claire.she.goes

Category: Jesus

  • Open to Interpretation

    Open to Interpretation

    The other night I was reading the Bible when I came across a real banger* of a passage about justice.

    Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. – Isaiah 10:1-2

    This led to me just now letting my mind wander, and think about the way the Bible talks about two things: Justice, and how God’s people are supposed to treat the poor.

    I don’t believe in sugar-coating scripture. I won’t sit here and deny that it has difficult passages.

    What I will do is state the obvious: Scores of people set their worldview according to how they interpret the Bible. And the Bible is a book that people can choose to interpret in a way that either helps or hinders humanity. It floors me—the number of people who choose to interpret it in evil, downright selfish ways, yet believe that they are helping their fellow human beings.

    Photo by Samantha Sophia on Unsplash

    *It might not have been the quoted verse, although I was in Isaiah.

  • Statement of Faith

    Statement of Faith

    These days, some Christians seem to favor people and practices that are downright evil over Jesus Christ himself. In light of that trend, I felt the need to say something.

    On this site, in the past, I’ve freely discussed my faith. I’m making room to do so again, in case I feel moved to make a habit out of it in the future. And I wanted to make a declaration about the type of Christian that I am.

    Let me be clear:

    Toxic, invasive versions of Christianity have never appealed to me.

    The core of this faith is supposed to be about love.

    Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[a] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] There is no commandment greater than these.”

    Mark 12:30-31, NIV

    In life, our vocations may differ. But our purpose related to how we treat each other ought to be focused on loving God and loving our fellow human beings.

    Trying to play God with other people’s lives is not love. It’s a controlling, oppressive position, and it’s one that I’m not interested in propagating. It’s not a healthy stance for anyone—including those who choose to practice it.

    Amen.

    Photo via Matt Botsford on Unsplash

  • Status Report?: Spiritual Renewal

    Earlier this summer, one of the hottest musicians in the galaxy mentioned prayer in an interview, and I felt it.

    When I first read Rihanna’s chat with Sarah Paulson, I was excited. I had just shared a post on meditation. Next on my schedule was prayer, but I needed a hook. Perfect timing, right?

    Except it wasn’t.

    Something was wrong with me. 

    As a writer, over the course of this year I’ve had doubts about my skills. And as I looked at tackling spirituality, I felt more intimidated than inspired. The thought of writing on God opened infinite possibilities. Yet how can someone possibly quantify something that’s immeasurable?

    Thankfully, not too long ago, I faced a genuine moment of divine intervention.

    One day, rather than feeling a sense of intimacy with God, I felt overcome by the weight of an incredible distance. It was an odd, painful encounter. And of all the things in the world, while listening to a gospel track, I started to sob.

    Looking back on that moment I recognize that I was pretty much the epitome of a religious cliche. But at the time, I felt as though a door had opened. I started asking myself questions. Was I dreaming, or when I was younger, did I have a more authentic spiritual practice?

    Lord knows (no pun intended), over the past few years, something has felt different.

    And so, back to my origins I’ve returned.

    Mind you, as I go, I’m still discovering what this means. Yet the loss of people such as Rachel Held Evans has reminded me that there’s work to be done. In this political climate, the theologian within still wants to call people towards a more conscientious vision of Christianity.

    Overall, I’m not comfortable with any form of piety that denies our common humanity. I really want to dive into religion and some controversial material. But that’s another post for another day.

    And so, until next time… Here’s the last sermon I watched. Pastor Furtick offers a decent riff on the idea that man contains multitudes.