So Says Stevo

THE OTHER

2011-04-15T10:16:00.004-05:00

Ken Burns' remarkable film series "The Civil War" has been rebroadcast recently on PBS. Sally and I have made it a point to watch it again and discuss it. We have it on DVR. Last night we viewed episode 5 which tells of a Confederate officer who ordered that a Union gun boat in Galveston harbor be fired upon. When he later boarded the now disabled ship, the officer discovered that his own son lay dead on the deck of the boat in a Union uniform. It is a poignant example of what can happen to a people when ideas become so contentious that sides are formed and arms are taken up. Family members and neighbors end up killing each other.

There are many historical examples of nations and communities turning upon each other with unimaginable violence. Religious views, tribal identities, politics, and ethnicity are some of the most common causes. The slippery slope toward carnage begins when, convinced of the superiority of their particular group, public influencers employ the strategy of deligitimizing the other people, not just their opinions. It is a tactic that seeks to convince one's group that those people who think, act or look that other way are inherently deficient and malevolent. It is an intentional, cynical effort on the part of some to instill a deep, irrational fear of the "other" in one's own group.

Left unchecked it inevitably leads to scapegoating, ethnic cleansing, heresy trials and societal collapse. I have had conversations with friends recently that have made me realize how far down this road we have already gone. One veteran of the civil rights movement of the 50's and 60's observed with genuine alarm that racist rhetoric is gaining a foothold in mainstream dialogue once again. You know it is a fact that Blacks and Hispanics are on the receiving end of some pretty disgusting commentary in some circles today. So also is the old McCarthy era "un-American" paranoia making a comeback. When someone says, "We must take our country back," we should ask some probing questions. Do they mean put a Republican back in the White House? Or do they mean return to a 1950's status quo when whites dominated everything and minorities were in their place in the social pecking order? When someone says something is "not scriptural," do they mean it doesn't agree with their understanding of the Bible? Or, do they mean that those who share that view are under the influence of Satan?

On the religious front, Rob Bell published a book with the title "Love Wins" (Harper One) wherein he puts forth the idea that God's love is greater than some of our old theologies have been willing to consider. Upon hearing that Sally and I like the book, a friend who has not read the book in essence declared Bell was a greedy trouble maker who was contributing to a "great end times deception" that would lead to the takeover of world government by the anti-Christ. Somehow he "knows" this even though he has never met Rob Bell or read his book.

Jesus challenged us to love both neighbor and enemy. Name calling, stigmatizing and cultivating ill will against those with whom I have differences is not the way to anything good. On the contrary, it becomes fertile soil for the germination of horrific evil. We better stop it before it is too late.

Reform Immigration Law Now

2010-05-24T16:12:00.003-05:00

It seems to be such common sense. If someone breaks the law, they should expect punishment if they get caught and there should be no expectation of benefit to any lawbreaker for doing so. In the abstract it is hard to argue against that logic. But what if it is an ill conceived law? For example, what if the rule of law says one must pay the English throne a punitive tax for tea? According to the above stated logic, those under British authority, if they wanted to be law abiding citizens, should have paid the tax so long as it was the law. Yet, when I was taught American history, I was taught that those who carried out the civil disobedience and vandalism that came to be known as the "Boston Tea Party" were considered American Revolution heroes. Their act of sneaking onto a British ship and throwing its cargo into Boston Harbor helped fuel the passion for the ultimate revolt against England by our nation's founders.

It was once against the law to assist a runaway slave. Harsh penalties were called for by the courts for anyone caught doing so. Yet, today, most people regard the activists who operated the "Underground Railroad" which gave sanctuary and assistance to slaves escaping from the cruelties of slavery to be humanitarian role models.

And who can forget that Jesus was executed for the charge of being a lawbreaker?

Some laws are not good laws, especially laws that are intended to preserve the status quo of the "already haves" while prolonging the suffering of those circumstantially ensnared in poverty and struggle. Laws and attitudes that arise from a self-focused withholding of opportunity and resources from the disadvantaged are not good laws. In fact, in my view, they are evil laws that need to be changed.

What is very troubling to me is that some of those arguing for harsh "law and order" treatment of immigrants who have made their way across our borders in search of work and a better life without waiting years and years to maybe get legal permission, also claim to be followers of Jesus. Since I can't for the life of me find anything in the teachings of Jesus, or the overall biblical ethos that justifies treating people this way, I have to conclude that this insensitive and inflexible attitude arises from another source. Some apparently have confused their Americanism with their Christian discipleship.

Sadly, this confusion has become a breeding ground for angry sterotyping and scapegoating in these times of economic downturn and rising unemployment. Otherwise decent and well meaning people are being swept up in what can only be described as ugliness and hostility toward whole neighborhoods and ethnicities. Some media commentators are enriching themselves by working their listeners into a bigoted froth.

Come on, my fellow Americans, we're better than this, aren't we? Everyone knows we have been hanging a help wanted sign over the no tresspassing signs at our borders for years, as Jim Wallis of Sojourners has pointed out. Rounding up people who only seek to work and make a better life for their family, putting them in chains and handcuffs, jailing them and forcing them to leave the country and very often their immediate family members because they do not have the right piece of paper is not the answer. Changing existing laws to remove the roadblocks and delays so that America will once again be a welcoming land of opportunity for hard working individuals who want to contribute to the strength and growth of our economy and our communities is the answer.

LET'S MAKE IT A LIFESTYLE

2010-03-15T08:50:00.003-05:00

$164 million PER HOUR from private donations poured into relief for Haiti in the week following the calamitous January 12 earthquake. That bears repeating. $164,000,000 per hour!, according to The Chronicle for Philanthropy. Not all of that came from the U.S., to be sure, but much of it did, and rightly so. Haiti, after all, is right in our backyard. One of the poorest nations on planet earth, where the average income is only $2 a day, languishes in the shadow of what is arguably the richest nation in the history of the world.

Of course, there have been on the ground in Haiti for many decades committed and compassionate missionaries and social workers doing stellar work to relieve the suffering of this oppressed nation. Yet, progress has been painfully slow. Navigating through the obstacle course of language barrier, rampant corruption, almost nonexistent infrastructure and all the accompanying ills of systemic poverty, we cannot overstate the significance of their sacrificial service. But, truth be told, most of us seldom if ever thought about Haiti before this earthquake.

Presidents Clinton and Bush, who accepted the assignment to oversee the United States' relief effort, have stated that Haiti has an unprecedented opportunity to rebuild, modernize and rise up stronger than ever as a consequence of the benevolent spotlight that is currently upon them. May it be so.

Perhaps you, like me, take a look at all this and ask yourself, what's wrong with this picture? How is it that we can allow such abject poverty to exist year after year, decade after decade right in our own "neighborhood"? Why is it that we wait until there is a natural disaster of epic proportions to arouse us to direct the resources we had in hand all along to help this suffering people? Were there things we should have been doing in a more proactive way to preempt the suffering? What if the focus of our foreign policy was to eradicate such chronic suffering? What if the primary role of our military was to assist people groups that need a hand to help them overcome circumstances that have held them back for too long? What if we didn't wait for an earthquake to establish modern hospitals, schools and food distribution points? What if we were proactive in assisting them in building earthquake resistant dwellings with proper sewage and water treatment? What if we made caring for the poor the top priority rather than fighting elective wars and bailing out Wall Street?

I do not think it is as big a step as one might imagine to link the responsive to crisis generosity of the American people with a well planned, proactive "war on poverty", to borrow an old, beat up phrase. If we're so ready to flood incredible sums of money into crisis stricken areas when called upon, surely it is reasonable to think we could do so much more to head off the dimensions of potential crises in advance. Let's envision the improvements in foreign relations that could come about if the world truly began to see and believe that our goal, first and foremost, was to serve the world with no-strings-attached generosity and kindness rather than the self-interested bullying that has been the nature of so much of what we have done in foreign policy lately. Rather than our extraordinary generosity toward Haiti being seen as crisis response, why not strive to make it a lifestyle?

Eden's Lie

2010-02-10T16:54:00.001-06:00

Has it ever occurred to you that religion has fallen into the trap of repeating the lie of Eden to solve the problem created by Eden’s lie?

For those who may not know the story told in Genesis chapter 3, a cunning talking serpent convinced Eve and Adam that God was withholding something from them. He sowed a seed thought of discontent concerning their current standing with their Creator. “God doesn’t want you to be like him, knowing good and evil,” the tempter reportedly said. Apparently that was all it took to tip Adam and Eve over into the reckless behavior of breaking out of the boundaries of their ideal existence and trying to fix the problem they, until that moment, didn’t know they had.

The duped and disobedient couple took charge of their own destiny, ate fruit they weren’t supposed to eat and set themselves and their descendents on a downward spiral of self-doubt, victimization, blaming others and the gamut of dysfunctions and disorders common to us today. Merely the suggestion that they didn’t measure up in some way was all it took for the Deceiver to ruin the harmony that had existed between the Creator and the created.

Trying to solve the resulting sense of exposure and vulnerability their action had brought to their awareness, the guilty pair tried to hide behind fig leaves they sewed together. To which God, as he was confronting them with their folly, offered a better solution to their nakedness—fur coats he had made (sorry PETA). In other words, God in effect said to them and demonstrated by his action, “Your solutions don’t work. You can’t fix this. Only I can. Whatever resolution of this problem you’ve created and the resulting reconciliation is going to have to come from me.” I can further imagine God saying, “Don’t do anything else. You’ve already caused enough harm with your efforts.”

Now let’s fast forward through time and see what much of religion in its various forms offers us. Again we are told in many different ways that this God of ours is withholding something from us. In fact, as some versions would stress, he stands ready to give us the cold shoulder and the “hot forever” unless we do something. Subtly and not so subtly we are told the ball is in our court and if we’re going to rise to God’s level it depends on us. Make this decision, attend these events, say these prayers, give this money, read this book, act this way, do this and do that. If you don’t, the lie continues, you are really missing it with God. God won’t claim you.

So, if religion is telling us the same lie as the serpent in the Garden of Eden, where does that leave us? It leaves us right where Adam and Eve were totally dependent upon God to fix things. The good news for them and for us is that he did. Now all we have to do is quit looking for some fruit tree of personal effort.

The Peril of Foundationalism (believing you know something you don't really know)

2010-01-05T09:34:00.003-06:00

Foundationalism has been defined as the claim that certain truths are self evident. Foundationalists claim to build rational arguments upon hard truths that must not be questioned. Foundationalism is the companion of fundamentalism. My early religious upbringing and college training at a denominational school was steeped in both.

Here's the problem. Most of the foundationalism I was taught cannot be "proven" scientifically. It must be accepted by belief. For example, God is the creator of all things. I believe that is true and can argue it to be so, but I can't prove it. Another example, the Bible is the written word of God. Any defense of that proposition that I have heard relies on verses in the Bible to establish that fact. The Bible is the word of God because the Bible says it is. Some would argue further that the validity of the Bible is strengthened by church history and long held tradition that the Bible is authoritative. In other words, people who believed the Bible to be accurate and reliable depended upon the Bible's claims of authority to claim it is authoritative. It is a circular argument to which one cannot ultimately subscribe without some sort of belief model. Belief that could be defined this way: I believe it because I believe it. So, problem number one with religious foundationalism is that truth claims rely upon belief and circular reasoning.

The second problem is our humanity. We seldom live up to most of the foundational things we claim to believe. Remember these words, "We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal?" That is a foundational statement-- a supposed "self evident" truth. Unfortunately, the folks who wrote it didn't really believe it. What they really meant was that if you were a white male land owner you were equal. But if you were an African slave, a female or Native American you weren't even on the radar of equality. The way the founders put that "truth" into practice is a dramatic illustration of what Brandon O'Brien, in describing Jim Belcher's critique of foundationalism asserts: "[Christian] traditionalists are bound to rational foundationalism...which leads to preoccupation with dogma and a bounded-set mentality that is eager to define who's in and who's out on doctrinal grounds" ("Emerging vs. Traditional", Christianity Today, Dec. 2009, p. 63). Remember, America's founding fathers did not grant the right to vote to any of the aforementioned excluded groups in the early days of the Republic, even going so far as to putting it into the constitution that a slave could only be considered three-fifths of an equal as they defined it. Their "doctrinal statement" excluded everyone but them.

A more simple illustration might be found in one who claims he believes in and lives by the Bible cover to cover while telling the occasional lie and visiting the occasional internet porn website. In practice, the Bible is not his final authority and makes that person's argument that it is ring hollow and hypocritical.

My purpose here is not to disparage the Bible. I love the Bible and consider it the best source of revelation on how God interacts with us and how one should try to live. Rather, what I am trying to point out is that rational foundationalism will almost always lead one to a dogma driven, argumentative and excluding posture toward anyone who doesn't agree with or fit into your definitions. As a recovering foundationalist I can honestly say that when I aspired to be one, I tended to come across as disproportionately critical, judgmental and contentious. Instead of knowing we are Christians by our love, people begin to label us as fundamentalists by our arguments.

The lessons I have drawn from this are:
1) Just as the constitution had to be amended to redefine equality, so have many of the foundations I was taught to defend and argue been amended by life experience and a more mature understanding. I have learned that I may not know what I think I know.

2) While one may (and I say so with great caution) make some assessments about the quality of one's character based upon that person's behavior, it is virtually impossible to judge the validity of another person's faith. Foundationalism is not helpful for that purpose because it, too often, leads to the wrong conclusion. That's what happened when the foundationalists boldly claimed Jesus could not be a prophet because he was from Galilee. They had their "fundamentals" but they didn't have a clue about the heart and faith transactions that were taking place between Jesus and the Heavenly Father.

3) Life goes better for me when I take the posture of a truth seeker rather than a defender of foundations. Over the years I have wasted countless hours arguing over stuff that doesn't even matter to me now. Foundationalism is a breeding ground for contention and ill will.

4) Jesus said, "Seek and you shall find." I must never assume that my seeking is going to be more successful than someone else's. If Jesus' words are true for me, they are equally true for any other seeker. Foundationalism tends to lead us into the ugly business of being seeker inspectors who confront people with claims that until they start following our dogmatic map they will not find anything of value. How arrogant!

5) "Without faith it is impossible to please God," says the scripture. I believe that.

ZERO TOLERANCE

2009-10-14T09:04:00.002-05:00

Making the headlines this week is the story of six year old Zachary Christie of Delaware who was expelled from school and facing 45 days in reform school as stipulated by the Christina School District's zero tolerance policy toward "weapons" brought into the school. The weapon Zachary brought was his favorite camping tool, a folding knife, fork, spoon and can opener with which he planned to eat his lunch. Besieged by a community rightfully outraged that a six year old was facing reform school for such a minor incident, the school board voted unanimously to change the policy and allow Zachary to return to school. So much for zero tolerance.

Certainly, we can understand why a school district would want to send a strong message about weapons at school given the violence that has plagued our schools in recent years. But, any time we make sweeping policy declarations born out of an emotional response to a current circumstance, there will be unintended outcomes. In Matthew 14 we are told of Herod the Tetrarch, who swore an oath to give up to half his kingdom, whatever she asked for, to the daughter of Herodias who had pleased him with her dance in celebration of his birthday. She maliciously asked for John the Baptist's head on a platter. To save face he reluctantly ordered John to be beheaded.

Judges 11 records the appalling story of Jephthah who, when seeking God's favor in a battle with the Ammonites, made a vow that upon returning from battle he would offer the first thing out of the door as a burnt offering to God. In order to keep his vow he ended up burning his only daughter on a sacrificial altar. Yikes!

It seems we human beings are inclined toward knee jerk rule making and ill considered declarations we wish we hadn't made. Thankfully, God isn't of that nature. Indeed God did lay out some specific laws he wanted us to follow. But if you read the record carefully you'll see that he built in some loopholes. Throughout the biblical record God's mercy trumps his judgment. His discipline is always accompanied by a promised future and hope. Paul straight up wrote that God does not deal with us as our sins deserve (2 Corinthians 5). And most significant of all, we are informed that God has, through Christ, even abolished the initial consequence he had stipulated for our sin, death (1 Corinthians 15 and 2 Timothy 1:10).

That the school board decided to waive the demands of their policy and let the matter drop was good news to Zachary and his family. That God has made room for mercy and grace in his dealings with seriously flawed humanity is great news for us all.

Victim Advocacy

2009-09-23T08:29:00.003-05:00

The neighbor I am to love as I love myself is anyone who needs help, according to Jesus, when he offered a Samaritan victim advocate as the role model we are to follow. Victim advocacy is not easy. It involves inconvenience, unplanned expenditure and ongoing commitment. Read the "Parable of the Good Samaritan" found in Luke 10:25-37 and take note how involved the Samaritan was in assisting the helpless man.

As a pastor I preached and taught about this parable many times over the years. Only recently did I notice how competing agendas, as much as anything else, is what kept the priest and Levite exampled in the story from getting involved. I assume the priest and the Levite were decent and honorable people in their own right. In the culture of that day they would have been thought of as religious leaders. As such, they most certainly had a religious agenda. Their thoughts would have centered in ceremony and Bible study. Liturgy and correct doctrine were on their minds; not unlike many pastors and active church goers today. It consumes a great deal of mental, emotional and material resources to carry out the demands of many churches these days.

The priest and Levite believed they were on their own missions from God and thus could not be distracted into time consuming social work. God would expect them to remain on task... as would our employer, our family, our church, our financial planner, our sports teams and TV schedule, all those who set our agendas today.

What I need to understand is until I have positioned myself to be prepared to respond whenever I encounter the mistreated and victimized who have been rendered powerless by others, I'm not much of a neighbor by Jesus' standards. If my mindset is not geared toward immediate response regardless of the inconvenience, it's a fair bet that I love myself more than my neighbor.

HATRED AND STRIFE

2009-09-11T06:41:00.003-05:00

"He's never had a job in his life, the dirt bag!"

I was startled both by the tone of his words and the contempt in his expression that erupted in the midst of a moment of what I thought was light hearted banter. It left me speechless wondering how an otherwise solid family man and church-goer could be overtaken by such vitriol.

You might think we were talking about some miscreant who had made the headlines from a recent police blotter. But no, he was reacting to my mentioning of the President of the United States. His expression was very similar to the one on Joe Wilson's (Republican Rep. South Carolina) face when he, by his own admission, lost all sense of decorum and disrupted the President's speech to a joint session of Congress embarrassingly blurting out, "You lie!", for all to hear. It was a new low in partisan politics for which, after being confronted by congressional leaders, he apologized to the dismay of many who think he's a hero.

It is abundantly clear that our national political conversation has ventured into some very dangerous territory. Opponents of President Obama, who have been removed from their accustomed seats of power by an electorate disgusted with their bungling in recent years, have decided that the only way they can influence the outcome of health care reform policy, is by cynically relying upon their media propagandists to whip their shrinking audience into hostile hysteria. It is a calculated and coordinated strategy that has infused the body politic with a toxicity from which we may never recover. Too many under the influence of this deadly elixir have surrendered to an irrational hatred that is driving them to believe that it would be better to destroy the country than allow the proposed reforms.

Of course, there is a reaping what you sow aspect to this for the democrats. When they were the minority, they too employed some very uncivil tactics to leverage their limited power. Of President Bush many of them shouted, "He's not our president!" It was no less an attempt to deligitimize him than the right wing efforts to discredit Obama currently in play. Such tactics should be off-putting to reasonable people and disqualify anyone using them as a credible source. That includes propagandists like Olberman, Maddow, Limbaugh and Hannity who make a living by keeping their followers emotionally worked up and reactionary with their spew.

We need a national time out. We need some training in civics. We need honorable statesmen and women to rise above the fray and show us how to have political debate without resorting to the eye gouging, biting cage fighting of our current debate. Leaders who will offer their opinions and make their case with reason and facts and graciously accept either victory or defeat when the votes are counted. Absent that our future looks sad.

Where Have We Seen This Before?

2009-08-12T10:23:00.004-05:00

I'll tell you right up front that I do not yet know where I stand on health care reform. There is such a confusing array of misinformation and propaganda dominating the discussion right now that I think it would be very unwise to lock down on a position until the facts are better known.

That said, I would like to suggest that I think we've seen some of the tactics being used by the various special interests in the debate before. When following Jesus became a state controlled religion, it became the norm to threaten the uninformed public with threats that a big angry God in heaven would send everyone who did not comply with church authorities to a place of terrifying eternal conscious torment. Countless "free thinkers" were tortured and executed by the fear mongering religionists.

When Hitler wanted to rule the world he played on peoples' fears and ignorance drumming up the evilest lies of anti-semitism. It lead to the Holocaust and WWII. In the United States we were so led to be afraid of the Japanese by our leaders that we locked up Japanese Americans just because they were of Japanese heritage--a terrible injustice.

In the 1950's McCarthyism echoed throughout our culture resulting in black listing, false arrests, and an unprecedented assault on the First Amendment. Controlled by fear of communism, we lived in a society where everyone was a suspect, the bogeyman lurked behind every corner and the cold war shaped a generation.

Anti-Catholic sentiments were exploited to demonize JFK. I remember and witnessed first hand the way those who opposed civil rights went after Martin Luther King. It was all fear based.

Now we are being bombarded by a similar sort of "the-sky-is-falling-and-the-devil-is-taking-over" paranoia. Irrational people are screaming at their elected representatives. E-mails are anonymously spreading ugly and libelous rumors about the President. Power brokers are fanning the flames of fear and angst for their own selfish agendas. It's an absurd circus.

I have concluded from history that whenever fear is used as a tactic to mobilize and manipulate people it is not from a source that should be respected nor trusted. I will not be frightened into going along with your agenda. If you want me to consider your point of view, it is far better if you lower your voice, present a well reasoned argument and allow me to respectfully disagree if I so choose. You may have some valid points, but if you couch them in angry rhetoric and slogans, I'm not listening to you. In fact, I will tend to consider you a propagandized dupe.

On a positive note, I recommend that anyone wanting to find a balanced and reasoned approach to the health care reform discussion check out the excellent material that Jim Wallis and Sojourners have put together You can find it at http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=action.display&item=HC09-main

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

2009-07-14T13:23:00.003-05:00

Distilled down to its essence the teaching of Jesus orbits around one simple principle--Love your neighbor as yourself. As I have mentioned repeatedly in this blog, the only way Jesus said anyone would ever be able to tell if we were actually following him was if we had love one for another. He straight up said he was only giving us one commandment--love one another. Saint Paul, in what seems to me a breakthrough moment of clarity told the Corinthians, "No love, no nothing" (1 Corinthians 13).

One may have advanced degrees in theology and church history and be able to recite various creeds and dogmas that human beings just like us hammered out over many centuries and fail to notice the utter simplicity of Jesus' core message. For some reason religionists have a need to quibble and complicate. How else can one explain the existence among Christians of thousands of denominations and independent groups all claiming to have some unique insight into God's thoughts and intentions? And, on a broader scale the same could be said of the tone of relationship between the competing religions. Truth claims honed and refined by "thinkers" and power brokers (religionists) from various regional and cultural contexts all claiming they speak for God have resulted in entire continents of people polarized against others who see things differently.

Marc Ian Barasch in his book FIELD NOTES ON THE COMPASSIONATE LIFE/A SEARCH FOR THE SOUL OF KINDNESS, Rodale, 2005; p. 120, offers this bit of wit:

"...A good organizational consultant would counsel the world's major faiths to reexamine their original mission statements: The core business of Jesus, Inc. or Allah Ltd. or Moses Corp. or Buddha LLC is surely not to sell tickets to heaven or peddle get-out-of-hell-free cards, but to distribute every kernel of wisdom from their ancient storehouses that might help us love each other.
We are slowly emerging from millenia of holy know-it-alls beaning each other with their Infallible Books, passing judgment with their Divine Laws, and trying to enforce competing copyrights on Ultimate Truth..."

One can only hope. For God's sake let's put our best efforts into keeping it lovingly simple and neighborly. We can start by foregoing the utterly arrogant assumption that some of us are wiser, better informed, more in possession of the truth and closer to God than those other people.

The Pastor's Dilemma

2009-06-11T07:06:00.004-05:00

Some of my readers will be aware that I abruptly left a 34 year career as a pastor in 2005. I went into detail about some of the reasons in a book I subsequently published with the controversial title Quit "Going" to Church...And Other Musings of a Former Institutional Man, Xulon Press (see recommended link). Although my decision to leave career ministry seemed sudden, the process leading up to it was not.

For those who aren't interested in reading a whole book on the matter, I recently came across a single paragraph that encompasses much of what compelled Sally and me to pursue a new direction in our journey. It appears in an article about the Rwandan reconciliation process in the June 2009 Christianity Today. Mark Moring describes the very painful and slow process of healing between the Tutsis and Hutus since the Rwandan genocide 15 years ago ("Reconcilable Differences" p. 28).

Here is the paragraph that caught my attention:

"...Pastors say, 'We have Hutus and Tutsis in our church. For me to talk of forgiveness and reconciliation, it is very difficult, because I am afraid of losing some of them.' Some feel that if the pastor is asking survivors to forgive, maybe he is taking sides with the Hutus. Or if he asks the Hutus to repent, maybe he is siding with the Tutsis. So many pastors just preach in general, because they are afraid to say the hard things" (emphasis added).

In simple terms what is being described is the fear of rejection that haunts many pastors. It certainly plagued me. Of course, everyone wants to be liked, but for many pastors it goes much deeper. They don't want to lose people from their congregation because personal income and significance are directly tied to keeping as many as possible in the pews. It is in the pastor's best interest to try to keep his or her congregants content and contributing. To my shame it is the political game that I played for many years. I only owned up to it when the longing for freedom to say some of the "hard things" I wanted to say finally overwhelmed my insecurity driven people pleasing.

Some might suggest that the ideal approach to this dilemma is to transparently make the transition and set an example in personal growth that church members can follow. Perhaps. But when people pleasing is an addiction--a drug of choice, so to speak--it is usually better to cut off the supply. That's what I felt I had to do. Never again do I want to be in a situation where I feel I can't say what I believe because it will threaten my livelihood or sense of prestige.

Murder is Abortion

2009-06-02T11:18:00.002-05:00

Dr. George Tiller, one of very few who continued to perform late term abortions,sometimes referred to as "partial birth abortions", was aborted this past Sunday as he passed out bulletins at his local church. A "pro life" activist walked up to him and instead of shaking his hand offered in welcome to the service, pulled out a gun, shot him dead and fled the scene. It was a cowardly and heartless act of homicide that made Mr. Tiller a martyr and virtually guaranteed that the advocates of abortion rights will gain strength in numbers and bankroll.

All I feel like saying to this killer right now is, "Murder is abortion, you idiot!"

I Have a Few Questions

2009-05-15T13:46:00.002-05:00

I have a summer job that I thoroughly enjoy. I work as a grounds keeper at a local golf course. It doesn't pay very much, but it gets me out of the house doing honest work with lots of sun and fresh air. After a winter season of sitting at my computer and writing I need that. My main duty is riding a large tractor mower grooming fairways and rough. Next time you watch a golf tournament on TV and notice the neat mowing stripes on the fairways think of me.

As I bounce along with the drone of the diesel engine and mower reels in the background, I have ample time to contemplate. One's mind can go many places under these circumstances. Lately I've been giving myself permission to ask questions I did not use to ask. In no particular order here are a few of them.

* What is it about the religion of the "religious right" that causes them to become the angry bunch they have become since losing the last election?

* How is a self-serving, militaristic Americanism compatible with the ethics Jesus taught?

* Why is there no discernible difference between the amount of gossip and criticism of others one hears from churchgoers and those who do not make church a regular part of their routine?

* Why didn't I recognize earlier on how evil is the need to be in control?

* Why are so many pastors unhealthy (See the latest issue of Christianity Today for a clue)?

* Why have so many of us thought that what happens after we die is more important than living now?

* Who decided pews or being seated in rows was a good idea?

* What evidence is there that God endorses government issued marriage licenses?

* Why should clergy receiving a housing allowance not have to pay income tax on it?

* When did law enforcement (justice) become more important than love to many who claim to be followers of Jesus?

Keep running mower...

Bellicose threatening vs. a smile and a handshake.

2009-04-21T07:56:00.002-05:00

Is anyone besides me wondering how in the name of all things good can anyone think it is in the United States' best interest to maintain an international reputation as a torturing bully? Upset over recent photos of President Obama shaking hands with avowed enemies such as Venezuela's Chavez and Nicaragua's Ortega, along with the release of formerly classified documents about our interrogation tactics, his critics have gone into a state of near apoplexy. The argument is that unless the United States can convince our enemies that we stand ready to inflict upon them severe harm and will torture captive enemy combatants when we think it is necessary, we have no standing to defend freedom's causes. Our enemies will see us as weak and will be emboldened.

In the first place, the fact the the United States has been the world's only super power for decades has been no deterrent to those given to terrorism. In the second place we have now learned that some of these banned interrogation tactics were employed hundreds of times with questionable results. As one expert said, if you have to water board someone a hundred times, it obviously isn't working.

From a principled biblical perspective there is simply no way one can claim it is wrong to shake hands and smile at an enemy. If anything that doesn't go far enough. The Bible says we are to LOVE our enemies and, if they are hungry, give them something to eat. Admittedly, this is not always easy. In fact, Jesus described it as the narrow way that few of us ever find. Most of us are inclined toward retaliation and violence. Our gut tells us to get the s.o.b's. But that isn't the way of love. It has a very poor track record for success, whereas love never fails.

Bellicose threatening vs. a smile and a handshake--let's try the latter for a change.

A QUESTION OF AUTHORITY

2009-03-31T14:11:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine reminded me the other day of an incident that occurred on campus when I was in Bible college 37 years ago. In reaction against a host of perceived ineptitudes on the part of the faculty and board of administration, and in keeping with the mood of the culture at that time, unrest was gaining a foothold in the student body. Classroom discussions were confrontational and petitions were being circulated.

In reaction to this brewing storm, a high powered guest speaker was brought into a chapel service to deliver a message on the topic "God's Chain of Command". With stridency and intimidation this member of the administrative board, who also happened to be a pastor of a large church, made the case that he and those in charge of the school were in authority by divine assignment and to question their authority was to question God. Several years later this same guy refused to comply with a denominational policy he didn't agree with and quit the denomination and had himself decalred to be an anointed apostle. So much for God's chain of command.

I have learned through some painful experiences that when we flex our authority muscles and employ enforcement tactics to coerce others into compliance, we usually do so out of insecurity and a need for control. Seldom if ever is that the approach God prefers. Human leaders are too human to be trusted with absolute authority. That is precisely why Jesus told his disciples that in his kingdom he resists any sort of lording it over others. Greatness in his world is reserved for those who humbly serve rather than for those who think they must be in charge. I've quoted it before but it bears repeating, "Relationships of domination are forbidden in the kingdom of God" (Jerry Cook).

For people to work together in any organized way toward the accomplishment of an objective there have to be certain agreed upon guidelines to maintain order and some way to resolve problems that arise. I get that. What we should avoid at all cost, however, is allowing anyone to station themselves between us and God as if in matters of personal faith they have the final word. Theologian Paul Tillich said it well back in 1962: "I don't give any human being, be it pope, or preacher, or professor of theology the right to tell me how my faith shall express itself." When it comes to my personal relationship with my Creator, there is no human chain of command.

C'mon Church Leaders, Guide Us Out of the Gloomies

2009-03-16T09:56:00.003-05:00

Anyone who has followed my writings the past couple of years is aware that I am not optimistic about the future of the dominant expression of Christianity in America today. I fully expect denominational/institutional Christianity to follow the same course it has in Europe where it has largely become a relic of the past. That is not to say, however, that I think the message and way of Jesus Christ are in any sense in decline. To the contrary, I've never been more encouraged than I am right now with their future prospects.

There are a number of reasons for my hope. Among them are:
1) Widespread rejection of the political power seeking form of Christianity that sought to impose selected morality through legislative influence. The Moral Majority mentality has been a disaster and a distraction from serious Christ-following.
2) Emancipation of whole hearted God seeking from clergy and creed dominated forms. People everywhere are discovering God and his heart for compassion, justice and peace apart from excluding and controlling authority structures.
3) Serious and respected scholars and leaders who are rejecting gloomy doctrines that cultivate fear, cause people to cluster at the exit and assume most human beings are going to hell are gaining in number. Not because they are participating in some sinister plot to undermine God's truth, but because God's truth is setting us free just as Jesus said it would. Old superstitions and people regulating ploys can't stand up to enlightened scrutiny, as I indicated in my previous blog.

What I find myself longing for are established leaders who will be courageous enough to break ranks from the status quo and give voice to their attraction to and sympathy for the fresh ways God is working today. If even one or two significant institutional leaders would be willing to sacrifice role security for the sake of the greater good and declare the misguidedness of some of the old mindsets, I believe it would embolden many to break out into the light. It is long overdue for maintainers of the established to give way to the inevitable progress of the emerging.

C'mon church leaders, guide us out of the old gloomy perspectives of the past. How about some good news for a change--Christ's really good news.

Doctrinal "Flat Earth"

2009-03-02T08:53:00.003-06:00

If one goes back in history to the time of Christopher Columbus and the great explorers, one will be reminded that most people of that era firmly believed the earth was flat and that venturing too far out to sea would result in falling into the abyss where lived the great sea monster. It was also a time when inquisitions and reformations were underway in Europe. Looked at from the broad view of that period we enjoy today, one recognizes that under-informed, closed mindedness was being confronted by new ideas and high risk exploration. Old myths and superstitions could not withstand the impact of discoveries and inventions that proved them to be false. Historians have labeled it the Age of Enlightenment.

Copernicus (1473-1543), Galileo (1564-1642), and others gave birth to modern science by demonstrating the heliocentricity of our solar system. They were often persecuted by Christian authorities who quoted Bible verses such as "Psalm 93:1, Psalm 96:10, and 1Chronicles 16:30...(depending on translation [which state] that 'the world is firmly established, it cannot be moved.' In the same tradition, Psalm 104:5 says, 'the LORD set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.' Further, Ecclesiastes 1:5 states that 'And the sun rises and sets and returns to its place' etc." (Wikipedia on Galileo Galilei). As far as the Bible authorities were concerned, these verses were nothing less than the word of God Almighty proving that the earth could not possibly orbit around the sun. Again quoting from Wikipedia: "On 31 October 1992, Pope John Paul II expressed regret for how the Galileo affair was handled, and officially conceded that the Earth was not stationary, as the result of a study conducted by the Pontifical Council for Culture. In March 2008 the Vatican proposed to complete its rehabilitation of Galileo by erecting a statue of him inside the Vatican walls.[107] In December of the same year, during events to mark the 400th anniversary of Galileo's earliest telescopic observations, Pope Benedict XVI praised his contributions to astronomy." It only took 400 years for the Church to own up to how wrong it was.

There are other examples one can find to demonstrate how Bible authoritarians have claimed they had God's sure word for various positions that were utterly wrong. For instance, it was once widely believed it was a scriptural fact that Africans were cursed by God and properly regarded as sub-human. Only the most ignorant of people believe that today.

History is bloodied by controversies and wars fought over notions that one group--usually the group in power--decided were contrary to the word of God as they understood it but were later found not to be. A couple of these battles are shaping up right now in conservative Christian circles. Anger is rising and battle lines are being drawn between those who think they are being true to the scriptures by defending dispensationalism (ask John Hagee if you don't know what that is)and those who see it otherwise. Another battle front is forming over the belief there literally exists a divinely designed torture chamber located somewhere in the basement of creation (hell), and those who are asserting it isn't so. It may take another 400 years, but I have no doubt God is going to help us shed our contemporary "doctrinal flat earth" mindsets. Doing so will not send us over the edge into the abyss. It will open us to new and wonderful discoveries of how great and good God is.

In the meantime we all would be well advised to consider our biblical views as opinions of the moment that could change with the discovery of unforseen evidence to the contrary. It is closed mindedness that always gets us in trouble.

Hockey Fight Unity

2009-02-17T11:11:00.003-06:00

I once described a local pastors' fellowship I belonged to as having hockey fight unity. When a fight breaks out in hockey oftentimes the players on the opposing teams pair up with one of their opponents and hold the other's jersey as a way to keep the other guy out of the brawl. The ministerial fellowship meetings always felt to me like competing pastors getting together to keep each other from getting into a fight. We'd smile at each other and toss around unity and brotherhood slogans all the while mistrusting and staying on the alert in case the other guy starts swinging.

It is the consensus among the participants of a small prayer group I'm involved with that the number one enemy of community transformation is division among the Christians. It's been 2000 years since Jesus prayed that his followers would be one in the same fashion that he and his heavenly father were one and we're as likely as ever to break out in strife over turf, doctrine, preferences and control. Why is that?

Aside from the general 'fallenness' that we all have to live with, one of the main reasons we have such a hard time making meaningful progress toward unity is the many and varied systems and structures we establish for the purpose of maintaining our own sense of well being. We all tend to seek identity in that which makes us feel the most comfort and control. Birds of a feather flock together because it usually seems easier--less stress and fewer strangers to fear. So we organize ourselves with policies and guidelines that are intended to preserve our status and space. In our effort to preserve we inevitably erect boundaries that exclude. Excluding boundaries always result in the "ins" and the "outs", the "us" and the "them". Once that dynamic exists disunity is assured. At this stage of my life I've come to believe that as long as we feel the need to defend institutional distinction (e.g., Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, Republican, Democrat, Hawkeye, Cyclone) we can make little or no progress toward genuine unity.

As always Jesus is our model. Of him Paul wrote to the Philippians: "Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of slave, became human!" Jesus willingly set aside his distinctive position for the express purpose of breaking through the boundary that separated humanity from its creator. Until we all are willing to identify and minimize those excluding labels and boundaries that define us, we'll continue to settle for hockey fight unity. How sad.

Someone, Please "Unscrew" Us

2009-02-04T09:07:00.003-06:00

I've been struck by the number of high profile individuals who have made the headlines this week because of some career and reputation damaging behavior. Ted Haggard, Michael Phelps, Tom Daschle and a whole roster of CEO's have lost jobs, respect and more because they chose to engage in some risky conduct. Daschle didn't pay his taxes. Phelps, the Olympic swimmer, let his picture be taken while taking a hit of weed from a bong. Haggard...well, you know.

What is it about us human beings that makes so many of us do stuff that on the surface seems totally reckless and foolish? Why would a well connected, former Senate leader, think he could get away with cheating on his taxes? Why would a multiple Olympic gold medal winner who stands to make millions from lucrative endorsements put it all at risk for a temporary marijuana high? Why would someone like Ted Haggard, one of the brightest evangelical stars, do the stuff he now admits including using meth and cavorting with male escorts? Why would Wall Street executives receiving billions in taxpayer bailouts be so callous as to think they could pay themselves huge bonuses and ridiculous perks while under the microscope of investigation and public scrutiny?

Why did I once go out and party the very night my parents were nailing down the final details of an arrangement that would have allowed my brother and me to remain in our beloved high school and not have to start attending a new one in the middle of 11th and 10th grades--every teenager's worst nightmare. Passing out in Dad's arms earned me a seat in the moving van and meant the loss of peer status and popularity to become a stranger in the new school. Why did I do that? Because I'm an idiot? Don't answer that.

These examples underscore the fact that we human beings, at the most inopportune times, are capable of doing things that are illogical, unwise, self-destructive and hard to explain. We all screw up. Because of this, I try to remind myself I have no basis to feel like I'm better than others. Given the same set of circumstances these folks faced, my conduct might have been even worse. I'm convinced we all need someone to "unscrew" us--a savior, if you will.

Keep Perspective

2009-01-29T09:18:00.002-06:00

My dad turns 80 this year. That means he lived through the Great Depression. He tells stories of soup lines and having nothing to eat but the beets his dad "borrowed" from the neighbor's garden. Did I mention Dad turns 80 this year? Dad and Mom both lived through those bleak years and continue to enjoy fruitful and fulfilling lives.

In 1985, Sally and I moved out of Riverton, WY, adding our house to the over 500 others that were on the market in sparsely populated Fremont County. As you may recall, mortgage interest rates then hovered around 15-18%. Hundreds of homeowners had no choice but to default on their home loans and simply walk away. Nearly 40% of the population of that county moved out because of the closing of the uranium mines and steel mill. Our realtor had not had a home sale in months and said we would need a miracle to sell our newly constructed home. By God's grace it sold within two months for cash. Here we are 24 years later alive and well. The situation looked dire, but we survived.

These days we are hearing that we are in the midst of the worse financial crisis since the Great Depression. Hundreds of thousands are losing jobs, bankruptcies are spiraling out of control and Washington can't print and spend money fast enough in its frenetic attempt to stop the bleeding. Each day brings new headlines of economic woe. Sure, it can be depressing to hear constant drumming of negative headlines. Anyone with a retirement account has watched it evaporate. It is hard not to worry.

But, whenever I catch myself giving in to fear and worry, I step back and recall. We've been through stuff like this before. We got through it then and we'll get through it now. Having survived withdrawal from our consumer addiction and the false security of our materialism, we'll likely be wiser, more thrifty and more God aware. That's a good thing.

Keep perspective. We're going to get through this just fine.

What a Moment!

2009-01-21T06:46:00.002-06:00

We have witnessed a seminal moment of change. Who can deny that the inauguration of Barack Obama marks a massive cultural shift? Politics aside, the American people have taken a giant leap forward in living out the proposition that all men are created equal. People of good will are celebrating the significance of this moment world wide. Only those who are so ideologically driven that they can only marinate in the soreness of their recent loss refuse to embrace it.

Of course, all men created equal means all of us can be misguided and make mistakes. Barack Obama will not escape the scrutiny that all leaders must face. If he is wise he will encourage honest dissent and listen to opinions different from his own. If dissenters are wise they will offer their views with respect refusing to engage in the old tactics of mean spirited personal smears. I have a feeling that many of those who insist upon being curmudgeon critics will be ignored and crowded out of the public debate. I know I have resolved to avoid them. I no longer find them to be helpful or funny.

Can You See It Happening?

2009-01-13T14:28:00.002-06:00

Reports out of Detroit today tell us that the auto makers are featuring electric and hybrid cars at the annual new models show. Even the Chinese have rolled out their version. It is enough to make an oil tycoon get indigestion. Another report in today's Wall Street Journal informs us that the part of President Elect Obama's economic recovery plan that focuses on job creation is going to focus on environmental and alternative energy innovation. Well, we'll see...

I do think, however, that we are turning a corner. I'm beginning to believe that the human race is making one of those major adjustments it makes every once in a while when it realizes that what it has been doing is counter productive and perilous to civilization. Much the same as happened when sovereign monarchies gave way to democracies in the West. Or, when an economy based on slave labor gave way to freedom and worker's rights movements. Or, when women were given the right to vote. Or, when smoking lost its status as an accepted social practice. When was the last time you saw a cigarette vending machine? They used to be everywhere, as were ashtrays. I think we are witnessing the final days of polluting fossil fuels as the primary energy source.

Obviously, this will not be a process that is completed overnight, but it is underway and gaining momentum. Any progress we can make toward cleaner energy sources that do not spew carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulphuric acid and etc., into the environment has to be a good thing. Conservatives, traditionalists and naysayers will do what they always do, oppose change. Politicians and profiteers will do what they always do to muck things up. But I believe that Providence is right now dragging us kicking and screaming toward this very necessary change that will prove to be good for everyone.

Pretty soon the air will be clear enough that we'll be able to see it happening.

"ARRIVAL IS A MIRAGE"

2008-12-30T11:55:00.005-06:00

I don't know who first coined the phrase I used in the title, but the longer I live the more certain I am of its truth. Here's how I would paraphrase it. There is no circumstance or state of being attainable in the human existence that produces lasting happiness and fulfillment. No matter how sweet the momentary sense of accomplishment may be at the realization of a goal, it is always displaced by the need for a new goal. What one may think will be the ultimate arrival point always turns out to be illusory and unsatisfying.

Like everyone, I've dreamed dreams that did not come to pass (yet). I've also had the experience of dreaming dreams that became reality. It is one thing to have one's sights set upon a lofty goal that is never realized. It is quite another to get to some dreamed of destination only to discover it didn't offer any of the magical happiness you thought it would.

The writer of Ecclesiastes understood this very well and wrote, "I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." Ecclesiastes 2:10-11.

I'm guessing that the current economic crisis is driving home the truth of those words to many. Some have fallen victim to suicidal despair as they see the fruit of their life's work vanish in the wind. Chasing after wealth and the consumerism that define so much of our culture have once again been shown to be what they are. What the teacher told us centuries ago, "that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind" (Ecclesiastes 4:4). I wonder if we'll learn the lesson?

I gave up making new year resolutions decades ago, but I am hoping to bring a mindset into sharper focus in the coming year. To paraphrase St. Paul, life isn't about happiness it is about contentment. And contentment has nothing to do with circumstances (Philippians 4:11-13). Rather, it is rooted in how we partner with God in life. The teacher of Ecclesiastes put it this way, "A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This, too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can find enjoyment?" Ecclesiastes 2:24-25.

Reducing life to such a simple formula will require me to throttle way back and live life with far less complexity. Always striving for bigger, better and more is chasing the mirage.

A GIFT FOR YOU (click here)

2008-12-17T10:33:00.007-06:00

Eight and a half years ago Sally and I bid farewell to Missoula, Montana (without a doubt one of the best places on earth to live) to return to the land of our roots--Des Moines, Iowa. There seems to be some controversy as to whether any place in Iowa falls into the best places to live category. There were an assortment of reasons we chose to do so; the first of which was to get closer to my parents and assist my Dad in writing a book he wanted to write. I truly felt it was a divine assignment, not to mention a great privilege.

This past October Dad's dream of writing a book was fulfilled. Other than urging him on and some minor editorial work, my role was insignificant. Once he got in the writing mode he poured his heart into the project. While serving full time as a chaplain to a large retirement complex, he devoted countless hours to research and getting his thoughts on paper. As Mom would attest, he lived in the book project for several years until he felt it was just the way he wanted it. Now it has been published and the positive reviews are pouring in. I can honestly say that I have not read a more inspirational and encouraging book than Dad's. Anyone who has ever struggled with a sense of failure, whether it be letting yourself down or thinking you had failed God, could give no better gift to his/herself this holiday season than to pick up and read a copy of Dad's book. I promise you will be astonished at the insights this book brings out and gain a whole new appreciation for God's grace extended to us all through Jesus Christ.

The book's title is JUDAS ISCARIOT: REVISITED AND RESTORED, Discovering Grace in an Unlikely Place, Ivan Rogers, Xulon Press, 2008. Just click on the A GIFT FOR YOU blog title above. It is also available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Borders.

Merry Christmas.

WILL I NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE?

2008-11-24T09:43:00.003-06:00

In the days preceding the election, I found myself in conversation with some folks who were nearing the point of panic at the prospect that the evil empire was predicted to win the White House. A couple of guys from a southern state spoke of how their church held an all night prayer meeting to invoke the mercy of God on America so that McCain would carry the election. Another guy from a western state claimed God had told him that he should fast for several days so victory could be seized from the clutches of the "enemy."

The question I posed in both of these conversations was, "Do you expect that the outcome of the election will be God's answer to your prayer?" In both cases the answer was, "yes." One even cited the passage from Romans 13 that seems to suggest that political polls mean nothing, it is God who ultimately appoints governing authorities to carry out his purposes. That begged a follow up question which I offered. "So, if Barack Obama, is the winner you believe God's will is being done?"

The guy who had fasted stuttered and muttered for a moment and then said, "I believe the election of Obama will mean that God has turned his back on America."

So there you have it folks. All the evidence of God's "blessing" on America that the outgoing administration is leaving in its wake is going to be removed and replaced with judgment. I wonder if I'll notice the difference?

But the grass is still green...

2008-10-10T15:04:00.002-05:00

I've been on a road trip and have not had the opportunity to marinate in the abyssmal news out of Wall Street like many are these days. One guy summed it up as he passed me in a lobby having just watched a breaking news report about the financial crisis on the lobby TV. "F***in' Armageddon!" he muttered.

His crude remark was something of an unwelcome intrusion to my train of thought. I had just driven down a stretch of highway on a crisp, sunny morning in southern Iowa. The trees were beginning to take on the hues of their full autumn splendor. It was a warm enough day that I even cracked open the driver's side window on my pickup. I felt as if Mother Nature was giving me a hug. Had I not had a schedule to keep, I might have driven on for the sheer joy of it.

I couldn't help contrasting the tranquil beauty I was experiencing with the anguish I'm seeing on the faces of bankers, fund managers and politicians whose reckless, perhaps even criminal, shennanigans have caught up with them. It reminded me again that Jesus knew what he was talking about when he told his followers that earthly treasures are subject to theft, decline and loss. Better to seek first all that God is about. Invest in the heavenly agenda, so to speak--spiritually, emotionally and literally.

My little pension fund has taken a huge hit like everyone else's. I could get upset about it if I allowed that to take over my thoughts. But the reality that captured my heart today is that here in the heartland the sun still shines, the birds still sing and the grass is still green and growing. Thanks for the reassurance, God.

We Have All Lost... Again!

2008-09-16T09:24:00.002-05:00

Like many of you, I suspect, I have grown weary of the political season we are in. The incessant sniping and nitpicking over relatively trivial issues for the purpose of diminishing the other guy has caused my enthusiasm for this contest to sag. I don't care that Sarah Palin has a tanning bed in her governor's mansion. Neither do I care what Barack Obama eats for a snack.

Of course, there are issues I do care about, but it seems that it is becoming increasingly rare to get any substantive coverage on these matters from the media. I have had all I can take of the tabloid mentality of this campaign. It has left me agitated and annoyed with the whole process. Both camps have conspired with the media to contribute to this silliness. There are matters of extreme importance on the line and most of what we're getting from the respective campaigns is an unending game of "gotcha". Each camp has highly paid consultants whose job is to do nothing more than cherry pick out of context remarks and unguarded moments of the opposing candidate they can spin to the media or throw up on a political add so we all can be reminded what a terrible person the other guy is. It is utter nonsense and an insult to any voter who longs for thoughtful dialogue and intelligent debate.

Personal attacks on the opposition are at an all time high while real solutions offered are at an all time low. We could save millions of dollars and lots of time if we simply put the candidates face to face sticking their tongues out at each other and declared whichever one blinked first to be the winner.

So far, I think Simon and Garfunkel offered the most astute commentary on the current political process when they wrote "Mrs. Robinson" 40 years ago:

Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon.
Going to the candidate's debate.
Laugh about it, shout about it
When you've got to choose
Every way you look at this you lose.

That pretty much summarizes how I'm feeling about the Republican and Democrat campaigns this year.

Dominators Lose

2008-09-07T21:53:00.006-05:00

I'll never forget an incident that happened to me when I was in Spanish language school in Guadalajara, Mexico back in the early '90's. For an assignment to prepare an oral report, I selected an article from Reader's Digest that was a celebration of American values. Being a patriotic American, I was inspired by the American "can do" spirit and opportunities described in that particular article. It never occurred to me that fellow class members from Germany, France and Canada might see the world through a different lens.

Employing my best oratory skills, I built the speech to an emotional climax extolling the greatness of America. At the conclusion of my speech, one of the students angrily criticized what I'd had to say and in very hostile tones let me and the class know that she and the other non-American classmates resented the arrogant boastfulness of Americans like me. What I assumed everyone felt about America came across to them as a pushy insensitivity toward the rest of the world.

As I watched the Republican National Convention the other day I remembered that exchange back in language school. Maybe you saw it during one of the speeches. A young delegate wearing a red, white and blue Uncle Sam hat was chanting passionately, "USA! USA! USA!" His face was twisted in an expression of scorn and aggression against anything or anyone who didn't share his idolization of America. More than once I heard statements that conveyed the message loud and clear to the rest of the world that we think we're the biggest, baddest, wealthiest, most powerful and most special nation in the world. To people from other countries, like my classmate in language school, it sends the message that Americans believe the rest of the world is inferior to and answers to us.

Put yourself in their shoes. Many people in other countries have been paying over $4.00 a gallon for gasoline since the late '70's, when we were paying less than a dollar. Like the spoiled people we are, we are outraged that our fuel prices have only recently gotten so high. How would you feel if you lived in a country where you've been paying $5 or $6 a gallon for years to learn that the USA, which consumes 25% of the world's oil and gasoline while having only 5% of the world's population, is having a hissy fit over $4 a gallon gas?

We are bitter that manufacturers and major corporations are closing factories here and opening them in China, India and Latin America because their labor is cheaper. Meanwhile, folks in those countries are elated that companies with better jobs with better pay than they ever could have hoped for have come to their shores. Shouldn't there be something in our attitude that indicates we feel good about a better standard of living being enjoyed by others rather than the resentment some express because impoverished, developing nations have taken something from us?

And, while our politicians carry on about the superiority of our military and the importance of "winning", to much of the rest of the world we come across as a menacing, muscle-flexing super power that once again stands ready to invade and bomb other countries at will. It was comments about our military power and readiness to use it that evoked the response of the delegate in the Uncle Sam hat that I mentioned earlier.

Jesus said greatness is found in serving others rather than dominating them. "Relationships of domination are forbidden in the kingdom of God," wrote Jerry Cook, and I agree. In fact, Jesus said that at the end of the day the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Dominators lose. I'm looking for leaders who will take the harsh and threatening rhetoric out of our communication with the rest of the world and show some humility.

Tardy Wrath?

2008-09-01T07:58:00.003-05:00

Once again New Orleans and the gulf coast have been hit by a major hurricane. My heart goes out to all whose lives and property are threatened by the storm.

A recurring theme in the news coverage is the comparison drawn between FEMA's response this time and it's pathetic response after Katrina 3 years ago. Early indications are that the Federal Emergency Management Administration may have learned a thing or two. We certainly hope so.

I wonder if there will be similar comparisons made by those who subscribe to the notion that such natural disasters are orchestrated by God in response to sin and wickedness. Perhaps you will recall the rhetoric of judgment upon New Orleans' sinful legacy that was offered up by the late Jerry Falwell and numerous others after Katrina. Many in the ranks of the religious fundamentalists agreed with him and were cheering God on for bringing his wrath down upon a city so tolerant of sin.

In a strange twist of irony we have learned that Hurricane Gustav is wreaking havoc with the Republican National convention. Today's opening agenda has been scuttled as keynote speakers have cancelled their appearances and the nation's attention is drawn to the Gulf Coast. If we follow the logic that God sends such disasters to punish evil, it begs the question. Why is God upset with the Republicans? After all, the Democratic National Convention went off without a hitch just last week.

I predict that from the same ranks of those who blamed Katrina on God will come statements attributing Gustav to a satanic plot to thwart the "righteousness agenda" of the Republicans.

Obama Fumbled the Faith Forum

2008-08-18T14:25:00.006-05:00

It is old news now, but I want to weigh in on the Faith Forum hosted by pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church that both John McCain and Barack Obama participated in this past Saturday. Being one who cares deeply about matters of faith, I watched the entire event very carefully. I agree with the consensus that in terms of overall impact McCain kicked butt. Word is out today that he was not in a so-called "cone of silence" while Obama was being questioned as we had been told. I don't know if that is true or not, but he certainly made Obama look like an amateur in comparison as he fielded the same basic questions that Warren had first asked Obama.

Words the pundits have used to characterize McCain's performance are "clear" and "concise." McCain gave direct, "black and white" answers to questions about abortion and defeating evil among others, with but one exception. When Warren queried about what is rich, asking for a specific number, McCain gave a speech on prosperity ideals and then wisecracked that it is having $5 million or more. It was obvious he quickly wished he hadn't said that and tried to back pedal and make light of it. But he did say it, and in so doing he exposed his hand. His administration will continue the policies that favor the wealthy.

Obama gave a very troubling response when the question of abortion was raised. It was the one issue about which he made a clear and concise statement. He supports Roe vs. Wade. That's not news, but to so bluntly state it in that particular forum is a tough pill to swallow for many. One point Obama did make is worth noting. After 8 years of Republican administration, several of which with Republican majorities in Congress, the number of abortions being performed annually has not diminished. Being pro-life has to mean more than saying you philosophically oppose abortions. Could it be that Obama's stated objective of decreasing the number of abortions by means of education, better health care and strengthening the family (while not undoing Roe vs. Wade) could ultimately be more effective in reducing the number of abortions than the pro-life lip service approach of the Republicans?

My overall impression at the end of this particular event is that McCain came across as a man in charge. Obama did not. Stay tuned...

Celebrity Envy

2008-08-13T09:11:00.003-05:00

I think I may know why the Republicans and John McCain are so obsessed with Barack Obama's celebrity status. There was a very telling incident just this week at the Iowa State Fair. On Thursday, August 7, the state fair (one of the biggest in the country) opened with a local radio sponsored corn dog eating contest. Everyone arriving at the fair before 8:30 AM that day was promised free admission to the fair in exchange for their willingness to join with the others who showed up to eat corn dogs simultaneously. They hoped to set a Guinness World Record for people eating corn dogs at the same time. The station planned for 8000, but 42,000 people created traffic snarls and long lines at the gates! The entire east side of Des Moines,Iowa was in gridlock during the morning commute.

The following day, with much hoopla and local media coverage, it had been announced that John McCain would visit the fair and make a speech. Estimates were that only about 200 diehards huddled together to hear what he had to say. The remaining more than 100,000 fair attendees that day ignored him. That's right. The Republican nominee for president of the United States could only get about 200 people to pay attention to what he had to say when he visited the Iowa State Fair. In comparison, Barack Obama has had hundreds of thousands show up for some of his recent speeches.

I guess we can forgive McCain for a little celebrity envy.

I think we can also say with certainty that, like many voters, Iowa State Fair goers are pushovers for free lunches and pork.

On Whose Authority?

2008-07-29T14:01:00.002-05:00

Recently, I've been reading books from authors with divergent views on how the teachings of Jesus Christ are to be understood and applied to our lives in the 21st Century. (Some reading this are probably thinking I need to get a life. They could be right.) A couple of the books (which ones doesn't matter for the purpose of this blog) state their case based upon the authority of the Bible as the ultimate determiner of how we should believe and live. The problem is, however, that on some key issues the authors draw very different, even conflicting, conclusions as to what the Bible is saying. Which raises a couple of intersting questions.

Is one or the other of these authors more in line with what the Bible is saying? How would we know? Both cite Greek and Hebrew original language constructions. Both quote famous theologians from Christian history. Both were published by recognized and respected "Christian" publishers. Both present solid academic pedigrees. Yet, the Bible speaks a different message to each of them.

Of course, drawing divergent messages out of the Bible is nothing new. All one needs to do is look at the roster of denominations and affiliations of churches in the phone directory to realize people pick up a smorgasbord of "truths" from the Bible. There are even jokes about it. One old jest says, "Put two Baptists (or whatever affiliation you choose) in a room and you'll have three opinions."

I was raised in a tradition that boasted openly of its reliance upon biblical authority. And I confess that I have employed the language of biblicism for many years. Anyone who reads my writings knows that I seldom stray too far from quoting a Bible verse to give weight to points I hope to drive home. The difference for me lately is I'm now willing to admit that I and all the other Bible quoters are in reality appealing to our understanding at the moment of what we think the Bible says as the authority. Clear away all the theological modisms and jargon and what we end up with is little more than perspective--opinions. We quote the Bible to reinforce our conclusions.

Think about it. In the first place, everyone who ventures into biblicism looks to various teachers to expound upon and explain it. No one comes to the Bible with a "clean slate" only to be imprinted by the words of scripture. Nowdays so many of the Bibles have study notes incorporated right within their pages. Furthermore, I don't know of anyone who studies the Bible with any seriousness who hasn't changed their mind about what this or that portion of the Bible means along the way. Many of us have argued various points of interpretation vehemently only to later realize we were off in some way. Someone may point out that the Bible didn't change. That's true, but our understanding of it did; and that is all we ever have to rely upon when talking about the Bible. Some have boasted that they only rely on the Bible, but that is simply not true. They read it, form ideas about what it means, maybe make application to their own life and circumstances and in some way or another compare their thoughts with others'. What they end up with is an interpretation just like the rest of.

So what's the point? Although it sounds good and pious, it simply isn't honest to claim that the Bible is one's final authority for faith and practice. The FINAL authority that everyone employs is themself as developed by their study methods, traditional background and congnitive processes and expressed as their opinion. Ones opinion may be informed by the Bible but the Bible is not and cannot be the final authority for any of us. Once we have formed an opinion about what it is saying, that opinion is the authority that we defer to.

That said, I still prefer the Bible over any other book as the best written source for getting wisdom and insight on who God is and how we are to live. In my opinion the words of God are in its pages.

Talk Radio Stinks!

2008-07-02T10:58:00.002-05:00

Right up front I'll admit to a certain level of hypocrisy in writing this blog. I've certainly offered my share of negative opinion in some of my writings. Although it is a true reflection of what I am thinking and feeling at the time, some of what I write fails the sniff test for being "gracious" and "edifying" as the scriptures encourage our conversations to be (eg. Ephesians 4:29; Colossians 4:6).

My schedule does not allow me to spend much time listening to the radio, but from time to time I tune in to a couple different talk shows to get a sense of what is on the hosts' minds. Almost without exception I end up turning them off. The level of discourse, it seems to me, has become so befouled with anger, mudslinging, innuendo, name calling and polarization that I find these programs degrading and mood destroying.

I've heard advocates on both sides of the political spectrum piling on with insults and labels such as "stupid", "idiot", and more. Do we really need to hear some know it all say things like, "No Christian can vote for John McCain?" Or, "Barack Obama is demonic." (Both of these quotes came from the same guest on one of these shows.) The host was egging him on. In continuation of my own hypocrisy...I don't know how any Christian can listen to this crap, let alone sit behind the microphone.

I find the whole business offensive and very unhelpful. The political and religious discourse in this country has devolved into a character assassinating, eye gouging, take no prisoners, destroy all who disagree free for all. It is mean and it is ugly on both sides.

I don't know about you, but I'd like to tune in and hear dialogue that addresses the key issues respectfully, with maturity and with graciousness.

FLOODS!

2008-06-19T10:55:00.002-05:00

Last Friday afternoon Sally and I took a short drive to observe the incredible flooding that was taking place in our area. Less than 12 hours later a levee gave way and flood water submerged one of the streets we had been on swallowing up scores of homes and businesses in that neighborhood. Nationwide news coverage is telling us that in places like Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and now farther south along the Mississippi drainage the flooding is unprecedented. As of this morning there have been more than 20 levee breaches reported. My heart goes out to those who are suffering in the aftermath. Of course you have seen the news coverage. I really don't need to add to it.

What is on my mind is the fact that since the floods of '93 very little has been done to resolve such high water crises. The epic floods of '93 led to the convening of congressional committees, Army Corps of Engineers studies, numerous commissions and investigations. Many reports offering detailed remedies were presented. And what we have learned so far is that 15 years later, in 2008, very few of the recommendations were carried out. The aforementioned neighborhood, which also flooded in '93, was negligently left with the "protection" of a levee over 60 years old which officials knew could not withstand another big flood!

There are some lessons we can draw from all this.

1) As we saw with Hurricane Katrina and now the floods of '08, don't expect the government to solve problems like these. In addition to mortgaging the future of the nation to China and strapping the next generation with unimaginable debt, the government (local, state and federal) has scandalously neglected our infrastructure. Bridges are collapsing, levees are failing, streets are in disrepair, sewer and drainage systems are obsolete. Our officials have ignored these "unsexy" spending priorities choosing instead to fight questionable and very expensive wars, nation build abroad and give huge tax breaks to those who need them the least.

2) If you have placed your trust in any levee to keep your residence safe, you may want to reconsider where you live.

3) We've had two 500 year floods in 15 years in this area, not to mention the record number of tornadoes this year. What further evidence do we need that climate change is real?

4) If we don't discover and empower the kind of leaders and problem solvers who will get on top of this mess and mobilize the necessary resources to get the job done soon, we're in a heap of trouble. Personally, I'm not in the mood for any more photo ops and rhetoric from our "deciders" and candidates. We need action.

5) The greatest threat to the security of American citizens is not global jihad. It is a collapsing infrastructure. Repairing it and modernizing it for the 21st Century is the war we should be fighting.

Such A Long Way...

2008-06-05T10:32:00.004-05:00

My wife and I recently returned from a trip to Atlanta, GA. One of the first things we did was tour the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and Museum. We had parked several blocks away and walked through a run down district of crumbling buildings, urine soaked sidewalks, liquor stores and homeless pan handlers to get to the MLK Center adjacent to the historical Ebenezer Baptist Church. The sense of despair and brokenness was heavy and made me acutely aware of the lingering effects of systematized injustice and inequality.

Anyone who has ever visited the MLK memorial and taken the time to read the captions and displays that tell Dr. King's story and the history of the Civil Rights Movement can't help but be deeply moved by the collective journey of African-Americans in the United States--especially in the "Jim Crow" South.

Inconspicuously displayed among the larger exhibits featuring the March to Selma and Dr. King's now immortalized "Letter From the Birmingham Jail" and "I Have a Dream" speech, are books that pictorially tell the story of the plight of the American Negro in a society dominated by bigotry and racial hatred. These books are easily overlooked as one's attention is drawn to screens showing film footage and recordings of key events in Dr. King's life as he led the non-violent outcry against segregation.

As my wife flipped through one of these books, she found a picture which she called me over to view. Although I have been generally aware that there were atrocities, lynchings and murders that occurred along the way in the struggle, I was not prepared for this horrifying image and all that it symbolized. It was a photograph of the body of a black man who had been lynched on a telephone pole with a sign pinned to his clothing that declared, "This N----r voted." The message was clear to all. If another black person tries to vote around here, we will do the same to them. This terrorist incident took place in the USA just a few short decades ago.

Yesterday we learned that the Democratic Party will nominate an African-American, Barack Obama, to be it's candidate for President of the United States. Whatever one may think of his political views, the historical symbolism of this occasion is astounding. Americans have come such a long way toward undoing the evils of racial prejudice. But, we have also learned from exit polls conducted during this primary season that notable percentages of voters in various parts of the country have openly admitted that they voted against Obama because he is black. In these voters' minds the content of his character was not a consideration. It is the color of his skin that was the deciding factor for them.

So, yes, we have come such a long way. But we still have such a long way to go...

How Much Will That Cost?

2008-05-28T14:32:00.002-05:00

In a previous blog ("Who is Paying the Price For My Security?" April 30, 2008) I mentioned that the United States' defense budget is greater than what the next 25 nations in rank combined spend on defense. I also noted that the war in Iraq has cost us approximately half a trillion dollars. I offered these statistics to make the point that I believe we would greatly improve our standing internationally and make the world a safer place if we refocused our spending on food for the hungry, medical assistance, education and diplomacy instead of war. Doing so would also align our foreign policy with what Jesus taught about dealing with enemies.

Someone responded with the following comment: "Even a half trillion spent on hunger, education, medical assistance and diplomacy wouldn't be enough to satisfy our critics or our enemies. Do you really believe the U.S., by simply being more charitable, would suddenly be welcomed with open arms by our enemies? If so, then exactly how much is enough to accomplish this? What is the magic number?"

It is a fair and thought provoking question. How much would it cost to make our enemies our friends? After much thought and calculation I think I have the magic number. To make our enemies our friends it will cost each of us everything we've got and the remainder of our time on earth. Nothing short of an 'all in' approach to peacemaking will cut it. Motivated by his great love, Jesus, gave up everything he had to lay down his life for us. He calls us to follow in his steps and do the same. I believe it can be done.

If we reject his teaching and continue thinking that laying it all on the line for peace is too great a price to pay, we can expect more of the same--ongoing conflicts and very costly wars that everyone loses. We'll spend a half trillion dollars here, suffer multiplied thousands of casualties there and endure endless cycles of fear and violence for a false and transcient sense of security we'll only briefly enjoy.

Peacemaking isn't cheap. But, as Jesus said, those who are peacemakers are blessed--they are called sons and daughters of God (Matthew 5:9). I'll leave it up to those who prefer to bomb and shoot their enemies to figure out whose children they are.

Illegal is illegal, right?

2008-05-15T15:55:00.002-05:00

Illegal is illegal, right? Not always. For example, the Law of Moses which was the guiding social and religious law under which Jesus was raised stipulated that wrongdoers were to be proportionally punished for their crimes. Specifically, the law stated: "If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him" (Leviticus 24:19-20). Jesus, however, took a contrarian position to that law. He countered:"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well." Whatever the nuances of interpretation one might read into these verses, it is clear that Jesus took it upon himself to abide by a different law.

Historically, there has been an ongoing discourse concerning the weight of moral law versus civil law. Or, if you prefer, universal law versus regulatory statute. Universal law, it is assumed, is unchanging. Murder, theft and the like are always wrong. Whereas, a 55 mph speed limit can be changed to 60 by a committee, as recently happened in my locale. One day you can be ticketed for going 60. The next day you can't. There are zillions of regulatory laws on the books that are changed and adapted all the time. Often times changes in the law come about because the old law has served its purpose and is no longer in step with current realities. Sometimes society wakes up and discovers that it is being governed by really bad laws. Jim Crow segregation being a case in point.

The news in Iowa has been dominated lately by the "raid" conducted by agents of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) upon Agriprocessors (a kosher meat processing company) in Postville, Iowa. Over 300 workers were arrested and are facing legal proceedings for being undocumented or falsely documented immigrants, mostly of Hispanic heritage. An entire community that has established itself as a welcoming place for workers from south of the border with restaurants, grocery stores and churches has been disrupted. Children returned from school to learn parents were being detained. Families are torn apart and filled with fear of what will happen next. It is an all around sad situation.

Now, obviously, an ordered society cannot allow anyone to blatantly circumvent the law and flaunt authority. (Although, I'm of the opinion that it is the employers and not the employees who bear the greatest share of responsibility in cases like this one.) Most of the workers are merely trying to make a better life for themselves than they could ever hope for in their homelands. Still, laws were broken including serious offenses such as identity theft and falsified social security documents. These crimes must be addressed.

What grieves me, however, is the heartless attitutde of those who angrily insist that the harshest punishments and deportation are the best way to handle these people. "Throw 'em all out of the country and build a big fence so they don't come back," seems to be an all too common outcry. It's an easy thing to say for someone who is either just outright mean spirited or has no clue about the kind of economic and humnitarian hardships that compel thousands to risk being undocumented workers willing to take on miserable jobs such as those available in a meat packing plant.

What has been going on in Postville for many years is happening in many places across the country. Tens of thousands of people with questionable documentation have enthusiastically stood in line to do work that few American citizens will. For many of these desperate, hard working people the laws they have had to get around to get their piece of the pie are like the speed limit. As we all know, everyone ignores the speed limit from time to time. All this ever evolving immigration red tape is an injust and inconvenient obstacle to their making a living.

So, here's my point. Black and white legal absolutism can get in the way of cultural advancement as Jesus demonstrated. Immigration laws from the past are becoming increasingly insensitive to economic and demographic realities in the Western Hemisphere and need to be rewritten. The low wage, immigrant workers are now woven into the fabric of American life. They are here to stay. Our laws should be responsive to that. The force of our law enforcement should be brought against unscrupulous employers who exploit vulnerable workers rather than conducting blitzkrieg raids that result in hundreds of workers being subjected to the indiginity of being handcuffed and marched off to a processing center where they are railroaded through a frightening and confusing legal process. What we are doing now is wrong--just plain wrong.

Who is paying the price for my security?

2008-04-30T22:51:00.006-05:00

Did you know that the United States' military budget exceeds that of the next 25 nations combined? Did you know that the so-called "Christian West" possesses 90% of the nuclear weapons on the planet? "Christian" America is the only country that has ever dropped an atomic bomb.

Now, try to imagine yourself as an impoverished and disenfranchised person in another part of the world who has been taught that Christians are colonialists and crusaders bent on conquest and exploitation of others' vulnerability and natural resources. (How did our oil get under their sand anyway?) Without condoning vicious acts of terrorism that have been carried out by an extremist minority, can we have some empathy for the fear and rejection of our ways that is expressed toward us? If we can find it in our hearts to have some understanding for why they feel the fear and mistrust that they do, then maybe, just maybe, we can agree that a heavy handed, threatening foreign policy is exactly what we don't need in today's world. It only confirms their stereotypes and misunderstandings of us.

Jesus told us to feed our enemies and show kindness to those who mistreat us. However one justifies bluster and threatening the unleashing of our awesome military might as a feature of American foreign policy, it is far from what Jesus taught. It arises from fear and power preservation, not love. If our security and comfort is coming at the expense of people weaker and less fortunate, it is selfish and unjust.

Maybe you think it's a good thing that the U.S. is the most feared nation on the planet; I don't. I'd much prefer we were the most loved nation. These days I find myself longing for leaders who take Jesus' words to heart and display a will for peace rather than a cocky, intimidating readiness for war. How different might the world be today if we had taken the half trillion dollars the war in Iraq has cost us and invested it instead in food for the hungry, education, medical assistance and diplomacy?

"EXPELLED"...IRONIC, ISN"T IT?

2008-04-22T04:04:00.005-05:00

I recently viewed the Ben Stein docu-argument, Expelled. The film leaves one with little doubt that within "accepted" scientific orthodoxy there is an organized and very zealous effort to deny legitimacy to the theory that there may be evidence of intelligent design in nature. Stein compellingly asserts the thought control and censorship that is being carried out by the "mainstream" Darwinian evolutionists is every bit as dangerous as the censorship and thought control that existed in Naziism and Stalinist Soviet Union. My sense of Stein's motive in producing the film is that it was less about defending intelligent design as a theory and more about cautioning us of the dangers of allowing any group to gain a stranglehold on "acceptable" thought and speech within a community.

The priests of Darwinianism, who currently dominate the creeds (textbooks) and temples (lecture halls) of academia pertaining to the origin of the natural world, have declared as heresy any notion that the observable complexity and order in nature indicate a higher intelligence participated in the originating process. Therefore, as far as they are concerned, any member of the scientific community who would dare to speculate otherwise is a heretic. Leading Darwinian atheist, Richard Dawkins, is so adamant in his refusal to even consider the possibility that there may have been some sort of creative influence in the origin of things, that he offers a far fetched speculation from science fiction that maybe once-upon-a-time a more highly evolved extra-terrestrial life form "seeded" the design scientists observe in nature.

At the end of the day, the controversy is more about competing ideologies than hard scientific "facts". No explanation of the origin of the universe can be definitively proven. Both Darwinism and Intelligent Design employ "evidence" from what remains uncertain and unseen (i.e., faith) to explain the mysterious unknowable. So, does anyone see the irony in the fact that advocates of Biblical Creationism (an overtly religious form of Intelligent Design), who historically have been known to execute people who disagreed with them and would probably resort to that again if they could get away with it, are the ones complaining the loudest about the current hegemony of the Darwinists? In either case, whether one is a creationist or a Darwinist, if free thought and free speech are curtailed, truth loses. It is always dangerous when any one group thinks it is authorized to control what everyone else is permitted to learn about and believe.

I Don't Get It

2008-04-09T11:43:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Gen. Petraeus brought a report of how things are going in the war in Iraq to the Senate Armed Forces Committee. All 3 presidential candidates (Clinton, McCain, Obama) made statements and posed questions to the good general and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Patriots all, in my estimation.

The marathon back and forth offered very little in new information. The surge has had some success in some areas as we have already been told, but there remain many problems yet to be solved, which we also already knew. The general fended off many attempts to get him to project some date for completion of our mission in Iraq. One problem being that the mission seems to have evolved over time. What started as a gung-ho, kick butt military operation to depose Saddam Hussein and get control of imagined weapons of mass destruction that was supposed to be over in 6 months, has become a muddled, imprecise, quagmire of nation building, tribal mediation, economic development and law enforcement. Iraqi government officials are milking our presence and largesse to their advantage as much as possible as they drag out the process of solving their big issues. Why should they spend their resources to sustain the country as long as we are willing to foot the bill?

Barack Obama offered parameters that may help us get a sense of how to measure our progress. On one end of the scale is the Bush-Cheney-McCain ideal that Iraq somehow morph into a stable democracy, a beacon of freedom and civil rights in the heart of the middle east, and an oil rich friend of the United States. By any reasonable estimation that will take decades to happen if it is even possible. On the other end of the scale is the situation that exists now which Obama described as: "a messy, sloppy status quo but there's not huge outbreaks of violence, there's still corruption, but the country is struggling along, but it's not a threat to its neighbors and it's not an al-Qaida base."

So there you have it. After more than 5 years during which more than 4000 American service personnel have been killed (not to mention ally losses and many thousands of civilians), at a cost of a half trillion dollars, what we have to show for it is a messy, sloppy status quo with ongoing violence and rampant corruption. And no end is in sight.

Whose idea was this? I don't get it.

...On Second Thought

2008-03-31T14:17:00.002-05:00

Paul wrote to the Ephesians:

“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ...Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear... Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:25-32).

Sounds nice, doesn’t it? But I have to confess that I struggle to understand how that works in the “real” world. As one who considers Jesus Christ to be the ideal role model, I wrestle with how his referring to some people he encountered as “white-washed tombs,” and, to their faces calling them “You snakes!” and “hypocrites” fits with Paul’s words. Those labels don’t seem particularly helpful or tenderhearted to me. Evidently those on the receiving end of Jesus’ name calling didn’t appreciate it either. They conspired to kill him.

Since I believe Jesus lived a sinless life, I have to conclude that it is possible to be angry and confrontational without crossing the line into inappropriate slander and maliciousness. The truth can hurt, even when it is spoken in love. Sometimes the best and most loving thing we can do for someone is to get in their face, as Jesus did, and tell them they are full of b.s.

That said; I must remember that I ain’t Jesus. My anger, more often than not, does not take me in the direction of building up the recipient. It usually takes me on the slippery slope toward bitterness, slander and malice--winning at another's expense. Being angry without sinning is a state of being few of us master. That’s why it is essential to put one’s energies into cultivating kindness, tenderheartedness and forgiveness. I need to work on that.

To Be Fair

2008-03-19T10:49:00.003-05:00

As a former pastor who, on more than one occasion in moments of irrational exuberance, said things from the pulpit that got me into trouble, I have some sympathy for Reverend Jeremiah Wright and the mess his words have created. Words do matter and, once spoken, can never be retrieved. They often ricochet around and produce all sorts of unintended consequences. Especially is this true when they are spoken in anger and fierce critique. Jeremiah Wright and those associated with him, such as Barak Obama, will not be able to escape the fallout of his inflammatory rhetoric; certainly not when the words provide juicy fodder for partisan politics.

Barak Obama, who I'm sure would have preferred that no one had paid attention to Pastor Wright's controversial commentary, has been smoked out by the media as to where he stands on the seemingly anti-American views of his former pastor. I take Obama at his word that he does not agree with everything Pastor Wright said. After serving in the Illinois legislature and as a U. S. senator, which have put him in the public eye for several years, not to mention his year long run for the presidency, there has been zero evidence in his words and demeanor that he agrees with Jeremiah Wright. It would be as unfair to hold Obama responsible for Jeremiah Wright's bombast as it would to hold Mitt Romney responsible for the racist recent past of Mormonism. Or, to make John McCain responsible for every goofy thing his supporter, Pastor John Hagee has said. Although, it should be noted that the Obama campaign has repudiated and distanced itself from Jeremiah Wright while McCain recently accepted Hagee's endorsement with a hug in full view of the press. President Bush once said he had looked into the soul of former KGB agent Vladimir Putin and considered him to be a friend. Shall we run an endless loop on cable news of all the anti-American things Putin has said and use them to question Bush's patriotism?

If one rejects the Obama candidacy over political philosophy or political party affiliation that is fair. But, if one ignores 400 years of racial history in America and refuses to recognize the reasons behind Pastor Wright's angry rhetoric, and deliberately exploits the controversy for political reasons, that is mean spirited and racist.

John McCain & John Hagee

2008-03-12T13:01:00.005-05:00

“Agents of intolerance,” is how he labeled such people in his previous presidential bid. Now, in the hopes of shoring up support from the conservative wing of the GOP, we see John McCain cozying up to one of the foremost agents, Pastor John Hagee of Houston. So much for “straight talk.”

Hagee’s intolerance is legendary. Among the things he is noted for is declaring Catholics to be the “Great Harlot” of the Book of Revelation. That is not a new concept invented by Hagee, but he has been especially effective in slamming Catholics via his considerable television and media influence. Standing in front of his mega-congregation with a giant mural depicting his tidy explanation of how he imagines the end times will unfold, he lambasts everyone who sees things differently than he does. Followers consider him to be an authority on a 19th Century theological aberration known as Dispensationism with its emphasis upon a pre-Tribulation rapture of the “true” Church.

He is especially noted as a staunch supporter of the State of Israel. He has been honored in Israel for his support and is regarded by many Jews, such as a leader of the local Jewish Federation with whom I spoke recently, as an ally. Like McCain, they shrug off Hagee’s offensive side in exchange for political clout he brings to the table. I wonder how many of them have considered the anti-Semitic implications of his belief that Jews who fail to convert to Hagee’s Christianity before the rapture deserve to experience God’s wrath in a directed at them world ending holocaust that makes Hitler’s look like a Sunday School picnic?

Lately, Hagee has been making angry speeches calling for the United States to carry out a preemptive military strike against Iran. That’s right; Hagee wants the USA to blow up things and people in Iran. Forget peace making and turning the other cheek as Jesus advocated. “Bomb, bomb, bomb..., bomb, bomb Iran.”

Hagee has declared that Hurricane Katrina was God’s judgment upon New Orleans for the wickedness that resided there. If that is true, then look out Houston! Because I can’t fathom greater wickedness than the bigotry and war mongering that Hagee celebrates in the name of God in Houston.

TIDE, BREEZE, OR RELIGION TALK?

2008-02-26T12:46:00.003-06:00

According to data compiled from interviews of 35,000 adults, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has documented that nearly half of Americans (44%) have left the faith tradition of their upbringing. Apparently, training up a child in the way he should go so that when he is older he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6) isn’t exactly working the way some of us have thought it would. The research indicates there is a large exodus underway out of historical, traditional Christianity, as represented by Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, into “independent” contemporary style churches, or, in increasing numbers, no organized religious affiliation at all. Interestingly, similar trends are evident in other religions, too. Americans en masse are departing from it.

What is one to make of this? One’s answer will depend in large part upon how he or she views the world.

On one end of the spectrum, some Christians point to this data as proof certain that Christ’s mission to save the world beyond their special group has been a colossal failure. They have or will soon declare themselves to be a chosen remnant that will be spared the damnation that is about to fall upon everyone else. Join them or get swept away in the tide of apostasy that will precede Satan’s takeover is their message.

Others see the trend away from traditional religion as a fresh breeze of God’s spirit blowing across the land to liberate and renew people of faith. For these folks it is a time of transition from old forms and power structures that long ago lost their vitality and relevance. Many are speaking of experiencing a spiritual awakening once they shed old religious habits of thought and practice.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are those who just don’t give a rip. All this religion talk has no connection to how they think and live.

I think the answer is somewhere in the middle.

Please, dear God?

2008-02-14T12:00:00.001-06:00

Today I got hit in the face with perspective. It happens to all of us from time to time. Most of the stuff we tend to fuss over loses all importance with the arrival of very sad news. The 9 year old daughter of a family friend is in the final stages of advanced brain cancer. Doctors have told the family to hurry if they want to take one last trip to Disneyland.

I have known this child for several years. Her mother and our daughter are very close friends. She has been one of our grandson’s favorite playmates. She is a vibrant, spunky, beautiful young lady who has fought valiantly through surgeries, radiation and chemo therapy. And, although this news is not altogether unexpected, it still hits one right in the face when the doctors say the time is rapidly approaching. We are crying with them and praying for them.

I must say I absolutely hate it that such heartache and suffering exists. I join with all who wonder why it has to be so. But there are no satisfactory answers. Sure, I know all the platitudes and verses we recite on such occasions. They don’t solve the mysteries of suffering and mortality. To the grieving parent facing unspeakable loss they can sound flippant, sterile and almost insulting. God’s goodness is hard to get a handle on when a strikingly beautiful young girl is succumbing to vision destroying, balance robbing, head distorting brain cancer right in front of you.

I can’t explain God. I can’t fix any of this. I am at a loss for words. But I care. I feel it deeply. My heart breaks with theirs. I try to keep hope from flickering out. And, I remember that when we lost our son years ago comfort gradually displaced our mourning. Somehow, the pain and tears ran their course and gave way to the realization that it would be ok. We would laugh again. We got through it then, and they will get through their sorrow in the coming days. May that be what God whispers to them through the hugs and love of so many who will go with them through this hard time. Please, dear God?

Stimulated?

2008-02-05T15:53:00.000-06:00

So, we’re going to get an economic stimulus one of these days. Washington has decided that we haven’t been spending enough of our money so they are going to rebate us some of our money in the hopes that we’ll all blow it and thereby stimulate the economy. I admit that when it comes to economics I rode the little bus. But, there is something quite irritating about the notion that Washington, which took my money against my will in the first place, is now going to hand some back to me. Thank you very much.

Does this strike anyone as an admission on Washington’s part that it is detrimental to the economy when it takes our money from us? Wouldn’t it have been easier and more cost effective to leave it with us in the first place? Now Washington has to go to the expense of printing and mailing out all those checks.

Since they already have our money, why doesn’t Washington save the extra expense and just go to Wal-Mart and spend it if they need to stimulate the economy? Or, since the domestic auto makers are struggling, why doesn’t Washington negotiate a bulk purchase discount of new automobiles and pass them out to us like Oprah did for her studio audience? Or, better still, I think Washington should lease Augusta National, Pebble Beach, Kilauea Country Club and Bay Hill for an entire season and give us all complementary rounds of golf with full access to the clubhouse and spa. I know that would stimulate me.

Well, anyway, I’ll be glad to get the check when it comes. I sure hope it gets here in time to pay my taxes.

Put the Stones Down

2008-01-28T12:16:00.000-06:00

I am always moved by the poignancy and significance of Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:37-38. Jesus was coming to terms with the reality that his hopeful, life changing message of God’s kingdom on earth was going to be refused by the power structure of his day. One can sense his deep sorrow when he said of the establishment, “[Once again you are going to] kill the prophets and stone those sent to you.”

So it is in every generation. True change agents are brutally treated by those entrenched in power. They will verbally and physically attack and employ any means to silence the voices of change, even if they have to make martyrs out of them. A generation ago it was Martin Luther King. Before that it was Abraham Lincoln and so many others down through history—including Jesus.

Often, as was the case in Jesus’ day, it is the religious establishment that most aggressively opposes progress. I’ll never forget the hostile stance the mostly white conservative Christian circle I was raised in took toward Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement. Shame!

The overriding theme of our time is change. It is an echoing crescendo in the public square, the halls of congress, political arena, corporate board rooms and religious circles. You can feel it everywhere. There is growing discontent with the status quo. Something is going on that I haven’t felt since the peace and civil rights movements of the ‘60’s.

Tragically, those movements faltered and ran aground because of the loss of key leaders and the infighting, rebellion, hedonism and violence that filled the vacuum. They fell far short of their ideals. In the aftermath our nation plunged into decades of scandal and greed that have diminished us as a nation.

Once again, young people and change minded folks of all ages are rising up and saying to the entrenched powers, “We want a better world than you have given us. Your old policies of the past have failed.” And, once again, the establishment is ready to destroy any serious voice of change.

Many of us are praying for societal transformation. I am convinced God is in the process of answering our prayer. Let us continue to pray that the leaders of change are kept safe and given the full chance to be heard. Some of them are sent from God.

A WORD TO VALUES VOTERS

2008-01-15T15:34:00.000-06:00

I am unapologetically anti-flood and drought. I believe God wants me to oppose these affronts to our survival as a civilization. The toll on human life brought about by floods and droughts such as we have seen in Louisiana or Indonesia or in Sub-Saharan Africa must be stopped. My personal values require that I not compromise with anyone who tolerates such life taking horrors. Therefore, I demand that laws be passed banning all flood and drought forecasts.

How ridiculous you might say. But in reality some of us have behaved in exactly this manner when it comes to various so called values issues upon which we have taken a stand. I offer it as a parable of what happens when “values” go political.

Politicians and media types are powerless to change values. To win our vote candidates may promise to uphold our values, but the truth is they have about the same chance of bringing about meaningful change as would a weather reporter speaking out against floods. Values have been at the forefront of several successive election cycles and virtually nothing has changed. At the end of the day, politicians prefer to have values issues they can use to mobilize the voters more than solutions which are totally beyond their control.

Values issues are always complex. Take the prolife position as an example. Can I be considered genuinely prolife if I oppose abortion on demand but not preemptive war on demand? Is it hypocritical to say I want to protect life in the womb because it is helpless if I celebrate as victory for our side the successful bombing of a poor neighborhood where the enemy was but also housed innocent women and children who were equally helpless against such fire power? Can one be truly prolife and support any policy intentionally expecting and allowing “collateral damage?”

Shouldn’t my defense of life be consistent whether it is in or out of the womb? Can one claim to be prolife and passively do nothing to stop genocides and famines going on in places like Africa? Can I claim to value life and at the same time buy products from nations with abysmal human rights records because they are a bargain and it is good for business?

We all have a set of values. And well we should. Let’s make certain, however, we’re not being exploited by politicians and political parties. If I allow a politician to emotionally manipulate me and capture my vote before I have worked through all the complexities and broader implications of the issues, I’m a dupe.

Meteorologists can’t stop floods. Washington won’t bring an end to abortions. The values of a society can only be changed one heart at a time. When I cast my vote this time I intend to look beyond political slogans and party platforms and vote for the candidate who best represents in the most consistent and far reaching manner all the issues I care about. Judging from the present crop of candidates I’ll probably have to hold my nose as I enter to voting booth and make a choice.

Choose wisely, Grasshopper.

2008-01-07T15:27:00.000-06:00

It’s really a question of attitude and thought process. I have a choice.

I can decide to listen to the part of me that prefers to retreat into retention of what was. Or, I can lean into an expectation of better things to come. Fearing encroachments from unknown threats that may lurk in the darkness of tomorrow, I can build protecting and controlling walls. Or, I can put my face into the exhilarating breeze of change and go for it.

The wisdom of the Bible strongly favors one of these approaches over the other. Of the legendary models of faith written about in Hebrews chapter 11, it states: “If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead they were longing for a better country...” They heroically did not strive to conserve the past.

These folks don’t have all the answers. In fact, they are said to operate in the realm of the unseen-hoped-for-but-not-yet-realized. By nature they are risk takers and adventurers. They listen to the inner voice that says, “Yes, you can,” refusing to be governed by fears that say, “No, you can’t.” One approach is vigorous and optimistic. The other is grumpy, negative and overly cautious.

The Bible celebrates those whose outlook makes them generous, not hoarders; welcoming, not excluding. They see enemies as potential friends, rather than evil combatants. They give freely when others withhold. Some choose to live with arms extended outward in open embrace. Others pull their hands into their vest and extend only a cold shoulder. According to the scriptures, the givers gain while the hoarders lose (See Proverbs 11:24-25).

For 2008 I have set before me the goal of being quick to identify the voice born of fear that calls me back into self protective behaviors of a controlling, overly cautious nature. In matters of personal growth and relational health that voice, I have discovered, is almost always a liar. I've been duped by it too many times. Instead, I hope to develop ears for the voice of hope that welcomes tomorrow and believes the best is yet to come and actively participate in making it so.

PEACE

2007-12-17T16:41:00.000-06:00

The dominant expression of Christianity in America today has ventured off road and lost its way in making the birth of Jesus primarily about who gets to go to heaven after dying. It has gone astray emphasizing one’s decision to accept Jesus as defined by various dogmas, creeds and religious observances. When the story of the nativity and the kingdom message of Jesus were taken out of their real world context and made to mostly apply to asking him for salvation in the hereafter, we took a wrong turn.

“Good news of great joy for all the people,” was the angelic explanation of Christ’s birth to shepherds in Bethlehem. God is with the militarily oppressed, economically disadvantaged and spiritually downtrodden was the central message of Christ’s birth. The good news Jesus told his followers to take everywhere after he went to the cross is that God will not be dealing with us as our sins deserve. His favor rests upon everyone. He has reconciled us to himself, not counting our sins against us; as Paul explained to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 5). Now, with God’s help, as we believe this good news, we are able to step into the easy yoke of loving our neighbor as ourselves, doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with God; thereby establishing his kingdom. “As I have loved you,” said Jesus, “so love one another.” It’s not all that complicated.

Jesus’ manifesto of the kingdom of God known to us as the Sermon on the Mount focused in its entirety on how we are to treat one another in this life. The prayer he taught his followers to pray featured the request for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Living the Jesus way will not be found in wealth and power seeking nor in judgmental, man made religion; but in humbly serving others, forgiving our enemies, caring for the poor and, very importantly, in being a peace maker. When Jesus spoke of some who would miss out on the kingdom, he wasn’t referring to those who would get sent to hell when they die, but rather, to those whose pride and greed keeps them on the outside of kingdom living—muddling through an existence that diminishes and destroys one in intolerance, anger, hatred, striking back, bitterness, strife, lust, excess, and always fearing a stinging, meaningless death.

By allowing the Romans to crucify him when he could have employed divine power to protect himself, Jesus modeled how to deal with enemies. If we live by the sword, the sword will be used against us continuously. But, if we live with love and forgiveness in our hearts and choose not to take vengeance, they may still use a sword against us, but good always rises again to ultimately overcome evil. The Roman Empire is no longer; but there are 2.5 billion followers of Jesus on the planet today.

My prayer is that, in a world suffering under crushing burdens of war and injustice, all citizens of God’s kingdom will rediscover the ways of peace and get on with making it. And may we not allow our religion to get in the way in the process.

SLICK MITT

2007-12-11T14:55:00.000-06:00

As speeches go, it was a good one. Mitt Romney covered all the bases, the Founding Fathers, John F. Kennedy, patriotism, religious freedom, mom and apple pie. We are all now assured that there won’t be a hotline between the White House and Salt Lake City if he is elected as our next president. Specifically, he attempted to convince us that, as president, he will be guided by what is best for the American people as a whole and not the particulars of his personal faith.

Holy council of apostles, Batman! Did he really say that? Does he really want us to believe that as a 3rd generation Mormon, raised in one of the most prominent Mormon families, and a long time Mormon leader himself, he doesn’t subscribe to his convictions sufficiently to make them the guiding principle in the critically important decisions of the presidency? What kind of a faith is that?

My issue with Romney isn’t his Mormonism. As a Mormon he isn’t likely to make any worse decisions than, say, a Methodist. His Mormonism hasn’t seemed to hurt him as a businessman or Massachusetts governor. He’s been generally successful in those arenas. And, we sure can’t fault a guy aspiring to be a god someday for wanting to stop by the presidency along the way.

I just don’t believe him when he says he won’t be governed by his personal faith when it comes to the presidency. Hopefully, we all are guided by the convictions of our personal belief system. If elected, I wouldn’t fault him for bringing his Mormon worldview to the table. He should be free to quote the Book of Mormon just like Lincoln or Clinton quoted the Bible. He should be respected for soliciting advice from trusted advisors in his faith community, as have most presidents. These are things we would expect of anyone with a heartfelt faith. But Romney is trying to convince us that he will erect a wall of separation between himself and his Mormonism when he is the president. That strikes me as a very disingenuous, politically motivated thing to say.

Of all the candidates seeking their party’s nomination for the presidency today, Mitt Romney seems to be the most flagrant in telling the voters what they want to hear. In this case, he’s trying to calm the fears of evangelicals and Religious Right types who are skittish about Mormonism, just like he has tried to do with his abortion rights flip-flop. He’s an ear-tickler if there ever was one. Remember, slick Willy? Well, from where I sit, this guy is slick Mitt. I’m not buying it.

RIGHT NOW

2007-11-28T14:57:00.000-06:00

Someone once said to me, “If I’d known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” I chuckled in agreement. Later I remembered that during one of those seasons when I did take better care of myself and even trained for a marathon, the week before the race I got a stress fracture in my foot and my wife had emergency surgery. I did not get to run that marathon.

Much of my life has been spent overlooking the right now. For too many years I kept my focus upon an imagined future. I say “imagined future” because the future does not exist outside of the imagination. Absolutely nothing I do today guarantees that tomorrow will come or turn out a certain way. The future is not a thing that stands in line waiting for its turn like when we wait for our number to be drawn at the driver’s license renewal station. It is entirely a figment of our imagination—a phantom. There is only now—this fleeting moment, a beat of the heart and a drawn breath. Where I am, who I’m with and what I’m doing right now is all that is certain, though fleeting.

While there may be some steps I can take today that may bring positive results tomorrow, there are no certainties. I could, for example, eat better and exercise today in the hope of being healthier tomorrow; but that doesn’t guarantee that I won’t slip in the shower and break my neck today. That’s why right now is so all important.

Persons afflicted with Alzheimer’s sometimes revert to reliving the past while being disconnected from the present. It is painful to watch and sorrowful to loved ones who are no longer recognized. However, because they understand that the person is ill and can’t help it, family and friends valiantly and loyally continue to love and care.

One who lives in the future and, in effect, is disconnected from the present is also difficult to deal with. Lacking the excuse of a medical condition, this person has chosen to devalue the immediate affections and presence of loved ones and friends by living in his or her future fantasy. The smiles, nods, tears, gestures, sounds and experiences of today's moments are overlooked in the rush to the future. Both the Alzheimer’s patient and the future chaser are denied the full benefit of right now; as are those forced to deal with him or her. Patience and sympathy from loved ones can wear thin.

This is why Jesus cautioned us to “take no thought for tomorrow... because tomorrow will take care of itself” (Matthew 6:25-34). Instead, he said we should focus upon living in God’s domain right now. God’s domain is loving relationships. Folks who don’t take this to heart wake up one day to discover their kids have grown up, graduated and moved away and now they’re left wondering where all those years went. What happened to those times that should have been given to laughter, hugs and memory making? They were lost to the priority of chasing the mirage of the future.

Will you join me in pulling out of someday and zeroing in on right now? We can do it if we’ll focus upon loving those around us, cherish the sound of their voice, listen to their thoughts and feelings and savor this present moment before it evaporates into yesterday.

BEACHES & THANKSGIVING

2007-11-20T10:56:00.000-06:00

Gratitude is like my first trip to an ocean beach. What a different world it was from the corn fields, prairies and timberlands of Iowa where I grew up. Standing in awe of the rolling surf as the warm sand squeezed between my toes, I was speechless. The salt air was invigorating. Everywhere there were seashells of many sizes and colors and other flotsam and driftwood shapes to examine. Gulls glided and squawked close by making me think I could catch them in my bare hands, but never did. It was a world of discovery and fascination to a young boy experiencing it for the first time.

Each time I travel from my everyday existence to the shores of gratitude I find myself similarly overtaken. So many things to look at and discover, so much to ponder and learn, and such big new horizons to take in; it is breathtaking.

Today I am grateful for adversity because it makes me flex muscles of faith and hope. I am grateful for mystery because it makes me seek truth. I am grateful for transition because it keeps me fresh. I am grateful for every reminder I am not in control because it forces me to press into God.

I am grateful for true friends and loved ones who won’t let me pretend I’m not who I am. I am grateful for survival from my past which allows me to have the gift of today. I am grateful for every material blessing I enjoy along with the knowledge it all could vanish in the next storm.

I am grateful for love and grace given through Jesus Christ. Today, I join the anthem of the ages that shouts in the face of all that is troubling, strange and difficult, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!”

Oh, and I’m thankful for the corn fields, prairies and timberlands of Iowa and the beautiful wildlife I’ve enjoyed while sitting silently in a deer stand this Fall. God has joined me there.

CHARITY OR JUSTICE

2007-11-09T10:12:00.000-06:00

At the OFF THE MAP (http://www.offthemap.com/live/) conference I recently attended, Richard Twiss, a Lakota Sioux writer, speaker and Christian leader, told a poignant parable that underscores the challenges of justice and reconcilliation.

Suppose I stole your luxury SUV and several years later came to you feeling guilty about it and said, "I'm really sorry I did that and I want to ask your forgiveness." You might say in return, "OK, I forgive you. I see you feel bad about it and want us to be friends. Can I have my vehicle back?" If I then say to you, "Return the vehicle! I can't do that! I put a bunch of miles on it then traded it for a new one. I don't have it anymore. I want you to forgive me, but I can't return the vehicle because the only one I have is my own and I need it."

I'm sure you would agree that I'd be guilty of a grave injustice. If you were gracious enough, we might still be able to reconcile. That is, if you were able to forget the loss and move on we could have a friendship. But it would be built upon unmerited favor granted to me by you and not upon justice. Justice would require me to make some kind of reparation for your loss. If we wanted to restore justice to the relationship, I would owe you a bunch--more than the actual value of the SUV I stole considering all it put it you through as a result of my theft.

Many of the ills that we face globally can be traced back to periods of colonialism and conquest that have left entire people groups disenfranchised, ripped off and powerless. Poverty and AIDS in Africa, Islamic extremism, racial inequality in the U.S.A., immigration controversies and more are fruits of an earlier injustice done by a dominating power. And while it is true in most of these cases that none of us today are in a position to return the original "stolen SUV" since it is long gone, we should want to address in meaningful ways the injustices that still haunt the cultures and psyches of the oppressed. Apologizing isn't enough. Good will isn't enough. Charity isn't enough. Me saying to you, "Get over it, that was then this is now," is a cop out and an insult.

Going back to our parable. If I decide that to try and make you and myself feel better, I'm going to send you a nice Christmas gift every year, that would be charity. It's a nice thing to do but it really doesn't fix the greater injustice. That requires a much more proactive and sacrificial effort over a long period of time.

Many of us have already begun to receive the annual holiday appeals for charity contributions from all the organizations we may have supported in the past. We give to several of them as I'm sure you do. This year, however, when I sit down to write my checks, I'm asking myself if there is more I can do toward the cause of justice? Is my giving motivated by a need to salve my conscience, or to make sure I'm doing my part to make sure there is liberty and justice for all? Charity is a good thing as far as it goes. But, it doesn't excuse us from getting informed and doing the hard work necessary to restore justice wherever we find lingering, unresolved injustice.

A good place to start in learning how Jesus intended for us to address injustice and find ways we can get involved is to read Brian McLaren's Everything Must Change, Thomas Nelson, 2007. This may be one of the most important books you will ever read.

Gossip and Big Stories

2007-10-16T15:04:00.000-05:00

Michael Kahn, Reuters, has released an article about a recent study that shows people are more likely to believe gossip even when facts to the contrary are present. According to Kahn, "Gossip is more powerful than truth, a study showed on Monday, suggesting people believe what they hear through the grapevine even if they have evidence to the contrary. Researchers, testing students using a computer game, also found gossip played an important role when people make decisions, said Ralf Sommerfeld, an evolutionary biologist at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, who led the study. 'We show that gossip has a strong influence... even when participants have access to the original information as well as gossip about the same information,' the researchers wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

This will not surprise anyone who has ever been the victim of a false rumor that has gotten a foothold in a social network. Once unleashed it is almost impossible to quash it. Tabloids thrive on this human character flaw. We love gossip, and misinformation being passed on by someone we know and trust as truth is almost instantly absolute.

For me, this raises some interesting questions about the big stories (metanarratives)we have grown up with. Baby Boomers who grew up with the TV Westerns of the 1950's, for example, just knew that the cowboys and cavalry were the good guys and the Indians were the bad guys. Many still have a hard time believing such may have not always been the case even though the facts actually point to the United States' westward expansion as one of insensitive colonialism that plundered boundaries and villages of the First Nations People sometimes with genocidal intent. There are many similar examples of mainstream thinking that are based more on gossip than actual fact. Anyone who still believes Republicans are the more fiscally conservative party is totally ignoring the facts. Or, that the Democrats are less thirsty for oil money. Pure gossip on both counts.

As a theologian of sorts, it also raises questions about orthodoxy. Given the fact that "orthodoxy" has gone through numerous revisions and evolutionary turns over the course of history in all religions, including Christianity, we have to wonder how much of it was founded upon relationally networked misinformation--gossip. So-and-so said to so-and-so who passed it along to so-and-so and before long it became mainstream "correct" thinking on the matter in public opinion. The more convincing and charismatic a purveyor of information can be, the more likely the rest of us will readily buy into whatever they are offering--facts or no facts. Before long it becomes a big story we all assume is correct.

Dan Simmons, penned these words: "I been thinkin' outside the box, out beyond the orthodox..." (Its a stanza from a song he wrote which you can listen to online at http://www.soundclick.com/pro/view/02/default.cfm?andID=661040&content=song&songID=5329199. It would be good for all of us to do that. Orthodoxy is a fickle business and I'm not as impressed with it as I once was. Just because we no longer believe in Santa or the Tooth Fairy, doesn't mean we've exhausted our list of misinformed beliefs. I think we all have a good bit of gossip to sort through and set aside in favor of more accurate information.

Jesus, Celebrity Endorser

2007-10-09T11:19:00.000-05:00

According to a web posting by Deidre Woollard, a winery in Israel has enlisted Jesus as a spokesman. His picture is on the label. “The Grapes of Galilee is a new Israeli wine label aimed at American Christians. The grapes are grown in the region where Jesus Christ is said to have lived, and they are irrigated with water from the Jordan River, where he was baptized.” What a great idea! After all, Jesus’ reputation as a winemaker is next to none. Reports are that his wine exceeds in quality most standard offerings.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Jesus has been enlisted as celebrity endorser. In Jesus’ name, Crusaders invaded the Middle East and sacked Moslem villages, often with genocidal intent. In Jesus’ name King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella tortured and ethnically cleansed Spain’s Jews, Protestants, Moslems and anyone else they felt didn’t toe the mark. Christian Reformers Zwingli and John Calvin both had people executed on behalf of Jesus. Calvin liked to have them burned at the stake with green wood so the slow burning fire would torture them longer. Jesus’ endorsement was claimed by both sides in the American Civil War. Jesus endorsed the construction of the now defunct City of Faith with 60 foot praying hands out front by telling Oral Roberts he would die if he didn’t raise 12 million dollars. And throughout history Jesus has been put forward as the spokesperson for every new denomination and sect. Jesus even endorsed George Bush, some have claimed.

There is, however, a big difference between his Grapes of Galilee endorsement and these others I’ve just mentioned. Grapes of Galilee is a wine. The beverage of choice in these other matters was Kool Aid.

MAHMOUD, LET'S DO LUNCH.

2007-09-25T10:24:00.000-05:00

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, does not strike me as the kind of guy I’d enjoy sharing a cart with in a round of golf. In fact, to be perfectly honest, the guy gives me the creeps. If even half the stuff that is reported about him is true, extreme caution is in order when dealing with him.

Still, I think it is a very good thing that he was invited to speak by Columbia University. What happened yesterday at their controversial speakers’ forum is the kind of thing that just might keep us from resorting to bombs and guns in our international dealings. As long as we can keep engaged in dialogue there is hope that maybe the day will come that Iran and the world community will agree that whatever our differences, as profound and complicated as they are, they aren’t worth going to war over. Because, once we go to war, everybody loses. Ongoing conversation, on the other hand, furthers the chances that each party will discover elements of common humanity upon which they can lay foundations for more peaceful resolutions.

Isolating and stigmatizing usually ends up stiffening resolve and defiance. Despots and tyrants when backed into a corner tend to resort to desperation to preserve their power. That’s when the neighborhood gets really dangerous.

I’m a firm believer in the concept that in the free exchange of ideas truth will ultimately prevail. Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of liberty. It is one of those values brave individuals have fought to preserve on the battlefield. What sense does it make to defend it and then deny it to a person we hope to win over to our way of thinking? So let’s keep talking. Sure, we will have to work hard to get past the revulsion we feel toward a guy that denies the Holocaust and has called for the destruction of Israel, but while we are listening there is a much greater likelihood that we will also be listened to.

Jesus said, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. It’s pretty hard to share a meal with anyone without having some conversation. Therein is the key to overcoming evil with good. It is the opposite of scorning, intimidating and threatening.

So, Mahmoud, let’s do lunch.

Hypocrits and Cheaters

2007-09-10T14:43:00.000-05:00

A judge in Polk County, Iowa recently ruled the Iowa law banning same sex marriages was unconstitutional. This started a race to the courthouse between same sex couples hoping to get “legally” married and those hoping to see this appalling example of judicial activism overturned. The gay couples ran to the courthouse to get marriage licenses. Those opposed rushed to get a stay allowing them time to get the judge’s ruling overturned on appeal. One gay couple from Ames, Iowa won the race and had a wedding ceremony in a local pastor’s front yard only minutes before a stay was issued. Technically, they are now legally married in the State of Iowa, although there remains some doubt as to whether they will remain so.

Being a happily married heterosexual who plans to continue as such no matter what the courts say, there is a part of me that thinks this has nothing to do with me. That it happened in my home town and was front and center in all the local news coverage makes it more difficult to ignore than if it had happened in Mars or Massachusetts, however.

Clearly there are clashing worldviews and each is hoping to prevail in the courts. The state legislature will probably get involved before it is over and our judiciary will be embroiled in this matter for years to come. In the meantime what are the rest of us to do?

Some, including local talk radio personalities, have gone into hysteria and hostility as they presume to speak for God and the Founding Fathers. Their angst-ridden decrying of societal norms shifting away from their values is causing very polarizing and excluding fallout with which many of us would prefer not to be associated. The activists on the other side are equally smug and offensive as they go about trying to stamp out dissent and run rough shod over the constitution by bypassing the will of “we the people” established by the legislative process.

Since divorce rates among religious defenders of traditional marriage are essentially the same as in the society at large, I don’t think they can speak with much authority in the defense of marriage. Marriage isn’t doing all that well among them; neither is traditional morality it would appear by the evidence of scandal after scandal that hit the headlines. Little wonder that the terms religious and hypocrites are almost synonymous to many.

But, the proponents of gay marriage who are intentionally manipulating the system for their selfish agenda are bad role models, too. Cheaters do not prosper in the end. They lose. Cheating eventually backfires. This end game around established law and societal norms is very unsavory to many and invites a negative reaction.

Americans have a way of eventually getting around to reacting to abuses of power and unfairness. Stand by as “we the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union” work our way out of this dilemma. Hopefully, we won’t lose our decency and civility more than we already have in the process. I hope neither hypocrites nor cheaters get the last word.

WHY IS THIS NEWS?

2007-08-27T17:25:00.000-05:00

There was a gasp of shocked consternation that momentarily lowered the oxygen level among the faithful last week. It hit the news wires that Mother Teresa, who worked among the poorest of the poor in Calcutta for more than 40 years, and who is on the fast track to sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church, spent much of her adult life doubting the existence of God. Letters she had written to confidants and confessors reveal that she felt utterly abandoned by God most of the time and had at one point given up praying. This insight into her private inner life stands in sharp contrast to her tireless, humble, public life which set the modern standard for Christian compassion and mercy ministry, and for which she received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

Others will write about the deeper insights we may glean from the posthumously published letters of “The Saint of the Gutters.” What I want to discuss is why is this news? Why, as if it is unthinkable, would anyone be surprised by anyone, saint or Joe Six-pack, having spiritual doubts?

The reason why is because we have developed and refined a religious way of thinking and living that denies and pretends we don’t have such doubts. Confident, certain types are our role models. We emulate people who appear to know what they believe and why they are right. Nobody wants a pastor or teacher who says he or she isn’t sure about what we’re doing. Doubters and skeptics aren’t welcome in the inner circles of the convinced. We delude ourselves into thinking the “real greats of the faith” don’t have dark moments of the soul like the rest of us. Mother Teresa fell prey to this mindset and had asked that the letters she had written be destroyed before the public could find out about her struggle. Thank God they weren't.

In his introduction to my book Quit “Going” to Church...And Other Musings of a Formerly Institutional Man, Xulon Press, 2007, Dr. John Dilley quotes M. Scott Peck:“...virtually all of the evil in this world is committed by people who are absolutely certain they know what they are doing.” In other words, only scandal and strife follows in the wake of ideologues. When will we ever learn that having doubts about God is as normal as breathing? There is no shame in it. It is a sign of sanity and an essential process of a healthy faith journey. It is one of the components that form the humility Jesus said would characterize citizens of his kingdom. Even Jesus had moments of doubt (Matthew 26:36-44)... and he didn’t hide it.

If Mother Teresa had “gone public” with her doubts as she carried on with her incredible service to humanity, how many shame-ridden secretly doubting souls could she have encouraged in the journey? Hopefully, more of us will rise up and say enough! to these religious practices that breed denial and doubt–hiding false facades and pressure us into pretending to be on top in public while keeping our struggles and doubts private. I want to be around people who are honest about their struggles and won’t all the time project only serenity and certainty.

The Sky is Firmly in Place

2007-08-20T11:51:00.000-05:00

Researchers from a wide variety of secular and religiously affiliated organizations are agreeing that church attendance among young adults is in sharp decline. The studies show that 70-80% of young adults are leaving their churches before the age of 22. Only 35% of them later return. This trend is cited by some as evidence America has become a “post-Christian nation” following in the footsteps of Western Europe.

Religious traditionalists who have the annoying habit of seeing themselves as the official standard of measurement for all things validly spiritual and true are very troubled by this trend. With “the sky is falling” alarmism a burgeoning industry of seminars, conferences, and publishing has been created to teach pastors and youth workers how to stop this mass exodus. Most of the popular strategies and tactics fall into the category of entertain and hold. If the youth leader is hip enough, the music rock enough, the ambiance trendy enough and the events fun enough maybe a few will stick around and change their minds about dropping out of church. The reasoning behind these efforts is that, since they are the only true light bearers, they must react to this trend with extraordinary effort to keep the young people in their churches. If they can’t keep them coming to their programs, America is doomed. In my opinion this is nothing less than religious narcissism. It is wrong headed on several levels.

First, it is absolutely a false assumption that young adults leaving the church are disconnecting from God. Researchers are also finding that there is a rise in belief in God and interest in things spiritual among the youth of America. Young people today are more likely to pray and give themselves to acts of compassion than the youth of a generation ago. Many of them are finding it necessary to escape stifling, program based religion in order to spread their wings spiritually.

Second, it is the height of arrogance for any of us to conclude that our way of doing things is God’s preferred way of doing things. If history teaches us anything it declares loudly that God changes tactics from time to time. Forms and traditions that may have been fresh, life-giving and in step with what God was doing to interact with humanity at one time often have long since been added to the pile of obsolete and no longer useful “wineskins” today. Efforts to hold onto people and keep them engaged in things God has moved on from can become counter productive and even idolatrous.

Third and most important in this discussion is the shortsighted and negative view of God the alarmists project. Their inflated view of their own importance reveals a genuine lack of confidence in God. It assumes that God’s hands are tied to their “success” . If they aren’t carrying the day, neither is God it is assumed. That is an absurd and insulting to God proposition. God, who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:11), is not bound or limited by our customs and comfort zones of religious practice.

From where I sit it looks to me like God is enjoying unprecedented success in engaging the hearts and minds of the emerging generation. How God is doing it may not look “churchy” but these are great days for what is most important to the Almighty.

My Wedding Ring

2007-08-06T10:19:00.000-05:00

Saturday, August 4, my wife, Sally, and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary. For me, it will stand out as one of the best days I have ever had. No credit to me though, Sally is the one that made it so special.

A couple of weeks ago she made the odd request that I leave the anniversary planning to her. She communicated a strong resolve to be in charge of the proceedings. We'd had 34 years of experience with my anniversary planning. A change was long overdue. Let's just say that obligatory sentimentality isn't one of my strengths. I readily agreed to give her the day. And let me tell you, she hit the ball out of the park. I'll spare you the details of our trip to the Farmer's Market in the morning, the movie Hairspray in the afternoon, the romantic dinner, and the live jazz at a quaint East Village establishment to cap off the day. They were only infrastructure for the hand holding, laughter, cuddling, conversation, and her gift.

After dinner she reached into her purse and pulled out a ring box. In it was a sparkling re-creation of the wedding ring I first saw when she placed it on my finger 35 years ago in our wedding ceremony. I say "re-creation" because I had not worn the original one since they cut it off my finger in the emergency room after a fall from a ladder left me with a shattered wrist a year ago. I had worn the original ring full time for 34 years during which it had accompanied my hand while landscaping, doing factory work, working on home improvement projects, painting and the like. It showed much wear and tear. The distorted, paint encrusted ring they removed from my finger that day had gone through many hardships, as has our marriage.

I couldn't believe it when she told me that this ring so shiny and new was, in fact, my original ring. She had paid a jeweler to restore it. The old dings, cracks and stains are all gone. It looks brand new. She gave me the ring and read me a poem she had written to "My Love," as she repeatedly referred to me in the poem.

As I put the ring on, I couldn't help but think that just as the special skills of a jeweler can restore a ring, so can a life worn marraige get refurbished with some intentional planning to be together, fun and celebration of each other, and time given to reflective conversation. I went to sleep Saturday night, my hand touching hers, thinking our marriage seems shiny and new today, too. It was a very happy anniversary.

THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY...

2007-07-23T13:06:00.000-05:00

There is a maxim of war being tossed around in conversations and strategy sessions these days: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” It seems that mercenary elements that absolutely hate America and have brutally resisted our presence in Iraq have now begun collaborating with us against al Qaeda. The United States is relying upon the Middle Eastern custom of baksheesh (bribery) to buy favors from these folks who would kill us in a heart beat if given half a chance.

Does anybody remember the events that made the late Saddam Hussein the powerful player he became on the world stage? Back in the days of the Islamic revolution in Iran that brought down the Shah, when American hostages were held for 444 days, and the late Ayatollah Khomeini was ushered to power, the United States armed and invested in Saddam Hussein led Iraq to resist the Iranians in the region. Hussein parlayed this military and monetary largesse into making Iraq a major force. He decided our support earned him a pass so he cruelly gassed the Kurds and the Iranians in defiance of global prohibitions against chemical warfare. He also built a nuclear reactor which would have led to the development of atomic weapons had the Israelis not destroyed it in a brazen air strike. He did it and got away with it because our mindset at the time was the enemy of our enemy is our friend. And had he not tried to expand his power in the region by invading Kuwait in 1991, he may never have been held accountable for his atrocities.

History now clearly shows that the United States was complicit in creating the monster we later felt we had to topple in Iraq. Now, here we go again. We are playing the same game with militias and tribal gangs who are showing a willingness to fight against al Qaeda in exchange for money, arms, and political power. Politicians are trying to tell us that this is a positive development and evidence of the success of our war effort. I say it is sheer madness that only expands the conflict, empowers new monsters we will have to deal with later, and further underscores the evil and futility of this war.

By brute military force, and at great cost of life and limb, we may be able to clamp down on the region hard enough to restrain violence for a time. But, if we foster rivalry and hatred between people because it serves our national interest, we are choosing a despicable course that will only hurt us in the long run. Instead of the selfish and shortsighted policy that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, we should be looking for ways to make friends of everyone in that part of the world and overcome evil with good.

Viva! Papa Nazi

2007-07-12T07:39:00.000-05:00

The headline of the July 11 Des Moines Register was the 85% "NO" vote by the citizens to the proposal to increase the local sales tax. Tucked back on page 9A was an Asociated Press article with the caption "Pope: Catholic Church is the only true church." That should have been the headline because the implications have far more reaching consequences than whether we pay another penny tax on our purchases.

Pope Benedict XVI, according to Nicole Winfield of the AP, not only believes the Roman Catholic church is the only true church, he also asserts that Catholicism "provides the only true path to salvation." Hello! In other words, of the 2.5 billion people who claim to be Christian on the planet today, only the Catholics are really Christians. The rest of us are substandard, unredeemed, misguided, defrauded, unqualified imposters. According to this pope, sometimes called "Papa Nazi" by his detractors who point out his affiliation with Hitler's Nazi youth organization in earlier years, other Christian communities "cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense." That means if we are Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, Baptist, Assemby of God, etc. we are not Christians, our church isn't either. Only by converting to Catholicism, attending Mass, observing the Catholic sacraments administered by an official priest can one hope to be saved. Yikes!

I cannot overstate the sinister implications of this declaration at this time in world history. Nor can I think of anything that could be more contrary to the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. My first impulse is to fight this evil with angry protest and hostility. But, then I remember what the scriptures say; "overcome evil with good." So... I pray God's blessing on Pope Benedict XVI, my brother in Christ, and all of his followers, who, like me, are trying to find their way in a spiritually diverse and complicated world. May the day come when we realize that it is only by having love one for another that we can make any claim to be true followers of Jesus Christ.

Thoughtful Voters, America Needs You

2007-07-02T13:52:00.000-05:00

If the polls are to be believed, the upcoming presidential election season offers one of the greatest opportunities for change on the political landscape in my memory. President Bush’s approval rating is bouncing around historic lows for a sitting president and the approval rating for congress is even lower. The American public is really disgusted with the whole bunch.

Besides the very unpopular war we are engaged in, people are fed up with the fact that these politicians are incapable of breaking through partisan bickering and actually running the country. The tit-for-tat, he said-she said noise pollution cloud that hangs over Washington is choking out healthy dialogue and meaningful progress. It is a toxic atmosphere. It reminds me of the time that the coach benched the entire first team and sent the second and third string players into the game because the starters weren’t playing up to our potential. Voters are ready to bench the under achievers and send in new players with different attitudes and skill sets.

What I am hoping for is that enough of us will break away from blind party loyalties on both sides of the aisle to find out who among the candidates offers the clearest vision for the future and can break through the current impasse. That will mean refusing to let the media, the spin controllers, agenda peddlers, and radical fringes do our thinking for us. It will mean reading between the lines, studying policy and voting records and taking note of what the candidates really stand for. It will mean forgetting about Paris Hilton and Rosie O’Donnell and their ilk while we focus on more important things. It will mean thinking beyond local politics and reasoning through foreign policy implications. It will mean looking out for not only our own interests, but also the interests of others. It will mean offering with our vote the opportunity to govern this great nation only to those who are genuinely motivated by public service not greed and lust for power, and who refuse to pander to special interest groups. It will mean saying a resounding NO to the politics that settles for the lowest common denominator and avoids solving the big issues of our time. Remember, we voted in those who are failing us and we can find replacements to put in their place.

GOD, HELP US, PLEASE!?

2007-06-21T12:51:00.000-05:00

Before I could introduce myself and get his name, he picked up my book, frowningly turned a few pages, gave a brief glimpse to the back cover, and then asked in stern tones, “Are you a part of ... (mentioning a contemporary Christian movement)? I’ve heard about them,” he sniffed. He then proceeded to inform me what his denominational persuasion was and that he thought “we should go by the Bible.” He even proudly volunteered that he was currently at odds with his pastor because he wasn’t teaching the Bible “correctly.” “My name is Steve,” I interrupted offering a handshake.

I was sitting at a table as the invited guest author for a book signing at a local Christian bookstore. Talking to me was optional. I was only there to sign my book for anyone interested enough to buy it. Many people bypassed my table and went politely about their business just as I have numerous times in bookstores. This gentleman walked in, saw me sitting there, noticed the title of my book (Quit “Going” to Church...And Other Musings of a Former Institutional Man http://xulonpress.com/book_detail.php?id=4001), made a snap judgment that my writings were unbiblical and threatening to his “true” Christianity, and felt like he needed to get in my face. He didn’t know me, didn’t want to know me, and didn’t think he needed to take the time to consider what I have to say before judging me to be his adversary. After spewing his excluding bile, he walked away in smug confidence that he had held to his righteous standards and had clearly established the demarcation between him and me. I sat there sadly thinking I know how he feels because that is how I used to think.

Many of us were trained and groomed in a tradition that made being convinced of the correctness of our point of view the all important thing. We were taught how to win arguments in defense of our beliefs. Opposing views were to be vigorously resisted. Many of the Bible classes and sermon series we were subjected to (and that I used to teach) focused on the evils of groups, denominations, or movements that offered an alternative perspective. Our mission was to hold the line against anything and everyone that seems different. To carry this out effectively it was necessary to share membership only with those who agree with us. We got together to reinforce what we believed and to remind ourselves how evil the rest of the world is. We were defined by what we were against and how different we were from everybody else.

I no longer look at others this way. I am so very sorry I ever did. Yes, there are points of view that I cannot agree with. But I strive to not allow points of disagreement to become obstacles to what can hopefully become a generative relationship. While seeking to find points of commonality, empathy, and understanding, one often finds reasons to actually like and listen to others. That is life giving in the sense that it fosters bonds of affection and stimulates personal growth. This is what Jesus modeled when he intentionally socialized with marginalized people such as drunkards, prostitutes and “sinners” (Luke 15). I don’t mind that the man didn’t buy my book. I’m just disappointed he walked away before discovering how much I love God and the Bible, too.

MY DAD

2007-06-13T14:58:00.000-05:00

If we don’t season our cultural analysis and introspection with some gratitude from time to time, we tend to get a little on the grumpy side. I know I do. With Father’s Day approaching, I’ve been thinking about my dad. What a guy he is!

Dad came from the humblest of beginnings. As a child he was exposed to poverty, hunger, abuse, alcoholism and more. Positive role models were scarce. Street fighting was a way of life in those days of bigotry and segregation. He was what we call today a gang-banger in the hood. Although schooling was not emphasized, an 8th grade education was all his parents had, Dad had street smarts and the precocious insight to understand that if he were ever to amount to anything he had to get out of that way of life. He enrolled in the army just after WWII. There he was selected to serve in an elite Special Forces unit.

After his honorable discharge, he briefly returned to the party lifestyle until a spiritual encounter set him on a forever changed course. This once poor street kid married the church pianist, enrolled in a Bible college, completed theological training, became a very successful pastor for 16 years, before going on to serve as a denominational leader and administrator. All this, while raising 4 exuberant kids. He has spoken to audiences all over the United States in a style that is next to none. He is a consummate story teller. He has also served on boards and committees that have involved him internationally with high government officials.

He retired briefly before accepting the call to full time chaplaincy at a large retirement complex. Although he hits 78 next month, he preaches several times a week, makes hospital calls, conducts funerals, counsels, attends strategy meetings AND is writing what I think will be a great book. We recently moved 4 doors down from him and mom in the same townhome complex. He is fully engaged in life and world affairs about which we have frequent stimulating conversations. He is a man of deep thought and prayer. He is my friend, my mentor, my hero, a gentleman through and through, and I’m so glad he is my dad. Happy Father’s Day!

National Bird-flipping

2007-05-24T11:51:00.000-05:00

What goes around comes around. We reap what we sow. A man’s appetite works for him. Opportunity knocks. You don’t spit into the wind. Wake up and smell the coffee.

What the heck am I talking about? Immigration. It seems to be on everyone’s mind these days. Each of these above quoted tidbits of scripture or cliché have something to do with the current immigration debate in congress. This debate showcases one of the clearest examples of political grandstanding and hucksterism I have ever seen. Playing off of our irrational fears and selfishness, the politicians are trying to convince us that they are going to fix the problem (assuming there is a problem to fix). I’ll go on the record by saying they won’t fix the problem because they can’t.

Whatever laws congress enacts to “get tough” on immigration will have the same clout as the treaty the Sioux Indians signed with the United States. The original treaty stipulated that the First Nations people would retain sovereignty over the Black Hills in present day South Dakota. Settlers were forbidden by the law from entering the Indians’ sacred territory. Custer’s cavalry had been dispatched into the region to enforce that law and protect the borders. Then gold was discovered and the law became as worthless as the paper it was signed on. A stampede of opportunity seekers crossed the border, overwhelmed law enforcement, and created a new reality.

The “gold” of opportunity resides inside the borders of the United States. Hungry and hopeful people will not be deterred in their quest to lay hold of it. They are here and they are coming and anyone who imagines that we are going to stop them is ignorant of history and living in extreme denial. It is human nature to resent people who don’t play by the rules and seek to get an unfair advantage. Many are reacting to illegal immigrants with the same attitude they react to lane cutters and rule breakers in traffic. But, just as honking one’s horn and offering a finger salute doesn’t stop line cutters and traffic violators, our immigration laws and attempts to secure our borders will continue to be ineffective.

We value law and order when it protects our interests. When it doesn’t we change the rules. All the high sounding rhetoric about law and order forgets the colonialism, slavery, invasion and conquest that shades our history as a nation. We are reaping what we have sown and the best we could do in reaction to the new wave of opportunity seekers is be hospitable, cultivate the potential benefits of the new reality, and stop this embarrassing, immature national bird-flipping. If we don’t, history could repeat itself and the “hostiles” could end up confined to the reservation—or worse.

SAY YES FOR A CHANGE

2007-05-15T12:01:00.000-05:00

If you grew up in a segregated white neighborhood in Bible-belt America in the 1950’s and 60’s and went to a conservative church with similar situated folks, chances are good that you did not think of Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement as being good for America. In fact, you likely were taught that it was a sinister, communist plot to destroy America. Thank God history has shown how utterly wrong that mindset is.

At the beginning of the 20th Century, women’s suffrage was represented in sermons and editorials as a menacing threat to democracy. Horrible outcomes were predicted if women were given the right to vote. Only a social Neanderthal would think that today. Also, it was in that same time frame when the great split between Bible-belt fundamentalists and the practitioners of the so-called “liberal” social gospel occurred. The fundamentalists retreated into revivalism and rapture hype, and have only recently awakened to the fact that, if they don’t get involved addressing the pressing issues of social injustice and the ills of poverty, they’ll become totally irrelevant in today’s world.

It was once thought that the “Christian” thing to do was to militarily conquer Native Americans, force them to live on reservations, and take their children away from their families (at gunpoint if necessary) to live in boarding schools run by missionaries. If you were a mainstream, God-fearing, white American in the mid to late 1800’s, that’s what you most likely would have supported. We continue to reap the horrible consequences of this evil policy— even as we are with the lingering impact of the slave trade that was promoted often times by religiously devout people.

These, and many other examples I could cite, illustrate the reality that religious folks often find themselves on the wrong side of issues. It seems to be a knee jerk reaction on the part of conservative religionists to do whatever it takes to protect the status quo. Declaring a resounding “no!” to change is the default position of many. I understand that there can be wisdom in putting the brakes on accelerating cultural upheaval in order to allow progress to be implemented in a more mature and considered fashion. But, too many automatically stand in defiance of societal evolution digging in their heels and label anything new as satanic and threatening to their sacred comfort zone. It is the mindset that caused some to plot the execution of Jesus 2000 years ago when he was proposing a new social/spiritual order of God’s governance characterized by compassion, love for neighbors and enemies, and the elimination of excluding beliefs and practices.

Will we ever learn? Join me in accepting the challenge to say yes to something new today.

Tornadoes Suck!

2007-05-08T22:14:00.000-05:00

Tornadoes suck! Yes, I intended to use this unoriginal pun. That’s the way I feel as I look at the total devastation and learn of the dozen or so deaths caused by the F-5 tornado that struck Greensburg, Kansas this past weekend. May God help those whose lives have been forever changed by this act of nature.

It raises some serious questions like, considering all the vast open spaces of western Kansas, why did the tornado zero in on the tiny town of Greensburg? You have to figure that the odds of such a storm colliding with that little town in that wide open, rural area are very small. We’ll never know the answer, of course, but I’ll bet many of the God-fearing residents of the now flattened community are wondering the same thing.

Another question is why wasn’t I in Greensburg? I’m guessing the odds that I’d drive into town that day aren’t that much different than the odds that an F-5 tornado would show up. Or, I might ask, why wasn’t I born in Darfur where genocide and drought are leaving an unimaginable toll of human suffering? How was it decided that I would be born in free and prosperous America and would be completely out of harms way the day of the tornado?

Only God knows the answers to these questions, but I sure want to thank him for my good luck!

Even So, Keep Coming, Jesus

2007-04-26T15:14:00.000-05:00

I recently heard a statement that made me sit straight up in one of those, “Aha! Of Course!” moments. Here it is: JESUS DID NOT COME TO EARTH TO START ANOTHER RELIGION.

Read the recorded words of Jesus in the Gospels of the New Testament and you will not find a single statement about an organizational strategy for starting a new religion.

Ø He did not declare where a headquarters should be. In fact, he told his followers to scatter from where they were and go to the remotest parts of the earth with his message.
Ø He did not establish any leadership certification ceremonies. In fact, he said that those who aspire to greatness among his followers must learn to be the servants of others.
Ø He did not establish any elaborate liturgies. In fact, he cautioned we should do our praying and giving in private (Matthew 6:1-6).
Ø He did not organize any capital funding campaigns for organizational expansion. In fact, he said his followers should simply give to the poor because laying up treasure on earth usually doesn’t turn out too well (Matthew 6:19).
Ø He didn’t acquire property for either himself or his successors. In fact, he predicted the complete destruction of the centerpiece religious edifice of his day.
Ø He did not develop any bylaws, dogmas, or rules of order. In fact, he said the only way anyone would be able to tell who is really following him and who is not is by how we love one another (John 13:35).

He did speak of “build[ing] my church,” but only in the context of affirming that the rock solid declaration that he was “the Christ, the son of the living God,” would eventually result in the demolition of the “gates of hell” (Matthew 16:18). The phrase “building the church” as we use it today is very different in meaning from what Jesus was speaking of when he turned the phrase.

So, if Jesus wasn’t starting a new religion, what was he up to? He was establishing God’s kingdom. The lead off request of his prayer time was “your kingdom come, your will be done “on earth as it is in heaven.” There it is! Jesus envisioned an earth encompassing “kingdom” that has been gaining momentum ever since. It is the influence of God upon our very movements, breathing and existence (Acts 17:24-28). I, like many who read this, have wasted a lot of time and energy trying to get to God through religious endeavor. But, I’m pleased to announce that coming to a neighborhood near us all is the kingdom of God. In fact, there is mounting evidence that it’s here already. Maybe you saw on national TV last evening how people across this country and beyond donated tens of millions of dollars to alleviate poverty globally. That’s real kingdom stuff! Even so, keep coming, Lord Jesus.

IF YOU'RE GOING TO CHANGE, EDITH, HURRY UP AND CHANGE!

2007-04-17T16:06:00.000-05:00

Dan Sullivan, in his insightful booklet, How the Best Get Better (© The Strategic Coach, Inc.), makes the following observation: “All stages of individual growth come from having goals—desiring something new, better and different. At first, goals liberate and motivate us; once achieved, they hobble and hinder us. Working to achieve a set of goals motivates us to develop specific relationships, structures, and personal habits. Once the goals are achieved, these same relationships, structures, and habits—now firmly entrenched—become The Ceiling of Complexity that prevents the next stage of growth. People become the prisoners of their own success, sometimes for the rest of their lives (p.9). He goes on to say that only by establishing new goals are we then forced “to develop new relationships, structures, and habits.”

Assuming that Mr. Sullivan is correct, the question I must answer is, am I more about maintaining what I’ve already accomplished, or am I more about moving forward and upward in personal growth? The more I strive to consolidate gains and fortify already accomplished goals the less likely I will be to adapt sufficiently to produce positive change and greater success.

Change resisters want to hold fast to the norms of earlier success. They do so at great peril. Whenever one stops looking for ways to break away from the “stuff, details, complications, conflicts, and contradictions that come from doing things a certain way for a long time,” one stops growing. . When I stop growing, I start dying. It’s that simple.

I am challenging myself daily to do something new and different than I did yesterday.

BEWARE! ENVIRONMENTAL FUNDAMENTALISTS!

2007-04-10T13:37:00.000-05:00

First, let’s get one thing straight. There is simply no intelligent argument in favor of destroying the environment, depleting precious resources, and leaving behind a mess others have to clean up. Leave it in better shape than you found it is a philosophy everyone can agree to. If the current debate over global warming reminds us all to be better stewards of the earth, well and good.

But I’ll be danged if I’m going to fall prey to another legalistic fundamentalism! I went down that route in my early exposure to fundamentalist Christianity and it’s taken me years to get over it. The fundamentalists are those who have rigid and judgmental attitudes of how a “righteous” person ought to live. The fundamentalist circles I was in evaluated people by whether or not they smoked tobacco, drank alcohol, went to dances, played cards and wore makeup. The “real” committed faithful didn’t frequent bowling alleys or pool parlors, they didn’t wear wedding rings, and the women didn’t wear slacks. The “true believers” regarded folks who did such things with condescension and condemnation.

Now I read in the April 9, 2007 issue of Time that there is a new list of 51 do’s and don’ts for those who want to be environmentally righteous. Among them are # 29 “Remove the tie” and #31“Wear green eye shadow” (p.89). And, not surprisingly, as with all such controlling systems, they have even figured out a way one can “Pay for your carbon sins” (#42, p. 94). Hallelujah! I can be “redeemed” simply by contributing money that “typically funds clean-energy projects”. Translation, contributions will pay the environmental religionists’ salaries.

God help us! The last thing we need is another fundamentalist religion on the planet. Especially one that won’t let me wear a tie when I want to—which is almost never.

THE CULT OF INDIVIDUALISM

2007-04-03T11:57:00.000-05:00

Most of my adult life was lived in the wild west—Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota. These are places where the cowboy mystique is ubiquitous. John Wayne’s ghost lurks about every historical marker—places where Indians lived and cavalry rode. In 1977, I conducted a funeral for a man who had ridden on horseback all the way from Texas to Montana as part of the crew for one of the last cross-country cattle drives of the old era, circa 1906.

Many western folks are rugged individualists. Just give ‘em a home where the buffalo roam, and leave them alone. I confess that I embraced the romance of the west when I lived there. Yes, I wore a cowboy hat! That is, until it went floating down the Yellowstone River after I slipped on a rock while trout fishing. I have “cowboyed up” by participating in round ups and brandings. I owned a horse for a short time. His name was “Keno”. I even threw a few loops as a team roper just for fun.

The problem with all this is that rugged individualism is a dysfunctional way to live. It requires emotional detachment, repressed feelings, anti-social behaviors, pride and selfishness to be carried out successfully. The lonely cowboy romanticized in the paintings is lonely because he has few friends, is estranged from his family, and would rather be with cows than people.

As a way of life the cowboy mystique is fading into history. The modern replacement for it is suburbia. Just give me a home behind a fence with a well manicured lawn where a machine will answer my phone while I hide in front of my TV. This, too, I have learned is a dysfunctional way to live. And just as the old cowboys are a dying breed, so will the disengaged suburbanite fade into history. We live in an ever more crowded global village and we must learn how to be neighborly. We must become more and more our brothers’ keeper. Those of us who might prefer the good old days are going to have to grow up and get involved. Jesus’ words are becoming crystal clear... love God, love people, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick, seek justice for the oppressed, and do good to those who mistreat you. Individualism must yield to community.

CONFORMITY OR CONVERSION

2007-03-26T14:25:00.000-05:00

When Jesus told his followers to go and make disciples, what exactly did he have in mind? As far as I know, Jesus only gave one defining template. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35). Were they loving each other or not? It would be easy to tell. Who is serving others? Who is laying down their life for another? Who is turning the other cheek? Who is feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, visiting orphans and widows, and praying for their enemies? Christ commissioned his disciples to love one another and go help others love one another. This they could do best by sharing wherever they went the good news of God’s reconciling love toward everyone through Jesus Christ and modeling that love in deed and word. Simple.

Tragically, history tells us that, from the earliest days of Christianity, many claiming to be followers of Jesus decided loving one another was an unsatisfactory measurement of who should be considered a fellow disciple. In a very short time, agreeing with “us” became much more important than simply loving us and others. The sorting out questions turned the focus to discovering who thinks like we think and cooperates with our ways of doing things rather than assessing if love was present.

Now, as everybody knows today, “loving one another” is way down on a long list of other “true disciple” identifiers such as saying specific words in a certain way, showing up regularly at church services, resorting to “acceptable” Bible interpretations as ones basis of belief, voting Republican or maybe conservative Democrat, supporting pro-family values causes, listening to Christian radio, and being disdainful of everyone who sins differently than “we” do. Loving one another may be all Jesus looks for in a disciple, but I can assure you it takes a great deal more to be recognized as a member in good standing on most church membership lists today.

Whether we will admit it or not, many churches have long ago abandoned making converts to loveful living and are, instead, devoting their time and money to getting people to conform to rules and habits of doing things religious the way they like them done.

HORNS OF A DILEMMA

2007-03-13T13:00:00.000-05:00

It looks like the Republicans and their buddies, the religious right, have a dilemma. The two candidates currently in the forefront of Republican presidential politics, Rudy Giuliani & Mitt Romney, have some big negatives for religious conservatives. Giuliani is supportive of abortion and gay rights. Romney is a Mormon who at one time was also aggressively pro-abortion rights (although, since he decided to run for president, he claims he’s changed his mind about that). What an ideological conundrum for the morality crowd.

Being pro-life has been a “non-negotiable” litmus test for anyone the religious right has endorsed. And, almost every evangelical who has attended an adult Sunday school class for more than a couple of years has received indoctrination showing Mormonism to be a false cult, dangerous and threatening to anyone holding forth the Bible as the authoritative Word of God. Evangelicals, who make up the largest segment of the religious right, also espouse Biblical authority as a non-negotiable.

The old saying is that “politics makes strange bedfellows.” It will be fascinating to watch which of these two candidates (assuming they continue to be the frontrunners) the religious right will go to bed with. If anyone who has claimed to be pro-life and believes in the authority of the Bible ends up supporting either of these two candidates, they may be rightly criticized as a hypocrite. Their supposed non-negotiables will have been put aside for the sake of winning an election and occupying the seats of power. Never mind what the Bible cautions about those who clamor for earthly power.

I’m all for participating in the political process. But, as soon as one claims to have views that are godlier, more biblical, traditional, or whatever other morally superior label you want to give them, only to later put them on the back burner in order to secure power; they can be sure they are on the road to getting caught in embarrassing hypocrisy. That’s a mistake I hope to avoid making this time around.

POKER AND PACIFISM

2007-02-27T08:55:00.000-06:00

I admit it. I like to watch tournament poker on TV. I'm not sure why since I don't play poker. I gave it up when I lost $20 in a game my freshman year at college. Haven't played since. I guess I fall into the category of gullible couch potatos who are entertained by the colorful personalities, the bluffing and betting strategies, and the huge pots on the line.

One of the things I've noticed is they never show us what losers do after they lose. Do they go to a bar and drown their sorrow? Do they go home and yell at their kids? Do they go find another game where they hope to recover their losses? Do they just shrug and wait for another day? Last night I saw a guy who had come all the way from Japan trying to convince an interviewer how happy he was to have had the privilege of coming to America and losing the $10,000 it cost him to buy into the tournament. Give me a break!

Right now there is a "high stakes poker game" of global proportions happening in the Middle East. In the form of troop build ups, warships moving into the zone, diplomatic intimidation and "everything on the table" (all in) maneuvering, the United States and her allies are hoping to get Iran to "fold" its uranium enrichment and nuclear weapons program. The "table chattter" is confrontational and threatening. The suspense of the moment is intense compounded by the fact that those of us in the viewing audience don't have the benefit of those little table cameras that show us what hands the players have. And as we learned in Iraq, even when we think we know we don't. Either the "cameras malfunction" or the "production editors" lie.

I think we'd all be better off if we gave up poker. If we've got billions of dollars to gamble on high stakes adventures that someone is guaranteed to lose and suffer the consequences, wouldn't it be money better spent if we devoted it to feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and caring for the sick and imprisoned as Jesus said nations were to be doing in Matthew 25? What if our only presence in the Middle East was to do good to our enemies? What if we were serious about blessing those who mistreat us in order to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:14-21)? I think it would be worth a try because we have so much to lose and, as I see it, politically, emotionally and spiritually, we're playing with a "short stack."

CHILDLIKENESS

2007-02-14T08:38:00.000-06:00

One of the things that make little children cute is their innocense. They have an outlook that is unencumbered by "knowledge" that so often takes the lustre off of wonderment. I recall the occasion when I was in 3rd grade that I first learned where babies come from. I, up to that point, had acquired some information about a certain behavior that "naughty" people did that was represented by a certain four letter word, but had no clue that it had anything to do with reproduction. It upset me to no end when a friend said my mom and dad had "done it" or I wouldn't have been born. I laid in bed crying that night as I considered the horrible prospect. Dad was cool in the way he helped me process that information from a biblical perspective and give it a positive, wholesome spin. Still, that passage of discovery and maturity, took away from me some of the magic and mystery about life that I had enjoyed up to the moment (though it did open the door to some enjoyable moments in my future).

I think about such milestones of learning on the journey toward adulthood when I read what Jesus said about children and his kingdom. "Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'" He made a similar point when conversing with Nicodemus as recorded in John 3. Jesus' assertion that being "born again" was the only way Nicodemus could "see the kingdom of God" was another way of saying childlikeness is essential for kingdom participation, as in the Matthew 18 passage above.

It would be equally absurd to think Jesus was requiring Nicodemus to regress to the point of going back into his mother's womb, or that I am required to delete from my understanding essential information like the facts of life before either of us can enter God's kingdom. So what was the point Jesus was making? The key phrase is humbling oneself. Jesus' disciples were keen to know the path to status in the kingdom. Jesus called a child heretofore excluded from their conversation, placed him front and center, and answered that it would be the kind of humility displayed by this child who was being asked to stand in front of a bunch of grown men that leads to greatness in God's kingdom. This child was just a little person rolling along in life not encumbered by philosophizing quests for greatness--blissfully unaware of the political scheming and self-agrandizing shenanigans that many adults get into. Much of this stuff characterizes our religious endeavors, things like striving, posturing and approval seeking.

I think Jesus was trying to get us to understand that kingdom greatness comes more readily to those who are oblivious to such things and are just happily and humbly "playing" in the playground of life.

HAPPILY UNCERTAIN

2007-02-07T10:57:00.000-06:00

How's this for a quote? "There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are unknowns; that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns--the ones we don't know we don't know" (Donald Rumsfeld as quoted by Evan Eisenberg and Jeffrey Fisher in Time, January 29, 2007, p.142). Huh?

It may come as a surprize that some pretty significant Bible characters said essentially the same thing. Isaiah quoted God as saying: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Jesus told his disciples: "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear..." Speaking of events they were anticiapting about his kingdom, he also told them matter of factly, "It is not for you to know the times and dates the Father has set by his own authority." St. Paul echoed Isaiah's words and wrote to the Romans, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" He also reminded the Corinthians that, "For now we see in a mirror dimly... now I know in part..." And, John agreed, stating, "what we will be has not yet been made known."

The trick is keeping humble enough to remember that "we don't know what we don't know." Our tendency, instead, is to take pride in things on which we think we have certainty. Most of us have constructed sheltering systems of thought and belief in which we hide to shield us from "unknown unknowns" and, in effect, deny their existence. These shelters, be they creeds, systematic theologies, political views, or the traditions that have been passed down to us, tend to make us very suspicious of and closed to anything new. My own formal training as a Bible scholar and pastor was designed to prepare me to defend what we "knew" to be true and ready to win the argument against any suggestions to the contrary. All questions had specific "correct" answers. Historically, people have been literally put to death for suggesting that something everybody "knew" to be true was not true--things like the earth isn't flat or the sun doesn't orbit around the earth.

As a friend of mine stated at breakfast this morning, "Faith is the flower that can only grow out of the soil of doubt." In other words, the faith that connects us with the unknowable (God) is not so much about being certain what we know, but, like the little child, being okay for now with with what we don't or can't know. Study, inquiry, searching, evolving opinion and even doubt can be evidence of blossoming faith. Dogmatism, rigidity and opinionatedness, on the other hand, tend to be counterproductive to faith and can be dangerous. It is people with this mindset that fly airplanes into buildings and burn dissenters at the stake.

Given the contrast, I've decided to be happily uncertain.

MAYBE WE SHOULD RETHINK THIS

2007-01-18T14:53:00.000-06:00

I recently returned from Missoula, Montana where I participated in a conference with the oxymoronic title "The Good News About Hell." Glen Moyer, who writes a weekly column in the Missoulian under the heading "The Adventures of Clothman" (http://www.clothman.com/) was the host. I shared in two of the sessions. The stated purpose of the conference was to expand the dialogue about the hell doctrine which assigns to eternal conscious torment all nonbelievers in Christ when they die.

In preparation for this conference, I learned some facinating things:
1. The Old Testament contains no references to the traditional Christian hell. A fact which most modern Bible translations acknowledge.
2. Most of Jesus' teaching about what some older English Bibles translate as "hell" was really about an actual place outside of Jerusalem known as Gehenna in the Greek. It was the city dump where once King Ahaz had led Israel in human sacrifice to the idol Molech and was regarded as a cursed place. There the fire never stopped burning and the maggots (worms) never died.
3. Only one of six schools of theology that rose to prominence in the first centuries after Christ taught any kind of eternal torment in the afterlife. The majority taught the doctrine of the restoration of all things as did the apostles of Jesus as indicated in Acts 3:21 and Colossians 1:19-20.
4. No sermon recorded in Acts (the first sermons of Christianity) mentions or threatens eternal damnation.
5. Neither the Apostles' Creed nor the Nicaean Creed, two of the earliest known formal creeds of Christianity, mention eternal damnation as the destiny of unbelievers.
6. The literal hell of eternal conscious torment did not appear as the "official" doctrine of the church until the 6th Century--500 years after Jesus sent his followers to spread the gospel or good news of his living example, teaching, death on the cross and resurrection.

Given the fact that hellfire and damnation preaching has gone the way of the 8 track in most churches today--because most pastors instinctively sense there is something wrong with the notion that a loving God would doom the majority of the human race to eternal hell--I, and many others, believe it is time we revisit this horrible doctrine and assign it to the trash heap of history with other church dogmas that have been discarded such as justified slavery, inferiority of women, the earth is the center of the universe, and many others.

Dog Park Spirituality

2007-01-06T14:01:00.000-06:00

During the holidays I learned of a couple who own a giant Great Dane dog that they frequently take to a nearby dog park. There the dog is allowed to run freely and frolic with other dogs--different breeds, large and small. Amazingly, most of the time the dogs get along and play nicely, although an occasional skirmish does break out. Owners quickly retrieve their dogs and pull them away from the growling and barking confrontations. Play usually resumes.

What facinates me about all this is the network of friends this couple has developed as they and the other dog owners have stood in the waiting area and visited with each other. People they would have never connected with in their "normal" social network have become genuine friends that they look forward to seeing and even get together with to socialize away from the park from time to time. These folks are as diverse as their dog breeds. Republicans and democrats, Christians and non-Christians, pro-life and pro-choice, advocates of legalizing medical marijuana and those who would oppose it, all convening at predictable times at the dog park. It has become such a community that they have a bulletin board that posts news about regulars. If someone has had their pet die it gets posted on the bulletin board and many who see it send sympathy cards or otherwise make contact. My acquaintences even confessed that it being winter their outings to the park were less frequent and they were "missing" some of the people they have grown to care about.

As far as I know Jesus didn't hang out at a dog park, but there is no question that he frequented market places, fishing docks, scenic overlooks, courtyards and parties. Because of this he was criticized for being too comfortable around drunkards, gluttons and sinners. The Gospels tell us that most people he encountered were "delighted" by his presence. Could it be that it wasn't moralizing sermons they were drawn to, but rather, his listening ear, engaging smile, and his participation in the lives of the people he encountered? I can imagine people going to places where they had encountered him before in the hope he would show up again.

Whether it's a dog park, bowling league, coffee shop, break room at work, back yard bar-b-que, or foyer at church the coolest and most important stuff of life goes on where people build relationship with each other enough to care about each other no matter what their "breed of dog."

WHO ARE THESE GUYS?

2006-12-19T08:50:00.000-06:00

Here they come out of the sand dunes, Magi or wise men from the east. I get a mental picture of, while watching a compelling video drama of the birth of the Savior... Mary, Joseph, angels, swaddling clothes, a manger..., out of nowhere this camel caravan showing up, blocking the view as it briefly crosses the screen. They just show up, drop off their gifts, worship the Christ child, and ride off the screen into obscurity (See Matthew 2:1-9). Who are these guys?

The scriptures tell us almost nothing about them. Tradition speculates they were Persian astrologers and possibly even Zoroastrians. Zoroastrians! By every Judeo-Christian biblical standard Zoroastrianism-- a weird concoction of biblically forbidden astrology, pagan mysticism, and reincarnation-- was a false religion. So what's going on here? How is it that these guys were spiritually in tune enough to recognize in the stars the birth of the "king of the Jews" (Messiah), while the custodians of the Bible seemed to be oblivious to this momentous occasion? Why do our Nativity scenes honor practitioners of a false religion to this day while not a single ordained religious leader of the "true" faith of that time is memorialized? Shouldn't the keepers of God's law, the priests, Bible scholars and preachers of the day at least have a partnership with the Magi in welcoming the "Savior, who is Christ the Lord?" Shouldn't our manger scenes and Christmas pageants feature at least one official of the "true" religion?

There are two obvious lessons here. First, the story of the Magi wonderfully symbolizes the great news that the birth of the Savior was for everyone. The birth of Jesus was declared by the angel to be "good tidings of great joy which will be to all people." (Luke 2:10 NKJV). The gospel is great news for everyone near and far; a point Jesus reiterated in his Sermon on the Mount when he declared, "Matthew 5:44-48 (NIV) But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. In other words, God does not limit the bestowal of his favor and goodness to only those who claim to be his friends, or have the more biblically informed perspective. God loves his friends and his enemies alike, as should we.

The second lesson of the story of the Magi is very well stated by Roger E. Olson in an article entitled “A Wind that Swirls Everywhere”, Christianity Today, March 2006, pp. 53-54. Olson quotes Pentecostal scholar Amos Yong whose “central thesis is that, because the Spirit of God is universally active in creation and new creation, ‘the religions of the world, like everything else that exists, are providentially sustained by the Spirit of God for divine purposes’… that means Christians should be open to learning from and being enriched by the Spirit’s work in world religions.”

Neither Olson, Yong, nor I wish to be understood to be saying that all religions are equally true. I do, however, agree that, as the story of the Magi clearly indicates, the Spirit of truth can and does operate outside the boundaries of our rigid orthodoxies. And, as was the case at the time of Christ's birth, sometimes those with the most biblical literacy and doctinal certainty are way behind the learning curve when it comes to realizing what God is up to. If we want to be considered wise, we need to look up from our vision-narrowing Bible interpretations and religious customs in order to see the spiritually illuminating "stars" that could be shining on the horizon.

What the Comedians Are Telling Us

2006-12-13T10:51:00.000-06:00

If you've been watching any comedy routines on the Comedy Channel lately, or have noticed some of the headlines about intolerant and racist comedy acts, or noted the popularity of the movie Borat, which I am told sets new lows in offensive speech and attitudes, you may be wondering what ever happened to "political correctness"? It seems that our cultural jesters are in a competition to see who can be the most degrading, offensive, racist, vulgar and insulting toward others--the most politically incorrect.

Of course, much of this material is satire that is intended to poke fun at the hypocrisy created by the politically correct rules. We may be offended by the courseness of much of this material, but we still laugh at it. And the reason we laugh is because we know the joke is on us. The comics are just holding up the mirror to our culture and saying, "Take a good look at ourselves. Don't we feel silly? We're not fooling anyone. We might as well admit it. We're all guilty of bigoted, critical, excluding, intolerant attitudes toward others we view as unappealingly different than us." In other words, they are telling us that it's ridiculous to think such man made codes of conduct make us better people.

If Jesus were on the scene today, he very well might be one of those showing up in a comedy club with a routine that would incorporate lines like, "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm eaten flesh. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds" (See Matthew 23:15-33, The Message). Or, I can imagine Saint Paul standing on stage holding a microphone and with perfect timing pointing his finger at us and taunting, "...Their throats are gaping graves, their tongues slick as mudslides. Every word they speak is tinged with poison. They open their mouths and pollute the air. They race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year, litter the land with heartbreak and ruin, don't know the first thing about living with others..." (Romans 3;13ff, The Message).

At first we might chuckle, but pretty soon we'd begin squirming. That's hitting a little too close to home. When our self protective and hypocritical outer shell is cracked open by penetrating truth zingers, light shines into those shadowy corners of our sinful hearts. Truth can be funny, sometimes the truth hurts, but as Jesus said, "The truth will set you free." The comedians of our day hope to make a living by getting us to laugh. God, on the other hand, hopes to get us living by showing us the truth that will free us from our old intolerant ways. Realizing we need God's help to pull us out of the ugliness of hateful attitudes toward others is a good place to start.

SIMPLIFY!

2006-12-05T09:29:00.000-06:00

This morning I heard a few stanzas from the old Christmas hymn Go Tell it on the Mountain. As I reflected upon that well known refrain, it occurred to me how very simple Christ's message and mission really is: "Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born..." The angelic pronouncment to the Bethlehem shepherds encapsulated it in these familiar words, "... Peace, goodwill [from God] toward men!" (Luke 2:14). When commissioning his disciples to carry on the work he had started, Jesus instructed them to just go and proclaim the "good news" everywhere (Acts 1:8). Summarizing the gospel to the Corinthians, St. Paul put it this way, "Become friends with God; he's already friends with you" (2 Corinthians 5:20, The Message).

Unfortunately that simple truth has been buried under an avalanche of religious supplementation and tradition. As it stands today, the mountain we have to climb to tell the great news is the mountain of man made improvisation and tinkering that has made the Christian religion (not to be confused with humble Christ following spirituality) the divided, quarreling, complicated, expensive, institutionalized obstacle to the dissemination of the gospel it has become.

Here's a little exercise you might want to try. Next time you are in attendance at a church service make a list of everything that you see--the order of service, the arrangement of the furniture, the number of times you are expected to stand up or sit down, the volume of the music and preaching, the style of music and preaching, how the collection was done, the attire of those on stage and in the congregation, the musical instruments used, the length of the service, who conducts the various facets of the service and etc. Be as thorough and observant as you can be of all the little nuances and traditions you normally wouldn't give a passing thought.

Afterward sit down with your Bible and see how many of the things you wrote down are required biblically. Does the Bible say we should have a specific order of service? Does the Bible say who must speak in a Christian gathering? Did your church follow biblical guidelines on when to stand or sit? How about the programs for children, are they biblically mandated? Ask yourself what Bible the first Christians read from. Better still, (trick question) did the first Christians even read the Bible? How did Jesus teach his followers to conduct church services? How are church buildings to be designed according to the Bible? What does the Bible have to say about ushers, greeters, Sunday School teachers, elders, deacons, the choir, special music and video announcments? What has the Bible to say about how long a service should be? Where did we get the phrase "church service"?

Of course, just because something isn't specifically mentioned in the scriptures doesn't mean it's wrong to do it. In fact, we only get into trouble when we try to force the scriptures to be the last word on matters they never address. On the other hand, if it can be demonstrated that our accumulated traditions and practices are unnessary distractions and hindrances to our primary purpose of proclaiming Chirst's good news, perhaps it is time to go back to the basics. As you might have guessed, my own assessment is we have way overdone the church service thing. It has gotten to the point that I'm encountering more and more people who have given up going to church altogether while eagerly claiming Jesus as their beloved Savior. A common sentiment is, "I love Jesus but I hate going to church."

Humble simplicity is a central theme of the Nativity. "Light" and "easy" were terms Jesus used to describe what he was asking of his followers. Certainly there is nothing in the teachings of Jesus that would indicate he expected us to organize our lives around elaborately planned religious services conducted by religious professionals on specified religious days in dedicated religious buildings week after week year in and year out. In fact, he got into big trouble for predicting the central religious edifice of his day, the Temple in Jerusalem, would shortly be destroyed. Not a problem for his mission since he would ask his followers to head out from Jerusalem with the good news into places where no such sanctuary was present or needed anyway.

That Christ came to earth and lived among us for a while so he could remedy and remove everything that stood in the way of God's expressed love for us is truly awesome great news! And there is nothing complicated about telling it to others. If one's religious duties and activities are getting in the way, then I urge you to SIMPLIFY!

Gallivanting Toward the Future

2006-11-27T11:24:00.000-06:00

In his challenging book, The Importance of Being Foolish: How to Think Like Jesus (Harper San Francisco), Brennan Manning offers this provacative commentary:

" Why are so many Christians mummified by middle age? Why do we stop growing in the spiritual dimensions of our lives? Why do our liturgies become so stagnant...? Why have creativity and flexibility given way to repitition and rigidity? Where is the life lived as new creations?

We trot out once more what worked in the past. The breath of God is bottled and the gallivanting Spirit (my emphasis) is stymied. The new, the creative, the fresh is looked on with suspicion, not with fascination. 'To live is to change,' wrote John Henry Newman, 'and to have lived well is to have changed often.' ... In the lives of many Christians, apprehension about making mistakes stunts growth, stifles the Spirit, and ensures the progressive narrowing of their personalities.

The church of Jesus Christ is a place of promise and possibility, of adventure and discovery, a community of love on the move, ... But the security seekers are the enemies of openness. Their insistence on preserving the status quo thwarts innovation and spontaneity and discourages the exploration of new roads into the mind of Christ Jesus; wanting to keep things the way they are automatically introduces a new insecurity with more cautions, threats, and nervous tension" (pp. 67-68).

Manning has hit the nail on the head. Sizeable segments of established, insitutional Christianity are floundering because so much of their structure and policy is devoted to preservation not exploration--revival (of the past) not discovery. Hobbled by fear-based doctrines into which they have retreated to avoid tainting by this big bad world until their exegetically contrived escape from it takes place, many Christian groups now find themselves fighting with everything they have to preserve and justify their existence. The language of return--to the faith of our fathers, to "holiness", to the old time religion, to the Bible (as it was taught "back in the day")-- flavors the sermons and enclaves of such Christian entities. Some are making genuine efforts to regain effectiveness (usually defined by numerical and monetary growth), but usually only end up trying to do what they used to do only better. New marketing strategies and reconfigured flow charts will never accomplish what a ready to change pursuit of the "gallivanting Spirit" will. In my opinion, nothing short of a radical break from the past (see my blog on "Abraham Momemts") will result in the vital Christianity we long to see in the 21st Century.

Among the things of the past I think we should leave behind are clergy dominated churches, building centered entertainment oriented church services, fear-based doctrinal schemes that lead to isolation and exclusion, the cerebral-biblicism-supercedes-humble-spirituality approach to the faith, and all the pitfalls of routinization and institutionalization that have been characteristic of "mainstream" Chrisitianity. Unencumbered by all this baggage, who knows what Christ's church might look like? No one does and that's the point! It's time we go gallivanting into our future and find out.

ABRAHAM MOMENTS

2006-11-15T09:48:00.000-06:00

Abraham is revered by three religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It would be difficult to name any other single individual who has had a more far reaching impact on the human race. Christians familiar with the writings of St. Paul think of Abraham as "the father of the faithful." Unfortunately, our familiarity with Abraham sometimes gets in the way of fully appreciating what exactly he did.

To review: "The Lord had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people, and your father's household and go to the land I will show you...' So Abram left as the Lord had told him... Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out..." (Genesis 12:1-4).

To those of us who are accustomed to having family scattered far and wide, or disconnected by the hectic pace of life today, it is easy to overlook the significance of what God was asking of Abram (later known as Abraham). He lived in a time of tribes and clans wherein one found identity, significance, security and inheritance. One rarely, if ever, ventured outside the confines of family and community. To be separated from one's heritage was a fate dreaded by all. So when the Lord asked Abram to leave it all-- the familiar faces, the local customs, the family religion, his inheritance, the familiar landmarks, his established identity, and his tribal traditions-- it was an unimaginably huge sacrifice Abram would have to make to obey the Lord's call. Especially when we realize that at first Abram had no clue where he was being asked to go. His departure had to preceed knowledge of his destination. That required audacious faith and thus the revered title "the father of the faithful."

Throughout history God has led people into what I call "Abraham moments"-- radical departures from the familiar in order to venture hopefully toward an uncertain future. Moses did it when he gave up the "treasures of Egypt" to 40 years later become the deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. Joshua and Caleb did it when they went against popular opinion and said Israel could possess the Promised Land. Jesus' Apostles did it when they abandoned their various vocations and followed him. Martin Luther did it when he defied Rome and started an history altering Reformation. The founding Fathers of the United States did it when they conceived the radical notion that government was to be in the hands of the people not a monarchy. Mohandas Ghandi did it when he non-violently confronted British imperialism. Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu did it when they ceased to conform to Apartheid in South Africa. Martin Luther King did it when he prophetically called America to accounts for our racism and the ills of segregation.

As a churchman, I believe the Christian religion is right now facing an Abraham moment. Followers of Jesus Christ are being asked to leave behind a host of things that have been familiar to us. Many of our traditions, organizational structures, liturgies and defining and excluding doctrines will go by the wayside as the "faithful" venture forward. Since I, personally, set out on my own quest of obedience a year and a half ago, I have encountered numerous others who are similarly responding to a "call" toward a yet to be known destination. Like tributaries that converge to form a river, the many who are responding to the Voice that is demanding change are becoming a strong current that is carving out new channels and altering the spiritual landscape.

Every Abraham moment has its naysayers-- those fear ridden souls who instinctively see every change as a direct threat to all they hold dear and cling to the past with everything they have. The fact is it is a threat. Unless we are willing to walk away from our defining past as did Abraham, we can never get to our destiny of promise. As Robert Schuller said, "It takes guts to get out of the ruts." And, it takes nothing less than a complete disruption of the status quo prompted by radical faith and obedience to successfully navigate through Abraham moments.

In future blogs I intend to unpack this with specifics and practical applications. If you wish to get a head start, pick up the A New Kind of Christian Trilogy by Brian McLaren, or go to http://www.emergentvillage.org/ and take advantage of the many resources they offer, or check out http://www.theooze.com/blog/index.cfm. These resources will help you look beyond what is only familiar to you and get a taste of what can be. Must be. Will be.

NON-VIOLENCE: THE GREATEST DISPLAY OF POWER

2006-11-10T10:43:00.000-06:00

I, like you, was horrified by the recent news of the mentally disturbed man who targeted a humble and serene Amish country school in Pennsylvania to carry out his perverted and suicidal assault. To imagine the terror that must have gripped those children as the murderer carried out his diabolical plan exhausts the resources of my imagination.

The media descended upon the scene like jackals to a wounded gazelle, hoping to stimulate their ratings by reporting the prurient and bloody details to their voyeuristic audiences. In response, a facinating drama unfolded before our eyes as the Amish sidestepped the media and carried out their humble, non-violent ways. The viewing public were very much left out of the inside story as news helicopters could only hover overhead to capture footage of berieved family members and community elders hand digging graves for the deceased victims. It was from a distance that the horse drawn buggies were shown enroute to the funeral. Unpretentiously it became known that the Amish community prayed for the forgiveness of the depraved terrorist who had violated their peace and tranquility, and expressed compassionate and merciful concern to his family. Within days, the little country schoolhouse was torn down and the entire scene of that grizzly crime was returned to pastureland--never to be considered a tourist attraction or perpetual memorial--but rather, a setting for life and beauty.

While I am certain that the families who suffered such a tragic loss are grieving; it will not be a grieving process complicated by hatred and thoughts of retribution. With hope in the resurrection and the power of forgiveness released in their hearts, there can be no place for bitterness or vengence. They will press on and, I suspect, arrive much quicker at a place of comfort and strength from God than many of us would in similar circumstances.

Juxtaposed against this story on the nightly news was the news from Iraq where we are sacrificing daily the lives of young men and women who have bravely volunteered to serve in our military. Standing upon the rubble pile and eerie devastation of 9-11 our president vowed he would hunt down and "bring to justice" the people who knocked down those buildings. With a "bring it on" swagger and a "peace through strength" philosophy, the United States military went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. What has ensued has been 5 years of bombing and warfare that has devasted large portions of two countries, resulted in the killing and maiming of tens of thousands of non-combatants, 3000 of our own troops have been killed in defense of the cause, and many thousands more have suffered life altering injuries. The war zone today is a seething cauldron of hatred and destruction-- a literal hell on earth. While we as a nation have been so engaged, "rogue" states like Iran and North Korea have seen it as an opportunity to develop their own weapons of mass destruction making the world an even more dangerous place.

The contrast between the non-violent response of the Amish and its aftermath with the war-mongering, violent response of our nation and its aftermath ought to give us pause. The Amish have made great progress toward the restoration of their tranquil lives while, as a nation, we are torn by political bickering, divided over the war, and daily calling for body bags. The Amish earned universal respect in how they handled the terrorist that hit them. We, the United States, are despised across the globe for the manner we chose to respond to terrorism.

I can't help seeing this contrast as clear proof that Jesus knew what he was talking about. Consider his words in view of all this:

"Here's what I propose: Don't hit back at all. If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. ...You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out your true selves, your God-created selves." (Matthew 5:43-45, The Message).

Lame Duck Breakfast

2006-11-08T12:19:00.000-06:00

Today George W. Bush became an official lame duck. The power he had when his party controlled both houses of congress during the first 6 years of his administration has been dramatically curtailed. Meanwhile, the hot button morality issues such as stem cell research and abortion that the Republicans said they wanted to champion have received lip service in emotional campaign ads but remain unresolved. They said they were going to "fix" things like this that were wrong with America if they were in power, but they didn't.

From where I sit it looks like George W. Bush and his neo-con pals have squandered a golden opportunity. They wasted their political largesse on a dubious and probably immoral war in Iraq, ran up a huge deficit, presided over the deepening of the hostiltiy between already divided political camps, and, as the election results reveal, alienated many who had previously voted for them.

And so the political pendulum begins its inevitable swing in the other direction. God bless America.

Ted Haggard

2006-11-06T11:21:00.000-06:00

I know Ted Haggard. I've known him since 1997--ten years. I've read three of his books, visited the church he founded, heard him speak to groups of thousands and groups less than 100, I have shaken his hand and had brief conversation with him.

I don't know Ted Haggard. I know nothing of his personal life. I've never been in his home, never met his family, never been in a car with him, never talked with him on the telephone, never socialized with him. I couldn't tell you what his favorite music is, what periodicals he reads, or how he feels about the war in Iraq. The Ted Haggard of current headlines who was just fired from his church, who admits to unspecified sexual misconduct and buying illegal drugs is someone I do not know.

So what am I to think about these revelations? First, I feel profound sadness for his family. How hurtful this must be for them. Next, I feel for his congregation in which I have relatives. The shock of realizing their pastor wasn't all he appeared to be will be a trying thing to work through. Nobody enjoys feeling like they have been had. It will take some time to recover from the sense of betrayal and violation of trust.

Strangely, I don't feel betrayed. I guess I've been around the block enough times that nothing surprises me anymore. I know what Jesus knew when he dealt with the woman caught in adultery. There ain't nobody without sin. We're all broken and struggling with some issue in our lives. I expect everyone to fail at some personal level sooner or later. The greater one's personal celebrity and sphere of influence, the more far reaching will be the consequences of one's failure. This understanding of our human condition makes forgiveness (and tolerance) easier for me. Not always easy, mind you, but easier than it would be otherwise.

Today I am happy for Ted Haggard. The crushing burden of a secret life he was trying to keep secret is being lifted off his shoulders. The healing grace that comes from confessing our faults to each other is within his grasp. He will soon discover who his true friends are--the ones who will stick close and help him in his time of need. These will be the people with whom he will be able to create authentic accountability. I wish Ted Haggard well and pray that he will find God to be an ever present help in time of trouble.

I also pray that more of us will learn what a disservice we do to each other when we create relational dynamics that encourage secret lives. People live secret lives out of shame and fear--fear of rejection, fear of judgement. When we do not have people close to us with whom we can safely share our struggles, weaknesses and dark times, we are much more susceptible to opt for hypocrisy and a double life. We will develop a public and private persona. As the former President of the National Association of Evangelicals, Ted Haggard knows that relational safety is a rare thing in those circles. Evangelicals, who have politically postured themselves as the cultural morality police, are, for many, the last group someone might look to for a forgiving, welcoming embrace. That's why we continue to watch the list grow of prominent evangelical "spokespersons" and political crusaders whose secret lives hit the headlines.

2006-11-01T12:54:00.000-06:00

Here's one of the strangest recorded conversations between Jesus and his disciples: "Then Jesus asked them, 'When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?' 'Nothing,' they answered. He said to them, 'But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one...' The disciples said, 'See, Lord here are two swords.' 'That is enough,' he replied" (Luke 22:35-38). TWO SWORDS! ENOUGH! FOR WHAT? The context indicates Jesus said this shortly before what Matthew described as "a large crowd armed with swords and clubs" showed up in Gethsemene with Judas to arrest Jesus--an event that Jesus had clearly warned his followers was about to take place. Then, when one of his disciples drew one of those swords and took a swipe at one in the armed crowd cutting off an ear, Jesus sternly told the preemptive striker to put that sword away uttering those now famous words, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword" (Matthew 26:32). Here's how I see all this. Jesus told his followers that they were about to have a confrontation with the Roman military and some really upset religious leaders who were bent on killing him. Tongue in cheek he said they should arm themselves. Yup. Two swords ought to do it, two swords against the super power of the day armed to the hilt with swords and clubs? What a joke! Considered in light of everything else Jesus had said about peacemaking and loving one's enemies, it should have been obvious to his disciples he had no intention that they resort to violence. Luke's account of these events quotes Jesus saying to the preemptive striker among his followers, "NO MORE OF THIS!" (Luke 21:51), clearly demonstrating Jesus' opposition to such preemptive violence. Will we ever learn the lesson? Preemptive armed aggression against one's foes only promotes more violence and is not to be the behavior of anyone identifying themselves as a follower of Jesus. I wish world leaders today would get this through their "stay the course" heads. NO MORE OF THIS!

2006-10-31T12:07:00.000-06:00

Here it is--my virgin voyage in the blogosphere. All who get on board with me will discover plenty of food for thought, a good bit of cynicism, very practical theology, some political observations, and healthy challenges to the status quo. For starters: Has anyone failed to notice that the preservation of power (or the gaining of it) is the number one political goal in every election cycle and in institutional ecclesiastical structures? Politicians use issues as a smokescreen to hide their real agenda--occupying the seats of power. Even the rare principled public servant, once elected, will be forced to play the power preservation game by his/her party of affiliation. Voters vote for those they feel will best represent the issues they care about, but once the election is passed, the energies of the elected officials are put into power consolidation--not isues! As a civic duty (and to be able to speak as a participant in the process) I plan to vote. But I do not have any misgivings about the politicians being able to produce the societal transformation I hope to see. That only comes through the undefined and often unnoticed ranks of those who love their enemies, actively care about the disadvantaged, let mercy crowd out revenge in those secret places of their hearts they don't talk about at parties, and meekly serve others without any power agenda. This is the "narrow way" that few discover.