Friday, October 30, 2009

Gossip

Imagine this.

You live in a beautiful house in a beautiful community. Probably not comparable to Beverly Hills but it makes you happy to live there. it is an upscale county with its own sports club. All your neighbors are accomplished and professionals: doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, etc. The company where you are working is just 5 minutes drive. But most of all, your community is complete. There is a market nearby where you can buy all the things that you need. There is a good school where your children can go to. And there is a church.

The church looks awesome. The chapel is breathtaking. Its architectural design is great but not imposing. The pews are soft and comfortable. Its has heater and AC. And it is recognized in the whole christendom as a church with a high tithing. In fact, it supports minor churches of other villages.

But you dread going to that church.

You dread going to that church because you don't feel you are part of that church. You really cannot feel any sense of belongingness.

(Don't worry. I won't tell you how wrong you feel. Your feeling may be unjustifiable but it is still valid as all other feelings are. )

Probably, you are thinking of what other parishioners are thinking as you march to the only vacant pew which is in front. Here are some of them:

"Hey, have you heard that she's seeing a psychotherapist now. She must really be insane."

"Do you know that her son was apprehended last night while having a pot session? I pity her for having a wretched family."

"I saw her last night and she is dating a boy twenty years younger than her. What a cradle snatcher!"

And so on and so forth.

If you feel and think that way I am sure that the sinful woman in Luke 7: 36-50 can relate with you.

The sinful woman entered the house of a pharisee where righteous and successful pharisees were feasting (vv. 36-37). Jesus was there.

I guess that the sinful woman also dreaded going to that soiree. He was thinking that righteous people there will just talk about her condescendingly. And she was right! (v. 39) They were really gossiping about her.

Did it stop her from going there? No. She went there and did what she wanted to do. And that is to worship Jesus (vv. 37-38).

Surely, Jesus knew how the sinful woman felt. And probably He tried to allay that feeling by dealing with the issue right away. He did it by telling the story about the moneylender (vv. 40-47).

And Jesus is telling you know what Jesus told that sinful woman, "Your sins are forgiven." (verse 48).

So, when you are hesitating to go to a place of worship because of what others might be thinking.

When you don't feel accepted when you walk down the isle to sit in that vacant pew.

When you feel that all eyes are on you as the pastor delivers his 3-point sermon.

Look to that cross at the altar and hear what Jesus is telling you...

"Your sins are forgiven."

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Why Bro. Eddie Should Not Run For President

There is a debate right now among my friends regarding the presidential candidacy of Bro. Eddie Villianueva, the founder of JIL (Jesus Is Lord Fellowship), a born-again charismatic group here in the Philippines. Some are pro and some are against.

Allow me to give you my two-cents worth of idea.

Why am I not in favor of the candidacy of Bro. Eddie Villanueva? Simply because he is a church leader and it may violate Article 2 Section 6 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution that states, "The separation of the state and the church shall be inviolable."

The said law was upheld in the Executive Order No. 2, Book 2, Chapter 1 Section 6 under the title, "Basic Principles and Policies".

A very good friend, Pastor Vincent Olaer contended that, "they only need to be separated in function, but not in spiritual and moral values. The Church functions as a spiritual adviser of the state, while the state functions as a ruling government of the state which covers the church as well."

Though there is a very thin delineation between advising the state on spirituality and morality and governing. There is an eminent danger that religious advising might encroach and overlap with political matters. Imagine if the Philippines is not a Catholic nation. Let us say that majority of Filipinos are pagans where beheading is common. Would you like their priests and priestesses to advise the President in that capacity? Surely not!

As Christians, we should set an example on how to respect our laws. It may set a precedence for other religious leaders to run for a post just to have a political clout. And it is very frightening to think that my equal right as a Filipino will be endangered by sectoral (or should I say religious) biases.

One may say that we cannot stop Bro. Eddie from running because he is not the church. He is just a pious person. May I remind everyone that Bro. Eddie is the founder and present leader of JIL Movement. In fact, he is bragging that he can command and get millions of votes from members of JIL Movement. Therefore, we cannot disconnect Bro. Eddie from JIL. In some extent, he represents and will represent JIL Movement and all other pentecostal groups.

He may step down from JIL leadership but there is a danger that the thin line that separates the church and state will be infringed.

One may even deduce that Bro. Eddie is just like President Arroyo who is a pious catholic. Now, that is wrong syllogism. We cannot compare Bro. Eddie with President Arroyo in terms of involvement in and in representing the church. President Arroyo is not a church leader. Yes, she is pious as can be seen by her consistency in attending catholic gatherings and in her being vocal in her spiritual stance. But the fact is she did not found any church and she is not at the helm of the catholic church.

I can accept the comparison between Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani of Iran who is the spiritual leader in Iran and Bro. Eddie but not between President Arroyo and Bro. Eddie. Hell, even Ayatollah doesn't dream of being elected as the President of Iran. They still have President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad!

Moreover, it is my conviction that Jesus desires that political power should be delineated from spiritual powers. As to quote Him, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God". (Matthew 22:21. NLT)

Another friend posited that this passage pertains only to taxation and not about political matters. Isn't it that taxation is a political matter? Taxation is part and parcel of politics and we cannot separate the two.

In studying a passage we have to know the surrounding facts about it. I believe that Matthew Henry has a good analysis of the said passage. Matthew Henry said that, to quote, "Ministers that would mind their business, and please their master, must not entangle themselves in the affairs of this life: they forfeit the guidance of God's Spirit, and the convoy of his providence when they thus go out of their way. Christ discusses not the emperor's title, but enjoins a peaceable subjection to the powers that be." (Matthew Henry Commentary of the Whole Bible)

It is suffice to say that Matthew Henry does interpret the passage as Christ's recognition that we, Christians, should recognize earthly powers. Therefore, this passage does not pertain only to taxation per se but to the whole political or governance issue.

Thus, "give unto Caesar what is due unto Caesar and unto God what is due unto God." We should leave political matters to politicos and let us all concentrate in doing what God wants us to do. Sharing the Gospel. Sharing His love.

Justice Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court has a good reason why we should all adhere to the absolute separation of the state and the church. He said, "In the realm of religious faith, and in that of political belief, sharp differences arise. In both fields, the tenets of one man may seem the rankest error to his neighbor. To persuade others to his own point of view, the pleader, as we know, at times, resorts to exaggeration, to vilification of men who have been, or are, prominent in church or state, and even to false statement. But the people of this nation have ordained in the light of history, that, in spite of the probability of excesses and abuses, these liberties are, in the long view, essential to enlightened opinion and right conduct on the part of the citizens of a democracy." (Cantwell v. Connecticut, 310 U. S. 296, 310 U. S. 310 (1940))

Furthermore, let us all be reminded that there are so many religious groups here. As Filipinos, we have to live in harmony with one another. I strongly believe that religious leaders should refrain from engaging in politics for sectoral and religious harmony amongst all groups in the Philippines.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Philippine Blog Awards

I vote for The Disciplers
Bloggers' Choice Award
2009 Philippine Blog Awards