Connecting the Dots
It started in November of 2020.
We were at the height of political shenanigans after months of COVID sequestering and the reality of racial divide in the US. I wrote an article called Healing Begins with Forgiveness. At the time, I was having a hard time forgiving people - particularly people in the church. Some of my fellow believers were showing me that what a political leader wanted outweighed what I was experiencing as a Christian Black American.
By December 2020, there were rumblings of people criticizing Christians because the word "evangelical" was being used to represent all Christ followers. I worried then. Sadness loaded me down. Thoughts of people saying "if this is what Christianity looks like, I don't want any part of it" filled my mind. Somebody needed to apologize to everyone who was not in the faith. Thus, I made an attempt to do so in the article An Apology to Those We Have Hurt.
By the second week of December, I was livid and dumbfounded about what people - especially my fellow Christian brethren - were ignoring. I worried that we weren't learning anything from our past mistakes. Our country was (and remains) in need of relational healing. But relational healing requires forgiveness, accountability, responsibility and repentance. I asked a question then in the article Are we FARR from healing?
By the third week of December, accusations of rigged elections entered my home through television, social media, and friends chatting to release their anger. I wanted the truth to prevail so I prayed for the state of GA, and I began to worry about the division our former leadership promoted. I shared What's Wrong with the World to drive home two points: 1) 2020 didn't produce anything new in terms of how we saw people behave historically, and 2) the problem was age old sin driven selfishness. People who cared more for their agenda than for the greater good. People wrapped around specific issues but ignoring the things we have not yet fixed.
In January of 2021, I thought it would be good to use an allegorical story to demonstrate the power of sin and how it could even affect Christians who think they are right, and use angry, hateful, harmful methods to demonstrate their position. The Pharisees and Sadducees did that in persecuting Jesus who came to help us overcome sin. I didn't provide the 3-part Hamartia series for non-Christians. It was a reminder for Christians who may have lost their way or become confused. The Legacy of Hamartia - Part One posted on January 5th. And on January 6th, a group of people attacked the US capitol building. Some of them said they loved Jesus. I cried inside. The Legacy of Hamartia - Part Two and The Legacy of Hamartia - Part Three posted over the next two weeks.
If you follow me, you may have wondered what I was doing. Perhaps you thought I'd lost my mind. Nope. I'm heading somewhere. Please stay with me! The year 2020 and the beginning of 2021 may have left you in one of three camps:
Camp 1: I want what I think is right - I call this the selfishness camp and it takes a brave person to admit they are living here
Camp 2: If this is what Christianity is about, I want no part of it - This camp has non-Christian or new Christian campers
Camp 3: I'm a confused Christian; what is going on? - This camp has many seasoned Christians who love Jesus and are trying to hold on to that love for dear life
The place I'm going to is my new course Foundations 4 Love: Living Christian in a Chaotic World. To quickly give you the tone -- it's not magic. It is about the basic foundational principles that all Christians must embrace to live this life. The principles can be found in my book Confused: Living Christian in a Chaotic World or you can join me for a 4-week virtual class to talk through these principles. My hope is that at the end of 4 weeks you'll be ready to leave your camp.
