doing?” I immediately knew the answer wasn’t going to be a cheerful, “Just great!”  Still, I was surprised when it was an almost dour, “Not great.”  But I understood.

We’re both concerned about all the same stuff, most of it political and cultural.

The hardest part of these days for me is the entire lack of trust I feel toward the media, followed closely by the revulsion I harbor toward politicians and bureaucrats of nearly every stripe.  I know, “politicians gonna’ politic,” I get that; but the U.S. government has become an especially dark enterprise against God and freedom.

I trust God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and several family, friends, and Christian brothers and sisters … it’s about the only “truth” I see these days.  Praise God for that.

Then here comes the news: daily, proudly bereft of truth, objectivity, and context.  I squandered a perfectly good 1970s journalism degree on a very fun sports writing and sports media relations career.  But the news business was changing back then as the media’s job of “discomforting the powerful” became “lying in bed with the powerful.”

“Truth in media” has become agenda-driven narrative presenting an even blacker darkness than politics.  These watchdogs of liberty are now the lapdogs of deceit.

Throw in domestic corporate globalists who are anti-American-citizen, a profane entertainment culture, an America-vilifying major sports establishment, a morally bankrupt public academia, a mysterious and heinously politicized pandemic, and a media-championed, culture-shredding, variously woke mob grabbing power with nonsense.

What do we have?  Sour, civilization-threatening, anti-truth media Molotov cocktails landing at our feet.  

Where’s the love sweet love?

The media will continue to chortle about “justice being served” as truth burns.  Politicians will continue to add debt, subtract freedom, and equivocate a vacant virtue.

But maybe it’s OK.  God may be teaching us a lesson we’d all learn in church on Sundays if more of us would go; we might more easily see what is missing.  And what’s missing, besides truth, is redemption and forgiveness.  We angrily talk past each other, without love.

The folks in power, when you look at it, are the only ones who benefit when we stay out of church, shun the truth of Jesus, and worship at the altar of “my happiness” rather than at the demanding foot of the cross.  God’s glory isn’t in dispute; we are.

I watch little news because I know that widespread public distrust and confusion floats the collective boat of the Godless powerful, and we are the suckers in the water.

Well, I’m not.  Hopefully you’re not.  And I hope Jim cheers up.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) doesn’t rail at Satan; he calls to Jesus.  Try it.

 Spirituality Column #727

October 20, 2020

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Spirit with a Capital S

By Bob Walters

On a recent, breezy evening at an outdoor celebration, I met a devout man of another faith and engaged in a leisurely and thoroughly enjoyable conversation.

Without argument, suspicion, or disagreement, we discovered much about each other’s lives, families, professions, confessions, and priorities, and encouraged each other in our separate but sincere and life-defining faiths.  Laying aside – ignoring, really – any hint of doctrinal testing or competition for God’s larger favor, we spoke as men and brothers seeking only friendship while sharing mutual respect.  Truly a conversation to reflect on. 

How rare.  What a joy. 

Our chief point of agreement, exposed mid-conversation, was how faith means nothing if it doesn’t first inspire us to love, serve, and generally get along with and nurture our fellow human beings.  God is honored when our relationships reflect freedom, joy, and responsibility, not control, fear, and irresponsibility. 

Much of society seems to have lost especially that part about responsibility.  And a large swath of many different religions, sects, denominations, etc., have redefined freedom as “doing what I want” and “demanding what I get for free.”  This first priority of using and defending freedom to honor God is lost on a secular world of physical desires, human lusts, power plays, fear of death, and contrived spirituality (small “s”).

Freedom is an act of our own will, yes, but it is will freely bestowed by the true God.  We have to aspire to freedom: to seek it, discipline ourselves for it, and prioritize our desires to nurture, share, and respect freedom.  Passive human acceptance of the self-centered but self-defeating ill-behavior of others is not freedom; it is enablement, and never brings joy. 

Happiness and pleasure, maybe; or quite possibly misery and despair.  Not joy.

The default, natural posture of our fallen humanity is to be taken care of, as we are taken care of as young children.  The importance of parents – the moral guideline of raising children – is to instill the desire for freedom, to teach responsibility, to seek the creative and the kind.  It works well in America.  Throughout the Bible we learn, from God’s view, “what works best” for linking God’s true Spirit with man’s God-installed will.

And that is called “God’s love.”  God sent Jesus Christ to be sure we knew that. 

Faith is the trip-wire for understanding God’s intentions.  The purpose of God’s will that we learn in and through Jesus Christ is not only to find comfort and confidence in the truth and proven existence of God, but to dedicate our energies and purpose, with obedience and responsibility – and Spirit – to spending our freedom on God’s glory.

I hope I see my new friend again sometime.  Due to geography, jobs, and relational degrees of separation, our paths would not naturally cross.  And, it is unlikely our families would worship together, but that’s OK.  I deeply thank God for the lesson of how close we can be to, and to love, all God’s people; there is no one He didn’t create.

In this season of wide civic dissension, it was a joyful reminder of God’s grace.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) is cheerier talking about Jesus than about politics.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) prays Psalm 91 as defense against demons. Amen.