Hair Metal Theology, Á La Poison

    I recently attended a lecture by Dr. Gale Yee, who is a professor of biblical studies at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge. The lecture's topic was "Answering God's Call: Bringing Justice To All." She related our call as Christians to the United Nation's eight Millennium Development Goals that aim to end extreme hunger and poverty. What a task. End poverty? End hunger? Can these goals even be achieved? After pondering her lecture, I think that extreme poverty and hunger can be eradicated, even if all poverty and hunger is not.

    This lecture on the world's poor also made me think of an early 90's song by glam-rockers Poison. The song is "Something To Believe In." You remember it, right? Well, ironically enough, from the band that brought us such classics as "Nothin' But A Good Time" and "Unskinny Bop" came a very profound anthem about life's tragedies. I thought about the lyrics in that song...

I drive by the homeless sleeping on a cold dark street
Like bodies in an open grave
Underneath the broken old neon sign
That used to read, 'Jesus Saves'

A mile away live the rich folks
And I see how they're living it up
While the poor they eat from hand to mouth
The rich drinkin' from a golden cup

And it just makes me wonder
Why so many lose and so few win

    So amidst all of that hair metal, there's actually some pretty good theology. Why is the gap between the rich and the poor so great? Have you ever noticed the distance between a city skyscraper and a street lined with dilapidated houses? Probably about a mile. A single mile. Within three or four blocks, you have some of the tallest, richest financial buildings in the world and some of the poorest, run-down neighborhoods in the country. And that's in America, the land of plenty. If you've ever traveled to Haiti, or India, or Africa, or a host of other countries, you know that the poverty we see here in America doesn't compare to the poverty in the rest of the world.

    Can we really end poverty and hunger? What actions can we take? Why do so many lose and so few win? I think a large part of the problem lies in that previous lyric. So many "lose" and so few "win" because the ones who have won don't share and distribute fairly to those who haven't won. We live in a "I'm-looking-out-for-me" world, and in a world like that, there will always be extreme poverty. Jesus spoke to this point, saying that "you will always have the poor among you" (Matt. 26:11). And though there will always be poor among us, that doesn't mean we should ignore their need while we go about our busy little lives. We can and should do all that we can to help the poor and destitute. For me that might mean giving money to a reputable organization, supporting local and fair-trade businesses, tithing to my church, and praying for those around the world. What does it mean for you? I can't answer that, but I do know doing nothing shouldn't be your answer.

The Law, Grace, And A Purple Bracelet

I've been pondering the law and grace lately. In Christian terms, the law and grace are spiritual opposites. The law represents the rules that God laid down in the Old Testament (Ten Commandments, Levitical rules, etc.) The law also represents a common mindset where many Christians think that they have to act "good enough" in order for God to be pleased with them. The other side of this coin is grace. Grace is the knowledge that we'll never be good enough to please God—and he still loves us, anyway. Grace is knowing that there's nothing we can do to earn—or to unearn—God's love and acceptance. The second part of that is the really important part: there's nothing we can do to unearn God's love. When you can come to a point of accepting that, then you've found salvation's road.

That brings me around to a purple bracelet. This isn't just any purple bracelet. It's a "Complaint-Free World" bracelet, courtesy of acomplaintfreeworld.org. A Complaint-Free World is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people affect positive change in their lives by becoming Complaint Free. I'm always kind of weary of these gimmicks. Maybe I shouldn't use the word "gimmick," but c'mon...how can a purple bracelet help my life? Here's the idea: You wear this bracelet and every time you complain, you move the bracelet to the opposite wrist. This provides you with an awareness of how often you complain. So I'm once again giving this purple bracelet a try. You put it on, sit back, and let it work.

So how does this bracelet relate to the law and grace?

It relates because grace is the idea that we can't do anything of our own power to please God (Romans 3:22-24). So why should I waste my time with a bracelet? Isn't that like trying to obey a law to please God? For me, I think wearing this bracelet is like prayer, or a good friend, or even a good book. There are things in life that are good and are gifts of God to help us along. This bracelet won't grant me instant happiness...but it's a tool toward that end. It's accountability. I know God doesn't want me to complain and this bracelet provides the awareness I need to rid myself of it.

And just like prayer, I'll sit back and let it work. I won't worry every time I screw up and complain about something. I'll put the bracelet on the other wrist and start again. There's a truth in that. Mess up...and start again. Be forgiven...and start again.