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.

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.

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.

So we live in a "Christian" nation?

How many times have we heard America called a "Christian" nation? According to legend, we were founded on "Christian" values. Even in this godless era, about 8 in 10 Americans call themselves Christians when asked about their religious beliefs. All of this brings up an obvious question. If we are following Christ, then why are the values of our nation so out of step with Christ?

Let's start with our economic system. It is driven by greed and materialism. Our corporate leaders pledge allegiance to wealth accumulation regardless of the cost or consequence to others. There is no way to reconcile their self-centered mentality with the words of Jesus. He warned that you cannot worship God and material wealth. It is a zero sum game. The more you chase material wealth, the more your spiritual wealth will diminish. The Apostle Paul said that, "love of money is the root of all sorts of evil."

Yet greed and materialism are held up as virtues in our larger culture. And no one can dare challenge those values. The "invisible hand of the free market" is even treated as sacred. When Pope Francis dared question the greed at the core of "free market" capitalism, especially as the rich have gotten richer at the expense of the rest of society. The media quickly filled with angry political and economic leaders. They called brother Francis a "socialist," "communist," "marxist," and hick from Argentina. The wealthy founder of Home Depot had a sad, demanded an audience with Cardinal Dolan, and threatened to withdraw his donation to fix the St. Pat's Cathedral. Another billionaire said criticism of the rich is like Nazi persecution of the Jews.

As a nation, we are violent. We have the highest rate of gun violence in the world. Mass shootings have become commonplace, even in our grade schools. Innocent people are murdered in our streets every single day. The gun lobby prevents any political reform. Gun manufacturers are now marketing tactical weapons to the public. Our movies, video games, and sports glorify violence.

We are also vengeful. After 9/11 attacks, we went on a blood rampage. Our political leaders ordered the military to lay waste to Afghanistan and Iraq. We also fired missiles from drones into Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, and Libya. We tortured people. We imprisoned people suspected of terrorist ties without due process. Most people in America supported these policies until the evidence of lies, incompetence, and corruption became overwhelming. Some Christian leaders even pushed the idea that we should hate Muslims because they say it is not a religion of peace. State governments demand the right to execute people by any means necessary despite overwhelming evidence that many people have been falsely convicted of a capital crime.

If I am not mistaken, Jesus never gave his followers permission to hate anyone, much less render an eye for eye, evil for evil. Anyone who has read the gospels knows that we are to love even those that hate us. Vengeance was to be the Lord's. So why is our so-called Christian nation spending obscene amounts of money to kill people in other countries? Where is the Christian narrative against our nation's lust for revenge?

Our political leaders are cutting programs designed to benefit the poor, sick, old, and disabled. The most vulnerable have been labeled undeserving, lazy, and even dishonest by many of these same "devout Christian" politicians. Jesus said we are to care for the most vulnerable and we risk being counted among the goats if we neglect that responsibility. It is not ambiguous.

Our nation and our culture embrace values that are diametrically opposed to the teachings of Christ, not to mention the entire New Testament. No one holds up a mirror to America and sees Christ.

So why isn't there a more robust defense of the values endorsed by Christ? Why are so many Christian religious, political, and business leaders apologists for our self-centered, greed-driven, and vengeful secular culture? It seems to me that when the body of Christ does not resemble the teachings of Jesus, something has gone very, very wrong.

A tale of two Christians

I came across the following post on the online cancer support sites. It is the response to the topic of how has cancer changed your perspective on life.

From a Christian perspective; I fully believe that nothing comes to me that has not passed the approval of my God in Heaven, why I have been given this hill to climb, I don't know. That being said, I have just continued my life as though all is good, which it is. The only difference is I now have a greatly enhanced ability to appreciate my family, friends and loved ones which includes all of those on this board. I have met some great people here whose love and friendship I cherish. I just do what the doctors say and live every day the best I can. Then, when I see the news about 2 young teenagers in our small town being killed in needless car crashes, I realize just how blessed I am to have lived and loved these many years.

This person, a 10 year cancer survivor, gives a tour de force look at this disease through a very Christian lens. It is effective witness for team Christ. You can find love and gratitude in every sentence. No wasted or weasel words.

The same cannot be said about the recent mutterings of a Christian business leader in his capacity as insurance commissioner for the state of Georgia.

“Well, a pre-existing condition would be then you calling up your insurance agent and saying, ‘I’d like to get collision insurance coverage on my car,’ and your insurance agent says, ‘Well, you’ve never had that before. Why would you want it now?’ And you say, ‘Well, I just had a wreck, it was my fault and I want the insurance company to pay to repair my car,’” Hudgens said to laughter. “And that’s the exact same thing on pre-existing insurance.”

Humbled by criticism for his blame the victim mentality, he issued the standard perfunctory oops.

But Hudgens, who made the remarks to a group of Republicans last month, said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday that he had used a “really poor analogy” and “nothing could be further from the truth.”

“I’ve had family members, I’ve had friends … who have pre-existing conditions,” he said. “It’s not the person’s fault they have a pre-existing condition.”

The hypocrisy did not stop with just having family members and friends with pre-existing conditions that would make it impossible for them to buy health insurance if they could not get it through their employer. He has a major pre-existing condition of his very own - prostate cancer.

A day after Georgia's Republican insurance commissioner Ralph Hudgens was criticized for "out-of-touch" remarks on pre-existing medical conditions, spokesman Glenn Allen revealed that Hudgens has a pre-existing condition of his own. 

Allen told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday that Hudgens has gone in for regular checkups following surgery for prostate cancer more than a decade ago.

What an odd set of values. Instead of being grateful to God to have been given 10 years of good health after a bout with cancer, he exhibits little concern for people struggling with a life-threatening condition and how to pay for medical care without health insurance coverage. He did not misspeak. He spoke through the lens of political privilege and personal wealth. That was Mammon talking.

What was it Jesus said about what is expected of those that have been given much? I think it went something like this:

To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked.

Behold, two Christians given the gift of 10 years of life as a cancer survivor. One counts his blessings and the other mocks the less fortunate. Guess which one hurts the public perception of the Christian brand.

• The Afford

Interesting times

We are cursed to live in interesting times. This week we saw some incredibly self-centered people threaten the financial security of the nation. One of the chief instigators, a man named Ted Cruz, happens to be the son of a Christian dominionist* preacher (* dominionist is a follower of R. J. Rushoony). His platform consists of getting rid of taxes because the rich do not want to pay them. Perhaps I am missing something but I see no evidence of compassion in him. In fact . . . he looks more like a golem following his precious.

The sequester and shutdown gambits have deliberately harmed the people with the least in our society. These cuts were made without any alternative plan in place. Politicians even used a sentence from the Apostle Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians to justify letting the poor starve. That fails the test of Christ. Everyone who calls themselves a Christian should know what Jesus thought of not taking good care of those in need. Food banks and other community service organizations are now scrambling to raise funds because of overwhelming demand.

It is virtually impossible to spot anyone in government walking in the footsteps of Christ. Both parties have no real objection to violence. Bomb here. Drone strike there. Kidnapping and torture over there. Prisons without due process offshore. I do not see any moral high ground on either side of the political divide. Does anyone? I have yet to hear much of a sermon on the evils of greed from Republicans or Democrats. Jesus and the Apostle Paul spoke forcefully about those evils. Taxes are at the lowest level in 70 years, corporate profits and stock values are at record highs, and those with little are tumbling into the abyss.

The 21st century is shaping up to be a highway through hell. More and more people are living in communities that have become socially toxic thanks to poverty, gang violence, substance abuse, and emotional despair. We will face enormous challenges in the near future from rapid climate change, the human population hitting 10 billion, and rapid resource depletion. Too many political and corporate leaders are morally bankrupt. Too many high profile religious leaders are preoccupied with wealth and power rather than bearing witness to God’s love. 

People of faith have invested substantial time and effort in advocacy for those in greatest need. Unfortunately, appealing to the consciences of political and corporate leaders has proven to be remarkably ineffective to alleviate social, economic, and environmental injustices in our society. Our fervent public prayers, harshly worded letters, and nonviolent protests are too often ignored or mocked. We are told that the “invisible hand of the free market” will save the day for those at the bottom of the economic ladder if they only work harder for less money. It is odd that the “free market” savior has not shown up in periods of economic prosperity or contraction for those living in poverty. The “free market” is even destroying God’s creation at an ever more rapid pace. When Christians preach the gospel of the free market I wonder if they even understand that it is of Mammon, not God. 

Some Christians in America encouraged Christians in several African nations to stone homosexuals. Amazing what you can do when you believe that you are without sin. They better hope the Lord does not see any sin in them. 

More and more young adults are walking away from organized religion. Perhaps they are not turned on by how much we squabble about the appearance of angels on the head of a pin, who God loves and who God hates, and fiddle while the social fabric of the society unravels. I don't blame them. 

If you are truly a follower of Christ what do you think that the Lord would say about our train wreck of a nation? Do you think He would say, "nice work, disciples," or "what the hell were you thinking?" My money is on the later. I am also guessing that it is probably unwise to piss off the Lord. 

Send in the clowns

Government programs for the poor, old, sick, and disabled have been targeted or slashed by Congress in the recent months. This comes as many at the bottom of the economic ladder are still trying to recover from the worst recession since the 1930's. Unemployment levels for adults under age 30 are at record levels. By every conceivable measure, the poor have gotten poorer and the rich have gotten richer over the past decade. 

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had decided to weigh in on this ethical morass. They see an exemption for contraception to be so important that it should be attached to every bill to continue funding the government and avoid catastrophic default. Here is an excerpt from their letter to all 535 representatives in the House and Senate.

We have already urged you to enact the Health Care Conscience Rights Act (H.R. 940/S. 1204). As Congress considers a Continuing Resolution and debt ceiling bill in the days to come, we reaffirm the vital importance of incorporating the policy of this bill into such “must-pass” legislation.

The most pressing issue of conscience of our day is contraception according to this band of Christian leaders. A verse from Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns" seems particularly apt.

Don't you love farce?
My fault I fear.
I thought that you'd want what I want.
Sorry, my dear.
But where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns.
Don't bother, they're here. 

The body of Christ is not being served by these clowns. 

Entitlement

We hear a great deal about entitlements these days. Politicians love to whine about programs that benefit everyone. These "public servants" worry most about the cost of the programs because of the number of people that qualify, how much they receive, and how long the benefits last. Their goal is trim  these programs regardless of need or principle.

There is another type of entitlement that warrants more attention. It is the narcissistic view of some that the rules of society no longer apply to them. These people are worshippers of self and wealth. To hell with others.

First up, we have an attitude of entitlement from a free market fundamentalist. It comes from Robert Benmosche, CEO of AIG, the insurance company that got burned by playing in the derivatives market and then was bailed out by the taxpayers of the United States. In other words, he ran his business ship aground and then demanded we all pitch in and pay for the mistakes of his company. As we were bailing his butt out of the water, he was passing out $165 million in bonuses to the very people responsible for the wreck. He is still steamed about the public outcry over those bonuses.

That was ignorance … of the public at large, the government and other constituencies. I’ll tell you why. [Critics referred] to bonuses as above and beyond [basic compensation]. In financial markets that’s not the case. … It is core compensation. 

“Now you have these bright young people [in the financial-products unit] who had nothing to do with [the bad bets that hurt the company.] … They understand the derivatives very well; they understand the complexity. … They’re all scared. They [had made] good livings. They probably lived beyond their means. …They aren’t going to stay there for nothing. 

The uproar over bonuses “was intended to stir public anger, to get everybody out there with their pitch forks and their hangman nooses, and all that–sort of like what we did in the Deep South [decades ago]. And I think it was just as bad and just as wrong. 

“We wouldn’t be here today had they not stayed and accepted … dramatically reduced pay. … They really contributed an enormous amount [to AIG’s survival] and proved to the world they are good people. It is a shame we put them through that.”

So the whiz kids made lots and lots of money, started living well beyond their means, and then made high risk bets that put AIG into catastrophic debt. According to the CEO, these hipsters deserve extra cash to stay on with the company so they can enjoy the fruits of taxpayer generosity. Any criticism of the 6- and 7-figure bonuses is as bad as the lynch mobs that once terrorized people of color in the old South. Right. Greed and arrogance on steroids. It is the perfect illustration of the ethical bankruptcy of many corporate leaders.

In their minds, these people felt they were entitled to ever larger paydays without risk or consequence. Their only innovation was dressing up sow's ears and selling them as silk purses to unsuspecting customers.

Next we have spoiled rich kids. These 300 teens thought they were entitled to break in and vandalize the home of a former professional athlete, Brian Holloway. They even posted pictures of their debauchery and destruction on social media. Mr. Holloway had the pleasure of watching the destruction of his home unfold live on Twitter and Instagram. Kelly Lynch describes his reaction in this open letter to the parents of these kids.

Instead of demanding the arrest of your kids, he instead created a website, www.helpmesave300.com, where he reposted their photos, identified the people involved, and called for ways to reach out to young people and show them that there are better ways to spend their time than drinking, drugs and vandalism.

Only one of the 300 teens took responsibility and showed up. The other 99.67% took their attitude of entitlement to the next level.

Kelly Lynch goes on to describe more entitlement in this saga, this time from the parents.

Instead of sitting little Johnny down and reminding him that what he did is not acceptable and then dragging him by the collar to apologize to Mr. Holloway, you chose instead to harass and threaten the victim. Let's not forget here, your child victimized this man by destroying his home. How dare you respond with anything other than regret, embarrassment, and a sincere apology instead of righteous indignation, threats of violence and lawsuits. 

There is no question where these teens learned their irresponsible, self-centered worldview.

The final illustration of entitlement comes from the millionaires that populate the halls of the U.S. Congress. The latest trend is for these privileged people to demand slashing government assistance for the poor, old, sick, and disabled. So we have people that want for nothing feeling entitled to take away any security for the less fortunate. To amp up the perversity, these people even go so far as claim their callousness is God's will by twisting scripture to serve their mean-spiritedness.

The most recent example comes from Kevin Cramer, a congressman from North Dakota that has been a professional political operative his entire career. In other words, this man has never worked outside the rarified world of wealthy donors, lobbyists, and generous salaries paid by the taxpayers.

Earlier today, a constituent of North Dakota Congressman Kevin Cramer posted a comment on Cramer's Facebook wall. The constituent apparently wanted to make sure that -- after Cramer's vote to take food out of the mouths of hungry children, disabled people, the elderly and many military veterans -- Cramer was aware of some of the Biblical passages supporting the idea of helping the least of these. Cramer's response is kind of stunning. His response is, essentially, to let those people starve. Citing a different Biblical passage, here's what Cramer wrote:

Congressman Kevin Cramer 2 Thessalonians 3:10 English Standard Version (ESV) 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

Cramer's response was to a constituent that dared post Matthew 25:34-43 on the congressman's Facebook wall for all to see. This man is apparently undaunted by Jesus explaining how He will judge the quick and the dead. He is more than willing to bear false witness against the poor by calling them lazy and unwilling to work when the vast majority of those receiving government food assistance are working, but earning too little to support their families. This comes from a man that is paid $174,000 a year to work 125 days, not to mention lifetime health and retirement benefits. He is an entitled hypocrite.

My favorite example of entitlement in the U.S. Congress comes from Stephen Fincher from Tennessee. Like Cramer, he is a big fan of 2 Thessalonians 3:10 as he called the poor freeloaders and frauds on the House floor. His family has also received over $3 million in government farm subsidies from 1999 to 2012.

In Fincher's plan, he recently used a Bible verse about those unwilling to work not eating – as a defense. 

But some have called him hypocritical for reportedly accepting more than $3 million in federal farm subsidies himself since 1999. That includes more than $70,000 in his re-election year of 2012.

He also spearheaded changing how farm subsidies are handed out so large farms (like his) now get large tax cuts instead of direct payments. Profit without social responsibility is his motto.

The reason Christ expressed doubt about the moral fiber of the rich is the attitude of entitlement we see all too often on display. They exhibit narcissism on steroids. No empathy for the suffering of others. Inflated sense that they deserve all they have been given in life and even much more. Their actions have no consequences. They are above reproach. You can see all of those traits on display in the words and deeds of the people cited above.

Jesus used the parable of the faithful servant (Luke 12:42-48) to warn those given much that much more will be expected. The Lord promised dire consequences for the self-centered and self-satisfied, even those that profess faith.

45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

No one should be surprised that Christ had a very pessimistic view of the rich, predicting that most would fail the test of life. Some will exhibit a generosity of spirit that pleases God, but most will only be generous with themselves and their loved ones while giving no thought or care to others. They will succumb to the temptation of self-centeredness that comes from wanting for nothing. Woe to you rich for you have your reward (Luke 6:24).

The question is how should we, the body of Christ, respond during these trying times where the poor are condemned, hated, and left to suffer every indignity possible? Should we approach the rich and appeal to their conscience? Brian Holloway attempted to do that with the 300 children from wealthy families that destroyed his home and he was threatened with violence and lawsuits. Should we engage them by pointing out the error of their ways according to scripture and demand repentance? Do you seriously think that business leaders like Robert Benmosche and political leaders like Kevin Cramer and Stephen Fincher will admit the error of their ways, express remorse, and look to lend a helping hands to the less fortunate? It seems like a colossal waste of time and energy. These people are immune to shame. They respond aggressively to anyone that dares question their actions.

One flaw of liberation theology was attempting to confront and change unjust political and economic systems through political engagement. In the process, some in the church found themselves in bed with those seeking change by any means necessary including violence.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was successful in raising awareness of the evils of racial discrimination through nonviolent protest, but he was murdered when he raised his voice against war and poverty. In our society, mistreating the poor is now perfectly acceptable as long as you do not use skin color as the excuse. Economic inequality and injustices have increased since the death of Dr. King. So far, the arc of history has not bent toward economic justice in a country where Christianity remains the overwhelmingly dominant religion.

Politicians like Cramer and Fincher even tout their Christian credentials, especially when running for office as champions of "family values." Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth but warned that we can lose our savoriness in the eyes of God if we are not careful. In nature salts typically lose their potency by dilution and pollution. These political leaders are pursing materialism (Mammon) while claiming to follow Christ. Their unsavoriness is apparent as they scramble for a sentence of scripture to twist to justify their callousness while ignoring the unmistakeable call for compassion that runs from Genesis to Revelation. Political advocacy by people of faith is not going to change their heart.

Perhaps a more Christ-centered way of bending the arc of history is to find ways to lift the crosses of the poor, sick, disabled, and old that go beyond government assistance and charity. To do that requires people of faith work together and think creatively. Working through or with those infected with the yeast of Mammon will not succeed and more than likely will drag us into the muck with them.

The wedding feast

Here is a modern spin on the parable of the wedding feast  (Luke 14:16-24).

Carol Fowler says she was fully prepared to lose the deposits she and her husband Willie put down on a lavish reception for their daughter's abruptly cancelled wedding. 

"We went home that evening and my husband woke up the next morning and I was in the process of cancelling out the venue and he said, 'No, what we'll do is donate it to Hosea Feed the Hungry,'" Carol told ABCNews.com. 

The poor are invited to take the place of the privileged as wedding guests.

A short while later the couple met up with Elizabeth Omilami, head of Hosea, to coordinate the event, which involved busing some 200 homeless men, women, and children to the reception hall for a four course meal complete with plenty of entertaining activities for the young and old alike.

They are grateful for the opportunity and let nothing go to waste.

Foster also noted that the experience of seeing all the empty plates was "eye-opening" for her. 

"You go to weddings sometimes and you see a lot of people really waste food," she said. "We take so many things for granted. These clients or guests, as we call them, they don't."

The host of the feast was pleased.

"I find suffering here"

A brother in Christ offers an interesting assessment.

CAGLIARI, Sardinia (Reuters) - Pope Francis made one of his strongest attacks on the global economic system on Sunday, saying it could no longer be based on a "god called money" and urged the unemployed to fight for work.

Greed is hurting people in these poor communities.

"I find suffering here ... It weakens you and robs you of hope," he said. "Excuse me if I use strong words, but where there is no work there is no dignity."

The golden calf has returned as many worship wealth and value greed.

"It is not a problem of Italy and Europe ... It is the consequence of a world choice, of an economic system that brings about this tragedy, an economic system that has at its centre an idol which is called money," he said to the cheers of the crowd.

He goes on to say that our economic system throws the vulnerable to the proverbial wolves.

Francis said globalization had brought with it a culture where the weakest in society suffered the most and often, those on the fringes "fall away", including the elderly, who he said were victims of a "hidden euthanasia" caused by neglect of those no longer considered productive.

If you doubt that appraisal, I will show you poor communities where there are high prices, violent gangs, crime, substance abuse, almost no jobs, and little hope of escaping poverty. To further salt the wounds, government programs to help feed the poor and care for the sick have even become political targets. Our society and economic system have failed these people.

I agree with Pope Francis' diagnosis, but it leaves two big questions. Who is going to step up to help? What are they going to do?

Mammon on parade

Payscale has just released its annual list of the most obscenely paid corporate leaders. A bit of background is in order. In 1970, the average CEO was paid about 40 times the median salary of the company's employees. Two decades later, the CEO to worker pay ratio had climbed to nearly 200. In 2012 it reached 354 times. Non-executive pay in this country has essentially stagnated over the past four decades and living wage jobs have been exported to cheap labor markets by the boatload.

The narrative in this country is we live in a "meritocracy." That is, the men and women at the top have "earned" their bloated paychecks, although they get fists full of cash whether their company succeeds or fails. These are supposed to be our role models. Our children should want to grow up and fight their way up the corporate ladder like these gilded idols.

Take a closer look. At the top of the list is the CEO of Walmart, who is paid a mere 1000 times what the average worker in the company makes. This is the same company that put family-owned retail stores out of business all over rural America. Between factory farms and Walmartification, poverty is now all too common in small towns all over the country. And despite $15 to 20 billion in profits every year, Walmart pays most of its retail staff less than $8 an hour, keeps their hours low, and provides few benefits.

You also find Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase. His company has been a part of the largest financial scandals of the past decade, including the 1.5$ trillion LIBOR rate rigging scheme, the mortgage bundling mess at the heart of the housing market crash, energy trading scams, price fixing in the commodity markets, and the "London Whale" scam that cost the company over $6 billion dollars (not counting the $920 million fine for misbehavior). Despite the parade of scandals, this company was bailed out by the taxpayers and Dimon was paid $19 million in salary last year (not counting tens of millions in stock options and benefits).

If my child grew up to look like the people at the top of this list, I would consider myself a complete failure as a parent. These are people who simply do not care how much suffering they create with destructive and even dishonest practices. Their companies now spend millions every year to corrupt politicians and our political process to detriment of our democracy. Market value has replaced values in our society.

This is what I think a hero looks like.

This man is a 55-year-old pastor of a small church on the south side of Chicago. The beautiful child in his lap is his partially blind granddaughter. I meet him an interfaith picnic a few months ago. He spends his time trying to mentor young people in his community and help them find ways off the street and away from gangs. He and his lovely wife have created pop-up festivals, community gardens, and helped rehabilitate abandoned buildings. His faith is alive. You can see Jesus in him (although he is far too humble to accept that characterization).

He describes the challenge in reaching young people in his community as the most difficult thing he has ever tried to do. They describe pursuing an education and a job as "old school" with little chance of success. The only successful entrepreneurs they see in the community are drug dealers. These kids have become numb to the violence all around them..

The values in our society have become perverse. Greed wins out over compassion and justice. Cut-throat competition wins out over cooperation and community. Materialism wins out over people and God. We need Christ more than ever but younger generations are turning away from organized religion in droves.

Take a good look at the suffering all around us and the dark clouds on the horizon. We, the body of Christ, have work to do. Not the kind of work that our society recognizes and rewards, but the kind that finds favor in the eyes of God.

Compare for yourself

In this corner we have Rachel Held Evans. She is a hosting a blog discussion on the subject of homosexuality, using the affirmative talk by Matthew Vines as the jumping off point. (A link to his video can be found in the text below.)

I’ve read several books and articles exploring both the traditional and affirming perspectives, but perhaps no one else so succinctly, persuasively, and carefully presents the affirming view than Matthew Vines in his now-famous no-frills, one-hour lecture on the topic, delivered at a church in his Kansas hometown. Upon confronting the reality that he was gay, Matthew, a committed Christian, left college to devote two years to studying the topic. Now he has launched The Reformation Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to changing church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity. He is currently writing a book for publication by Random House in early 2014.

I saw Matthew's talk about a year ago. It was powerful. Here is a young man devoted to Christ who makes the case that committed same-sex relationships should be accepted in the body of Christ. He is not advocating promiscuity. He is not advocating celibacy. Vows of celibacy often get broken in perverse ways. Think sexual abuse and grossly inappropriate conduct. No, Matthew wants to share his life with a partner in a committed loving relationship as he pursues his call by Christ.

It has seems like a no-brainer to welcome people like Matthew as a brother in Christ. Like Matthew and Rachel, I was raised in a conservative Christian household. Homosexuality was presented as deviance. The big handful of sentences from scripture condemning homosexuality were waved like a flag. I believed all the bluster until I got to know someone who was gay. The only difference between us was that he is attracted to men and I am turned on by women. I could not find another difference. And over the years I have had the privilege to know many incredible people that happened to be gay. One is a painter that was raised Catholic and felt shunned by the church. Yet the walls of his home are covered in crucifixes. He has been in a committed relationship for most of his 70 years of life. He confides that sex now is a just a distant memory because both men struggle with different forms of cancer. The affection between them is palpable. They are caregivers for each other.

There are 613 commandments in the Torah. Jesus boiled them all down to two - love God and love others. Everything follows from these two basic ideas. He set the bar for loving others really high. His example was to go among the people rejected by society, heal their suffering, and share the good news of God's love and grace. He said to love even our enemies, including those that mistreat us. He also had harsh words for religious authorities in a rush to throw stones at sinners. He looked into their hearts and saw sin's corruption. He told the ones without sin to throw the first stone instead of egging on a mob of would be executioners. They all walked away in shame.

Rachel gives her reaction to the video in the comments section. Here is some of what she said:

What I like most about Matthew's presentation is that he deals with some of the lingering questions I always have after hearing the affirming view. His response to the challenge that "all the BIble's references to homosexuality are negative," is, I think, a good one. That has always been a hang-up of mine, and while Matthew's response still leaves a question in my mind (why are there no positive examples of a homosexual relationships in Scripture?) it makes sense. I also think he responds well to the charge that gay Christians who don't want to be celibate are just trying to take the easy way out and are unwilling to commit to the sacrificial nature of following Jesus.

In the other corner, we have the Ridgedale Church of Christ.

But that’s what happened at Ridgedale Church of Christ, which last month asked a family to choose between its support of a gay relative and its membership in the church. The family left their church home of some 60 years over the confrontation and told their story, making headlines from coast to coast.

Katherine Cooper is a policewoman on the force of a nearby city. She petitioned the city council to extend partner benefits to her spouse, a woman she married in another state. The city council agreed. The public hearing caught the attention of church members. Kat Cooper just happens to have grown up in Ridgedale Church of Christ and is the great granddaughter of one of the church's founding members. Church elders told the parents and other relatives to come before the congregation and repent of their support for their loved one. The family chose to leave the church.

Ridgedale Pastor Ken Willis said the family the church approached was asked to repent for their public show of support for a gay relative. Church leaders couldn’t ignore what they felt was a flouting of church values, he said, but the family is welcome back in the congregation.

“God’s mercy endures forever,” he said last week. “But not for those who are in rebellion against God.”

Interesting choice of words - "those who are in rebellion against God." Leaders of Ridgedale Church of Christ wanted to conduct a public stoning of sorts.

Instead of accepting a public shaming, the family walked out. It set a powerful example.

Beyond that, what Ridgedale showed was church members standing up against religious authority in a public fashion. Such stories just don’t find their way to the evening news, the morning paper or national blogs the way the Ridgedale incident did.

Do you see Christ in these church leaders? Do you see Christians being taught to love others as Jesus taught? It is not obvious to me. You mean to tell me those church leaders are without sin?

The tempest caught the attention of others even including high profile leaders like Richard Land. 

Richard Land, president of the Southern Evangelical Seminary and Bible College, said churches should get back in the habit of holding members accountable. Too many have gone soft, he said, as an overreaction to past abuses in which the church publicly humiliated and castigated members. 

“I think we should be practicing church discipline more, but in the right way,” said Land, the onetime head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s ethics and religious liberty commission. “The purpose of church discipline is not to drive people away. It is to make them aware of their sin and the fact that their sin is damaging their relationship with God. It’s a hurdle put up in your way to keep you from going down the wrong path.”

This is the same Richard Land that preemptively blessed the war in Iraq in the name of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). His prophesy that the war was just and consistent with the teachings of Christ can be found here. As we all know now, this turned out to be a war justified on lies. It was the most expensive in our history. Attempts to rebuild the country were filled with incompetence and corruption. We rewrote Iraqi laws to give control of its oil to multinational corporations. The country is still racked by the sectarian violence that could erupt in all-out civil war. The fruits of this war have all been rotten. Now find me any attempt to hold Richard Land accountable for his false prophesy. It took racist comments and plagiarism to get him in trouble with the SBC. Fascinating role model for seminary students.

Now come calls from other church leaders in the area to support Ridgedale Church of Christ. They even charge that Ridgedale is being persecuted for standing up to sinners. You can find a few examples here and here. In their eyes, Ridgedale is just getting tough with sin. They are being condemned by a  secular culture for not bending to changing attitudes toward homosexuality.

Robert Gagnon is the go-to biblical scholar for those that demand that homosexuals be treated as second class citizens and Christians. You can find his reaction to views similar to those of Matthew Vines here.

Imagine you are a person without faith. Would you be more open to God after hearing Matthew Vines or Ridgedale pastor Ken Willis?

It is not enough

Joseph McCartin writes of the increasingly high profile of religious leaders in the fight for economic justice, specifically the fight for living wage jobs.

It is not surprising that religious leaders have been conspicuously present on many of the fast food workers' picket lines. The recent protests have seen priests and ministers, rabbi and imams joining hands with fast food workers. The nation's largest labor-religious coalition, Interfaith Worker Justice, which is sponsoring Labor Day prayer services in cities across the country honoring the dignity of labor, has taken up their cause. So has Rev. Cheri Kroon, of the Flatbush Reform Church in Brooklyn. In April Rev. Kroon told the New York Times that her community was "filled with fast-food workers who have been suffering due to low wages, no sick days and unsafe working conditions."

Religious engagement is important in creating an economic system that values the contribution of all. Work without dignity is slavery. McCartin sees religious leaders speaking out on the "poverty wages" being paid by the richest corporations on the planet as critical for progress. Yes, it does indeed the warm the heart to see people of faith raise their voices.

The big question is whether this appeal to the larger conscience of our society will bring about a charge in the cold hearts of capitals of industry. McCartin raised my doubts with this:

The faith leaders now rallying to support fast food workers' demands for a living wage are reviving one of America's oldest and most powerful arguments for social justice, one deeply rooted in religious ideals. Many of those marching today for a fifteen-dollar wage for fast food workers might not realize that the very term "living wage" was first popularized by an American Roman Catholic priest, Monsignor John A. Ryan. In 1906 Fr. Ryan published a book called A Living Wage, which argued that workers deserved to earn enough to support themselves and their families in dignity. Over the next three decades, Ryan emerged as the nation's most forceful moral advocate for minimum wage. Many saw the passage of the federal minimum wage law in 1938 as a fulfillment of Ryan's long crusade.

So there is a history of success. The collapse of Wall Street and the Great Depression brought hardship, but it also brought reforms thanks in part to powerful religious voices.

Take a longer view. Appealing for corporate and government reforms was successful in the short run in improving living standards for people at the bottom of the economic ladder. But in the long run, the corporations eventually bought off politicians and found new ways to exploit the labor market. Corporate profits have never been higher yet economic economic opportunities are few, especially for the pesky peasants.

Just because faith leadership is not going to successfully plant compassion in the hearts of corporate leaders does not mean we should not try. However, rather than rolling the same stone up the same hill and hoping for better results, perhaps we should reconsider the stone.

Charity, government programs, and speaking out for compassion have all proven to be ineffective. Part of the problem is that the tangible commodity in charity and government programs is money. Whether you encourage people to give money to help those in need in the form of donations or taxes, the end result is the same. In the best of times, charities and government assistance try to make poverty less painful. When times are tough, the rich blame the poor for the bad economy and demand to stop providing material assistance to them. The 2012 election cycle produced record individual and corporate contributions to politicians, many of which took to the stump to disparage the poor and demand cuts to government assistance.

We need a new approach. There are growing pockets of poverty in rural, suburban, and urban America. These are broken communities plagued by violence, substance abuse, high costs, and no opportunities. Demanding more money for charity or government assistance will not heal these broken communities. We need innovation. A better stone to roll up the hill.

I support speaking out for living wage jobs, but it will not heal captains of industry of their greed. I support a safety net for the homeless, hungry, unemployed, sick, disabled, and old, but it will not heal broken communities and families. If the 20th century taught us anything it is that the tension between greed and compassion favors pigs.

I believe the Holy Spirit can lead those of us with ears to hear and hearts to listen. We can come up with better approaches to heal communities plagued with few opportunities and painful obstacles. Christ expects us to follow his example to heal and spread the love of God. Mammon-worshiping capitalists are no match for God's love. The Lord also said the rich will pay a terrible price for their greed. Justice is coming. Our job is to heal suffering in God's name.

Fifty years ago a pastor shared his vision

Five decades have passed since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. He spoke the hard truths about racism in America. He appealed to conscience and faith to change hearts, minds, and laws. Following Christ, he had a dream to heal a nation that denied some people dignity, freedom, and opportunity. A true prophetic voice.

I say to you today, my friends, though, even though we face the difficulties of toclay and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.  I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

As a white kid growing up in the South, I watched this speech on television. It was the first time I understood that racism was far more that one race not liking the other. It was much more than slurs and slander. It was discrimination. It was near certain poverty. It was a systematic attack on dignity. It was hatred personified.

When I fell in love with Jesus as a teen, I saw Christ in action in Dr. King. He was preaching gospel truth about loving others before an enormous crowd on the very steps of power. It was an extraordinary witness for the love of God. King even dared us to look at each other through the eyes of God. What a radical concept!

I was enchanted by Dr. King fifty years ago and my admiration of him has grown with time.

Times have changed. Racial injustices are giving way to a widening economic gap between the affluent and everyone else. More are falling into poverty and struggling to find any semblance of financial security. Greed has become the only real virtue in our society. Some Christians even think the only sins that count are sexual. Love of money is no longer the root of all sorts of evil, but rather a fountain from which all blessings flow. Sure Christ said you cannot love God and wealth - that was long ago. Perhaps the rich of today are morally and ethically superior to the rich of Jesus' time. I think we need Dr. King's voice now more than ever.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/24/3580335_p3/full-text-of-martin-luther-king.html#storylink=cpy

What has not changed is our thirst for freedom and justice.

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!

We need a new voice to channel Christ by reminding us what it means to be brothers and sisters in the family of God. To create that "beautiful symphony of brotherhood." Facebook friends and likes do not count. We are called by the Lord to love all, even strangers and enemies.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/24/3580335_p3/full-text-of-martin-luther-king.html#storylink=cpy

Christian ethics and homosexuality

Enough debate. There is little to discuss. Next to nothing. What we have here are two vastly different visions of Christian ethics.

One vision claims that homosexuals need to be chastised for being unrepentant sinners even though each and every one of us sin and continue to sin. The Law of Moses requires taking up stones. Paul would be okay with it as long as you do not throw the stones. Correct me if I mischaracterized  theological "conservatives" on this issue.

The other vision is that we are bound by the teachings of Jesus to love and respect all. The scriptures clearly state that same-sex relationships may offend God. Let people attracted to the same sex iron out their own differences with God. God does not need the rest of us as an intercessory. Christian ethics requires that each of us work on our own relationship with God, not stand in judgment of others. We have two simple commandments - love God and love others. You cannot claim to love God and then turn around and mistreat other people. Neither can you claim to love Christ and ignore the words of Jesus.

Consider this. Some Christians are doing everything they can to prevent homosexuals from reconciling with God. These warriors for Christ want to ostracize homosexuals from faith communities and the community at large. Treat them as second class citizens or even criminals. Marginalize. Dehumanize. Tell them they are disliked by God rather than loved.

It is not complicated. Jesus said no stones for anyone that is guilty of their own sins. That leaves no one holding stones. By the way, be especially careful if you are love to talk about hating the sin of homosexuality. It is very, very difficult to love another person while despising something about them.

While we debate the Christian response to same-sex couples, we are ignoring the suffering all around us. We live in a society where the most vulnerable are being kicked to the curb. The sick. The old. The mentally or physically disabled. Especially the poor. Too many of us that call ourselves Christians stand idly by and seem quite content to let the frail suffer. We are not repairing the world according to the Lord's instruction because it is more fun to debate doctrine than solve problems. I suspect there will be hell to pay for not loving others as Jesus taught his disciples through word and deed.

What better way to prepare for Christ's return than to lift the crosses of those in need and live in peace with others. Beacons of God's love as reflected in our love for all of God's creation. Love God. Love each other. No exceptions.

This is America

This is the country we live in during the blighted 21st century. The very same country God blessed with bountiful resources. Let's walk the mean streets of America.

Did you hear about the twenty-something overnight technology millionaire named Peter Shih? The one that thumbed his nose at everyone in San Francisco, with special animus toward the poor in his midst.

San Francisco has some of the craziest homeless people I have ever seen in my life. Stop giving them money, you know they just buy alcohol and drugs with it right? Next time just hand them a handle of vodka and a pack of cigarettes, it’ll save everyone some trouble. I’m seriously tempted to start fucking with people and pay for homeless guys to ride the Powell street cable cars in the middle of the day, that ought to get the city’s attention.

I liked the editorial comment by the Uptown Almanac:

Peter has been crushing it lately. Peter's start-up is seeing exponential growth. Peter is raising money. Peter is raising hell. Peter is about to hire a growth hacker. Peter is king. 

But San Francisco is bringing Peter down. San Francisco is allowing mentally ill, drug-addicted homeless people abandoned by society to be in the same 49 square miles as Peter. Peter does not approve. Peter just wants to make apps for other Peters, call out some women for being bitches, and put the world's issues out of Peter's mind. But Peter is a visionary. Peter is an innovator. Peter is going to disrupt the city's blindness to Peter's problem with homeless people by paying the homeless to hang out with tourists. Peter will solve homelessness for Peter.

Sounds like an Ayn Rand devotee. Those arrogant twits think themselves gods.

Not to be outdone by a rich slacker, cities in Florida and South Carolina have made it a crime to be homeless. Yes, make sure the people already deprived of every dignity face losing their freedom.

City council members in Columbia, S.C., recently voted unanimously to criminalize homelessness. 

Concerned that Columbia has become a “magnet for homeless people,” and that businesses and the area’s safety are suffering as a result, council members agreed on Aug. 14 to give people on the streets the option to either relocate, or get arrested, according to the city’s “Emergency Homeless Response” report. 

Cooperative homeless people will be given the option to go to a remote 240-person bed emergency shelter, which will be open from September to March. The shelter will also be used as a drop-off for people recently released from prison and jail, too.

Let me walk you through the math. There are more than 1600 homeless people in the Columbia, South Carolina. The city is a building a 240-person minimum security prison for the lucky homeless. The police will supervise all coming to going away from this newfangled "shelter." The even less fortunate will be carted off to city jails. Nothing opens up job opportunities like a criminal record.

I take it there are few followers of Christ in South Carolina. How could there be a real presence of Jesus in a place where so many affluent people blame their business and personal insecurity on the poor? It is not possible. You cannot claim to love an unseen God and mistreat people you see in need. Jesus made it abundantly clear that we are responsible to care for the people crying out for help.

“As small business owners on Main Street we see first hand how the homeless crisis is affecting the city,” Jessica and Joe Kastner, owners of Paradise Ice, said according to the report. “Unfortunately it seems the people who make their living off of caring for the homeless are the ones making all the noise at these meetings. They've had 20 years to fix the problem and it has only gotten worse thus ensuring their paychecks stay safe. Please think about the everyday citizens, the revitalization of Columbia and the safety of everyone.”

The Christ-less business people accuse organizations serving the poor of not solving economic disparities that leave some homeless. Although there are few economic opportunities for the poor, mentally ill, disabled, or suffering with an addiction, business owners are demanding more tough love for the less fortunate.

Here is a member of Congress from the great state of Oklahoma by the name of Markwayne Mullin. Mind you, he said this during a town hall meeting with his constituents:

In a video of the event posted by ThinkProgress, the freshman Republican said he was in Crystal City, Va., buying groceries in a nice but crowded store when he noticed something strange. 

"Every lane was open and it was backed up and I noticed everybody was giving that card," Mullin said, apparently referring to the electronic benefit transfer cards most states use to distribute food stamps. "They had these huge baskets, and I realized it was the first of the month."

Wait, it gets better.

"But then I’m looking over, and there’s a couple beside me," Mullin continued. "This guy was built like a brick house. I mean he had muscles all over him. He was in a little tank top and pair of shorts and really nice Nike shoes. And she was standing there, and she was all in shape and she looked like she had just come from a fitness program. She was in the spandex, and you know, they were both physically fit. And they go up in front of me and they pay with that card." 

Mullin knew what he'd witnessed. "Fraud," he said. "Absolute 100 percent, all of it is fraud. There's fraud all through that."

So this privileged politician claims that anyone who is not physically or mentally incapacitated should not be not be fed. Ironically, this man also claims to be Pentecostal Christian. He seems to think the spirit of God only moves among the economically secure. It does make you wonder where this man got the idea that what Jesus taught is less important than believing Christ will give you eternal life.

This is also the America that enslaves young people in crushing debt and economic despair.

Researchers from Northwestern University found that adults ages 24 to 32 with high financial debt are more likely to have poorer self-reported health (both mental and physical), as well as higher diastolic blood pressure. (Diastolic blood pressure is thebottom number on a blood-pressure reading; WebMD defines it as indicative of "the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats").

"You wouldn't necessarily expect to see associations between debt and physical healthin people who are so young," study researcher Elizabeth Sweet, assistant professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a statement. "We need to be aware of this association and understand it better. Our study is just a first peek at how debt may impact physical health."

 The young are being robbed of their economic and health security. Christ would be so impressed.

We are repaying the gift of God's bounty by allowing the affluent to increase the suffering of the poor. America has become vicious in the 21st century. Fear the rapture, folks. The Lord is coming and He will not be smiling.

Evangelist for guns

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition. What is the witness for Christ by this pastor in Texas?

HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- Terry Holcomb Sr. is a pastor in San Jacinto County, but he is also a staunch advocate of the 2nd Amendment who is now taking his rifle on walks through Huntsville to get people talking about gun laws in Texas. 

In videos he posted on YouTube, Holcomb is shown walking into Double Dave’s Pizza, Starbucks, Jack in the Box and Walmart in Huntsville. He carries his AR-15 Bushmaster .223 slung over his shoulder, behind his back with the barrel pointed down. He said the magazine was loaded, the chamber was empty and the safety was on.

I understand that this man is strong advocate for guns. It is the pastor part that confuses me.

The words of Jesus recorded in the four gospels makes it clear that we are to pursue the things of God rather than the things of this world. We are to hold onto our mortal coil loosely. Very loosely. Being willing to sacrifice your life for a stranger or even a sworn enemy. He sacrificed his life for all of us. If you know the gospels, you know what I am saying is true. So what is the example being set by this pastor?

Guns are used to protect your life, often at the expense of another life. Guns are also used to harm others in the commission of sin. In other words, gun lovers value their mortal existence to the point of risking their very soul for killing an innocent person. Taking a life is even encouraged in places like Florida. The need for guns is just another manifestation of materialism.

It seems rather immature in Christ for a pastor to make a spectacle of his love for another form of materialism. The thing that drove him to the streets was a need to show off his assault rifle. Never mind the love of God. Never mind the people crying out from want, disease, or oppression. His aggressive performance art is to evangelize for guns, not God.

Holcomb said the reason he took the walk through Huntsville and through several private businesses was to educate people about Texas open carry laws and how he, and thousands of other gun rights activists, would like to see Texas law changed. 

Texas is not an “open carry” state. You cannot legally in Texas, like you can in the state of Virginia for example, carry a handgun openly on your hip. Texas law states the handgun must be concealed under your clothing.

It also makes me wonder what he is teaching his flock if this is his public example. Jesus allowed his own life to be taken. The Lord said we, His followers, are to set the bar as high as possible for loving others. Publicity stunts for Mammon seems questionable in the context of Christ.

This outrageous behavior has become all too common. We see Christian leaders everywhere you look singing the praises of "free market" materialism, politicians, guns, and war. Christian media routinely host guests that recommend policies straight from the pages of avowed atheist Ayn Rand. Richard Land blessed the Iraq war as "just" in the name of Southern Baptists. That Holcomb fellow down in Texas is just another in a long line of highly visible Christians doing their best to betray the teachings of Christ. We should be outdoing one another in acts of brotherly and sisterly love. 

We are number one in the world

The latest statistics are in. The U.S. leads the world in imprisonment. We have nearly 2.4 million prison cells and over 99% of them are occupied. No other developed nation has imprisonment rates that even come close to ours. It is difficult to look at these numbers and not think about grace.

The example God sets is forgiveness and mercy. Jesus reminds his followers to emulate those qualities in our dealings with others. So why have we collectively as a nation become so punitive and vengeful?

There are some obvious reasons. One is greed. Our politicians have fostered a rapidly growing for-profit prison system. These companies, in turn, lobby for mandatory minimum sentences that are growing ever longer and make generous campaign contributions to politicians to expand the prison populations. In short, our justice system has been subverted to serve the needs of corporations that run prisons. It is very big business. Here are the numbers for GEO, one of the largest prison companies.

In 2012, Geo (GEO) had revenue of $1.48 billion, up from $569 million 10 years earlier, with net income of $135 million. George Zoley, its chairman and chief executive officer, received almost $6 million last year, including a $2.2 million bonus for profit surpassing targets, according to company filings.

In order to maintain the cancerous growth in profits to keep stock prices rising, these companies need more prisoners and less staff, which has led to deplorable conditions at many facilities. Walnut Grove, a private prison in Mississippi for juvenile offenders, even attracted national attention for inmate violence and sexual abuse by staff. Curiously, these companies have kept their records secret despite receiving boatloads of taxpayer money.

No national data tracks whether the facilities are run as well as public ones, and private-prison lobbyists for years have successfully fought efforts to bring them under federal open-records law. Yet regulatory, court and state records show that the industry has repeatedly experienced the kind of staffing shortages and worker turnover that helped produce years of chaos at Walnut Grove.

The Apostle Paul warned that love of money was the root of all kinds of evil. He was right. You cannot love money and love others as Jesus commanded us to do. The temptation to chase after money is too great, even when our neighbors are stripped of dignity and hope as a consequence.

Racism and classism also play a role. Our prison populations are dominated by poor blacks and Hispanics. Again, these are remarkable failures to love others. The privileged, on the other hand, can get away with theft on a grand scale and even murder.

The hope of John Winthrop in 1630 was that America would become a model of Christian charity. Justice and mercy in our dealings with others were the cornerstones of that model. Instead of becoming that shining city on a hill, we set the bar high for vindictiveness and shameful treatment of others in service of greed. Since our politicians and religious leaders love to quote Winthrop, it would be wise to heed his warning.

For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and all professors for God's sake. We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are going.

We cannot claim to emulate God's grace when we imprison millions out of fear, hatred, and greed. Time for a little soul searching.

Reactions to Pope Francis

David Gibson has an interesting discussion of the reactions of some Catholics to Pope Francis. His humility, simplicity, vibrancy, compassion, and focus on social justice have been sweet music to my ears. One need only look at the reactions of the massive crowds during his recent trip to Brazil to see something glorious happening. How could anyone that professes love for Christ not be ecstatic? It boggles the mind.

Yet not everyone is pleased.  One cardinal sin of the new pope is that he does not praise the godly "free market" and demands actions for those at the bottom of the economic ladder.

Since Francis’ election, the anxiety on the right has only mounted as he has continued to model a radically different pontificate — preaching about the evils of the globalized economy while repeatedly reminding his followers to care for the poor and marginalized.

The very fact that the followers of Christ need to be reminded to care for the poor and disenfranchised is unsettling. With its clarion call for compassion, the entire gospel of Matthew is a blueprint for Christian praxis. How could someone that accepts scripture as the foundation of faith wring their hands over Francis' focus on social justice?

There are some remarkable and revealing quotes in this article.

Here is audacity:

Catholics on “the right wing of the church,” Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput said on the eve of the Brazil trip, “have not been really happy about (Francis’) election.” Chaput, a vocal conservative in the U.S. hierarchy, told the National Catholic Reporter that Francis “will have to care for them, too, so it will be interesting to see how all this works out in the long run.”

In most organizations, vocal criticism of the boss will get you in serious trouble. You would think that someone so far up the hierarchy would never go public with discontent about the boss of bosses. Of course, the archbishop betrays his true concerns. He views the pope as catering to a particular wing of the church hierarchy and feeling slighted, demands more attention for the "right wing." So he thinks that the pope is focusing on social justice to bless the pet causes of his supporters instead of genuine concern for the most vulnerable. I am sure Jesus would laugh heartily at the idea that the feelings of church leaders matter more than his flock.

Here is entitlement:

“They have loyally supported the church with donations and activism and can be expected to oppose any change in direction of the sort Francis has signaled,” Michael D’Antonio, author of a book on the clergy abuse scandals, wrote in a Foreign Policy magazine essay that asked, “Is Francis too radical for his flock?”

That seems like stockholders mentality. If you have contributed the most time and money, your wishes need take precedence. To paraphrase Orwell, all parishioners are equal, but some are more equal than others. Those without money and time to donate are less important. Huzzah.

Here is pure, unadulterated cynicism:

Some even think, as writer Elizabeth Scalia explained in the conservative journal First Things, that Francis may be manipulating journalists in order to insinuate traditional Catholic teaching into mainstream press reports.

If by some sick and twisted chance Pope Francis is engaged in deceit and subterfuge, Scalia will stand and cheer. By the same token, she will be deeply disappointed if the pope is actually speaking truth from his heart. Someone should cast out her demon.

And finally, here is an expert on religious heretics:

“To the extent that conservative Catholics in the United States find themselves actively disagreeing with Pope Francis’s emphases … it might help cure them/us of the recurring Catholic temptation toward papolatry,” wrote New York Times columnist Ross Douthat. 

 All of this begs the obvious question. With "friends" like these, who needs enemies?