Hermeneutics and sex

Muhammad Yunus won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in economics, of all things. His concept, micro-finance, is based on the idea that poverty is a cycle. And once you are in this cycle, it is nearly impossible to get out of it. He asked the question, how much would it cost to offer individuals from some of the world's poorest economies just enough capital for them to break the cycle of poverty? He believed that credit is not something that should be extended only to the rich. So he founded a bank in Bangladesh, and loaned extremely small amounts of money to more than 2 million poverty stricken people from Bangladesh. Not only have these loans changed the face of Bangladesh, but repayment rates are almost 100 percent.

I heard about this concept from a church in Grand Rapids, MI. I like this church's outlook on ministry, and I really like their pastor's preaching. I have their sermons podcasted weekly, and I try to check their website about once a week. This church is involved in organizing a micro-finance program for the nation of Burundi. They are estimating that most of the loans will be around $40, and that it will be enough capital for these people to completely change their way of life.

Think about that. Forty dollars would be enough capital for someone to start their own business, build a house, provide food and fresh water, and send their children to school, provide school supplies, and repay their loan. I can't remember the last time I paid less than $40 for a pair of pants. Every pair of pants that I own equals economic solvency for an entire family.

I recently read a book written by the pastor of that church in Grand Rapids. It was called Sex God. The idea behind the book is that there is something bigger going on with sex. That it isn't just a physical expression of an emotion. Maybe it is a symbol of something bigger. Of a bigger connection or connectivity intended for man. Maybe sex is a spiritual act, intended to symbolize the way humans connect with the divine. And maybe sex is made up of emotional and physical parts. Without the physical, the emotional only goes so far. And without the emotional, the physical is empty.

Christians are a weird bunch of people. There are all of these people that are human rights activists and social aid workers and environmentalists, and they claim to be Christians, and then there are these other Christians that are completely unconcerned with all that. Those people talk about God's gift as a personal, internal thing, and read the Bible in terms of personal deliverance. Both of these people seem to be able to quote tons of verses to support what they think, and both of these people think that the other group is misinterpreting scripture.

And then I started thinking, maybe Christianity is something bigger. Something made of up of more than just an internal repentance. Or maybe I should say that if it is only an internal repentance, it only goes so far. And if it is just goodwill and activism, all it's empty. Maybe, if you want to grasp the whole picture, you have to realize that both ideas work together.

My friend and I have been talking about participating in this church's micro finance program, and he decided to tell some of the people that lived in his dorm about it. The response was unbelievable. The first question was, "Did you hear about this in an email? From a Nigerian Prince?" The rest of the responses ranged from "Hmm, that's nice, but..." to "Forty dollars is a lot of money. I don't know if I could really give forty dollars. I mean, I really wouldn't have very much money for the rest of the semester..."

I said that the response was unbelievable. The problem is that it's not.

Now the easy connection to make is that these people are only concerned with the internal work of God in their heart, and therefore, just missing out on some of the fullness of. But I don't think that totally covers it. I think it's something different.

I think it's masturbation.

I think that attitudes like that show self-absorption and narcissism. Attitudes like that have nothing to do with God. And I think that those attitudes are everywhere.

Think about it. Be honest with yourself. How much of Christianity is about glorifying God, whether it is through the rebirth in our own lives or redeeming this world for the kingdom of God? How much of what you deal with is about self-gratification? Is a pastor that talks about a different demonination or church in a derogatory way building or strengthening his relationship with God, or his congregation's relationships? Or is he trying to make himself feel better because he is "right"? What if we all got together and had a conference about why we were "right" and how we can prove our "right-ness" to everyone else around us? How much of that would be useless self-gratification? What have you been thinking while you have been reading this? Have you been looking for reasons that I am wrong? Or have you been trying to understand what I'm saying? What about what I've been saying? Is it just a twisted form of self-gratification for me?

I know you will want to do something after reading this. I want you to go ahead. React. Respond. Rebutt. Say what ever you need to say. Tell me I'm a genius. Tell me I'm a heretic. Ask me how to be involved in Burundi. Explain how your hermeneutic interprets 2100 Bible verses dealing with the poor. Explain to me why internal redemption isn't necessary. I want to hear what you think. But please, be honest and think. Because I have already heard the rest of it.