The American Dream

I'm not a historian, not even close, so this blog may ring very wrong in your ears.  But regardless I am writing this, and hoping that there is at least a portion of truth within it.

When the colonists came to the Americas they came because they wanted a place where they could practice freedom and liberty for all men.

When Americans began expanding West, they did so because they wanted to find a life and wealth for their own.

When wealthy land owners began partaking in the African slave trade, they did so as a means to increase production, lower production costs, and thus receive a bigger slice of the American Dream pie they so desperately wanted.

When John is working full-time, and his wife puts their kids in daycare so she can also work a full-time job, it is to bring them closer to the dream of being able to give themselves and their children anything they could ever want.

When Ted Stevens accepts bribes, he does so in pursuit of wanting wealth, power, and freedom that could be associated with a twisted form of the American Dream.

I'm not saying the American Dream is an evil thing, or was wrong in its inception (at least as an idea, not a phrase).  But it becomes increasingly apparent in our country that the American Dream has strayed from a desire for basic human rights and opportunity.  Instead it has been individualized in our minds.  The focus of the American Dream is no longer country or appealing to a higher truth; but, rather, me.  

Our dream is one that looks out for our own immediate self-interest.  We want no law or person hindering what we can do.  It appears we have a thought process that says, "Laws are so other people can't impede on my freedoms."  But that is as far as we want the laws to serve us, their application against us is unfair in our eyes.  Just look at the example of illegal downloading of music.  This is something I point back at myself for.  I wouldn't want anyone stealing from me, but I don't want anyone to hinder my ability to steal from others.  The American Dream, it's all about me.  And we are even destroying our families and relationships, as we try to satisfy and provide what the "American Dream" and Darwin would have us believe is most important.

It also drives us to our division in politics.  Now surely this isn't 100% true, but one can certainly see a trend in what party a person is registered for, based on their income levels or affiliations.

When Sherman Alexie was interviewed on The Colbert Report, he said something that made me think...

Unlike other groups of people in this country, we Indians vote for the good of everybody, and not just for the good of our little group.

-  Sherman Alexie

If you watch the clip you will see he was speaking about why McCain is a better choice for the Native American population, and yet why the Native Americans generally were pushing for Obama.  Now regardless of your or my political views, you can't deny this statement contains a dose of caffein to wake up our minds.  We do vote for ourselves.  Christians vote for the person that seems the most moral (sometimes putting their ability to run the government further back on the list) so they can have the moral character they want to see in office, much of the upper-class vote for the republican candidate, so they can get tax breaks they so desperately want, and many of the low-class citizens vote for the democrats so they can get the handouts they want.

We make our decisions with a form of presupposition.  That is, "whatever helps me or my cause the most, is the best answer."  To find a way to better our country, don't we need to lay those aside?  Shouldn't we do what is right, regardless of whether or not we are the ones who will most benefit or least benefit.  Can we be objective without first denying our self?

Let's stop the American Dream from being focused on what we WANT, and rather, let's keep it at what it started at.  Fair opportunity, liberty, and democracy.  Liberty doesn't ensure you the things that you want.  Opportunity does not afford you the right to break the law to succeed.  And surely democracy was not meant for us to selfishly mandate that our individual desires be satisfied, rather it ignites an obligation for us to educate ourselves and seek true wisdom, ignoring any presuppositions not arrived at in the truth of reason, so that we may look to the good of all before the good of ourselves.

We'll never see the America we're dreaming of unless we forsake this selfish rendition of the American Dream we have so tightly embraced.

The Official Drink of Jesus

I went to a convention this past weekend in Atlanta, GA and have been wanting to write a blog about it.

The convention was for a health drink I promote called MonaVie. Let me just say at the very beginning of this, MonaVie is great! I completely back it and would agree it's pretty much the healthiest food you can put in your body. Good stuff. None of my problems stem from the validity of this product.

So I go to this MonaVie conference put on by it's top earner in the MonaVie network marketing company, Brig Hart. I expected to learn a lot more about the science of the drink and its components, maybe hear some testimonies, and of course get some info on how people have promoted it themselves. What I did not expect was Christian Prosperity Fest '08. I knew that Brig Hart was a Christian, but I've been to Christian conferences that talked less about God.

Now I'm certainly not against preaching the Gospel or anything like that, but when someone comes for a business conference and is preached to 85% of the time, paying a decent chunk of change to go, I'd be a little peeved. And I'd probably hold Christianity responsible. As my aunt and I were on our way there, I was asking if certain people would be there. She responded "no" a lot because of the religious aspect of the message. I didn't expect so much though.

Much of it was motivation from Christian speakers, authors, and pastors. A lot of the points I agreed with, but generally I disagreed with the direction each talk pointed the listener toward. Brig would have the crowd of nearly 5,000 cheering "Black Diamond, Black Diamond, Black Diamond," claiming that they will achieve the high and lucrative rank of Black Diamond. This was shown as an opportunity for freedom. No longer do you have to be a slave under a boss, no longer do you need to work 80 hours a week to provide for you family, no longer do you even need to "work." MonaVie has all the answers. Lots of money will little effort.

The "Christian" Prosperity message is one that makes my stomach turn. When someone tells me that God wants me to have lots of money, I know that they don't know that. I may be "blessed" with lots of money, but that blessing could be a huge curse. What good is it for a man to gain the world but lose his soul? Jesus taught living with less... even less than what most would deem adequate, but it was adequate.

When I have preachers on stage and family members in my ear telling me that I can do much good with wealth, I know there is a truth to that, but there is also a deception, a temptation. Jesus even tempts his disciples in this manner. He exposes to them what they will really do with wealth, or more than they need. If you keep reading in Luke 22, you see that Jesus tells his disciples to get all the things they just said they don't need, including swords. A few verses later you see his disciples relying on one of these items instead of on the Word of the Lord. As Peter pulls out his sword and cuts a man's ear off, Jesus rebukes him and shows him the error of believing in possessions, as well as how easy it is to lose focus.

I truly do find myself in the same situation. There is a voice in my head or sometimes standing right in front of me, saying that it's ok to have all this stuff. God wants me to be blessed and to be a blessing to others, money helps God do that. Words like this will lead me away. Money isn't evil, but a man's heart is easily swayed when money is present. I can bless others with my life. I can inspire the multitudes to give small amounts, rather than having a few wealthy give large amounts. Simplicity, relying on God, keeping my priorities straight; these are all blessings greater than money. And work should be a blessing too. Not working for the rest of my life is not something that appeals to me. Not toiling in a job is something that appeals to me. If you love your work, why wouldn't you want to work for life. Whether it's in a job, your community, your church, your family, someone else's family, or whatever, you have a purpose and you must work at that purpose.

I think it's wrong to correlate business and Christianity in such a way, even though I think Jesus should be in your workplace. If anything Jesus would probably call you to less "work" and more life. He wouldn't be as concerned with productivity, as he would enjoying what you're doing and staying focused on the cause. And I don't know if Jesus would be selling Joel Osteen books like crazy at his business convention.

After this past weekend I decided that MonaVie isn't about the money. It's about trying to help people with health. It's a stepping stone to a better lifestyle and diet. MonaVie is not the answer, but it can help a lot. I'm not opposed to making a little money with MonaVie, but I need to stay strict on giving away anything I don't need before I become bound by it. This is hard, and I'm not there; however, I have made great strides and I'm going to continue chugging along.

I was going to mention network marketing in our economic hardship and question whether it's really a good thing. Does having people quit their jobs to sell juice really help our consumer-based economy? Shouldn't we be moving towards jobs that provide products, rather than gaining quick wealth through another (in some manner) service industry. There's a product there, but these people are all selling something they don't manufacture. Also, if our economy dips pretty bad, MonaVie will be one of the first things people drop to save money. I in no way would put my heart and soul into the security of MonaVie. But like I said, it's an incredible product and I'd recommend everyone give it a shot.

If you want more info on MonaVie let me know.

Jesus For Sale

Not only is Jesus For sale, he's On sale.

I would like to start this by saying I don't mean to offend anyone with the last post. I do realize it was a little rough on "Left Behind" without much backing of why. I'm not trying to justify my immaturity, but I do think Left Behind stands in line with some problematic issues in our current era.

Is there much of a difference between our Christian stores and regular stores? Is their goal to make money? I don't know if Christian bookstores would mark profit as their primary goal, but it certainly isn't their last. Whether it's the store or the producer that is charging so much, it appears that something is off.

Everything seems more expensive at a Family Bookstore. I can go on Amazon at any time and beat their price with a 25% off everything coupon on almost everything. Whatever their corporate priority sheet is, I feel like they should be making Christianity less expensive. Also note, that I am aware of a faulty thought in the previous sentence. Are they making a lot of money off us, or is it that they can't be competitive?

The worst part is their selection. They have provided a market for Jesus. Everything becomes unique and Christian when you add a cross, praying hands, a Jesus etching, or a Bible verse to it.

Get a kid a toy toolbox, but wait, add Ephesians 2:10 and you've got a Faith Works tool set!

Want a holy ambiance to the room? Well lighting some candles is sure to usher you into the Holy of Holies, but make sure they know what God you're serving here with a Christ Tealight Holder.

Finally, if your pre-teen daughter loves the movie Mean Girls anyway, might as well influence her with some pop-culture, teen idol, trying to be older than I am, with stylish clothes and makeup before I should really be wearing it CHRISTIAN influence. We need to get rid of the secular world's hold on this market with The Rubyz! Give them a few years and these girls will surely be skankin' it up for Christ!

I know I'm probably not doing much to help with those whom I offend. But seriously, it's like I don't know which side Christians are rooting for. As far as I can tell we're getting sucked into the industry and we're not even realizing it. We are majorly compromising the message of Christ for something much more tame and financially stimulating.

It's not the money being made that is the problem, but it is the excess and apparent focus of making more and more money that is. One can't be consumed with profits and prices and with the work of God at the same time. You may say how important it is for a business to concern itself with profits, but my response would be, do your work and don't worry.

With the marketing of Jesus, and the misnomer of Jesus via the often times direct contradiction by the product's promotion or the indirect contradiction professed by a focus on money/success (mammon), we strip Jesus of his majesty and shove him into our pocket or mount him above our mantel. When reading the book A Generous Orthodoxy, by Brian McLaren, I was punched in the gut by a realization he spoke oh so well.

...the more one respects Jesus, the more one must be brokenhearted, embarrassed, furious, or some combination thereof when one considers what we Christians have done with Jesus. That's certainly true when it comes to calling Jesus Lord, something we Christians do a lot, often without the foggiest idea of what we mean. Has he become (I shudder to ask this) less our Lord and more our Mascot?

- A Generous Orthodoxy, McLaren (p88)

Mascot. Is Jesus our mascot? Do we cheer at Jesus because he represents our side? Do we raise him up on our shoulders when we feel we have "won" a victory over another belief or world view? Would Jesus want any part of this?

It's sobering to realize how many times I have celebrated a mascot, who I inadvertently and unknowingly consider smaller than myself, or a servant of my will. I have stolen my King's crown and turned him into a jester. I must repent now, because soon God will answer.

The LORD said to Job:
"Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!"

Then Job answered the LORD:
"I am unworthy--how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.
I spoke once, but I have no answer--twice, but I will say no more."

The the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:
"Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.
Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?"

- Job 40

Jesus was angered when he saw all of the financial exploitation that was outside the temple. It was all happening in the name of God. To sacrifice this animal you must pay me an unfair price for the animal. To be a Christian you must conform to social form. You must wear this T-shirt, listen to this music, watch only these kinds of movies, and read these books, which will supplement what you learn in these Bibles. It's extortion.

Extortion: The crime of obtaining money or some other thing of value by the abuse of one's office or authority.

The only thing is, they aren't using their authority. It's a bastardizing union between the authority of pop-culture and God/Jesus. This partnership combines the inherent importance of the name of God, and the feeling of safety that comes when one is joined to it, with the high desire for societal acceptance and the feeling of ease that comes when one is joined to it.

We need to be aware of this issue creeping into Christian culture, or maybe it's already here like an grossly overweight, unwanted cousin, planted securely on your couch. I'm not telling you to boycott stores with overpriced Christian merchandise, but I'm not telling you not to. I'm telling you to do whatever God leads. But ultimately we need to bring some distinction between God's Kingdom and the world's kingdom, because they are very different places. You cannot be serving both God's Kingdom and the world's.

Most of all, in everything you do, ask if you are allowing the Lord the honor, power, and majesty He deserves, or if you're belittling Him, turning Him into a mascot.