St. Oliver

I was on my Sunday morning train ride, skulking home from a Saturday night not spent at home with tousled hair and the feeling that everyone knew I was in the same clothes I was dancing in the night before. People were dressed well for a Sunday morning train ride. The people behind me talking about the way God led them to Moody Bible Institute. The people in front of me were carrying bibles. Everyone was going to church. I used to do that, I think. It seems foreign to me now. I didn't feel any of the guilt I always imagined the people in my shoes feeling when the roles were reversed. The only thing that ran through my mind was how I lived with a girl once who claimed that her beagle, Oliver, carried books for blind students at the Moody Bible Institute. The truth was much uglier. Oliver subsisted on a steady diet of Christian children.

Read more...

Religious Exclusivity

After that it was not possible for me to think of my own religious tradition in exclusive ways. I just can’t do it. As a human being, I tell you that I can’t think that way. Emotionally, I just don’t have it in me... I don’t care what you think the Bible says or doesn’t say. I’m not going to think like that ever again.

-Real Live Preacher

Read more...

Torturous Christians

From The Daily Dish:

A reader writes:
I just finished reading "The Dark Side" and one of the things that struck me the most was the fact that so many of the people involved in condoning and justifying torture in the administration were devout Christians. And yet few if any of these people, up to and including the Christian-in-Chief, seem to have had any hesitation or misgivings about these practices. Correct me if I am wrong; but these are the same people who claim that the example of this 1st Century Pacifist who was himself tortured to death is the guiding lite in their lives. I don't get it.

Read more...

I can't stop reading blogs and watching news coverage of the presidential campaign. I realize that I am partisan, but I also hope that I am not partisan to the point of labeling my side as good and the other side as evil. I'm finding that this is really hard not to do. Its so easy to fall into the trap of making everything an argument about personality. I could easily say "Sarah Palin is just like George W. Bush. She's never traveled abroad and uses her religion to justify her personal opinions." There is so much there to attack, that it's hard not to focus on those things. But then the republicans win because Americans vote for the person they'd most like to have a beer with instead of the person with the positions that will most benefit their lives in the next 4 years. So, I can say that what McCain/Palin are calling change is essentially a continuation of the Bush years. And I can say that McCain chose her as a tool to energize the religious right (which so far has been successful). But that doesn't tell you why Obama would be a good president.

Speaking of the religious right... It bugs the hell out of me that they've gotten so excited about Palin before really knowing anything about her. She's Pro-life/Anti-gay/Evangelical therefore she'll be a great potential president. Do they not remember that they are voting for John McCain, for whom James Dobson said he would not vote under any circumstances. She says the right evangelical key-words so conservative Christians love her. But morality encompasses more than just a couple of issues. What about lying? She and John McCain have been putting out so many dishonest claims. Do any of them care how honest their Christian candidate is?

Of course, none of what I have said above will change any minds. For most people, the line is drawn and their heels are dug in. Palin could maul a baby like the pit-bull she claims to be, and they would find a way to justify it. I do understand that voters on both sides are this way but my personal view is that one side is putting out a lot more lies than the other. So, I'm including 3 videos. The first one is all about facts. It comes from the nonpartison factcheck.org. The next two are from The Daily Show. I still don't understand why John Stewart does such a better job at pointing out political bullshit than real news outlets do.







If you are still undecided, there is no excuse. Do a little research. Think about how you want this country to look in 4 years. Do you want things to be the same? Or should we take a chance on a change in policy? And remember: Abortion is legal and that won't likely change no matter who the president is. And, thankfully, gay marriage will be here in a few years whether you like it or not. So why make a decision based on these two wedge issues? If you do, then you are letting yourself be a puppet of a political tactic perfected by a man who isn't even a believer himself (think Karl Rove).

Read more...

Who is James Earl Dobson?

This quote from The Daily Dish was just too good not to repost.

"What does it take to be the most liberal member of the United States Senate – farther left than Ted Kennedy, John Kerry or even Hillary Clinton? For the answer, take a look at a man who could be the next president of the United States: Barack Obama.

Sen. Obama was recently named the most liberal U.S. Senator, based on the annual voting analysis by the non-partisan and highly respected National Journal. If he emerges as the Democratic nominee, one of the critical jobs of Focus Action will be to uncover the real Barack Obama—not the feel-good orator who speaks of “change” and “hope,” but the man who would be the most left-wing president in our nation’s history.

Throughout our history, great Americans have stood up to grave challenges of all sorts. As this latest wave of secular liberalism threatens us, I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with you in prayer and action – in defense of the family," - James Dobson, in his latest email.

Please explain to me why Dobson can send out an email only stating that someone is a liberal without citing any specific vote or stance and somehow suggest that Obama is a threat to the family. I really wish people like James Dobson would stop claiming that they are fighting for the family and admit that they are fighting for their own idealogical views. Something that really irks me about a lot of Christians is how they act and talk in a way that suggests that it is impossible to be a good person without believing and living the way that they do. Obama must be out to undermine the family because he doesn't support the war in Iraq, tax cuts for the rich, a complete ban on abortion, or a federal amendment to ban gay marriage.

Read more...

Are you Stupid?

I'm ashamed that I even have to grace this with a response. But come on, seriously, check your facts and don't be an idiot. Barack Obama is not a Muslim!

Please don't unthinkingly forward mindless propaganda.

Read more...

Christian Radio

From an interview on "Cross Talk" with the American Family Association. Quality Christian Programming, folks.

"I read a study once about how many sexual partners a homosexual has in one year, and it was shocking."
"Hundreds?", asked the host.
"Hundreds", confirmed the bigot.

Who can argue with that, it's a study. The man from the American Family Association said so. If you're interested, you can order a copy of the American Family Associations DVD They're Coming to Your Town which documents the takeover of small town American by homosexuals.
From the website:
The discussion on this edition of Crosstalk also includes numerous examples of Christian persecution, highlighted by recorded sounds of homosexual protestors in Madison, Wisconsin.

The fact that they misspelled protesters is the least of my worries. Radio surfing is dangerous.

Read more...

Church Signs

I don't know who deserves credit for this, but I got it from my friend, Andy.

Read more...

Madeleine L'Engle

Madeleine L'Engle, a great author, thinker, and poet among other things passed away last month. She wrote many great books, the most famous being A Wrinkle in Time. I have read many of her memoirs, and each time, reading them made me want to sit down and spend some time with her. She was smart, wise, compassionate and funny. I hope that people continue to discover and be inspired by her books. I found "Madeleine L’Engle on God, ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and aging well", one of her last interviews, to be quite entertaining.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from her works:

An infinite question is often destroyed by finite answers. To define everything is to annihilate much that gives us laughter and joy.

We tend to defend vigorously things that in our deepest hearts we are not quite certain about. If we are certain of something we know, it doesn't need defending.

I do not think that I will ever reach a stage when I will say, "This is what I believe. Finished." What I believe is alive ... and open to growth.

Truth is eternal. Knowledge is changeable. It is disastrous to confuse them.

Read more...

Real Live Preacher

Even on vacation, I've found time to keep up with my favorite bloggers. I enjoyed this essay from Real Live Preacher. Of course I felt the sting of familiarity in some of the descriptions.

But what truly amazes me is what happens when two Christians find themselves in a dispute over some doctrinal issue or passage of scripture. Suddenly they forget how messy the New Testament is, how contradictory and convoluted parts of it can be. They forget that their own theology is a product of very selective reading.

Forgetting these things, they run back to their studies in search of verses of scripture that support their position. They pull out books and commentaries; they scan denominational pamphlets or find help online in locating these verses...

Read more...

Pastoral Slip Up

5 years ago, make a small mistake, and a few people knew. In 2007, mix up your words, and a kid in Azerbaijan gets a laugh out of it.

Read more...

Reverse Plagiarism

A few years after my grass-stained conversion I figured almost everything out. I knew where God was and what he was up to and what he was thinking and saying. I had all the answers. Turns out this was little more than reverse plagiarism. I was giving you what I believed and putting God’s name in the byline. Now I have no earthly idea where God is and what he is up to. - God's on a Milk Carton

I can relate.

Read more...

Tammy Faye

At times disgraced, yet somehow always graceful. In her past, she mingled with some of the less appealing leaders of Christianity in America, yet managed to not let that legacy define her. Her life was complicated. She was beautifully imperfect, and I think that's what continued to draw people to her.

Read more...

Tony Jones on Al Mohler's Radio Show

Tony Jones, the national coordinator of Emergent Village was on Al Mohler's daily radio show this weekend. Al Mohler wasn't the host, but had a guest host. You can listen to it here if you're at all interested in the emerging church.

My take:

First off, I think it was great of Al Mohler to invite Tony to be on his show. Many people who are critical of the emergent movement wouldn't sit down to have that conversation. I listened to one of Jerry Falwell's final messages before his death titled "What's Wrong With the Emergent Church" in which he kept claiming to be friends with leaders of the movement, and to have studied it extensively, but no one seems to know whom he was referring to, and it was obvious he didn't put forth any effort to understand the movement.

So kudos for having Tony on your show, but it wasn't a great dialog. The host gave an introduction about how the emerging church is a scattered organization that has no core beliefs. He then brings on Tony Jones, asks him some questions and replies to his answers with rote phrases about truth and the Bible. It's his radio show, his prerogative I guess.

When questioned on truth, Tony points out the political, very human, way through which many of our critical doctrines were reached. (For example, in the Council of Chalcedon, A.D. 451, a vote was taken only after the bishops which did not agree were excommunicated.) The host points out that the Holy Spirit guided the process, and I won't disagree with that. But if something like what happened at the Council of Chalcedon happened today, would we take the result as firm doctrine, or would we question the process in which it was decided. Did the Holy Spirit work in a more direct way thousands of years ago? Was there something magical about the year 451 that makes church decisions unquestionable?

The host asks where the doctrinal boundaries are, since the emergent movement neglects to adopt a creed or confession. Tony points out changing doctrines, such as the Souther Baptists' denial of interracial marriages not so long ago. He uses this to point out that doctrine and belief are ongoing dialogs. The host points out that what actually happened was that the Southern Baptists realized they were liars and repented to reinterpret it (of course he would never admit that this is possible for beliefs held by Baptists today). I think Tony's point was made well.

They move on to inerrancy. Tony points out that the debate in the 20th century was a valid one at the time, "driven by a non-biblical question about whether the Bible was empirically trustworthy." He points out that the bible transcends that kind of truth in that it is so much more than scientifically true and that scripture doesn't need to be put to the test of science. Instead of engaging Tony in dialog about this, the host takes control of his show as the music signals a commercial break and says "I don't think that's the word of God, Tony. I think that's confusion." <> (I hate when the phrase "word of god" is used that way...almost like its a trump card or something.)

On returning from commercial, the host claims that inerrancy is not a past debate but is essential to believing in Jesus. Then, he changes the subject so that Tony will not respond. Tony goes back to respond that if inerrancy is so essential to salvation, then why did no one talk about it until the middle of the 20th century. "That's just not true" the host breaks in, yet offers no evidence as to why it is not true.

Again, Tony makes a well-spoken thoughtful statement, and the host doesn't respond. We move onto a question from the audience which I won't bother to discuss.

The show ends with a monologue from the host about the nature of truth and the danger of questioning truth. His closing quotes: "I don't think that truth is a what, but that truth is a who." (I think I would agree, but it seems that it is conservative Christians who cling to truth as something that can be laid out in bullet points) And so as not to leave his listeners confused on the nature of the emergent church, he says that "The stakes are high. It is not an old debate, it has been going on since the garden of Eden."

Maybe I am a part of "the far fringe, bringing a liberalizing agenda to Christianity" that this host speaks of, but I would much rather see the two sides get together to discuss these issues in a more thorough way.

Read more...

Quite Telling

Is this where we'd be if people like Jerry Falwell, James Dobson, and others who have married Christian Fundamentalism with American Politics, had their way in America? It is the logical conclusion of the ideology.

I found the link to this article on The Daily Dish.

Read more...

Real Live Preacher

If you look at the "Places I Visit" list on the right column of this page, you will see Real Live Preacher listed. This is the blog of a Baptist preacher in Texas (no, really, its great) that my friend Chad told me about a year or so ago. He recently posted a story in 2 parts that I enjoyed. You won't be disappointed if you have about 10 minutes to spare.

Cold Calling - Part 1
Cold Calling - Part 2

Read more...

Our Christian Forefathers Revisited

I am reading this book called A History of God.
It was published in 1993, but I am only now getting around to reading it. It is interesting, but highly technical, so I find myself skimming some sections, such as the one about Islamic mysticism.

She brings up interesting things about many historical religious figures. The origins of Islam were very interesting and new to me. Here, though, is one thing she says about a hero to the protestant faith, Martin Luther:

...He remained a disturbed, angry and violent man. All the major religious traditions claim that the acid test of any spirituality is the degree to which it has been integrated into daily life. As the Buddha said, after enlightenment one should "return to the marketplace" and practice compassion for all living beings. A sense of peace, serenity and loving-kindness are the hallmarks of all true religious insight. Luther, however, was a rabid anti-Semite, a misogynist, was convulsed with a loathing and horror of sexuality and believed that all rebellious peasants should be killed.

Read more...