bad theology.

February 4, 2013 in dream., restore. with 19 Comments

raylewis
earlier this week, the daily mail reported that one in four americans believes that God ‘plays a role in determining which team wins’ at sporting events.

additionally, more than half of americans believe God ‘rewards athletes who have faith with good health and success,’ as researched by a recent poll performed by the Public Religion Research Institute.

<insert divinely inspired facepalm here>

last night after their super bowl win, ray lewis of the baltimore ravens made two (perhaps) well-intentioned yet theologically inept statements ::

• ’When God is for you, who can be against you?’ (in response to being asked what it was like to be a Super Bowl champion)

 i’m not even sure how to *begin* to respond.

my friend andrew marin said it well in less than 140 characters ::

 

context and usage determine meaning.

the verse lewis quoted is romans 8:31. in context, it is speaking specifically of individuals being reconciled to God in the person of jesus christ – who advocates on behalf of humanity in the midst of our common struggle with falling short of perfection.

not the san francisco 49ers, regardless of how poorly they played in the first half.

the apostle paul, in the middle of the first century, wasn’t writing about an american football game.

lewis’ second comment came in response to what he would say to the families of the two men that were murdered  by being stabbed to death (lewis himself had been accused and acquitted of their double homicide) ::

• ‘To the family, if you knew – if you knew the way God works – he don’t use people who commits anything like that for his glory. No way. It’s the total opposite.’

hmmmph.

moses killed a guy. then he led the people of israel out of bondage and into the promised land.

king david killed a guy, because otherwise it would have been exposed that david had slept with his wife while he was out of town working. oh, and that ‘guy’ was his friend. he is celebrated as the greatest king of israel’s history, and called ‘a man after God’s own heart’ in scripture.

the apostle paul killed people for following jesus. then he had a change of heart. then he stopped killing people and started helping them find and follow jesus (just like the people he’d killed). he also wrote the verse lewis quoted out of context.

i’m confident in saying that lewis, donning his ‘Psalms 91′ undershirt did not intentionally propagate unhelpful and damaging theologies.

perhaps the same can even be said for the *thousands* of people who retweeted his quote exclaiming, ‘Ray Lewis just quoted my favorite verse! Praise the Lord!’

i’m sure they had the best of intentions.

but well intentioned bad theology is still bad theology.

when ray lewis and one in four people in our country believe that God gives a damn about the outcome of a football game – and that the winner is dictated by whomever’s side God is on (spoiler alert :: he’s on neither side), it gives me reason to believe there is a need for some clarification || the logical result of the well-intentioned-bad-theology of ray lewis is that good things happen to good people (whose side God is on), and bad things happen to bad people (whose side God is not on).

that’s what gives us the type of asinine statements that happen after tragedies like 9/11, hurricane katrina, japanese tsunamis and sandy hook elementary. and it’s worth speaking out against.

for what it’s worth ::

God is not on the Baltimore Ravens side; God is not on the San Francisco 49ers side.

God is not on the Republicans side; God is not on the Democrats side.

God is not on FOX news’ side; God is not on MSNBC’s side.

God is not on Iran’s side; God is not on America’s side.

God is not on Israel’s side; God is not on Palestine’s side.

God is not on women’s side; God is not on men’s side.

God is not on skinny people’s side; God is not on fat people’s side.

God is not on gay people’s side; God is not on straight people’s side.

God is not on married people’s side; God is not on re-married people’s side.

God is not on single people’s side; God is not on divorced people’s side.

God is not on christianity’s side; God is not on islam’s side.

God is not on the side of the progressives; God is not on the side of the conservatives.

whether capitalist or socialist, celibate or in relationship, clinically depressed or overly bubbly, loud-mouthed or soft-spoken, a member of a church or someone without religion, african or caucasian or asian or latino or european or whatever tax bracket you find yourself in, whether you speak english or another language, whether disabled or able-bodied, a pastor or parishioner – God is not taking sides with you against anyone.

God is planted firmly on the side of humanity, in solidarity with each of us.

God is on everyone’s side, and we’re all invited to be a part of what it is he is up to.

even those of us with a past full of mistakes.

even those of us still making mistakes.

even those of us with bad theology.

even ray lewis.

even you.

even me.

any questions? what do you think?

  • http://www.facebook.com/michael.danner Michael Danner

    Fantastic!!!

    • http://www.mjkimpan.com/ michael j. kimpan

      cheers, my friend.

  • http://www.facebook.com/andrew.kupper Andrew Kupper

    Well said! I find it inspiring to hear that he wants ALL of humanity to do well, not just his followers. Puts a few things into perspective.

    • http://www.mjkimpan.com/ michael j. kimpan

      glad to hear, andrew. thanks for reading and continuing to seek God in spirit and in truth. excited for where that journey takes you!

  • http://twitter.com/DavidLCrow Dave Crow

    Great thoughts. Reminds me of a song Gungor did several years ago, “White Man”…

    • http://www.mjkimpan.com/ michael j. kimpan

      BRILLIANT! how have i never seen this before?!?! thanks for passing that along, dave – i’ll post it tomorrow so that folks who skip over the comment section today have a chance to see and hear it. phenomenal. i LOVE it!

  • Erika

    After Obama was reelected, I had several friends post on FB that they were fearful God was turning his back on the US because we, as a country, had forced Him out. I was saddened that they felt this way but I wasn’t really sure how to respond. I think you’re making the same point here (that their statement isn’t true). As long as we seek him, no matter what we’ve done in the past, we will find Him. Personally, I feel there’s an incredible movement that’s more inline with the actual teachings of Jesus like never before. (Sorry if I took this in another direction, it just struck this chord with me. )

    • http://www.mjkimpan.com/ michael j. kimpan

      you and i share this same hope, erika – and i am convinced as people seek to live as jesus lived and love as jesus loved, we join with him in his prayer, ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done…on earth, as it is in heaven.’

      thanks for reading!

  • http://twitter.com/CareyHAdams1 Carey H. Adams

    Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side, My great concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right. — Abraham Lincoln

    • http://www.mjkimpan.com/ michael j. kimpan

      nice quote! thanks for sharing.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jennerd Jen Daniels

    Love THIS message, Michael. So good.

    • http://www.mjkimpan.com/ michael j. kimpan

      i think that’s why they even call it the ‘good news’! the good news is GREAT news.

  • Jim Powell

    This is a great post Michael. Two weeks ago Ray Lewis said, “No weapon formed against us shall prosper” after they won a game and I laughed out loud. Then I shook my head. I’m not suggesting Ray is not a Christian, but anyone who can’t see the dangerous and errant theology that his being espoused here is troubling. That doesn’t mean we have to vilify Ray, but it’s fair game to critique his words which in this case are really off base.

    • http://www.mjkimpan.com/ michael j. kimpan

      thanks for reading and commenting, jim. agree it is inconsistent to vilify those with whom we disagree – but as a friend of mine recently said about this conversation, public comments can be critiqued publicly.’ i think that becomes even more important when the logical conclusion to those public statements leads others into an unhealthy understanding of God.

      good to see you on here!

  • http://www.facebook.com/jefferson.d.powell Jefferson Davis Powell

    He is on Israel’s side. He is on the elects side. Should I list a few hundred verses to support this?

    • http://www.mjkimpan.com/ michael j. kimpan

      thanks for this, jefferson.

      there certainly are a plethora of verses that could point to God being on the side of israel, or the ‘elect.’ i would include israel and the elect in the ‘everybody’ whose side God is on (and there are a plethora of scriptures to make a case for this as well, as i’m sure you know).

      my point in this post is that when we imply that God is on ‘our’ side versus someone else, that by definition implies that God is against some people – and if we do our due diligence in practicing a hermeneutic that takes into consideration the whole sweep of scripture, looking at the overarching narrative throughout of creation, redemption and reconciliation, we are hard pressed to make an argument that God is against *anyone.’

      he is for humanity, standing in solidarity even with those deemed ‘Other.’ this is clearly evidenced in the incarnation, in the life and teachings of jesus – even in the crucifixion as he asked forgiveness on behalf of those who were putting him to death!

      perhaps a clarification question :: whose side do you think God is *not* on? do you think God is against certain people? i assume (and hope!) the answer is no – in which case, our disagreement may be a simple matter of semantics.

      what are your thoughts?

      • http://www.facebook.com/jefferson.d.powell Jefferson Davis Powell

        I think as you read the scriptures you see plainly that, yes, He is against certain people and groups of people’s. “I have loved you,” says the Lord . But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord . “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” (Malachi 1:2, 3 ESV). though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. (Romans 9:11, 13-18 ESV). “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than yourselves, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly. But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire. “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. (Deuteronomy 7:1-10 ESV). There is more….

  • tommy

    Even Ray’s t shirt is wrong. Drives me crazy when folks add an ‘s’ to Psalm or Revelation unless specifically referring to a plurality of such. Christ was on Judas’ side even when He knew that Judas would soon betray Him. That’s why He offered His disciple the cup representing His blood at the Last Supper. It was a final offer of redemption.

  • http://www.facebook.com/steveapatterson Stephen Patterson

    if only i had read this before we talked so i could have corrected you that God is most definitely on my niners’ side. God was just rocking a little hebrews 12:7-9 on us so that we could win the next 20 straight superbowls