Beyonce Christianity

Beyonce Christianity by shai linne (Lampmode.com)

——-

I had heard some of her songs. Although I’m not the biggest fan of R&B music, it was almost impossible to turn on the radio or television without hearing her music- first with the group she had helped to make rich and famous- She had told her fictional lover to “Say My Name”, and she let the world know that she was an “Independent Woman”. And this was obviously true, because now she was going solo. I had seen her videos. It was almost impossible not to be drawn in as she pouted and flirted with the camera every chance she got. In one particular video, she was found rolling and writhing on the ground with very little clothing as she moaned and groaned about her “Baby Boy”. And now came the big night. It was time for her to receive the reward for all of her hard work.

The entire music industry- including executives, producers, video directors, fellow artists and screaming fans- were all gathered together in one place. And she was clearly the favorite to win all of the awards for which she was nominated. But first she had to perform. By this point, I knew what to expect. I knew she would have a lot of energy and be extremely entertaining as she sang and danced all over the place, making it clear to all who would listen that she was “Dangerously in Love”. Nothing was surprising, including what she was wearing. She was known for wearing tight shirts that exposed her midriff, along with her trademark hot pants that accentuated all of her curves and left very little to the imagination. And when the spotlight hit her, she delivered- as usual. One of the awards she was nominated for was announced right after her performance. “And the award for the best…goes to…Beyonce!” The crowd went crazy. With a big smile on her face- still sweating from gyrating all over the stage moments before- she took her statue and stepped up to the microphone: “First, I want to thank… my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. Huh?!?!?

What’s wrong with this picture? Well, many would say nothing is wrong with it. And that’s because we are living in the era of what I call, for lack of a better term, “Beyonce Christianity”. It’s the kind of Christianity that makes much of having grown up in “the church”; The kind of Christianity that places more emphasis on “gospel” music than the gospel message; The kind of Christianity that sees no conflict between trying to seduce someone in one moment and thanking Jesus Christ the next- “Beyonce Christianity”. I can only imagine how confusing it must be for those who are either not Christians or young Christians to see what I saw on that award show. It just doesn’t seem to go together. It’s like we know instinctively that there’s something strange about trying to combine Jesus with seductive dancing. Maybe it’s because we remember His words from Matthew 5:28-29, “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” You probably won’t be hearing anyone quote that verse at an award show anytime soon. We live in an age where the lines between Christianity and the world are becoming more and more blurry. Ja Rule has noticed it. On one of his recent songs, he said, “Christianity got the freakiest b____”. That angered me the first time I heard it. But then I wondered: What would make him say something like that? It was obvious that he’s had encounters with women who claimed to be Christians, but denied that claim by how they interacted with him. These women were “Beyonce Christians”.

So what are we to do in a time like this? Thankfully, God hasn’t been silent on the issue of what true Christianity looks like.

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

The Bible teaches that before we became Christians we were slaves to sin (John 8:34). We were caught up in doing things the same way as everyone else. According to the list we just read, that included being caught up in sexual sin, stealing, materialism, lying, etc. But notice how the Bible puts those things in the past tense. “And such WERE some of you.” When we believed the gospel; that is, the good news that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, took the punishment that we deserve for our sins on the cross and believing that He arose from the dead on the third day (Romans 10:9, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4), we were saved from the wrath to come. And that means that Christians are actually new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17), having been born again with a new nature that now desires to live righteously (John 3:3) It doesn’t mean that Christians are perfect (1 John 1:8), but true Christianity finds us slowly growing to look more and more like Jesus Himself, in terms of His character.

“As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)

So if you want to know what real Christianity is all about, turn of the TV and open up God’s Word. He will provide the antidote for all of the confusing messages that we see all the time in our culture. The more familiar you become with what God has said about these things, the more you will recognize that the representation of Christianity in the media is not the real thing. It’s only through reading and studying the Bible that you will find out what it really means to be destiny’s child (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure.” (1 John 3:3)

Child trafficking

This is something that breaks my heart and makes me want to cry everytime I read about it.

Ever heard of child tourism ? For some reason, few people have… or few people want to pay attention. About 2 million children are slaves to the global sex trade. Some of these children are as young as 5, being forced to have sex with multiple men per day. About 25% of the partakers in this industry are U.S. citizens. Some partake while on business trips, some go specifically FOR that.

Imagine your young sister / brother / friend / niece / nephew / son / daughter being forced to have sex with grown men. Imagine the physical scars, the emotional scars, the mental scars… the LIFELONG scars and pains that these children will have to bear. Some contract diseases. Imagine that 5 year old dying from AIDS later on in life because she was forced to have sex with a 55 year old infected American male. Then imagine that same child being treated as an outcast, living alone with her shame.

Imagine that this is all real. Why ? Because it is. In Costa Rica, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, and Cambodia, it happens everyday. It’s estimated that 1/3 of all of the prostitutes in Cambodia are children.

There’s a song by Mr. J of the hip hop group The Procussions that discusses this. It’s called “Constance”. There’s also a video that accompanies it which you can watch below.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXsnTJWlPoM

Lets pray for these children, write our congressmen, get involved. It’s truly easy not to care when we’re over here living it up in the U.S. with OUR children. It’s easy to turn a blind eye, but why take the easy route ? They need someone…

For more information, you can view the below sites:
U.S. Dept of Justice – Child Sex Tourism
Stop Child Tourism

Wake up

Whenever I see fellow Blacks promoting Black power, exhibiting pride in their race, it baffles me to see these same representatives indulging in music that depreciates the race as a whole. How can you be so headstrong about the equality, the power, the love of / for your people when you listen to and support music that degrades the race? So much of the rap music on the radio is horrendous. I don’t listen to the radio myself, but when I am in the local Pizza Hut or beauty supply store, I hear it. I hear them talk about women like they are animals, commanding them to drop it to the floor, talking about sex like it’s an accessory, an idol worship mindset towards money… It grieves me. When I was younger, I’d go to the clubs listening to that same music, and degraded myself on the dance floor because that’s what the music called for. But now ? I’m older and I’m redeemed through Christ. I see it with different eyes.

I remember earlier this year, there was a popular song out about, um… receiving sexual favors. It was by males. It killed me when I’d see my young female coworkers walking around singing it like it was so hot. I think people are desensitized. People have become numb because they hear it SO much. It’s the cultural norm. Because of the music, men think it’s okay to say / do whatever to these young women, and the young women think think it’s just fine to be receptive.

It makes me think of an incident last week that happened when I left work. I was walking down the stairs of my building to the crosswalk so I could go to the train station and wait for my train. As I walked down the stairs, I heard some guys at the train station saying something, but a)I knew they couldn’t have been talking to me and b)I didn’t find it of importance. The light turned green and I walked to the train station. As I made it onto the pavement, I saw a group of 4 guys. They looked like they were maybe 19 – 22. As I walked by them, one of them yelled out “Hey sexy”. I kept walking because a)I was on the phone, b)My name is Jennifer, c)Was I really supposed to respond to that ??! As I walked by and ignored him, he grabbed my arm. I must have had a look of utter disgust on my face. My IMMEDIATE (although not necessarily Godly) reaction was to shake his hand off of my arm and look at him like he was out of his mind. I continued to walk as one of his friends yelled out, “Aw, don’t be like that!”

Needless to say, I was annoyed. What about me gave them the impression that I was a woman who would respond to that ? I know I look young (26 years old with a teenager’s face), but I don’t even carry myself in a manner that would attract that kind of attention. The thing is this – I KNOW some females respond to that. Some like it. Some giggle. Some give these dudes their number and it’s all downhill from there. I was like that when I was younger and without a knowledge of Jesus Christ. Gah, I remember those days… not something I am proud of, but it allows me to somewhat peek into the mindset so I can kind of understand what these girls are thinking about.

A month or so ago, at the same train station, I witnessed a young high school girl jump onto the middle of the train tracks. There was no train coming, so she just started dancing. Not ballet. Not jazz. Not choreography. She danced like she was in front of a pole and people were throwing money at her. I grieved for her because she thought it was cute, thought it was okay. What made it even worse was that the group of friends she was with – a mix of male and female – just cheered her on. Not one of them said, “Hey, sis, don’t disrespect yourself like that!”

I see things like this all the time. 13 year old girls dressed looking like a chicken dinner – All you see is legs, breasts, and thighs (I got that from the past dean of students at my school, hahaha). I see it all too often and I wish I didn’t.

There are so many elements of my past that allow me to relate. I want to reach out. I want to mentor, but it’s overwhelming. I want to affect the world. I’m just one person. That’s partly why I signed up to be a big sister with BBBS. If I could help one young woman grow up to respect herself, appreciate herself, and most of all love, respect, and obey the Father… I’d be thankful.

This post started out as one subject and ended up on another. Funny how that happens.

To thine ownself be true?

It always bothers me when I hear fellow believers saying things like, “Well you know the Word says God helps those who help themselves” and “You can’t be so heavenly minded that you’re not any earthly good” (Jesus was heavenly minded DEFINITELY, so what ?). Here’s an informative link that discusses various sayings that people use that are not found in the Scriptures.

Sayings Not Found in Scripture

Pure religion

During the holiday seasons, we see the rush and the advertisements for feeding the homeless, providing children with gifts and love so that they’d have a happy Christmas, and so on. I understand why there is much more of a push around this time of year, but what about the rest ?

Do we feed the homeless a good Christmas meal and then let them starve the rest of the year ? Do we give the children gifts and love for the holidays and let them cry and be neglected for the rest of the year ?

I want to encourage people to look into places like World Vision, Compassion, and Christian Children’s Fund. Consider sponsoring a child monthly. Consider keeping in touch with that child, letting them know that, even though you have never met them, someone loves them. Someone wants to help them.

Write them letters, send them books, visit them even. And the homeless ? Volunteer at a shelter. If you’re ever looking for volunteer opportunities, Volunteer Match is a great place to start.

And lets not forget about the women who are in shelters because they have been treated less than loved. They need you too.

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of {our} God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, {and} to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Jam 1:27 NASB

I’d like to share my child with my readers. I sponsor him through Compassion. His name is Luis and he lives in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He will be 10 in January. He lives with both of his parents. I would love to be able to visit him someday. It’s only $32 a month. That money would end up being wasted on something I don’t need (fast food, books, music, etc) so why not give it to someone who needs it much more than we ?

Peace.

He’s Glorious

As I was on the train this morning, riding to work, listening to my music as I usually do, I pulled out my Bible and started reading. I love how God’s Word becomes instantly alive and active within me. It’s energetic.

I opened my Bible to Ephesians 4 to focus on a scripture I’d read last week (Ephesian 4:29). While there, I looked at the title of the next chapter – Be Imitators of God. What a strong command! Imitate GOD. What ? Are you serious ? What a huge charge! Sounds impossible, but if God told us to do it, we must be able to… and not by our own strength, but by the Holy Spirit working within us.

This is what I read:

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:1-10 ESV

It made me think. What comes out my mouth ? Do I take part in any of these things ? What can I do to be sure that I’m not ? I did a quick self evaluation. What I found was not very pleasing, but then when again has a pruning process felt good ?

I am thankful for those times when I can see how nothing I am. To some, that may sound weird, but it really allows me to see the greatness and the glory of God. It allows me to see just how awesome, how merciful, how wonderful that He is. Even in the midst of my mess, my dirt, He still picks me up and loves me.

You know how when kids have that stuffed animal that they love so much ? They can drop it in the dirt, get food / candy on it… Its stuffing can be coming out, but no matter what the case, they still LOVE it and still love to be around it. No matter how dirty it is and how messed up it is, the child will not let it go. I am thankful that no matter how dirty I get, God loves me and will not let me go.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35-39 ESV

I just pray that God continues to reveal Himself to me. Lately whenever I really think of Him and reflect on Him, I just feel like crying. He’s so awesome. I just love Him… not nearly enough… and I know my actions don’t always reflect it, but I am thankful for His grace and mercy. Without that, man… we’d all be dead – believer and nonbeliever. I thank Him for understanding, wisdom, and life. I thank Him for the opportunity He gave me today to share the Good News with a family member. I thank Him for sunsets because they’re beautiful…

Today, while driving home from the train station, I pulled my visor down because the sun was hurting my eyes. I had Eoghan Heaslip’s “Offering” playing and there was a line that says:

The sun can not compare to the Glory of Your love. There is no shadow in Your presence.

GOSH! As much as the Texas sun hurts my eyes, and nearly blinds me while driving, just think – That is NOTHING compared to the Glory of God. BRIGHT! Can you imagine!?

Wow, I can’t even fathom the idea of that!

And on THAT note, I am off to bed.

In Christ.

The dreaded Christian table

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god_article.php?id=7198

Excerpt:
I had an up-close and extremely personal view that night of how many people see American Christians. I hate to admit that my co-workers were right when they told me the ?Church table? would be one of the most frustrating things I would encounter at my job. Now, because of the way my colleagues have been treated Sunday after Sunday, their hearts have been hardened to the message of Christ. I?m fortunate that I came to the truth earlier in my life and have the realization that not all who call themselves Christians actually follow the principles of Christ, or for that matter have any clue whatsoever what those principles are. So now every Sunday, I witness the painful, spiritual deaths of my friends because those who are supposed to be saved treat them worse than those who have never even heard the message of Christ. If we don?t begin to love those whose job it is to serve, then the casualty rate on the front lines of the American Church will continue to grow.

The newness

Welcome to the new look of lifeinreturn.com. It’s been redone, revamped, and whatever else, lol. I still have a lot of things to fix up, but just like me, the site is a work in progress.

Welcome to life in return. Enjoy the site, send an email, keep in touch… ya know ?

Soli DEO Gloria!