I Can't

I can’t save children from being killed 2500 miles away, but I can comfort those in my community who are scared to go to school.

I can’t feed all the starving and hungry in Asia, but I can donate canned food to feed the hungry students from poor families at the local high school.

I can’t give homes to all the homeless in Appalachia, but I can shelter a few homeless here in Phoenix.

I can’t stop corrupt cops in Chicago, but I can cook Christmas dinner for the police officers here in Mountain View Precinct and build bridges between them and the community.

I can’t counsel every soldier returning from war with PTSD, but I can help get groceries for the soldier’s wife down the street while he is away at war, so he doesn’t have one more stress.

I can’t save the elderly woman who froze to death in her New York apartment last week because she had no heat, but I can visit the shut-in down the street and help her pay her electric bill.

I can’t stop the hurt and anger caused by that Kansas church picketing funerals, but I can build relationships with people who have a different lifestyle than I do.

I can’t stop every abortion, but I can adopt an unwanted child in this city.

I can’t stop racism in Mississippi, but I can ensure that my group of friends have lots of different skin colors and cultural backgrounds.

I can’t fix the political question of illegal immigration, but I can get to know the pastor of the Hispanic church that meets locally.

I can’t save the girl who just committed suicide, but I can befriend the teens in our area who are bullied and teach my kids to do the same.

I can’t fix the partisan politics of our system, but I can educate myself as a voter and actively vote for what is right in each situation and not necessarily what a specific party tells me to vote for.

I can’t medicate everyone dying of HIV/AIDS in Africa, but I can hold the hand of an HIV patient whose friends have abandoned him here at the hospice.

I can’t save the world, but I can live out my faith locally, demonstrating God’s word through meeting the practical needs of those around me.

I can’t waste time waiting for someone else to change the world, but I can get started making a difference by becoming the change in my corner of the world.

I can’t do all these things by myself, but I can invite you to help too.

All solutions are grass roots and must start locally.  The seed is planted in you, now what will you do with it?

That Bad Word

Ralphie Gets His Mouth Washed Out
"A Christmas Story" 1983

Don’t use that word!!!  That word is so bad, I would say that any kid who uses it have their mouth washed out with soap.  Except, this word is not one that kids use, it’s one that adults use – and they just won’t hold still to have their mouths washed out with soap.

NO, I’m not talking about the ‘N’ word or the ‘F’ word, or even the ‘L’ word (thanks HBO).  At least these words get abbreviated in polite society, but not the one I’m talking about.  No, people come right out and say the ‘Ph’ word unapologetically.

There is a rise in the use of the ‘Ph’ word in the past couple of years, and it just needs to stop.  News media uses it frequently.  Special interests like to use it a lot too.  The most frequent abusers tend to be on one side of the political spectrum, but I predict we’ll see it on both sides more and more if we don’t stop it.

The word is ‘phobia’ along with all its permutations (phobe, phobic, etc).  It started to gain use with the word ‘Homophobia’ (a person who is ostensibly afraid of homosexuals)* and now it is being tagged onto the end of the word Islam as in Islamaphobe (a person who is ostensibly afraid of Muslims).  Who knows what it’s going to be tagged onto next?

By tagging the word ‘phobe’ onto the end of another word, you suggest that a person on the other side not only disagrees, but actually has mental issues as the basis for them not being on board with you.  This allows you to shut down all debate and intelligent discourse on the subject.  No one wants to be smeared with the suggestion that they have mental problems.  So, it’s easier not to say anything because you’ll be painted as the unreasonable one.  What a useful tool for those who don’t want to bother having logical arguments about their position or actually thinking through the other side’s reasons.

When you step back and look at it, it really is a silly idea: 

Are my Republican friends Democrataphobes? 

Are my gay friends Straightaphobes? 

Are my Atheist friends Religiophobes? 

My daughter likes vanilla ice cream, does that make her a Chocophobe?

I am attracted to long-haired brunettes (Love you, Honey).  Does that make me a Blondophobe?

As you see, this can get downright ridiculous.  Just because you have an opposing opinion or think differently on a matter doesn’t make you afraid of the other side.  It really is an adult version of name-calling.  We call that Ad-hominem for those of you who weren’t geeky enough to be in debate in High School.  The purpose is to demonize those who disagree with you in order to shut them up. 

It’s unfair, unkind, and unethical. 

So, let’s knock it off.

There are 310 million people in the United States, and so it’s pretty likely that we will all disagree once in awhile.  The childish way to deal with this is to use name-calling, threats, and low-blows.  The adult way to deal with this is to discuss and debate using fair argument, logic, and respectful dialog. 

Guess what, we still won’t all agree.  But, we can learn to live with each other, learn to win some and lose some, and learn to get along as adults.

Or, we can continue using bad words till we get our mouths washed out with soap.

Tank Abbott
could pound me into
the ground too making
me a tankaphobe

* I have to honestly admit that I have been a homophobe on one occasion.  I worked with a woman who was a lesbian, and her girlfriend was built like Tank Abbott and had an attitude to match (looked a little like him too). I am man enough to admit that I was afraid to disagree with her, because she could pound me into the ground.  But that’s the closest I’ve ever been to being a homophobe.

The Hardest Blog

They say that you should never begin a speech, sermon, lesson, or essay with an apology or explanation. Well, I am going to do that anyway and 'they' can just stuff it.

This is probably the hardest single topic that I have written on yet. I guarantee it will offend many who read it and that saddens me. I do not apologize for the offence because this is a topic that should get out in the open and be discussed. If you read this, I urge you to make a strong effort to really think about what is being said and don’t just jump to conclusions. Also, be aware that I address each side and the issues for both. This is NOT one-sided by any stretch of the imagination. I truly don’t expect much from this. Most people will only read this from their point of view and be angry as soon as I question one of their beliefs. With that said, I have felt a deep need to open this discussion up as it affects my relationships with quite a few people.

I have not written in some time, due to work load at the Church and in my masters program. But, also, I’ve been working on-again-off-again on this blog. I wanted to be sure that I said everything as clearly as possible. I wanted to get it right.

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Who will go to them?

This was the clarion call of Christian missionaries in the 19^th and 20^th century. Whoever the people group, there were willing missionaries, people who went out in God’s love. Now, I won’t romanticize it too much, I know there were bad apples, but the truth is, it didn’t matter how remote the people group was, it didn’t matter how dangerous they were, it didn’t matter what their customs were; Christians went to them to show Christ’s love. They crossed mountains. They went across vast oceans. They went to lepers. They went to tuberculosis communities. They went to cannibals. They went to places where they knew they would never come home from.

While that fervor has diminished some, and taken with it some of the colonial and racial issues that some missionaries took with them; there still are missionaries who go out today. They fill practical human needs like food for the hungry, medical aid, education for women, and fighting modern-day slavery. They bring love. They go to parts of the world where it could mean imprisonment, beatings, and death for the work they do. But still they go.

Everywhere. Except for one place.

To Everyone. Except for one people group. One social group.

These people are treated as unacceptable, untouchable, unsavable.

The Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish” No one is excluded, so long as they believe in Him.

Yet we exclude one group.

Jesus says, “Therefore go make disciples of ALL nations…” There is no exception clause in that statement.

Yet we have created an exception to that.

My heart tears over this issue. I am sure God’s does too.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, the people that I am referring is the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered) community.

I have friends and relatives who are part of this group. I say that not to be cliché, “some of my best friends are black people.” No, I say that to be clear about why I struggle with this issue and why my heart is broken over it.

The worst part of this situation is that there are two distinctly polarized sides who have made up their mind and aren’t interested in dialog. On one side, you have people like the Phelps in Kansas who picket funerals with signs like “God Hates Fags.” For the record, I do NOT consider them Christian and they do NOT speak for me. I have written on this before. Click here to read about that.

The other side has its militants too. Those who are in-your-face and angry picketing churches, force people to resign from public office for holding opinions that disagree with them, and other similar behavior.

These two groups of people aren’t interested in truth, reconciliation, or mercy. They won’t change their minds, they don’t want to be distracted by silly things like truth or facts. This article is addressed to everyone else.

The first casualty of any conflict is truth and the first step to reconciliation is honesty.

Both sides are guilty of lies. Both sides are guilty of marketing that twists the facts.

Here are some observations that I believe to be the truth:

1. Jesus loved sinners, no matter what they had done. He hung out with regular people, as well as traitors, liars, prostitutes, and thieves. He was gentle but firm and truthful in love with these people. The ONLY people he got angry with and rebuked were the religious leaders who were hurting others with their pious hypocrisy. I believe that, if Jesus were here in the U.S.A today, we’d be more likely to encounter him on the streets around Berkley than anywhere near most churches. This is not because most churches are bad, but because He was active with the real people in His community when He was here last time.

2. The Bible is quite clear that the act of homosexual sex is considered a sin, something that God did not intend for us to do. I can’t get around that. I have seen lots of attempts at explaining it all away, but let’s just get it out in the open. If you are intellectually honest with your Greek and Hebrew, there is no doubt on this issue.

3. The Bible is also quite clear that gossip, lust, hatred, favoritism, ignoring poverty, injustice, and a number of other issues are also sin. In fact, gossip and money issues are much more than homosexuality. In James, it says that anyone guilty of breaking one of the laws of God is guilty of breaking all of the laws. A sinner is a sinner is a sinner. Jesus came to provide a way back to God for ALL sinners, not just for a few narrow ones.

4. Gay marriage is not an existing right that is being denied, but a new right that has not existed before in this nation or in almost every other. Let’s be honest about that. This is not an issue for the courts, but an issue for the ballot box. The cool thing about living in the U.S. is that we can craft new laws and make society look the way we want it. If that is something you do believe in, lobby for it, write up a proposition, and then go vote. If that is something you don’t believe in, you can vote against it.

5. Homosexuality, as with many other issues of the human condition, cannot be explained by simple sound bites about nature or nurture. Those scientists searching for the ‘Gay Gene’ won’t solve anything if they find it. One side will say, “There, that proves it, it is a disease that can be cured.” The other side will say, “There, that proves it, it is just the natural way that I am, like blue eyes and brown hair, there is nothing to cure.” And the fight will go on.

6. If you expect to be respected, you have to give respect too. I don’t care which side of this issue that you are on, you should have learned this back in kindergarten. You may feel strongly about this issue one way or another, but please understand that there are very real, heartfelt people on both sides of this issue. Any time you reach the point where it is us versus them, the other side becomes less than human and you start down the slippery slope that leads to evils done in the name of your belief system (whether religious or secular, there are plenty of examples of each). Maybe, just maybe, you could actually try to understand the other side. Maybe, just maybe you could actually seek out people on the other side and attempt to get to know them. Maybe, just maybe you could be friendly and respectful even when you don’t agree.

7. God’s concern throughout the Bible is Holiness. Yet, reading Exodus and the Gospels shows that He chose a people that were imperfect, broken, and human. He provided our Holiness in the form of Jesus. His death covers all sins of those who believe in Him, not just the ones you are comfortable with.

As I said, this is near to my heart. Someone very close to me shared her story. She told of going to evangelical churches during the time she was struggling with her sexuality. She told of hearing people make statements that told her God loved everyone but her, because she might be lesbian. She told of feeling alone in the middle of the very people who should have loved her. I interrupted her story at that point to apologize to her and tell her that it is not supposed to be that way.

She says that her wife, who I am only just beginning to get to know, is an atheist who hates God and religion because of past experiences. I don’t know her story and would not presume to judge her. I only hope that I can communicate that God does love her, as do I.

Another person that I care a great deal about is transsexual. I truly and honestly don’t understand the issues she faces, and conversations are certainly a struggle with pronouns, but I care deeply about this person. She told me last time that she probably will never be able to go to church again.

There are others, but the issues are the same. Even if they know Christ, they probably will never feel welcome at many churches; for that, I want to weep.

I also have people on the other side. I have relatives who are victims of the recent ELCA decisions. My brother-in-law lost his church because of it. A friend of mine belongs to a church who may lose their property because of it. They face a form of persecution because they do stand for God’s word when others try to redefine it.

I believe that this issue is the defining issue of the Christian church today, and will be the source of much more struggle. That saddens me.

For me, it comes down to this:

· I believe that it is possible to be gay and Christian. There are people within my congregation that are homosexual as well as ones who have had such experiences. I do not condemn them, their story is their story.

· Based on God’s word, I could not, in good conscience, perform the marriage ceremony for a same-sex couple, but I would attend such a wedding were I invited. I have attended a Muslim wedding and many secular weddings. Their beliefs may differ from mine, but that doesn’t change my love for them or my willingness to be there for them.

· I love God, believe evidentially that His Word is true and that He exists, so I will continue to follow His example and love all humankind gay or straight.

· Whether you agree with me or not, I don’t consider this issue to be a test of fellowship. I hope you won’t either. I care about you whether you are gay or straight, republican or democrat, male or female, tall or short, Lutheran or Jew, atheist or agnostic, vanilla or chocolate, or tastes great or less filling.

Here is my challenge to each of you:

If you are Christian – please don’t base your entire theology on just a few verses (for this or any other issue). Don’t be arrogant, cruel, or unwelcoming. None of that is worthy of our Lord. Examine yourself first, remove the log from your own eye before you point out the speck in your brother’s. Are you really living up to God’s Word yourself? Are you basing your beliefs on your own prejudice? Don’t miss the common theme of the Old Testament and the New Testament of God’s hatred of injustice of His love of the oppressed and the marginalized people. And, please don’t support any group, congregation, or ministry that participates in the marginalization of any group of people. I certainly won't.

If you are GLBT – don’t judge an entire people by the loud words of a few, as I won’t judge your individuals based on the obnoxious actions of the worst of your side. Also, don’t call a person a homophobe just because they do not agree with you. That is unfair and in most cases will be untrue. If your argument is strong enough, then ad hominem attacks are unnecessary. If you preach open-mindedness and tolerance, then that means you have to accept people who believe differently than you do. Don’t miss your own hypocrisy there. And, on the same issue of hypocrisy, don’t pretend that it is only Christians who may have prejudice against you. The truth is, there is stratification, bigotry, and intolerance within the GLBT community, too. There are gays who don’t like lesbians, and neither group accepts transgenders. There are those who want to quietly go about their lives that aren’t accepted by the Outers. Just be aware that humanity is messed up all over the place and not just in one group.

I pray that some healthy dialog comes out of this. I love to discuss issues. Jesus says, “blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” I would like to be a peacemaker.

This brings me back to the beginning…

Who will go to them?

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This is another issue that I invite you to speak to me in person about. I’d love to sit down over coffee and talk about it. As always, I will buy the coffee (or tea), I invite you to take me up on this.

Note – I welcome comments from readers, especially heartfelt ones. But, I will NOT publish anything that denigrates either side or anything using derogatory terms. I have no time or patience for that level of ignorance.

Ten Things I Wish for the Church

Ten Things I Wish For the Church

I did not grow up as a Christian. I just didn’t know anything about God. When I began to follow Jesus in my early 20s, I did not take his call passively. I got involved, I got moving, I got to work. Often, when I look at the church, I see people who sit in pews for an hour and then rush off back to their lives that are basically non-christian.

It makes me sad to see the waste of it all. If God’s people really took His call seriously on their lives, some amazing things could happen in our churches, neighborhoods, our nation and our world.

I wish…

Number 10: I Wish that Christians would give their time to God. Our society is so driven by busy-ness, rushing around to the next meeting, working two jobs, and getting our kids involved in every extracurricular activity possible, investing countless hours driving them everywhere and never mind their spiritual growth, their moral values, their peace of mind (or yours). Stop. Slow Down. Say no. Take time. Turn off the Television. Quit doing every hobby on earth. Tithe your time, that is give up enough of your busy-ness that you can use 10% (at least) of your time to do God’s work, to discuss values with your kids, to just spend time making a difference. AND, don’t forget to take some additional time in peace, rest, retreat, prayer, and relaxation.

Number 9: I Wish that Christians would break their love of money. This is another area where we have followed our society. We spend and spend and spend and then borrow more so that we can keep spending. We have to have Televisions in every room, the latest cars – two of them (along with the latest car loan), the biggest house (along with that gigantic mortgage), the coolest gadgets, iPods, Rock Band, vacations, maxed-out credit cards, travel, etc. etc. etc. Quit spending every dime you have and begin giving 10% (at least) to God’s work. Give to your local church, give to missions, give to homeless shelters, give to charity, etc. Heck, buy some groceries for the single mom next door. Then, save another 10% over and above any retirement account that you have. Then, live within the rest without borrowing.

Number 8: I Wish that Christians would remember why they came to God in the first place and then share that good news with their friends and neighbors. This doesn’t mean grabbing a bullhorn and heading for the street corner. It means engaging people you care about in honest, heartfelt discussions about spiritual things.

Number 7: I Wish that Christians would understand that following Jesus has little or nothing to do with politics. You may be guided by your faith as you vote, but I don’t remember Jesus saying anything about legislating the Kingdom of Heaven.

Number 6: I Wish that Christians would disciple. Jesus called us to do this in Matthew 28:19. Spiritual and personal growth is supposed to be a part of our Christian walk. That means personal, small group, or one-on-one exhortation outside of the Sunday sermon. Do you have a more mature Christian speaking into your life? Are you working with someone else?

Number 5: I Wish that Christians would teach the Word to their children. I have worked with youth and children for more than a decade and I see a consistent truth: Kids whose parents study the Bible outside of church and talk about spiritual things with their kids have better, well adjusted, and active Christian kids. Those who expect the youth group to teach their kids are the ones whose kids leave the faith as young adults. Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Parents, takes some time each week (if not daily) to read the Bible together and talk about it. This takes us back to Number 10 above, you have to make time for this. The added benefit, is that it will help you, help your marriage, and bring your family together.

Number 4: I Wish that Christians would remember Christ’s gentle message of grace to the hurting, the lost, and the sinners. He reserved his anger and rebuke to those that were using religion to press down on those same hurting, lost, and sinners. This is an important message for the abortion debate, the homosexual marriage debate, and any other place where we come into conflict.

Number 3: I Wish that Christians would remember that faith calls for action. Read and follow the words of James 1:27, Mark 12:31, Malachai 6:8, James 2:14-18, Matthew 25:35-26, Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 6:2-4. Serve, volunteer, give, love, help. Don’t just sit in the pew on an occasional Sunday and believe that you have done your Christian duty for the week. Read Matthew 25:41-46 and take the warning to heart, God takes this very seriously.

Number 2: I Wish that Christians would remember that we are all human. Christian sometimes try to act like everything is OK, keeping their mask on even though they are hurting inside. This pushes new people away because they look at their own lives and realize they can’t be perfect. This is also an issue with leaders. People put pastors on a pedestal and then are hurt when the pastor falls. We are all sinners, saved by grace.

Number 1: I Wish that Christians would return to the strong community of the early church where we lived together, ate together, and served together weekly if not daily. Maybe it is a big-city thing, but it seems that everyone lives separate lives except for Sunday from 10:00 – 11:15.

This is the last installment in my Top 10 in 10 Days. I hope that you have enjoyed it. I have appreciated the response. My goal was to get my Christian and non-Christian friends all thinking about God, religion, the Bible, and spiritual things in their lives. This is an important area of life that many people neglect.

My next post will be next Monday in the A.M.

Ten Things in the Bible That I Wish Christians Would Move Past For Awhile

Top Ten Things In the Bible That I Wish Christians Would Move Past For Awhile

I will probably get hate mail and arguments on this one. Sacred cows are so hard to kill. It isn’t that some things are necessarily un-biblical or that they aren’t something to be educated about, it is just that I think we get sidetracked on our own pet issues and forget that our job is to make disciples, to share the Gospel of grace for the lost, and to put our religion into practice by helping the poor, supporting widows, adopting orphans, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, etc. The message of the cross is offensive because it promises grace to all who sin (but they have to recognize their sin) if they believe. Why are we offending people with side issues?

Before you read more, please note that I could argue each of these point much more, but my very point is that I believe we spend too much time on these items. Also, this is my blog and therefore my opinions. Take them as you will.

Number 10: The End. The book of Revelation. More specifically, End Times Theology (A.K.A. Eschatology). As a pastor, I have to know the four Orthodox views and understand their strengths and weaknesses, but everyone else needs to read Matthew 25 and understand our job is to be ready, not to force current events into a tight mold of what we think might happen. (For the record, I don't think that Obama is the Anti-Christ.) This issue of eschatology distracts us from the real message of grace and gets us into pointless debates over an issue that is ultimately God's responsibility, not ours. Our responsibility is readiness.

Number 9: The Beginning. Creation and Evolution. Genesis 1:1 is important, because it is the start of faith. God created all things. As to the rest of Genesis 1 & 2, it is not a literal science textbook. Those that take this as an exact, literal, word for word explanation (with no regard for the poetic style of the language) of creation end up with crazy ideas like dinosaurs walking around with people. This issue distracts us from the real message of grace and confuses non-believers about what we are about.

Number 8: John 3:16. Yes, it is a beautiful look at God’s love and grace. But, if I see one more John 3:16 sign at a football game or held by some scraggly looking weirdo on the street corner yelling at me through a bullhorn, I might just start throwing things. Do you really think that is an effective way to reach people? Is that what Jesus did? Is that what the apostles did? I don’t think so.

Number 7: Denominations. In light of 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 and Ephesians 4:1-6, how can we still hold ourselves separate from one another and still believe we are being faithful to our calling? Whether you are Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, Anglican, Church of Christ, Nazarene, Methodist, et. al, you are my brothers in Christ. Much of what we have split over in the past are minor issues of interpretation and worship style. Ditch the names on the sign, seek unity with other bodies and just follow Jesus.

Number 6: Legalism. Forbidding rated R Movies, card playing, dancing, and alcohol as well as legalistic attempts at following Old Testament Laws. Hello, I have a book to introduce you to: Galatians. We aren’t supposed to add to the law or try to carry the law anymore. Growth in Christ comes from relationship with God not from artificial rules. Choosing out Rated R movies has two issues: first, try reading the Old Testament, it is Rated R in many parts and NC17 in others; second, there are some excellent rated R movies that deal with powerful issues and there are some PG and PG-13 that are terrible and offensive. Instead of blanket condemnation, try using your discernment, that’s why God gave it to you. As to card playing and dancing, they aren’t even in the Bible. Drunkeness is forbidden, but not the use of alcohol. Finally, the most devout legalists that I have met still disregard some of the law. Try reading James 2:10. I have yet to meet a legalist who does not cut the forelocks of his hair or clip his beard (Leviticus 19:27).

Number 5: Prayer of Jabez and Health/Wealth Gospel. God loves you and wants you to be rich, just buy my book for $34.95 and you will learn how God can make you rich. To quote the late, great poet Janis Joplin (luv you Janis), “O Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz.” This is a popular movement today in our consumerist, materialistic society. It completely disregards the message of Jesus of course and has no basis whatsoever in the Bible, but Oh well, it’s easier to believe. I frankly think that we need to focus on getting all materialism out of the church. This has to be a teaching and discipling choice. If children are starving, if people are going without necessary health-care, if anyone is homeless; how can we in good conscience waste our money on fancy cars, too large homes, gigantic flat panel t.v.’s in every room, and eating out at restaurants every night? When I read the Bible, I see us called to generosity, to giving, to sacrifice.

Number 4: Consumer Church with a self-help message. My wife and I began visiting other church’s for a Saturday service, one where we could go and hear God’s word without working during church. We visited several local mega-churches (because they were the only ones with Saturday services). We found one excellent one at North Phoenix Baptist, but we happened to visit on the last time they were doing it. Bummer. So we visited several others. The main message of these services was self-help- feel-good-about-yourself. No Bibles were ever opened and, if God’s word was quoted, it was a side note that supported the preacher’s talking point instead of being the focus of the message. Church is not an entertainment option, but a calling to change and grow by following God's word. The Bible is not about self-help but about serving God and others. God's word isn't about what's in it for me, but who I'm supposed to be.

Number 3: Sex. Can I say that word in church? For many years, the church as seen this as a forbidden topic. I call this ‘La-La Theology,’ that is, cover your ears with your hands, squeeze your eyes shut, and yell la, la, la, la, la at the top of your lungs so that you don’t accidentally have to hear or see it. Well, the simple fact of the matter is God created sex and trust me, it is good. If our message to kids is abstinence only, followed with, “wait till you get out of college to get married,” we set them up to fail. The church must teach about it, teach the glory of it in a healthy marriage, teach about all the surrounding issues – essentially, we cannot ignore it. Hey, it’s all over the Bible.

Number 2: Church on Sunday. Church is a body of people who worship together, serve together, and reach out to their friends, family, and neighbors. It is not supposed to be a habitual gathering for 90 minutes on Sunday that has no effect on your life throughout the week. Our faith is something to be lived, to be put into action, to be seen by others in such a way that it brings Glory to God. I don’t see very much of that.

Number 1: Homosexuality condemnation verses. How can you expect those who do not follow God to live up to His law? Further, every person who is homosexual also has lied, cheated, hated, gossiped, and committed a multitude of other sins. JUST LIKE ME! JUST LIKE YOU! Why do we focus on this one thing without sharing the message of grace for all sin. It seems that each generation of Christians chooses some sin to be worse than all others to rant about. Thirty years ago it was divorce. Fifteen years ago it was abortion. I even believe that you can be homosexual and come to Christ. Whoa! When I see groups like Westboro Baptist or Steven Anderson’s church in Tempe, I am disgusted because they have forgotten the grace and gentleness with which Jesus dealt with people. The only time he got angry with people was when he dealt with hypocritical religious zealots who hurt other people with their legalistic view of God’s law. (http://rodg3r.blogspot.com/2009/05/apology.html). I will write more on this topic another time, because there is another side to discuss within the church, but for now, I’ll leave it at this.

Number 0: That's right, I am making this list 11 things. It's my blog and I can do that if I want. Politics. Look up at the front and center of your church building. Is that a cross up there or is it a flag. Do you have to where your elephant shaped badge to get in the building? We need to remember 1Timothy 2:1-3 and Romans 13:1-7. Are we praying to the idol of America or are we faithfully serving God by discipling and spreading the Gospel?

Conclusion:

As I said earlier, some of these things have value and should be discussed, but I believe that many of them distract from our central message. When we fight amongst ourselves over petty issues, when we berate non-believers for actions instead of showing them love, when we try to legislate God’s word to change behavior without changing hearts, we forget the central message of the cross. Grace and Love towards those who are in sin and hurting, and exhortation towards growth for those within the church.

Tomorrow: Top 10 Things I Wish Non-Chrisitans Would Get Over.

A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to a Funeral

This blog originally posted Friday, March 16, 2007

Current mood: thoughtful Category: Life

I attended a funeral this week. Not my first. Definitely not my last (I'm guaranteed at least one more).

Something funny - I looked around the sanctuary and noted the people. We had the usual: men and women, young and old, different skin colors. But, more notable, the deeper you looked, you saw Protestant and Catholic, Jew and Agnostic, Believers in God and those that just can't be bothered by Him. There were gay and straight, pierced and tattooed, people who had feuds with others who were there, people who haven't spoken in years because they haven't made time, drinkers and smokers and those who abstain, partiers and clean-livers, those full of bitterness and those full of joy, suits and shorts, white collar and blue, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brother, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandchildren and a more. No one had a problem with someone else's presence. Beliefs and lifestyles weren't held against each other. Past wrongs were forgotten. Hearts were softened, walls were broken down.

All of these people were brought together, united in grief and the desire for hope. I think this is how it is supposed to be, how God wants it; people with soft hearts, humble minds, and open arms. This rich tapestry that should be present all the time exists only for a fleeting moment of tears and hugs and then we are back to our lives, trying to forget the looming presense of mortality. I have had the chance to attend a lot of funerals. I've been to two suicides, deaths from old age, sudden death and the end to a long-suffering illness. I've seen non-believers and believers both try to cope. I've been to a Mormon funeral and a Muslim funeral (that's a whole story in itself). It's always the same.

Why is it that it take such a drastic measure to make us realize (if only briefly) that all of the stuff that we busy our lives with, all of the things we take personally, all of the selfishness that we hold dear is really just not that important. Love conquers all, or so they say, but it sure doesn't seem to in our everyday existence. The saddest thing is that by the time we start work next week, most of us will be back to our old ways.

In professional ministry, I am asked the question, 'How can God allow pain,and suffering in this world?' The only answer that I have is that it is the only way He can get our attention.

What relationship do you need to mend before it is too late? How do you need to be humble to let someone else in. What point of pride do you need to let go? Who do you need to call?

Sticks n' Stones (and lawsuits too)

This blog originally posted Wednesday, March 14, 2007

"That's So Gay". This phrase is actually the source of a lawsuit in California. A young mormon girl was being teased by other students because of her religion, with comments like "you must have 10 moms" and such. Her response to this was, "That's so gay." The kids making fun of her didn't complain about it. She didn't complain to anyone about the rude jokes they were saying. A teacher overheard this and reprimanded her with a written note in her 'permanent record' (scary organ music plays). So, her father promptly sues the school to get the written reprimand removed from her record.

What a ridiculous waste of time and money on the part of the school AND the dad!!!!! The judge should fine both parties for wasting the courts time and pitch them both out on the street.
It is a simple fact - kids make fun of each other. Kids are rude. Teens don't have the fully developed social skills (and medically, their brains aren't fully developed either) to hold reasoned intercourse over disagreements. This has always been so. Yes, we have the right as a culture to teach them, but this could have been handled so much better by the teacher and school.

The teacher and the school should have dealt with this by talking to all of the students involved and making the point that it is not proper to make fun of people for any reason (religion, sexual orientation, the size of their nose, etc). This didn't require a write up for anyone, at least for a first offense. All students involved should have been warned and let it go at that.

The school also should be the bastion of reasoned thought, but a quote from one of its lawyers shows this isn't so: "The district has a statutory duty to protect gay students from harassment, In furtherance of this goal, prohibition of the phrase That's so gay' ... was a reasonable regulation. OK. That's great, but she wasn't making fun of homosexuals. The school has recognized the cultural shift in the term gay to mean a homosexual, but they haven't recognized the more recent cultural shift to gay meaning something ridiculous or undesirable.

An even funnier quote comes from a professor from Berkley (nuff' said); "I wouldn't be surprised if this girl didn't even know the origin of that term," he said. "The kids who get caught saying it will claim it's been decontextualized, but others will say, No, you know what that means.' It's quite talked about." I personally wouldn't be surprised if HE didn't even know the origin of the term - it is from middle english and possible Germanic origins for a light hearted person. Gee, neither of the previous examples fit that definition.

The silly truth about the word gay is that American English is an unregulated language. We have no Real Academia Española like Spanish does that decides what words mean. Our language shifts and flows constantly. Does anyone remember when bad became good and cool became hot?

Another funny note about what the District Lawyer said; "The district has a statutory duty to protect gay students from harassment." Doesn't the district have a statutory duty to protect ALL students from harassment. That would include religion. Oh, but that isn't politically correct. It is OK to protect every miniscule subclass of human life in school, except religion.

Probably the funniest note of all. This girl is 18. She is off on her own in the real world now. Nobody cares what she did or said in High School!!!!! Anyone who is an adult knows this. Your 'permanent record' (ominous music plays again) doesn't matter in the real world. As long as you didn't commit crimes (and even most of those are expunged), you get out of jail free when you turn 18 and graduate high school. Big deal, she got a write up in school. So did I (lots and lots).

I never sat a job interview and had the interviewer say, "Mr. Loar, we were going to offer you this job, but we looked up your school record and found that you called Billy Riley a pooh-pooh head in fourth grade; I'm afraid you just aren't our type of person." No, all that really matters in the real world is if I learned NOT to call people rude names while I was in school. Oh yeah, and I was supposed to learn math, science, reading, and other important life skills.

The Dad and the School have been the most irresponsible parties involved. I expect teens to say stupid things. That's the point they're still learning. The adults here need to grow up and act their age. The teacher made a mistake in making this a written write up and by not dealing with the other students involved in an equal matter. The principal should have just issued a warning and left it at that, or, at least acknowledged later that they made a mistake in not treating all parties equally. The school district should have said, this isn't worth a lawsuit, we will just give her a warning and warn the other students involved about their conduct too. The district lawyers should have said, this isn't worth wasting taxpayer money in a lawsuit, just remove the written warning or issue equal written warnings to the other students. The dad should have said, this ultimately means nothing to my daughter's future and isn't worth wasting my time and money or the taxpayers money and just let it go. Someone here should have stood up and taken the high road.

None of them did.

The truth of the matter is both adult parties here are caught up in their own political agendas, although both parties would deny it. The school district, like many others in the country are falling all over themselves to show that they are 'diverse' and that they will go out of their way to show tolerance - that is to anyone but religious people. The dad here is so caught up his anti-homosexual agenda that he can't even see how unimportant this whole writeup thing is. (there is a lot of history there. the Dad has been protesting the school's tolerance policies and sexual teachings since 2000 according to another article. The school has also harassed his daughter due to the pressure he has put on them)

There is no excuse for making fun of people for any reason. There also is no excuse for adults to act like kids and fight it out on the legal playground over such a minor issue.

Frankly, I'd like to sit both parties down and tell them, "That's so gay."

An Apology

This blog originally posted Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Category: Religion and Philosophy

I was reading the paper on Sunday and saw a picture that absolutely disgusted me. A funeral in Kentucky for a soldier who died in Iraq was being attended by a group of protesters. They were waiving signs that said 'God Hates You' and 'You are Going to Hell'. Reporters, interviewing the protesters found that they were representatives of a local church who believe that 9/11 was God's punishment on the U.S. for homosexuality.

Last fall, I went to the National Youth Workers Convention in California and there were protesters there too. They had parked a large truck out front covered with huge signs that said 'God Hates Fags' and such in large red letters on white background.

Let me start by apologizing for their conduct. I'm sorry and I ask for forgiveness. Please know that they do not represent all Christians, in fact, they don't even represent a majority of Christians. Jesus had nothing but love and guidance for those who were in sin. He reserved his harsh attacks for the obnoxious religious leaders who tore others down with their legalism, who preached one thing to the people and then did worse themselves. Kinda makes you wonder what he would say to those protestors.

Jesus hung out with prostitutes, traitors, and other 'sinners'. It's there in the book. He says that he came for the sick and broken. It's there. He invites you to come to him, because his burden is light. Hatred and vitriol are not what I find there.

Paul travelled to different cultures throughout the Mediterranean, teaching of Jesus to people who weren't Jews, knew nothing of God or His promised Messiah. Did he hold up signs saying 'You are going to Hades' ? Did he stand in the temple of Aphrodite and say 'God hates fornicators' ? NO. He went to them in love. He had compassion on them. He shared the truth in their language. He went to them and accepted them. Don't get me wrong, he certainly instructed the churches and believers to clean up their act, but these were people who voluntarily chose to follow God's way. However, to people who didn't know and hadn't chosen, he took a different tack.

The most common bible verse that every non-Christian knows is 'judge not, lest ye be judged'. That's great, but they don't know what follows it. It says to take the log out of your own eye before pointing out the splinter in your brother's eye. That means that I need to do some cleanup in my own life before judging someone elses. I'd certainly like to take a look into the lives of those protestors. There had better be no pornography in their house, no bad internet sites visited, no adultery in the church, no incidents of molestation, theft, gossip, slander, infighting, divorce, drunkeness, or any other things that the Bible calls sin.

Please, accept my apology for them. They do not represent me or the God that I follow.