Habakkuk revisited

Habakkuk 1:2-4 speaks to me.

How long, Lord, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?

Across this world filled with more than 7 billion people, the number of souls crying out in pain is staggering. You can find them in every corner of the globe, in every city and village in every country. They cry out in poverty. They cry out in sickness and disability. The rich and powerful ignore their cries.

Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not save?

Violence is plentiful in our times. Just yesterday, a passenger jet carrying 298 people was deliberately shot down by people looking to create mayhem in Ukraine. Among the dead are 100 top AIDS researchers. Meanwhile, bloodshed in the Middle East grew as Israel sent troops into parts of Gaza. Most of the victims, also nearing 300, have been civilians caught in the crossfire. 

Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? 

Famines and wars plague many African nations. Egged on by some Christian leaders from America, Christian leaders in several of these nations work to persecute homosexuals as if they are responsible for the chaos in the region. Imagine instead if they chose to witness to the everlasting love of God.

Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.

Blood continues to flow in the streets of Iraq and Syria. The "just war" promised by the United States only inflamed ethnic and religious tensions into civil war.  The atrocities are now too numerous to count. Refugees from the violence swell camps in neighboring countries. 

Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.

Children fleeing violence in Central America find hatred in the United States, which some call a "Christian nation." Political leaders demand deportation of the children that managed to survive the gauntlet of evil, knowing full well they will return to oppression, exploitation, and death. Many of these same politicians make a big show of their opposition to contraception and abortion because they are "pro-life." Their hypocrisy mocks God but they give it no thought.

The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.

The children of God suffer at the hand of their brothers and sisters and dare ask why God does not save us from ourselves.

Do prayers and fasts for peace matter?

The Religion News Service (RNS) covered an international call for prayer and fasting for peace in the Middle East.

(RNS) While the violence escalates in Israel and Gaza, a movement is taking hold that unites Jews, Muslims and others in a campaign for peace.  

On Tuesday (July 15), a daylong fast is planned as part of a public effort to show unity in the fight against war and violence in the region.  

Using the Twitter hashtag #HungryforPeace, the cause started in Israel and gained strength in England, promoted by Yachad, a U.K.-based pro-Israel, pro-peace group. Last weekend, it was announced in temples, mosques and churches in the U.S.

It is always uplifting when I see instances where the children of God come together in mindfulness of the suffering of others. It is something that should be encouraged.

Efforts like #HungryforPeace are often criticized, especially by those antagonistic to religion, as empty gestures. Many of the comments attached to the RNS story express this sentiment. Their reasoning is that a day of prayers and fasting is a complete waste of time. It is not going to stop the violence.

I beg to differ. If you are truly mindful of the suffering on both sides of the conflict, it plants the seed of empathy and understanding. The interfaith component is also essential to create dialog and build trust. The rockets may continue to explode in Gaza and Israel, which we cannot control, but we can set a better example by coming together in hearts and minds. We can also remind the world that bloodshed does not serve God. That requires loving others. And we need to remind ourselves that we are all equal in the eyes of God.

A little fasting and prayer is not the answer to all injustices, but it is at least a start in the right direction.


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Today I Give Thanks (TIGT) for patches of blue among the clouds.

More progress in making homelessness a crime

The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty has a new report on the rapidly growing number of municipalities that have passed ordinances that criminalize homelessness. Living on the streets, even when there are insufficient shelter beds, is now punishable with steep fines. Since people with little or no money lack the ability to pay those fines, fees for late payment will be tacked for good measure. There is something rotten in the soul of America. 

I cannot fathom followers of Christ finding this the least bit acceptable:

There has been an increase in laws criminalizing homelessness since our last report in 2011. While the increase is seen for nearly every surveyed category of criminalization law, the most dramatic uptick has been in city-wide bans on fundamental human activities. This increase in city-wide bans shows that the nature of criminalization is changing and that cities are moving toward prohibiting unavoidable, life sustaining activities throughout entire communities rather than in specific areas, effectively criminalizing a homeless person’s very existence.

We are talking about scripture worthy mean-spiritedness. 

“‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 

Ezekiel 16:49

Not only are we not helping the poor and needy, but we are increasing their burdens by making it illegal to be homeless and not have a shelter bed. May the Lord have mercy on our very soul.  

It makes you wonder

Kelly Clark wrote a passionate piece about teaching people of faith to doubt science. His story begins with a tale of religious persecution. Christian professors at Christian universities have been silenced or dismissed for casting doubt on young earth creationism. What is funny about that is many of these same universities and seminaries have been so vocal about religious liberty. Nothing supports religious liberty like harassing fellow Christians for telling the truth about biology and geology. That is truly remarkable.

And while most scientists and some theologians and philosophers teaching at Protestant Christian colleges know this, very few are willing to speak out. The message of the dismissals is clear -- speak out and get fired. When dissenting Christian voices are squelched or fired, faculty clam up. 

Christian colleges and seminaries desperately fear change. According to Peter Enns, "The theological tradition embraced at Westminster Theological Seminary, stemming from deliberations in England during the seventeenth century, is nevertheless perceived by its adherents to enjoy an unassailable permanence and in need of no serious adjustments, let alone critical reflection, despite many known advances in biblical studies or science since that time." 

How can Christian intellectuals be getting fired, just when Christians need leadership on this and other science-related matters? With such a paucity of intellectual assistance, Christians feel forced to choose between the science of human origins, on the one hand, and an antiquated theology of human origins on the other.

Liberty at the expense of others is privilege. Unfortunately, there is more than just glaring hypocrisy on display here.

Here is Albert Mohler, Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and culture war brawler:

I would suggest to you that in our effort to be most faithful to the scriptures and most accountable to the grand narrative of the gospel an understanding of creation in terms of 24-hour calendar days and a young earth entails far fewer complications, far fewer theological problems and actually is the most straightforward and uncomplicated reading of the text as we come to understand God telling us how the universe came to be and what it means and why it matters.

As the scientific evidence comes in conflict with the narrative pushed by some Christian leaders, it turns people away from faith. If they see faith leaders invested in teaching untrue things, then why should believe anything else they teach? A stumbling block is being created. So are you really working for Christ if you are demanding people of faith accept a narrative what they know to be false?

There is another bit of false witness to consider. The work of creation is ongoing. It did not start and stop a few thousand years ago. God did not snap fingers to create everything in one fell swoop and then retreat to the distant heavens to keep track of who is naughty and nice. That does not sound like the God I know and serve. The work of creation is not finished. I question the discernment of a religious leader that claims otherwise.

Nothing about creation is uncomplicated or static. God promises perfection will be worth the wait.

The unholy mixture of politics and Christianity

It should be apparent that politics is a secular endeavor, riddled with lies, corruption, and greed. The United States is no exception to this rule. There is nothing particularly grand about the shenanigans required to get elected, whether that is smearing your opponent or selling your soul for campaign contributions. There is certainly nothing sacred about it.

Make no mistake - the Lord does not care what candidate or political party you vote for. There is no political scorecard in the eyes of God. Anyone who suggests otherwise is not led by the Holy Spirit.

Some Christian leaders cannot resist the temptation to mix the sacred and the profane. They stand in the house of God and preach the inherent goodness of a political ideology and imply that God will treat your vote as an act of faith. Neither are true.

There is a thoughtful piece by Mark Deymaz in the Christian Post about the issue.

And therein lies the problem: the deep animus between American Evangelicals (or more specifically Evangelicals "...for whom American politics and patriotism are the center of Christianity, at least as communicated in public life") and an otherwise secular society. Sadly the hostility is today harming our collective cause, hurting our witness, and hindering Gospel advance which is, after all, the very real purpose and mission of the Church.

Make no mistake, when winning or losing on one issue or another becomes more important than representing Christ well via social media, demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit in civil discourse, or remembering that we have been called to make disciples of all men (Republicans and Democrats, alike), Christ is not honored. 

To be clear I am not at all suggesting that Evangelicals should refrain from political debate, social engagement, or running for office. I am suggesting that such involvement is more a civil right afforded to us as Americans than a biblical one; and that we should understand it as so. In other words political victories should not be publicly construed as spiritual, or necessarily moral, in a non-theocratic republic. The continued blurring of this line is not leading to more people being saved, but less; not to more people being attracted to our message but repelled by it; not to more people coming into the church but avoiding it altogether. 

It is true. When we wallow in the divisive muck of partisan politics, we stop serving Christ. We are privileged to have the freedom to participate in the process but must remain vigilant to separate the sacred and the profane.

There is also a mindset problem when you believe that "American politics and patriotism are the center of Christianity, at least as communicated in public life." Sorry but Christ is not at the heart of American politics and nationalism. If waging political war is central to Christianity, then the body of Christ will wither.

What is particularly unsettling to me is the sight of Christian leaders singing the praises of politicians that promote greed, materialism, war, vengeance, contempt for the poor, and the desecration of God's creation. Those are from Mammon, not God. You cannot reconcile those attitudes and beliefs with the teachings of Christ. In fact, when I see politicians championing greed, violence, and self-centeredness, I refuse to believe they are Christians. When I see pastors and other Christian leaders telling me it is my sacred duty to support politicians that serve the rich and increase the suffering of the poor, I have to fight the urge to throw up.

The comments to this article were telling. Most defended the mixing of politics and Christianity rather than taking the concerns raised by the author to heart. In their mind, Christians are being forced to do something immoral in our society. For example, the Hobby Lobby case is treated as if good Christians like the Green family were being forced to cover contraceptive methods that they considered immoral. The Greens were not forced to use these forms of contraception; neither were their employees. Imagine if the Greens had raised their concerns about these contraceptives and encouraged their employees not to take them even though they are legal in our secular society rather than fighting a multi-million dollar legal campaign to exempt themselves from the law.

Paraphrasing Deymaz, political victories are not spiritual or even moral victories. We have the luxury to participate fully in our society's political process as Christians. Christ, not political ideology, should be the focus of our concern. When politics become divisive to the body of Christ, then it is time to throw out the politics. Think of it as divorce from unholy matrimony.

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Today I Give Thanks for a reminder of the past uncovered deep from beneath the street. A lot of time and energy went into crafting that old brick storm drain.

As the bloodbath in the Middle East continues

...Some children of God are finding ways to build interfaith trust. The Religion News Service has an excellent example.

Muslim-Jewish iftars are popping up across the nation, bringing together dozens and sometimes hundreds of people for a celebratory Ramadan meal and a chance to forge interfaith friendships. 

This Ramadan, as Jews and Muslims exchange rocket fire in Israel and Gaza, those attending these meals say they are all the more significant, as a way of demonstrating that Jews and Muslims have much in common, and can enjoy each others’ food and company.

They are mindful of the violence and offer prayers for peace and resolution. This is how the children of God should relate to one another.

“Yes, we are in another awful flare-up of violence and both of our communities are suffering. That will be acknowledged at the iftar.” 

- - Rabbi Sarah Bassin

“We will try to figure out how we can deal with the tragedy overseas and move forward. That’s the whole point. There will probably be a lot of prayer.” 

- - Husna Ghani, Council of Muslim Organizations of Greater Chicago 

I cannot help but pray for more examples like this one. 

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Today I Give Thanks (TIGT) for real watermelon candy . . . 

Dear Middle East Leaders

Blessed are the peacemakers . . .
. . . for they shall be called the children of God.


To the leaders of Israel and Palestine:

Cut the crap.

Thanks!

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Just so everyone is on the same page, a few weeks back some wretched human beings kidnapped and murdered three Israeli Jewish teens. A Palestinian teen was then set on fire in retaliation. Before long, both sides are shooting rockets at one another. The spiral of violence is quick. Behold the power of a few truly wicked people in inciting bloodshed.

If you are truly a person of faith, you might want to pay close attention.  Here are the families of the teens killed at the start of this bloodletting in the Middle East.

The families of murdered Israeli teen Naftali Fraenkel and murdered Palestinian teen Mohammed Abu Khdeir are drawing comfort from an unexpected source: each other.

Parents struggling with grief because of senseless acts of violence reach out in strength and grace to one another. This is what it means to remember that we are all the children of God.

Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat took to Facebook on Sunday to write about an “emotional and special telephone conversation between two families that have lost their sons.” He said that during his visit to the Fraenkel family home, he had a chance to speak to Hussein Abu Khdeir, Mohammed’s father, and express pain at the “barbaric” murder of his son.
Barkat then suggested that Abu Khdeir speak to Yishai Fraenkel, the uncle of Naftali Fraenkel who recently told the press that “the life of an Arab is equally precious to that of a Jew. Blood is blood, and murder is murder, whether that murder is Jewish or Arab.” The two men took Barkat’s advice and comforted one another by telephone. 

In a separate visit organized by Rabbi Rafi Ostroff, chair of the religious council of Gush Etzion, Palestinians from the Hebron area showed up at the door of the Fraenkel family, looking to comfort the bereaved. 

Asked why they had come, one Palestinian said, “Things will only get better when we learn to cope with each other’s pain and stop getting angry at each other. Our task is to give strength to the family and also to take a step toward my nation’s liberation. We believe that the way to our liberation is through the hearts of Jews.”

When I see empathy like this, I believe God smiles proudly. When I see bloodthirsty political leaders, I believe God is nowhere to be found. They are not killing for God. No, they are killing to satisfy their political followers and benefactors. Smells like sulfur and evil to me.


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Today I Give Thanks (TIGT) for crosses in unexpected places.

Pockets of poverty grow larger in United States

My dear friends, don’t let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith. If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him, and you say to the man in the suit, “Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!” and either ignore the street person or say, “Better sit here in the back row,” haven’t you segregated God’s children and proved that you are judges who can’t be trusted?

James 2:1-4 (The Message)

There is disturbing new data on poverty from the U.S. Census Bureau. These analyses compared poverty statistics between the years 2000 and 2010. Among the key findings is that poverty has become more concentrated in areas where at least 20% of residents live below the income threshold used by the federal government.

In 2010, approximately 14.9 percent of the total U.S. population lived in poverty. However, poverty is not distributed evenly across neighborhoods. There are neighborhoods in every state that have higher than average poverty rates. The U.S. Census Bureau designates any census tract with a poverty rate of 20.0 percent or more as a “poverty area.” In 2010, more than 77 million people lived in poverty areas.

Between 1990 and 2000, the percentage of people living in poverty areas fell from 20.0 percent to 18.1 percent. This trend was reversed in the past decade. Between 2000 and 2010, the percentage of people living in poverty areas grew from 18.1 percent to 25.7 percent. While the overall population grew by 10 percent over the decade, the number of people living in poverty areas grew by about 56 percent.

As noted by Danielle Kurtzleben, the increased concentration of poverty in particular areas is associated with other social, health, and economic problems, all of which make it more difficult for people to ever escape poverty.

All of this matters because living near poverty can carry with it some major problems, Higher crime rates, for example, are associated with higher-poverty areas, as are worse housing conditions, worse public schools and worse health. In addition, economic segregation is correlated with lower economic mobility. If America's poorest are growing more and more concentrated, that could mean lower mobility (though importantly, these associations aren't causal), further entrenching these sorts of economic problems.

People living in pockets of poverty has become particularly prominent in the southern tier of states. As shown in this graphic from the Census Bureau, states in dark blue have the largest concentrations of people living in poverty.

As a follower of Christ, I find these numbers profoundly disturbing in relation to the narrative coming out of many of our Christian leaders. They take to social media and the airwaves to bleat about genital morality, but these same "leaders" are too often silent about the injustices that plague our society. From Genesis to Revelation, there are more than 2000 verses that speak to our obligation as people of faith to lift the burdens of the poor. They trumpet the absolute letter of the law when it comes to matters of sexuality but remain silent on the pain and suffering of the most vulnerable in our society. That smells like a whitewashed tomb to me.

Seeing people suffer fills me with impotent rage when all I can do is offer token gestures. It brings me to prayer, begging for better tools. It is in these times that I feel the presence of the Lord. But it raises a question. It seems to me that if people of faith really care about the poor, then I cannot fathom why so little has been done to create more and better "ladders of opportunity" for those living in resource poor communities. If all the great culture warriors stopped talking about genitals for even a year and started agitating for meaningful solutions, the body of Christ might accomplish something useful to the point of miraculous. Instead we debate religious liberty for corporate executives all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Face-palm. Head-wall. Seriously?

The narrative in this country surrounding poverty is bullshit. Since poverty has not been eradicated in the past fifty years, our political leaders have pronounced the federal "War on Poverty" a failure and  begun slashing the safety net. There was nothing in those federal programs designed to create living wage jobs. That was the responsibility of our corporate leaders who decided to export jobs to cheaper labor markets oversees instead. The War on Poverty was destined to fail unless people could find jobs that lift them out of poverty. D'oh. Me thinks our political leaders fail basic integrity, most especially when they sport their cross lapel pin on the campaign trail.

Government, "closely held" corporations, and non-profits have simply not done a credible job of creating adequate "ladders of opportunity" for the poor. The statistics are there for everyone to see. Given this remarkable cluster of failure, there is an extraordinary need for people of faith to put our heads and hearts together. We need a new paradigm. Instead I have Christian leaders telling me to mistreat my neighbors, co-workers, and fellow congregants if they are involved in same-sex intimate relationships. There is something wrong with this picture.

I always thought "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" included lifting people out of poverty. We live in an ethically bankrupt political and corporate culture. All they care about is power and wealth so it should come as no surprise that pockets of poverty continue to grow. If the Lord's will be done, then people of faith will have to play a large role. That seems strangely fundamental to me.

Today I Give Thanks (TIGT) for threatening skies that did no harm.

The sin of exploiting the Earth

Pope Francis:

"This is one of the greatest challenges of our time: to convert ourselves to a type of development that knows how to respect creation." 

"When I look at America, also my own homeland (South America), so many forests, all cut, that have become land ... that can no longer give life. This is our sin, exploiting the Earth and not allowing her to her give us what she has within her." 

 I know he speaks truth.

Three of my grandparents came from the coalfields of Kentucky and Virginia. I have hillbilly roots. My kin were active participants in the Hatfield-McCoy dustup. And I love Appalachia. Went to college there. Hiked it. Fought forest fires in it. And it just so happens Appalachia is the perfect set piece for the words of Papa Francis.

To get at a thin vein of coal near the surface of mountaintops, coal companies have destroyed 1.5 million acres of forest, much of it old growth, and dumped rock and other mining debris into 2000 miles of streams and rivers. This lovely practice is known as mountaintop removal mining. Large expanses of an incredibly diverse ecosystem are being dynamited and 'dozered' so a few coal company executives and shareholders can make a quick buck.



Mountaintop removal is back in the news thanks to a new study that shows how the mining process is destroying fish stocks in the region. Here is coverage from the Charleston Gazette:

Appalachian streams affected by mountaintop removal coal mining can have fewer than half as many fish species and a third as many total fish as other regional waterways, according to a new study published this week by researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey. 

Using data from several time periods to track changes in fish diversity and abundance in West Virginia’s Guyandotte River basin, USGS experts observed persistent effects of mountaintop removal associated with water quality degradation and found no evidence that fish communities recovered over time. 

“The Appalachian mountains are a global hotspot for freshwater fish diversity,” said Nathanial Hitt, a USGS research fish biologist and lead author of the study. “Our paper provides some of the first peer-reviewed research to understand how fish communities respond to mountaintop mining in these biologically diverse headwater streams.”

This is corporate sin. This is profit-at-all-costs mentality. It is sacrilege.

But, but, but the coal companies promise to kind of, sort of, restore the land to original contours and reforest. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Standard operating procedure in the coal industry is to declare bankruptcy when a mine is no longer profitable. That is why we have hundreds of thousands of abandoned mining sites all over the country. (Note to frog - scorpions always sting. It is in their nature.) Soon there will be a toxic industrial wasteland covered with a thin layer of soil that cannot support tree root formation. It will be an inglorious monument to greed.

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Today I Give Thanks (TIGT) for this miniature schnauzer, even when he steals low-hanging raspberries:

Destroying the Christ brand

Christian leaders that champion greed, war, and contempt for God's creation damage the Christ brand.  They are encouraging followers of Jesus to join a culture that glorifies materialism, violence, and self-centeredness. We are being told to strip off our robes of spiritual purity and wallow in the mire.

Professed Christians are encouraged to worship at the alter of Mammon. If your concern is with what you have rather than what others do not have, can you legitimately claim to follow Christ? That does not sound particularly born again in the Lord to me. Matthew 25 spells it out in pretty simple terms. You run the risk of being counted among the goats if you neglect the poor, sick, old, and disabled.

I have to come to dislike sharing my faith because I feel like I have to apologize for the actions of my fellow Christians. I have to explain that I believe we are all equal and loved in God's eyes. Growing up, I was taught that I was morally superior because I was male, white, heterosexual, and Christian. I later learned that none of that was true. Not one word. Remind me again who is the father of all lies?

I have to apologize for their obsession with what other people do with their genitals. Paraphrasing Jesus, control your own impulses rather than fret over the impulses of others. It seems like sage advice.

I refuse to mistreat a neighbor, co-worker, or member of my congregation because they are in same-sex relationships. It is a lousy testament to the whole Love Your Neighbor as Yourself thing. Strange how many Christian leaders that demand that I throw rocks at members of the LGBT community are found to have committed sexual sins or covered up sexual abuse by other clergy. I am sure that is merely a coincidence. Only when it happens with regularity do we call it a trend.

I question the sincerity of those that profess to be pro-life when they also oppose contraception. I am not alone.

To be clear: None of the contraceptive methods employers are required to cover under the Affordable Care Act cause abortion, including the specific types of contraception to which Hobby Lobby objects. Instead, these contraceptive methods work by preventing pregnancy (fertilization) from occurring in the first place. For instance, the intrauterine device works primarily by preventing fertilization. Plan B (or the progestin-containing, morning-after pill), along with Ella (ulipristal acetate), delay the release of a woman’s egg from her ovary. The egg does not get fertilized, which means the woman does not become pregnant. 

In fact, long-acting contraceptive methods, such as IUDs and implants, are the most effective forms of contraception for preventing unintended pregnancies. And preventing unintended pregnancy is key for those who identify as pro-life, because almost half of all unintended pregnancies end in abortion.

The whole "blurred lines" thing between religion and limited liability corporations is nauseating. Jonathan Merritt nails it:

“The New Testament never—not one time—applies the ‘Christian’ label to a business or even a government,” he writes. “The tag is applied only to individuals. If the Bible is your ultimate guide, the only organization one might rightly term ‘Christian’ is a church. And this is only because a church in the New Testament is not a building or a business, but a collection of Christian individuals who have repented, believed on Christ, and are pursuing a life of holiness.”

If for-profit corporations have religious rights, can we stone them for their sins? Shouldn't they at least be held to same standards as religious congregations if they are equal to churches?

I have no explanation for their lack of concern for the suffering of others. They are overflowing with concern for the unborn, but cannot seem to muster the same enthusiasm for the already born.

Once upon a time, evangelists appeared on television to proclaim God's love and condemn the evils of communism. Now many praise the virtues of capitalism as if it were somehow immune to sin. This evolution is remarkably unsettling.

What do we call ourselves when the Christ brand takes a hit? More often than not these days, I prefer Jesus Freak. 

Today I Give Thanks (TIGT) for black raspberry season.

On Independence Day

Today is one those days we are supposed to chant "USA! USA! USA!". Fire up the grill, gorge on tubed, ground and slabbed meat, and take in some local fireworks. You know the drill. This year, I find myself left with too many questions about state of our nation.

A bunch of states want a new confederacy. If they had their wish, the union would be dissolved in favor of a confederacy of independent states that come together to promote commerce. The Tea Party movement is filled with state's rights fanatics. Why should I salute a flag that so many Americans say symbolizes nothing more than a marriage of convenience?

As a nation, we celebrate greed and materialism. We cheer violence and vengeance. Our political and business leaders ridicule the poor, sick without insurance, old without a fat pension, and disabled as unworthy of taxpayer support. Look at the hatred on the faces of these Americans for those fleeing violence and corruption in Central America. As a follower of Christ, all of this turns my stomach. Why should I cheer an ethically bankrupt culture?

Adding to my ambivalence is the remarkable number of Christian leaders that serve as apologists for our materialistic, militaristic, and narcissistic culture. Here are some praying over the "invisible hand of the free market." Here are some praying for war. Here are pastors passing out guns. Here are some praying for the desecration of God's creation. Pretending fossil fuels help the poor and honor God is one of the most utterly repulsive instances of blasphemy I have ever seen. And, of course, these same leaders demand control over other people's genitals and the right to stone offenders.

I doubt the sincerity of the head of Southern Baptist ethics when he says things like this:

I think that we must be cultural warriors, if what we mean by culture warriors is an engagement with the outside culture about what we believe and why that's important. I think we must be Christshaped culture warriors, meaning that we don't back down on the issues. We speak with truth. But we speak with a truth that is consistent with the mission that we have to see people reconciled to God. So I believe that the sort of cowardice that would not apply the Gospel to issues that are destroying people and destroying families and destroying communities is not consistent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

If he is really fighting for Christ then why is he standing with worshippers of Mammon, war, and Almighty Self? He is slick. I will give him that. His cultural indignation is only tweaked when it involves homosexuality, contraception, and abortion. He is pleased as punch to bask in our culture's love for money, guns, and social darwinism. He was giddy when for-profit corporations were granted religious rights. He and others like him preach too much self-centered salvation for my tastes.

I thought Jesus called us to help repair the world, bring about something closer to thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Every time I hear America referred to as a "Christian nation," I cringe and feel like throwing up. Jesus spent his ministry going among the poor, sick, and spiritually broken. His disciplines were taught to share the good news of God's enduring love, grace, and mercy. This same Jesus upbraided the rich and condemned the hypocrisy of religious leaders. He even warned future shepherds not to lead his flock astray or pray they were never born when forced to account for their actions.

This Independence Day I find myself wondering if indeed our best days are behind us as a nation. There is nothing exceptional about a nation that continues to disenfranchise voters and allow the rich to buy elections. At least it  spares me of idolatry when it comes to patriotism.

So today I will eat too much and give thanks for the blessings we do have as a nation. At the end of the day, what gives my life meaning is that rebellious Jew from Nazareth named Jesus.

Today I Give Thanks (TIGT) for the first crop of tomatoes and herbs from the garden. These gifts are about to become a smoked and slow roasted sauce. Very tasty over our daily bread.

Congratulations, Hobby Lobby

A majority of U. S. Supreme Court Justices loved your masterful defense of Christian privilege for company owners like yourself. Good for you. You are every bit as good as churches and non-profits.

This is an enormous feather in your cap. Your personal faith was applauded in the highest court in the land. "Sincerely held" beliefs. From their mouth to God's ears.

You were already a legend among evangelical Christians. Your money is a very big deal. They call you and your family "Kingdom givers" and "a shining light in the Christian community." It is not pride, vanity, or arrogance when the accolades are deserved.

Even the secular Forbes Magazine called you "a Christian company in every sense."

Ignore the spoilsports that question your selling of junk made in China where religious persecution is real, abortions are encouraged by the government, and worker exploitation a deadly reality.

Products bearing "Made in China" labels are found all over the shelves at Hobby Lobby, evidence that some of its wares come from Chinese factories that have a reputation for labor rights violations and rock-bottom wages. Employees at these facilities often end up working grueling hours in prison-like conditions and never earn enough to escape poverty. 

"You cannot call your business 'Christian' when arguing before the Supreme Court, and then set aside Christian values when you're placing a bulk order for cheap wind chimes," wrote Christian author and columnist Jonathan Merritt in a recent article for The Week.

Haters gonna hate.

And gloaters gonna gloat. We all know where God stands on the political spectrum.

The desire to make money does not act as a waiver of constitutional or statutory rights, nor is it morally suspect, but it certainly is indispensable to a system of free enterprise that all too many on the Left view as the enemy of “social justice.” 

It may seem like hypocrisy to some that you still cover erectile dysfunction pills and penis pumps, but you are just pro-creation in not wanting to see medical interference with pregnancy unless there are fertility problems. Even if your actions increase unwanted pregnancies, there is no contradiction in opposing contraception and abortion. We all know it is a slippery slope, so to speak. Your belief that life begins at fertilization is "sincerely held" and must be obeyed, especially those women that work for you and might have been tempted to use an intrauterine device.

Never mind those complicated questions blurring the lines between individual and corporate rights. Christian ethicists like David Gushee seem to forget that a true Christian would never abuse their position of authority.

The whole point of establishing a corporation is to create an entity separate from oneself to limit legal liability. Therefore, Hobby Lobby is asking for special protections/liability limits that only a corporation can get on the one hand, and special protections that only individuals, churches and religious organizations get, on the other. It seems awfully dangerous to allow corporations to have it both ways.

I confess to not being able to see see how this high-profile, divisive case serves the cause of Christ. It must be a complete failure of imagination on my part.

A popular myth

I have yet to find the source text, but here is the gist.

Do not be deceived, brothers and sisters. The invisible hand of the Free Market can be Christ's if we have good Christians running it. Any previous sins committed by the Free Market were the fault of unbelievers. We all know that God has predetermined who will be rich and poor except when regulations cripple the heroic Free Market. True believers are careful stewards of the Free Market, fighting off attempts to require sharing of wealth through salaries and taxes. When good, honest captains of industry have to hide their assets in the Caribbean, then true believers have not done enough to protect the glorious Free Market. As for the poor, tell them to beg from a Christian charity as it should be.

Iraq is back in the news

In October of 2002, a group of prominent Christian leaders wrote that any decision by the American government to attack Iraq would be just in the eyes of God. It served to build public support for the war. However, this prophetic statement about our justifications and intentions turned out to be false. It was the worst use of our nation's military since Vietnam, not to mention one of the longest and most expensive wars in our history.

Now Iraq is descending further into chaos. 

(Reuters) - Iraqi Kurds seized control of the northern oil city of Kirkuk on Thursday, while surging Sunni Islamist rebels advanced towards Baghdad, as the central government's army abandoned its posts in a rapid collapse that has lost it control of the north.

Our "liberation" of Iraq has led to 11 years of sectarian violence. Instead of bringing stability to the region, we undermined it with our aggression. 

It does raise an interesting theological question. When Christian leaders help promote a war that turns out to unjustified and unjust, are they obligated to repent? 

Richard Land and his fellow evangelists for this war have never repented. At best, they could claim they were mislead by our political leaders. That is certainly true. If so, then the ethical response would be to issue a follow-up letter indicating that many of the reasons given to justify this war (e.g. weapons of mass destruction) were not true. Their failure to do so makes a mockery of ethics and morality. It sets a horrible example for fellow Christians. Supposedly, Dr. Land knows something about ethics have been head of the Southern Baptist Convention's ethical committee for a quarter of a century. 

What the Land gang cannot claim is they were led by the Holy Spirit in their advocacy for the war. To say so would be to bear false witness against the Holy Spirit. If you thought you were led by the Holy Spirit but were mistaken, aren't you obligated to make it clear to others? 

I hear a lot of preaching about the need for repentance. It would certainly be nice to see that same fervor for repentance from some of our most distinguished Christian leaders when they fall short. Otherwise, they harm Christ's brand. 

Christian capitalism

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York is an apologist for capitalism. See his May 22 editorial in the Wall Street Journal, "The Pope's Case for Virtuous Capitalism," in which he blesses the "free market" as the hand of the divine. He relied on the great theologian Lawrence Kudlow to assist with the wording of his opus. There is a a good capitalism, one blushing with purity of heart and desire. When Pope Francis questioned the virtues of capitalism, he really was only talking about the non-Christian kind according to Dolan.

"For many in developing or newly industrialized countries, what passes as capitalism is an exploitative racket for the benefit of the few powerful and wealthy."

Us mature capitalist countries have a more highly developed morality. We resist the temptations of greed, materialism, waste, exploitation, and crushing poverty.

"People, acting justly, compassionately and honestly, are the foundation of good economic or business activity. A just economic order relies on both material wealth and on people's openness to the transformation of their hearts in love and solidarity."

There is an old saying, "you shall know them by their fruit." Here in America we have the highest levels of income and wealth inequality in nearly a century. Everywhere you look, God's creation is being gobbled up or poisoned by some of our largest corporations.  Show me the just treatment of people in Appalachia by the coal industry. You can't do that because it is one filled with coercion, negligent homicide, murder, destruction of streams and mountains, worker exploitation, and bribery. Not a week pauses without another story of shenanigans in the financial sector. We just squeaked out of recession caused by ethically bankrupt bad actors in the Wall Street crowd. The list goes on and on. That is a lot of rotten fruit.

Unless I miss my guess, Dolan was doing his very best to placate wealthy Catholic donors after their delicate sensibilities were wounded by the words of Pope Francis. Like this one. Poor babies.

Thankfully, some folks who know a thing or two about virtue and ethics from a Catholic social teaching perspective took issue with Kudlowian theology. This is my personal favorite.

"Cardinal Dolan misses what Pope Francis sees so clearly," Father Christiansen says. "The growth of inequality everywhere including the U.S. is a result of American-style capitalism and the financialization of the economy."

He continues: 

"Stagnation in wage growth and the trickle-up economy has shrunk the U.S. middle class and hollowed out the economic power of those who remain in it. Pope Francis understands this when he links addressing poverty to reversing inequality.  

For generations, Catholic social teaching has understood and taught that improving the condition of the poor means holding inequality in check. Thanks be to God, that Pope Benedict and Pope Francis have underscored that teaching in the most emphatic ways. 

Unfortunately, too many well-to-do Catholics prefer getting their economic ethics from the Acton Institute rather than the Vatican."

Of course, worship of the "free market" as God can also be found among evangelical Calvinists. David Brat is a good example. He is the economics professor with divinity degrees that just won the Republican nomination for Eric Cantor's soon to be vacant congressional seat. Theologically, Brat describes himself as a “fairly orthodox Calvinist.”

“Capitalist markets and their expansion in China and India have provided more for the common good, more ‘social welfare,’ than any other policy in the past ten years. So, as a seminary student concerned with human welfare, I naturally wanted to learn about these free markets.”

I did have to chuckle at China being held up as a fine example of capitalism in action. Doesn't the Chinese government still frown on religion, including Christianity? I am sure all this new wealth will open their eyes to their need to pay lip service to God.

Here is the money quote:

“I think the main point is that we need to synthesize Christianity and capitalism.”

You do not mix the sacred and the profane. Christ warned about the dangers of thinking you can worship God and Mammon. Brat has a 2011 publication titled, “God and the Advanced Mammon — Can Theological Types Handle Usury and Capitalism?", published in Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology. This is a guy that claims to love God and a virtuous Mammon. It is simply nauseating, not to mention arrogant beyond belief.

For as long as there is human sin or evil, there will be corruption and injustice in our economic systems. You can find it throughout human history. The idea that capitalism is somehow more resistant to those failings is preposterous. So how does one read the New Testament and dare talk about "virtuous capitalism?"

A bit too "church of Laodicea" for my tastes (Revelation 3:15-17):

“I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone,’ oblivious that in fact you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.

So what is with all this praise and worship of Mammon by Christian religious and political leaders? 

Archbishop was uncertain if pedophilia was a crime

 Now this is unbelievable.

Archbishop Robert J. Carlson claimed to be uncertain that he knew sexual abuse of a child by a priest constituted a crime when he was auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, according to a deposition released Monday (June 9).

It defies credulity.

During the deposition taken last month, attorney Jeff Anderson asked Carlson whether he knew it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a child. 

“I’m not sure whether I knew it was a crime or not,” Carlson replied. “I understand today it’s a crime." 

Anderson went on to ask Carlson whether he knew in 1984, when he was an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, that it was crime for a priest to engage in sex with a child. 

“I’m not sure if I did or didn’t,” Carlson said.

Claiming not to know if it was a crime for an adult in a position of authority to have a sex with a child continues a pattern of moral failure in this church "leader." Adding insult to injury, the Archdiocese of St. Louis defended the Archbishop's blissful agnosticism over whether pedophilia was a crime, but also claimed he never doubted it was a sin. It all fails the smell test. What we have here is complete failure in church leadership.

Archbishop Carlson claimed uncertainty over the legality of sexual abuse 193 times during his deposition. He even suggested his memory might have clouded by cancer treatments. Gosh, if that were true then he would have failed at his other responsibilities as bishop. Having studied memory disorders for more than 30 years, I never encountered deficits so selective and convenient.

Carlson should not be in a position of authority. He needs to resign and don some serious sackcloth and ashes. He has done enormous damage to the reputation of the church.

The Cricket and the Fly

Once upon a time on the magical islands of Hawaii, there lived many families of crickets. The males were known for their song. The Elvis and Frank Sinatra impersonators were the ones that got the girls. The quiet types sat by themselves, oh so sad as they rubbed their wings together in silence.

This was the way of the cricket world until one day an evil fly came to paradise. Trust me when I say this is one nasty beastie. If you have seen the movie Alien, then you know how this fly works its "magic." It lays eggs on the backs of poor unsuspecting crickets. Adding insult to injury, the eggs soon hatch and fly larvae burrow their way into their "host." A week later, a full grown fly climbs out of the empty cricket shell.

Here is the terrible irony. The evil flies have discovered the best way to find a cricket to serve as incubator is to listen for the chirp of male crickets singing for a mate. Before long the quiet type crickets are getting all the girls because the crooners are attracting flies.

Now the fields and forests of Hawaii are quiet. Cricket song has disappeared, replaced by dance in courtship rituals. As for the flies, they are flustered and wonder where all the crickets have gone.

This story just so happens to be true and is a very big deal in the scientific community. The scientists are chirping because there was a rapid shift in the cricket gene pool favoring flat wings which do not make a sound no matter how much they are rubbed together.

The change seems to have been caused by a mutation that altered the shape of their wings, making them incapable of producing the chirping noise. The feat was achieved over less than 20 generations, a mere evolutionary blink of an eye, and, with the crickets living just a few weeks, a very rapid process. By 2003, a study by Marlene Zuk at the University of California Riverside found that up to 95% of male crickets on Kauai were no longer able to chirp. The mutation had erased almost all the wing structures that help to make the sound, leaving the wings flattened but still airworthy. 

Just two years later, in 2005, male crickets on the island of Oahu, 101 kilometres from Kauai also began to fall silent. Today, about half of the males on Oahu are chirpless, Bailey has found.

This is evolution in action. A genetic mutation offers a better chance for survival, allowing a species to adapt to an emerging environmental threat. Then scientists discovered that lightening had struck in two different places at the same time.

In their study, published today in Current Biology, Bailey and his team analysed the genomes of crickets from both islands using a technique that slices DNA into small fragments and then detects hundreds of thousands of genetic markers, or small distinct regions of the genome. The genetic markers associated with the flat wing are very different in the Kauai and Oahu populations. “It means that different mutated portions of the genome cause males to be flatwing in either population,” says Bailey. 

This evidence suggests that the mutations happened independently on both islands, making the Hawaiian silent crickets “an excellent example of convergent evolution”, says evolutionary biologist Richard Harrison of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

I almost feel sorry for people who want to see creation as a static process that ended long ago. Since science undermines their faith, they are unable to see the hand of the Creator still at work in a system that promotes survival of species through dynamic interaction between genes and the environment. Instead of awe they are left with cognitive dissonance. Deliberate ignorance has a price. Claiming this planet is a few thousand years old despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary does not serve God.

Why I love Pentecost

Fifty days after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, his ragtag band of disciples gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot, the giving of Torah on Mt. Sinai. In the past seven weeks, each of them had had strange and unsettling encounters with Jesus, risen as he promised. I can only guess what must have been going through their head at the time.

Which brings us to Acts 2:1-4. From The Message:

When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

They were given the gift of being guided by the spirit of God and able to communicate the extraordinary message of love and grace to all hearing their voice. Now that is cool.

The teaming masses in Jerusalem heard the disciples of Jesus and were puzzled. The educated and privileged often spoke several languages, but these Jesus freaks were merely Galilean roustabouts. There was a lot of whispering going on.

Then Peter took the microphone and gave a rocking first sermon (Acts 2:38-42). Talk about your alter calls:

Peter said, “Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact, our Master God invites.”

He went on in this vein for a long time, urging them over and over, “Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!”

That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.

The seed of faith planted by Peter sprouted and immediately took root in three thousand. In those days, that was a very big number.

So what happened with this Great Awakening in Jerusalem? The potential for rabble-rousing was there. You know the Roman legions were keeping on a wary eye on those Jesus freaks (Acts 2:43-47).

Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met.

They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

Look at how they lived. In peace and harmony. A true communion of spirit. They pooled their resources "so each person's need was met." No one wanted for anything. They were full of joy and gratitude. After the infusion of the Holy Spirit, the Jesus people attracted attention for all the right reasons.

We could use a bit more of that Pentecostal spirit in this nation with its culture that promotes greed, materialism, violence, vengeance, narcissism, and contempt for the vulnerable. A sick and stupid society if there ever was one.

We Need Better Creationists

Many of the folks I know that call themselves "creationists" reject scientific evidence for biological evolution taking place over a billion years or more. They demand that our children be taught in school that God is the Creator and scientific evidence for evolution is meaningless. It is as if to say, "Listen up heathens, my creation story is far superior to yours."

The funny thing is that many of these self-professed creationists seem unconcerned about protecting God's creation. They seem perfectly content to sit idly by as corporations plunder and poison the handiwork of God in pursuit of ever larger profit margins. Some prominent Christian leaders even declared that humans are not responsible for climate change, climate science cannot be trusted, and all good creationists should pledge allegiance to fossil fuels. Of course, if human activity is absolved of a major role in climate change, then by extension any observed changes have to be God's fault. Careful there, brothers and sisters.

We need better creationists - ones that want to be better stewards of God's creation by preserving this planet's resources for future generations. The first step is to confess our sins and confront the reality that human beings have been doing a lousy job of caring for creation. Here is some of our handiwork.

"Current rates of extinction are about 1000 times the background rate of extinction." Awesome. Too many plants and animals are in the way of large scale agricultural operations.

The oceans are rapidly becoming more acidic thanks to carbon pollution. In fact that current rate of acidification, sliding down the pH scale, is considerably greater than anything in the geological record dating back at least 58 million years. Nothing says respect for creation like drastically changing the chemistry of the oceans. It burns said the starfish to the coral.

And then there is climate chaos. Climate science says we are headed to a 4 degree Celsius rise in global temperatures by the end of this century. What a brave new world we are leaving for future generations!

Yet all is not lost. A new breed of creationist is emerging.

A recent sermon from Pope Francis warns that failure to respect Creation will have dire consequences.

The first lies in the risk of considering ourselves masters of Creation. Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude”. 

And he urged people to nurture and safeguard Creation as God’s greatest gift to us, because while God always forgives, Creation never forgives and – he warned – if we destroy Creation, in the end it will destroy us!

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops demanded action on climate change. The National Catholic Register called "climate change is the church's No. 1 pro-life issue." Amen.

Blessed Tomorrow sprang up a month ago.

Longwood, FL May 7, 2014 – Today marks the launch of Blessed Tomorrow (http://www.blessedtomorrow.org), a new national interfaith coalition of religious leaders committed to inspiring and engaging people of faith to lead on climate solutions in their congregations, communities and homes. 

Blessed Tomorrow brings together some of the nation’s most preeminent religious leaders from the Evangelical, Muslim, Jewish, Catholic and Protestant faiths who are personally dedicated to leading by example on stewardship within their organizations and engaging their faith communities to respond to climate change.

The list of individual religious leaders and partner organizations associated with Blessed Tomorrow is indeed impressive. This could be the start of a lovely chorus of voices from all over theological spectrum.

Blessed Tomorrow partners have been very active in the fight to protect renewable energy in Ohio and remind the governor of Florida what rising temperatures and sea levels will mean for the state.

Nothing like creationism for the 21st century.

Here is a moral dilemma

About 1 of 6 Americans live in poverty. While the cynics bicker over how to define poverty and how much suffering should be required for sympathy, there is no doubt that too many live without hope. We have pockets of poverty that have spanned generations in every part of the country, from the neighborhoods of Chicago to the hollers of Appalachia to government-controlled tribal lands in the Dakotas.

One could ask why the number living in poverty has been steadily climbing in recent years. The federal government's "war on poverty" has not been won after fifty years of program funding. Of course, that funding is for food, shelter, medical care, and job training. The trouble is corporate "job creators" in America have outsourced living wage jobs to cheaper and cheaper and cheaper labor markets. It is difficult to escape poverty if there are too few ladders of economic opportunity. Pretty simple economics.

Let's be honest with ourselves. Living in poverty, even in a rich nation, takes a toll on your physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being. You are subjected to a thousand indignities every week. Despair, substance abuse, broken relationships, and violence are all too common. Hope is in very short supply when millions are born, live, and die in poverty. It is not a life that anyone in their right mind would want for themselves.

Our political leaders have developed a nasty habit of disparaging the poor, calling them free-loaders, takers, frauds, thieves, lazy, stupid, and incompetent. It is the narrative they use to justify slashing government programs for the most vulnerable. The large funding cuts over the past four years will add substantially to the woes of people living in poor communities all across the nation. These same politicians are clamoring for even more draconian cuts and will almost certainly succeed.

So, as followers of Christ, as people of faith, what do we do? How do we respond to injustice piled on injustice? Their wounds are hardly hidden.

There is no shortage of Christian leaders expressing their outrage over issues of genital morality, but few take umbrage at the plight of the poor, sick, old, and disabled. Pope Francis is a rare exception. He has taken up the cause of the poor only to be called a socialist, communist, and Marxist for pointing out the deficiencies in capitalism and dangers of idolizing wealth.

Can people of faith succeed where our government and business leaders have failed to help people escape from poverty? Borrowing from Rabbi Hillel, if not us, then who? If not now, then when?

Dr. Mohler has another cow about same-sex relationships

A pastor of great faith spoke from his heart. His name is Pastor Danny Cortez. He asks for space to have a discussion about something weighing on his heart. He is having second thoughts about telling members of his congregation that they must give up ever falling in love if they are attracted to the same sex. He gives a brilliant sermon.




Pastor Cortez was quickly condemned by Dr. Albert Mohler in the name of the Southern Baptist Convention. Here is a taste.

For some time now, it has been increasingly clear that every congregation in this nation will be forced to declare itself openly on this issue. That moment of decision and public declaration will come to every Christian believer, individually. There will be no place to hide, and no place safe from eventual interrogation. The question will be asked, an invitation will be extended, a matter of policy must be decided, and there will be no refuge. (emphasis added) 

There is no third way on this issue. Several years ago, I made that argument and was assailed by many on the left as being “reductionistically binary.” But, the issue is binary. A church will recognize same-sex relationships, or it will not. A congregation will teach a biblical position on the sinfulness of same-sex acts, or it will affirm same-sex behaviors as morally acceptable. Ministers will perform same-sex ceremonies, or they will not.

Christian leaders like Mohler have always made me question my faith. According to these new age Pharisees, as a follower of Jesus I am to mistreat neighbors, co-workers, and fellow Christians in the LGBT community, and do it in the name of Christ. As a heterosexual, I am encouraged to see myself as morally superior to these "unrepentant sinners" and should miss no opportunity to remind them of Hell's all consuming fires if they do not pray away the gay. The trouble is the Christ I know would have none of that.

I can see Christ in the sermon given by Pastor Cortez. It was filled with love and humility. He was patient in learning the historical context of the Apostle Paul's letters. I was able to see those passages in a completely new light thanks to Pastor Danny. In fact, I was given new appreciation for the genius of Paul in creating a narrative.

Perhaps I am blind, but I do not see Christ in the reproach-filled sermon from seminary president Mohler. Even the language is disturbing. "No place to hide." "... eventual interrogation." "... no refuge." Those images conjure up judgment and punishment, like heretics being rounded up and brought before a tribunal.

My question is this. Do I risk disapproval from the Lord if I seek to emulate Pastor Danny and treat all with love, dignity, and respect? I do not believe so. Frankly, all doubt vanished when I read Mohler's diatribe. If this is a binary issue, count me on Team Danny. If I understand the words and examples of Jesus in the gospel accounts, we are to love others as God has loved us. We are to focus on our own sin, not gathering stones to hurl at others. It is always better to err on the side of loving others too much rather than too little. Our time should be spent lessening the suffering of others rather than adding to their burdens.

Brother Albert from his lofty perch sees fit to pronounce Pastor Danny's congregation guilty of having "rejected the clear teachings of Scripture."

There is nothing but heartbreak in this situation. Here we face a church that has rejected the clear teachings of Scripture, the affirmations of its confession of faith, and two millennia of Christian moral wisdom and teaching. But the Convention also faces a test of its own resolve and convictional courage.

There is something horribly wrong with this picture. I just cannot quite put my finger on it.

A little too much whitewashed tomb

As followers of Christ we are to serve as witnesses to God's love and grace. To love others as God loves us. We have the words of Jesus recorded for posterity in the canonical gospels. He summarized the commandments we are to live by as love God and love others. He offered no exceptions to the 'love others as you would wished to be loved by others' rule. Not even for those who hate or mistreat you. He harped on forgiveness. He taught his followers to pray for forgiveness for our sins by forgiving others. On the other hand Jesus was not a fan of our pretending to be God by judging others.

Please let me know if that synopsis misrepresented the gist of Jesus. The message seemed very straightforward to me.

Here is a story that should be viewed through that lens.

A few years bag, a courageous young man by the name of Matthew Vines bared his soul before a packed church and eventually an enormous YouTube audience. Vines is ardent follower of Christ. He was asking Christians not to treat him as morally inferior. Google Matthew Vines. The record is plain as day.

Your googling probably turned up a great deal of rebuke of Matthew Vines from some prominent Christian leaders. The most recent finger-wagging came from Albert Mohler Jr., a muckety-muck on the faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Now if I understand the great Dr. Mohler correctly, we Christians are entitled to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ from the LGBT community with scorn and contempt.  In other words, we straight Christians are free to even shun them from places of worship. Lord Mohler calls Matthew Vines and others like him are satanic.

Preaching on this same passage, Chrysostom concluded of those who practiced homosexuality that “not only was their doctrine satanic, but their life was too.” This passage is of particular note, because Vines cites a portion of it (106), but he leaves out this section, claiming only that Chrysostom condemned “excessive” lust. This is no new argument (indeed it is a well-worn one). Vines’s contention suffers not merely from a common misreading of Romans 1, but from a failure to cite properly Chrysostom’s homily. Both the “doctrine” and the “life” of those who abandoned “what is according to nature” — i.e. those who embraced homosexual behavior — should be considered “satanic.” There is no stronger term by which one may identify sin than that.

Mohler further expounds on everything he finds contemptible in Matthew Vines and other like him. In fact, he pretty much wants to tear apart the body of Christ based on acceptance or rejection of same-sex unions.

AM: Among the vast majority of the Christians in the world – now estimated at more than 2 billion – this is not a controversial question. The question is localized largely in Europe and North America, and it is especially controversial now in the United States and the United Kingdom. In both of these nations it is clear that the question of gay unions and same-sex marriage (and the larger question of the morality of same-sex sexuality) will divide many churches and denominations, and at every level. This question lands right at the most basic teachings of the church on morality, biblical authority, and the gospel. Splits are inevitable.

So, in his interpretation of Scripture, he thinks it is ethical to cast words of stone at Matthew Vines and encourages the body of Christ to do likewise. Hell, he wants spiritual divorce from those with a different reading of the gospels about how we are to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ.

I resent being told by a prominent Christian leader than I do not have to love some of my brothers and sisters in Christ. That smells funny to me. A pungent mix of sulfur, putrefaction, and ripe dung. How generous of him to even offer to carve up the body of Christ.

Here are several curious emissions from the letter of the law crowd.

Exhibit A: Las Vegas.

Here is a city that outdoes Sodom and Gomorrah in every imaginable depravity. Gambling, intoxication, promiscuity, prostitution, and obscene displays of gluttony. Yet Mohler and other grand cultural warriors are silent about Las Vegas. Hardly a word about casinos popping up everywhere to feed those addicted to the rush of sheer debauchery. Fancy that. 

Exhibit B: Greed and materialism

Jesus said you cannot worship God and Mammon. Nary a word from the brave culture warriors on our culture's worship of greed, materialism, and self-centeredness. They even stand with politicians and corporate leaders that increase the suffering of the poor, sick, old, and disabled by slashing the government safety net. See Matthew 25 down around verse 40. Well, fancy that.

As I understand the ethics of the Christian culture warriors, I am bound to point out the sin of others and demand repentance. Fair enough. Jesus condemned the hypocrisy, misuse of the word of God, and profiteering in the name of God by the religious leaders of his day. He also warned that any shepherd that misleads his flock will be judged harshly on the day of Judgment. By Christian culture war rules, I would be remiss not to point out Christian leaders in danger of becoming little more than whitewashed tombs when the Messiah returns. 

Speaking out against injustices can make a difference

As followers of that rebellious Jew from Nazareth, we are called to be God's heart, hands, and voice for those in need. Recent events in Alabama provide clear evidence our voice is so important. 

Local news in Birmingham covered the story of a pastor who was harassed by the police for feeding the homeless from his truck. Here is the gist from the local ABC affiliate:

It's routine to serve the homeless every other Saturday for Minister Rick Wood with The Lords House of Prayer in Oneonta, but he was recently stopped by the Birmingham Police Department because of a new city ordinance aimed at regulating food trucks.  

Wood says the incident happened two weeks ago and he was shut down by police because they didn't have a permit from the city to serve food in Linn Park. He was told he needed a food truck and permit from the health department.  

"That makes me so mad," Wood said. "These people are hungry. They're starving. They need help from people. They can't afford to buy something from a food truck."

Within days of the incident, local ministries began serving food to the homeless from a local church. As the incident attracted more attention, the health department provided an exemption to non-profits feeding the homeless. 

"We are thankful that the Jefferson County Health Department has been able to give us guidance on how we can follow the law and their guidelines while still serving those in need. I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of interest in finding a viable solution to this issue. Birmingham is a compassionate and caring city that will always rise to meet any challenge in a kind and thoughtful way, our historic legacy demands it," said Mayor Bell. 

It appears that the incident in Birmingham was merely an unintended consequence of an ordinance aimed at unlicensed food trucks rather than the homeless. The outcry from the public was instrumental in getting local officials to resolve the legal issue quickly. It also stimulated an outpouring of support for those serving the homeless population, including Pastor Rick Wood.

Unfortunately, we live in a nation where many cities have passed ordinances to criminalize living on the streets and penalize those who try to help the homeless. While the Birmingham case has been quickly resolved in favor of compassion, the ordinance in question was not intended the harm the vulnerable. Pushing back against laws that were specifically designed to increase the suffering of the poor has been far less successful. Our prosperity as a nation seems to have hardened our hearts. Calling us a Christian nation is to bear false witness to Christ.

Another ethical failure from the Southern Baptist Convention

Too often Christian leaders take to the airwaves to betray the message of Christ. Jesus taught that we are to love others as we would wish to be loved. He offered no exceptions. None. Not to those who look, act, or worship differently that we do. Not even to those that despise or mistreat us. So why are some of our most prominent leaders telling us that is acceptable in the eyes of the Lord to treat others with contempt, disrespect, or even hatred?

The head of the Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) Ethics Coalition, Dr. Russell Moore, attacked World Vision this week. Here is what passes for an ethics violation according to the SBC.

World Vision, a leader in meeting the needs of the most vulnerable in our world, announced its decision to modify its employment policies to allow participation by Christians married to someone of the same sex. It was a courageous witness to our common bond in Christ. Here is part of the explanation given for the change:

But since World Vision is a multi-denominational organization that welcomes employees from more than 50 denominations, and since a number of these denominations in recent years have sanctioned same-sex marriage for Christians, the board—in keeping with our practice of deferring to church authority in the lives of our staff, and desiring to treat all of our employees equally—chose to adjust our policy. Thus, the board has modified our Employee Standards of Conduct to allow a Christian in a legal same-sex marriage to be employed at World Vision.

I want to be clear that we have not endorsed same-sex marriage, but we have chosen to defer to the authority of local churches on this issue. We have chosen not to exclude someone from employment at World Vision U.S. on this issue alone. Let me explain the thinking behind our board’s decision.

Over the past decade perhaps the single “stormiest” issue within the church has been the debate over same-sex marriage—the question of whether churches should sanction the decision of two Christian individuals with a same-sex orientation to make a lifelong commitment of fidelity to each other in a legal marriage. We have watched as this conflict has torn apart whole denominations, individual congregations, Christian colleges, and even individual Christian families. The net effect of this conflict has been devastating—tearing apart the Body of Christ. It is heartbreaking to watch.

The statement deserves to read in its entirety. It is clear that the organization prayed over this issue and offered their heart to the Lord in supplication.

Within hours of the World Vision announcement, Dr. Moore characterized the decision as "devilish." He even coyly threatened a boycott, warning World Vision that "donors come and go." A boycott would only harm the children living in poverty that World Vision serves. Apparently that is just a necessary evil to punish those that dare cross Christian leaders like Moore. Pardon me if I cannot reconcile any of this nonsense with the teachings of Christ.

Brandon Robertson offered a timely reminder in response to Moore's pontification.

The harshest warning that Jesus ever gave was not to those who believed or stood for the wrong things. No, rather, Jesus harshest warning was given to those who stood for all of the right beliefs but neglected the one sacrifice that God requires of humankind: “ What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

Sadly, two days after announcing the revision, World Vision reversed its policy back to excluding Christians involved in same-sex marriages from working at the organization. In other words, Moore was successful in pushing a Christian organization to continue treating Christians involved in committed same-sex relationships as inferior. Moore's vision of loving others, including our brothers and sisters in Christ, is ethically bankrupt.

Symptoms of a larger disease

A tiny church in a small midwestern city has gotten into trouble with authorities. Their crime was opening the church to as many as 50 people a night to use as an emergency shelter during a brutal winter. The church is not zoned to serve as a shelter and lacks fire safety equipment.

ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- Leaders at a Rockford church say they have been told by the city that they can no longer act as a warming center and temporary homeless shelter because of zoning issues and apparent safety hazards. 

Apostolic Pentecostals of Rockford church tells 23 New they were told Wednesday by the city that their facility doesn't have adequate fire safety equipment and also isn't zoned to serve the community as a warming center or shelter.

Here is a congregation that takes seriously Christ's teaching to care for those in need. They opened their doors to provide warmth, food, and shelter to the local homeless population. And if they continue to do it, they will be taken to court and likely have to pay hefty fines.

It is fascinating how many of the published comments about this story defended the city. The law is the law. True. This just so happens to be an instance where following the New Testament violates the laws of the larger society. In all likelihood, this church will reluctantly comply with city laws and close its doors to people in desperate need.

We live in a society that is growing hard in heart, especially towards the homeless. Across our nation, municipality after municipality have passed ordinances making it a crime to live on the streets. Even in places without the more draconian laws, area residents and businesses frequently complain when emergency feeding programs draw large crowds of the destitute. Zoning violations typically come to city attention when the neighbors complain. I am willing to bet the neighbors of this little church were unhappy about all those homeless people wandering the streets. The unwashed poor need to be keep from the eyes, ears, and noses of the beautiful people.

Perhaps we should be asking why there were so many people were living on the streets with no place else to go but this little church. The powers that be do not seem to be interested in pursuing long-term solutions to the needs of the homeless. Instead of cheering the generosity of the congregation, the locals decided punishment was in order. Problem solved. Case closed.

Here is what passes for compassion in this sordid little story. The fire marshall, interviewed for the video aired by the local television station, said that he waited until the worst of the winter was over to issue the citation. It was near zero the morning that citation arrived.