It doesn’t matter that you believe in tolerance

I get it, you like tolerance.

You like the whole “let’s be friends no matter who you are” perspective. You may call it acceptance, or perhaps open-minded. Perhaps you think it’s a perspective without a name; something personal to you that can’t be described in one word. You just want people loved and accepted without the unnecessary arguments about religion. Aren’t all religions pretty much the same anyways?

You say to yourself that people who believe there is only one way to heaven, to God, or to happiness are limited in their perspective.  You desire that all people have an open mind.

I get you. I get what you’re saying.

Some people would be so arrogant as to put your views in a box. They might call it relativism or post-modernism. And that’s not fair. How can they use inadequate human language based on their own subjective views to delegate to you a role which they’ve predetermined you must fulfil. That’s not a role for you. You don’t have a name for your beliefs. Who gave them the right to judge?

And all this doesn’t matter to me.

What matters to me is that you believe in Jesus. It’s important that you call Jesus, from the inside of your heart of hearts, your Saviour and your Lord. I get that there’s a bunch of baggage tied to Christianity. I get that religion is obstructive, intolerant, and narrow. I generally agree with you on many of these issues. But they’re secondary issues. They don’t matter.

When Jesus is your Lord, it means that his life is primary over your iPhone, your school, and even your life. His life > your life. To say Jesus is your Lord is to say that you will try to be like him because he is the ultimate authority figure and leader of your life. Above parents even, above your perspective… even above the government. That’s letting God be God.

Jesus as saviour is Jesus as rescuer. He is the one who is the protagonist in the superman movie. And here’s the crazy part, you must accept that in the film of your life you are the one needing saving. It’s the imperfections you can’t get past; the desire for human approval, the trap of immediate gratification. That’s you. That’s me. That’s everyone. You’re stuck in the muck we all stumbled in and Jesus makes you unstuck. I want you to believe that.

We could go on and on arguing philosophical terms that we both don’t really understand, or we could just believe that Jesus is Lord and Saviour.

Belief is a funny thing. It’s not something you need to do as a modernist, a post-modernist, or a pre-Socratic. It’s something that’s existed through every wave of human philosophy.

Perhaps our beliefs do influence our philosophical views. But that’s mote. It’s secondary to Jesus. Everything is secondary to Jesus. Jesus transcends the temporary beliefs with eternal treasure… I’m just trying to share the wealth. Call on Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Live your life in light of that. That’s all I’m asking.

If you say yes. Then start living. If you say no, not now, or maybe later… can I ask you a simply question? Do you know why you’ve made that decision? Think about it. I think it’s a fair question to think about. I wouldn’t mind discussing it with you either. I promise the conversation won’t turn into a heated argument. You see I try to live me life with this perspective: Jesus is primary, everything else is secondary.

What do you say?

Should Lebron be who you want him to be?

Watch this commercial (Nike will pay me 10% of profits if you do):

Back story (skip this if you follow basketball): Lebron James grew up in Akron, near Cleveland. Got drafted by Cleveland and played there for 7 seasons. This summer was the end of his contract, he decided to play with two all-stars: Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh instead of staying with Cleveland or going to a team with less skilled players. The media and many people, including Michael Jordan, attacked Lebron’s decision as weak. He shouldn’t need other players to win a championship. He’s ruined his legacy.

The Commercial

This is one of the clearest examples of post-modernism I’ve ever seen. Who is Lebron James? It never answers the question, it shows a bunch of options and leaves you with a sense that you should accept Lebron as a multi-faceted person and player. Lebron simply asks you the question, and never defines himself.

Do you call him the villian? 

Do you call him the comedian?

Lebron never gives you the answer one way or another – this is post-modernism; allowing all thoughts and paths to knowledge to be acceptable. But think about Lebron James, put yourself in his shoes. Care about a celebrity for one second! What do you think he wants to be known as? Do you think he wants to be called a bad role model, traitor, or villian?

Ofacoarse not – the dude wants to be the King. King James.

Like the commercial shows, there are many things you can call Lebron James, but I’m arguing that Lebron only wants to be called one central thing – the King. Everything else is offensive to him. And calling him a traitor or bad model may be okay in your own eyes, but to him that’s going to be ridiculous. At that point you no longer become a fan of Lebron James, but rather someone who is against him!

We Do The Same Thing To God

We call God different things, and we are okay with it. Would you say it’s okay for Muslims and Christians to have completely different views about God? In our post-modern age many think this is okay. Just like Lebron James, it’s like we can give him any identity that we want. Ultimately, it’s subjective. But what does God say about himself? God cannot be okay with so many different identities being said to him. How dare you try to tell God who he is. How dare you try to tell Lebron James who he is. You’re no longer a fan at this point, you reject the King at this point! The question remains, and I’ll ask you:

Should God be who you want him to be???