The Eight Characteristics of a Serious Disciple of Christ

     Much of the New Testament presents the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News that redemption from our sins is the result of what Jesus did on the cross and not something that we have to earn through good works.  If we had to earn our salvation through works that would be bad news not good news because none of us are that righteous.

     

But this is not to say that our works are not important.  As Christians, we are called to be disciples of Christ.  Beyond our faith and hope in Christ there is a lifestyle that we are to embrace.  It is a lifestyle that mirrors the lifestyle of Christ.  It is a lifestyle that embraces his moral code as it is presented in the New Testament.  It is a lifestyle that puts believers in the misery reduction business.

     Misery comes in many forms.  

• Physical misery:  illness and injury
• Experiential misery:  lacking the resources or freedom to experience the joy of living
• Spiritual misery:  lacking the faith and hope that comes from a personal relationship with God
• Emotional misery:  suffering through sadness, fear, anger, hopelessness, or powerlessness

     By following Jesus Christ's moral code, believers can reduce the misery and increase the joy in their own lives and  in the lives of others.  Every Christian has a personal and social responsibility to lead the lifestyle espoused in the moral teachings of the New Testament.

     The New Testament has a great deal to say about moral behavior.  I believe there are eight predominant characteristics of discipleship.  Serious Christians should be constantly working to improve themselves in these eight areas so that they can make a positive impact in their church and in their community.  Our goal should be to lead lives that are above reproach.  because we fall short of God's glory, we will not be able to perfect these characteristics in ourselves.  However, in chasing perfection, we might be able to catch excellence.  

The Eight Characteristics of a Christian Disciple.

1. A disciple will have an insatiable curiosity concerning the nature and will of the triune God.  We should never tires of Bible study, expository preaching and learning, and intelligent conversation with those more learned than we.  We must not always depend on conventional wisdom, but keep our minds and hearts open to new thinking for this is the essence of spiritual growth.  Our goal should be truth, not affirmation of previously held beliefs.
   
2. A disciple will have a desire to hone his/her spiritual gifts.  We are not all gifted in the same areas, but each of us is gifted in one or more areas.  We need to discover where we are gifted and devote ourselves to developing those gifts that we might be the best instruments possible for use in the kingdom.
3. A disciple will be fervent in prayer and worship.  We need to be prayer warriors, in almost constant communication with God.  Our worship should not be limited to Sunday mornings, but should be something we practice every day.
4. A disciple will have a heart for the poor, the sick, the oppressed, the disenfranchised.  The Bible spends more time on this single issue than any other.  Serious believers are on the constant lookout for those in need and are willing to sacrifice of themselves in order to alleviate the misery.
5. A disciple will prefer to forgive rather than punish, embrace rather than exclude, and edify rather than condemn.  This is not to say that believers should refrain from the rebuke, but kindness and compassion should be the norm when dealing with people struggling with their sins and the consequences.  The thinking that "if we just punish people enough, they will change their ways" needs to be shelved.
6. A disciple will lead a life of humility.  There is no place in discipleship for arrogance and self righteousness.  Believers must confess their own sins more than point out the sins of others.  Believers must practice economic humility.  Avarice has no place in the church body.
7. A disciple will be willing to witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Evangelism is at the heart of the Christian experience.  Sharing the good news of salvation through a personal relationship with Jesus is not the job of pastors and evangelists alone.
8. A disciple will guard his/her personal morality.  No sexual immorality, no use of mind altering substances such as alcohol, tobacco, or drugs, no acts of dishonesty or selfishness, no gossiping, no bigotry, no violence, no gambling.  Believers should be known for their work ethic and their obedience to the law.  

     We should be constantly examining and evaluating ourselves.  Are we the disciples the Lord wants us to be?  I know I am not.  The Lord is still working on me.

In Christ,

Brian

Progressive Christian Manifesto

The following is a statement that represents the views of the North Dakota Progressive Christian PAC. e-mail: evangeliberal@yahoo.com

Progressive Christian Manifesto

Preamble

We, who are disciples of Jesus Christ and advocates of American democracy, believe that it is possible to be true to the Christian values of being pro-life and compassionate to the disadvantaged, while at the same time allowing for the democratic principles of freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and enfranchisement to all people regardless of race, religion, sex, or ethnic background. Our political goal is to promote a true Christian/democratic ideology and candidates who support that ideology.


Article I. Separation of Church and State: Healthy for Both Church and State

Christian Progressives believe that the sentiments expressed in the concept of separation of church and state as stated in the First and Fourteenth Amendments offer the greatest protection for both church and state. Government sanctioning one religion over others will inherently lead to a form of religious coercion. Citizens will feel they must practice the state religion or avoid practicing the faith of their conscience in order to enjoy political, social, and economic advantages afforded those who practice the religion favored by the government.
History has shown that when there is social, religious, political, or economic pressure placed upon citizens by government or culture, the Church is weakened in fervency while it is strengthened in numbers. In short, when the church is made up mostly of people whose motivation is social, political, or economic rather than heartfelt spirituality, the Church is less likely to be imitative of Christ in doctrine and practice. Thus, the Church will be healthier and more dynamic if government shows no preference in any form.


Article II. Pro-Life and Pro-Quality Life

Abortion on demand is clearly a policy that is contrary to the teaching of scripture.
Every effort should be made by government and faith-based institutions to make abortion rare by providing emotional and financial support to encourage women to give birth rather than end the life of the unborn. No woman who is the victim of rape or incest should have to carry the pregnancy to term. No women should be expected to carry the pregnancy to term when doing so would endanger her life or health. Permanently comatose patients should be allowed to die rather than be kept on life support for long periods of time. Living wills should be honored.


Article III. Social Responsibility.

From beginning to end the Bible teaches that those who have are responsible to help those who have not. Providing greater time, energy, and resources to help those in need is consistent with Biblical teaching, and should be reflected in the laws of the United States and the state of North Dakota through the following policies:
(1)A progressive income tax and tax relief for those at the lower end of the economic spectrum
(2)Health care for all, including mental health.
(3)Well-funded public schools that provide a rigorous education for all.
(4)Laws that protect the working class form being exploited by way of low wages and unhealthy
working conditions.


Article IV. A Common Sense Penal Code

Since most imprisoned criminals will one day be released, a primary function of incarceration should be to prepare convicts for the time when they will be free. Prison should be more than a place of punishment. The experience should include education/vocational training, counseling, and other opportunities for personal growth.


Article V. Environmental Protection

The earth is God’s creation and is the source for all physical materials that sustain life and bring people joy. In the interest of keeping our world a healthy, safe and productive place, public policy should discourage all forms of pollution, encourage conservation of our natural resources, and preserve the natural beauty and wonder of creation.

Article VI. Foreign Policy

The time, energy, and resources our country spends creating and maintaining allies in the long run will be less costly in lives and treasure than if spent on war-making. Christians can assume that the attitudes of compassion, charity, and forgiveness that form the Biblical model for personal relationships will work well for international relationships. America’s foreign relations would be well served by the following:
(1)A well-armed and highly trained military force that is used for self-defense and for the rescue of our allies from those who wish to harm them. Our military should never be used to
conquer any country for the purpose of imposing our will or simply to bolster our economy.
(2)Our government should never support any country’s leadership that denies human rights to
its people just because we hope to gain economically.
(3)Concerning foreign affairs, America should always appear to the world to be sacrificially
heroic rather that selfishly exploitive.


Article VII. Regulation of Financial and Corporate Institutions

The Bible clearly teaches that when money and power are consolidated into the hands of a few, the rest of the population suffers. The nature of the corporation is to be primarily interested in profits, not public safety, the environment, or economic justice for the poor and working class. Therefore the Christian position should be that corporations be regulated by the government to compel them to behave in a socially responsible way.


Article VIII. Military

History reveals that many factions and nations are hostile to democratic ideals in general and America in particular. A well-funded and highly trained military force is necessary for the protection of America and her allies. The Christian position should be to abhor war, but in the interest of liberty, justice, and security to be willing to sacrifice
lives and treasure as a last resort.


Article IX. Equal Rights for All

The Bible teaches that there should be distinction between persons. The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution express the same idea -- that all people are equal in the eyes of the law and that there should be no undue hardship as a result of discrimination for race, gender, age, religion, or sexual orientation in the United States. However the concept of equal rights has its limits. Merit, hard work, and talent should be rewarded accordingly. Behaviors that are deemed unsafe, or which nature or long standing tradition has denied, should not be tolerated.

I Guess I'm Not a Very Good Christian

After listening to Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and a host of other Evangelical Christian "leaders", I have come to the conclusion that I am not much of a Christian. I have even been called a counterfeit Christian. I guess I will finally have to admit that they are right and I ought to be ashamed of myself. I am wrong in my thinking in the following ways:

I don't want to give tax breaks to the rich while increasing the regressive taxes on the poor. I was opposed to the repeal of the estate tax. The right wingers call it the "death tax." I call it the "Paris Hilton benefit tax." I suppose a real Christian would feel sorry for her and want her to have more money, but I don't. Like I say, I'm not much of a Christian.

I don't feel like cheering and praising God every time our government executes a criminal. I actually think that through God it is possible that anyone could repent and be saved, no matter how heinous the crime he/she committed. I guess real Christians don't feel that way.

I actually care enough about people at the lower end of the economic spectrum that I believe they should be getting the tax breaks, they should be entitled to first class health care, they should have the best schools, they should be working at jobs that provide something close to a living wage, they should have a safety net of public assistance. But I guess real Christians don't care that much for the poor.

I believe that poor people should have at their disposal great public attorneys when they into trouble with the law and need legal assistance. Real Christians think that only the rich should have the best attorneys and the poor should have some poorly paid, unmotivated lawyer to represent them. I am dang near next to Satan when it comes to Christian values and the poor.

I think our prisons should be a place where law-breakers can get an education, counseling, and drug treatment. I want them to be better able to cope with life when they come out than when they went in. Prisons should not be places of torture, abuse, and depravation -- monster factories. I guess I don't have the same attitudes about punishment and revenge as real Christians.

I don't believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross in order to create a religion that is to be used as a means to control the behavior of all citizens. The Christian faith is one of spiritual regeneration, a changed personality, and a moral code reserved for believers. I think that using Christianity as a toll to manipulate the behavior of whole societies chepens it at is probably blasphemus. But real Christians have no qualms about using government to force non-believers to comply to Christian morals and practices. I must be wrong in thinking God's church is not weak and ineffective and doesn't need the support of government.

I'm not sure how I could be so far off in my thinking. I must read the Bible too much.

Whom Would Jesus Tax

Jesus never really came out in favor of one form of taxation over another. He did not oppose taxes though. In Matthew 22:15-21 we get the following story: "Then the Pharisees went and counseled together how they might trap Him in what he said. And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, 'Teacher, we know you are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for you are not partial to any. Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is is lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?' But Jesus perceived their malice, and said,'Why are you testing me, you hypoctites? Show me the coin used for the poll-tax.' And they brought Him a dearius. And he said to them,' Whose likeness and inscription is this?' They said to Him, 'Caesar's.' Then He said to them, 'Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God, the things that are God's.'

I am sure that conservatives would have preferred Jesus to go on a rant about taxation. This certainly would have been the opportune time for him to do so had he desired. But he didn't. In fact, he said to pay the tax to the government that was oppressing them, without complaint.
But even though Jesus was not opposed to taxes, a decerning reader of the Bible will have no trouble figuring out the kinds of taxes Jesus would prefer. Jesus loves poor people. And is always angry with the rich for their arranging things things to ease their burden while piling it on the poor. The Bible is consistant with this theme from beginning to end.

Jesus is never going to be disappointed with anyone who is an advocate for easing the tax burden on the poor. And I doubt he is ever going to feel sorry for the rich if they have to pay more. But I would be most uncomfortable standing before God on Judgement Day saying, "I did what you wanted, Lord. I did everything in my power to cut the taxes for the rich and shift them onto the poor. Did I do good?"

So whom would Jesus tax? The religious right has sold out to the business and investment interests that control the Republican Party. They parrot the party line that cutting taxes for the rich is the proper and even moral thing to do.

So according to the Christian moralists in the Republican Party, the progressive income tax that forces the wealthiest of us to pay a higher percentage on income has to go. They prefer regressive taxes that weigh nore heavily as a percentage of income on the poor. Regressive taxes include excise taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, fees, licenses, and tariffs.

Let's take a look at a few examples. Let's say that the excise tax on gasoline is 40 cents per gallon. A working class family who drives 25,000 miles per year burns up about 1000 gallons of gas and pays the government $400 in excise tax. If that family makes $40,000 per year, that gas tax figures out to 1% of their income.

Now let's say a CEO of a large corporation makes $400,000 per year. Let's also say that his family drives twice as much as the working class family and thus pays $800 per year in gasoline excise tax. $800 is only .2% of their income. Twice the miles driven, but only 1/5 the percentage of income paid in tax. No wonder the rich like excise taxes. They want all taxes to be so regressive. But whom would Jesus tax?

Even taxes that are proportional, that is, they weigh on rich and poor at the same percentage of income are inherently harder on the poor. If a young single mother, working a couple of jobs and earning $20,000 per year is taxed at a rate of 5%, she would be paying $1000. An executive making $200,000 per year taxed at a rate of 5% would be paying $10,000 per year. I guarantee you that $1000 is more important to the young mother than that $10,000 is to the rich CEO. Whom would Jesus tax?

The mantra of the right is "NO MORE TAXES." But what about fees and fines. They love raising them because they affect the rich very little as a percentage of income, but they really sting the poor. There is a fee attached to everything anymore. You can't turn around without having to buy a fee or license. They are nothing more than regressive taxes.

Then we come to health care insurance. One of the reasons health care has gone up so drastically in recent years is that poor people can't afford it. So when they get sick, they go to the emergency rooms. Hospitals don't like to turn them away so they often, but not always, help them. Somebody has to pay for that. Guess who? All of us who have insurance and can afford to pay our hospital bills. The cost of paying the hospital bills of the poor is spread evenly across the insurance premiums of all who have coverage. say the premiums for each family policy have to go up $1000 per policy to pay for all those who don't have insurance. For a working class family whose income is $40,000 that is 2.5% of their income. For that CEO who makes $400,000, that increase id .25% of income. Again the burden as percentage of income is borne by the lower income families. No wonder the rich don't want to have universal health care. If premiums or coverage is paid for by the government and the rich pay a higher percentage of taxes because of our progressive income tax, their contribution toward the premiums is greater that if things are left as is, and the cost is spread evenly across the population. So whom would Jesus tax?
Jesus wants believers to be advocates for the needy. That has been the mission of the church throughout history. There have been times in which the church has for political and economic reasons turned its back on the needy. I am afraid, thanks to the religious right, the Church is sliding into such a time once agin. Too bad.