Eureka Christian Church

Reflecting Christ's Light from Our Doorsteps to the Ends of the Earth

Religion in America

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Christians and Illegal Immigration

What does God want us to do about the illegal aliens who are risking life and limb to travel to the U.S.?

The recent surge of people seeking to enter the United States whether legally or not has created much “soul-searching” among Christians. Some believe we should close our borders and refuse to allow immigrants to enter. Others — as the question indicates — want to find a response that would be faithful to our Christian beliefs.

The Old Testament — in several places — admonishes the Israelites to remember that they were once strangers in a strange land, and therefore they should treat resident aliens with kindness and generosity (see Leviticus 19:10, 33-34; 23:22; Deuteronomy 14:29). And the prophet Ezekiel even envisioned a time when the aliens would become citizens.

When we turn to the New Testament, the passage that comes immediately to mind is Matthew’s account of the “last judgment” which reads, in part:

Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you … for I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me … (Matthew 25:34b-35; emphasis added).

On the whole, it seems to me the Biblical record is clear: we should treat the migrants with love and seek to do all that we can to make their lives here as bearable and sustainable as we can.

But it seems to me that we must do more than that. Our welcoming love and care for the migrants must be accompanied by an effort to attain justice and draw closer to the biblical concept of shalom.

Andrew Whitehead in a book entitled American Idolatry writes: “Part of our loving the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the immigrant is recognizing our own complicity in the systems of injustice that create and perpetuate their marginalization and suffering.”

Whitehead reminds us that we need to do what we can to bring greater justice, economic stability, and safety to the migrants’ homelands and thereby reduce the need or desirability of migration.

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How can the congregation better support our leadership?

You all do all the managing, planning and preparation for the service to keep us in good spiritual health.  What can we, the congregation, do for you, the leadership, to keep you well?

“Where two or more are gathered in my name, I’m right there in the midst of them.”  It’s a truly awesome thing we do, when we gather to worship!  There are many of us.  We preach, teach, pray, make us aware of outreach, play instruments, sing, operate sound equipment, prepare communion, serve communion, prepare bulletins, greet, count the offering, and open and close the buildings.  We keep the buildings clean and in good shape, and we keep the grounds looking beautiful.  We do all of this so that we can gather in God’s name! 

What can we do to keep the leadership well?  We can show love.   Many of us are already doing that.  Take credit!  Most of us are familiar with Gary Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages, 1992.  We each have a particular way of showing love, so use the “love language” that is natural for you! Here are some ideas:

          *Words of Affirmation.  Was something meaningful to you in worship? Tell it.  Say it.  Write it.

          *Acts of Service.  Many, many of you are contributing to worship itself.  Some contribute their time and energy in cleaning, mowing, and repairing.  And, there’s always planning and teaching.

          *Quality Time.  Be totally present when you’re interacting.

          *Physical Touch.  There are always hugs, pats on the back, hand squeezes.

          *Gifts.  You already do this.   There are gifts from the garden.  Baked dishes.  A flower or two.  Small things that show your appreciation.

A final note:  If and when you might have some constructive observation or criticism, take a hint from Dale Carnegie—yesteryear’s How to Win Friends and Influence People—make a sandwich:  Wrap your criticism/observation/beef in between words of affirmation.  It goes down better that way!

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How do I respond to people I completely disagree with?

How can I respond in a faithful, caring way to people I completely disagree with?

Disagreements are a difficult part of our human experience, but for Christians and for the church, they have always been with us. We need only look at Paul’s letter to the Galatians or the writings of fourth-century Christians about the relationship between Jesus and God during the First Council of Nicaea to see that Christians have disagreed strongly with each other about many things throughout history. So, your question is a good one; “How do I respond to, or affirm someone with whom I disagree?”

One suggestion I will offer is to remember that the view that someone holds that differs from yours is not the only thing that determines who that person is. Regardless of whether you disagree with who that person votes for, their views on social issues, their faith or absence of belief, or any other concern, you may still be alike in more ways than you are different. In a 2009 TED talk, Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie spoke about the danger of a single story, or the danger of allowing only one part of a person’s identity frame our perception of that person. Here is a link to that TED talk, and I highly recommend it.

If you are someone who believes in the mission of the church, Michael Kinnamon and Jan Linn write about the implications of covenant relationship in their book Disciples: Who We Are and What Holds Us Together. They write,

This means, of course, that a church built on covenant must accept, even value, a diversity of perspective. The commitment we make is not always to agree, but to walk together as we attempt to discern where God would have us go. If the church is a purely voluntary association, then when we disagree we can simply take our marbles and leave. If, however, the church is a covenantal society constituted by God’s initiative, then we stay at the table, especially when it is tough to do so.” [1]

These are challenging words from Kinnamon and Linn, but for me they describe part of the “heavy lifting” of discipleship.

[1] Michael Kinnamon and Jan Linn, Disciples: Who We Are and What Holds Us Together (St. Louis: Christian Book Publishers, 2019), 14.

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How do I help a young person going through a transgender experience?

How do I respond to and serve a young person going through a transgender experience and their parents are rejecting them?

The first and most significant thing you can do to help respond to and serve a young person in this situation likely feels almost like an overly simplistic answer: you listen.

If they have asked to be called by a new name and/or new pronouns, use them. If they need to let out frustrations or just their emotions, listen. The reason for this is oftentimes, when their parents and family reject a transgender youth, they find themselves without anyone to listen to them and hear them.

The following steps will depend, but find out their specific situation:

  • What help do they need?
  • What are they lacking at the moment because of this rejection?
  • Are they homeless or at risk of being kicked out?
  • Are there avenues that their parents are pursuing potentially regarding conversion therapy?
  • Can they find a place to support them if they need it in a crisis?

Services exist for youth in a crisis like this, often depending on the person’s age and location. Look into your specific area; some resources may be available, and some might not. Places like thetrevorproject.org offer online, call, and text helplines specifically for LGBTQIA+ and transgender youth in crisis and can help them get resources targeted for their area.

On a more active level, if the youth is comfortable and their parent’s rejection comes from a place of faith (most of the time, rejection of transgender identity is due to the idea that transgender is somehow sinful or against biblical teaching), ask if they would be open to you speaking to their parents about it. This could be done either with the youth present, and you acting as a mediator or without them there. Some might be comfortable with this; others might not.

If you aren’t sure what to say to common talking points or where to start for your own knowledge on transgender experiences within the concept of faith and Chrisitanity, welcomingresources.org has an excellent pdf guide for those in faith communities, and this article from Queer Theology also offers some great insight.

At the end of the day, all you can do is listen and try to offer transgender youth the best support you can through that listening. Sometimes, that might mean that all you can do is be a shoulder for them to cry on and a safe adult to go to. Make sure they understand that they are safe and respected with you.

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Online Services and Empty Pews

How does our pastor feel about—and deal with—empty pews when on-line services are so convenient?  We are encouraged to meet with others…Hebrews 10:25

Whether it’s because of health challenges, the cost of gas, the fact that you’re out of town, or just feeling too anxious or depressed to be around a lot of people, we do understand that many people have perfectly good reasons for worshiping online rather than in our building on Sunday mornings. To  be 100% transparent and honest, it’s not very fun to preach to a half-empty room. Ask any pastor anywhere, and they’ll admit that it is much more life-giving to lead worship in a sanctuary full of engaged people.

But aside from a pastor’s personal concerns about empty pews, there is something deeper here too. The writer of Hebrews did encourage us, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” (Heb 10:24-25a). But this passage isn’t just about getting together for the sake of being in the same room on Sunday mornings. Our real goal is to be an encouragement to each other, helping our fellow Christians love and serve in Christ’s name.

In the 21st century we have all sorts of technologies that expand our abilities to encourage each other in faith, way beyond just being at 302 S Main St on Sunday mornings. We can emulate the early church found in Acts 2:48, devoting ourselves “to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Being a committed Christian is way more than sitting in a pew: it can also take the form of joining outreach ministries, delivered meals, or church maintenance projects. It can look like encouraging emails or text messages, or even online worship. God doesn’t just want your attendance, God wants your whole self, the whole week long. As pastors, if you’re committed all week, but miss Sundays sometimes, that’s a tradeoff we’d happily take.   

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Why is church membership declining?

Why are church populations lower than ever?

This is a question that Christians in the US and Canada have been wrestling with for years. And the COVID-19 pandemic absolutely accelerated the trends that were already driving down church membership and church attendance. Since the 1990s, the numbers of practicing Christians has been in freefall. There’s no shortage of speculation about the reasons why this has happened. Pew Research Center, which studies this subject extensively, summarizes the possible reasons:

“…some scholars contend that secularization is the result of increasing “existential security” – as societal conditions improve and scientific advances allow people to live longer lives with fewer worries about meeting basic needs, they have less need for religion to cope with insecurity (or so the theory goes). Others say that in the U.S., an association of Christianity with conservative politics has driven many liberals away from the faith. Still other theories involve declining trust in religious institutions, clergy scandals, rising rates of religious intermarriage, smaller families, and so on. When asked, Americans give a wide range of reasons for leaving religion behind, Pew Research Center has found.”
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/09/13/how-u-s-religious-composition-has-changed-in-recent-decades/

Whatever the reasons, the fact is that we’re faced with a declining number of people who feel that church membership – as well as worship attendance – is an important part of their lives.  And since many churches have buildings that were built for much larger active congregations, we’re feeling the squeeze.

How do we fix it? That’s the priceless question, isn’t it. We can’t change the societal trends, but we can work together to help ECC continue to be a meaningful part of our community.

  1. We are better when we stay engaged. Attend Sunday worship. Join a ministry team or Bible study group. Help out with events.
  2. Engage with children and youth, in our church and in the community. Kids who grow up knowing a loving, caring, life-giving church family grow up to be adults who value their own faiths and faith communities.
  3. Practice generosity. A thriving church is one that has people who are dedicated to it, not only in financial donations, but also in generously sharing the life skills and spiritual gifts that you have been given.
  4. Pray. Pray for your church. Pray for your ministers. Pray for your own openness to the changes that will have to happen for the Church universal to truly become a reflection God’s kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.

For further reading:

10 Reasons Church Attendance Is Declining (Even for Committed Christians)

https://healthychurch.org/resources/archives/6-ways-mainline-churches-should-respond-to-decline/ (This is written for an Episcopalian audience, but it has some great ideas for churches of any denomination.)

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Hypocrisy in the Church

There is so much hypocrisy.  How should/can the church respond to this in others and be aware of it in ourselves?

It really seems that as followers of Christ, we should be better. After all, Jesus spends a fair amount of energy calling out hypocrisy. But of course, even at church we see people whose actions contradict their professed beliefs. And that can be both disheartening, and downright aggravating. Jesus calls to be better, and to do better. But human beings are imperfect, and even the most educated Christians sometimes fall short. Here are a few ways to respond when we see see hypocrisy in the church:

  • Practice Humility: When I see someone (or several someones) in the church being hypocritical, I find it pretty easy to feel self-righteous and judgmental. But we should remember that each and every one of us does things that don’t match our ideal selves sometimes. None of us is perfect all the time.
  • Gently hold everyone accountable: Just because all of us are inconsistent in our values doesn’t mean that it’s OK. When we see hypocrisy, it’s okay to hold folks responsible for their words and their actions. Whether it’s in the church, in our friend group, or in the public square, it’s appropriate to criticize that behavior.
  • Practice Forgiveness: Hypocrisy can breed bitterness and resentment within our hearts. But just as Christ forgiven us for much, He asks us to do the same for others. Remember that hypocrites are also on a journey of faith, and they too struggle with their imperfections, and divided loyalties.
  • Set an Example: One sure way to reduce hypocrisy in the church is to avoid doing it yourself. Like I said above, we all struggle with being hypocrites sometimes. Understanding just how often we’re guilty of the same thing can help us see others’ hypocrisy in a gentler light. And that awareness can help live lives more consistent with our beliefs. Actions speak louder than words, and a life marked by authenticity and integrity can inspire others to do the same.

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What can be done about all the division in our country today?

Questions: What can be done about all the division in our country today? How can I love a neighbor who is detestable?

These are difficult but crucially important questions. Shortly after receiving these questions, I came across a thoughtful and challenging article written by Adam Russell Taylor in the October 27 issue of the Sojourners newsletter, which seems to me to provide a way to think about how we may respond to the polarization and division in our nation.

Taylor suggests we begin with the church and affirms that “The church should be a place where people with divergent political views can coexist and be in fellowship because our unity in Christ supersedes our political and partisan loyalties. As the Apostle Paul reminded the Galatian church, in Christ ‘There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’”

And yet, polls indicate that a majority of Christians prefer to attend churches where people already share their political views. And in many churches, the minister feels constrained to avoid raising issues over which the congregants may be divided.

Despite this, the church cannot simply disengage from politics. That would mean abdicating “the church’s critical role in serving as an instrument of justice, righteousness, and peace in the world.” Rather, the church should “serve as a balm, a bridge, and a beacon in an increasingly divided nation and world.”

To serve as a balm “requires a deep commitment to reconciliation, telling the truth, and repairing relationships broken by injustice.” This includes being honest about how our churches have often failed to display the inclusive love that was exemplified by Jesus.

Pastors and lay leaders need to remind their congregations of the biblical values of loving our neighbors, exhibiting kindness and faithfulness, and, at the same time, the courage to stand up for our beliefs.

Finally, Taylor points to the concept of the “Beloved Community,” which he suggests “is one in which every person is valued, is seen, and is enabled to thrive. It requires building a society in which neither punishment nor privilege is tied to race, ethnicity, gender, religion, ableness, or sexual orientation.”

Churches, their leaders, and their members could use this vision — which is rooted in Christian values — to draw people of differing political views into a commitment to a common goal: attempting to become the Beloved Community. Perhaps this commitment could help us overcome the divisiveness and polarization so prevalent in our country.

The whole article is worth reading and contemplating. It may be found at: Taylor, Sojourners