I saw this on Facebook this morning and the reality of it finally hit me. We have all heard the argument repeated multiple times - if you are going to use the bible to persecute homosexuals, then it is only fair that you go after all of the other items the bible speaks against - and that you go at them with equal vigor.
Yet the truth is, we never see this. There are no big Christian groups going after the people who eat shellfish without the slightest hint of shame. No religious sects are calling for the boycott of clothiers who mix fabrics. I watch as well-fed Christians go on and on about the destruction gay marriage is going to rain down upon America.... while they greedily chomp on pork in its varied fried forms.
They don't go after these things because, even from their narrow perspective, that would appear.... looney.
I only seem to be able to perceive the Christian who condemns homosexuality in one of two ways. Either they give equal credence to the condemnation of mixed fabric, at which point I can't help but think of them as a bit looney - or they are simply grabbing a scripture to support a bigotry they already have... and leave mixed fabric alone because it is of no consequence to them. In this case, they are simply an asshole.
So, I am not finding room for middle ground. I know a lot of Christians who insist of their love for homosexuals and want to treat them kindly, but feel they still need to define homosexuality as sin. It sounds like a softer, more acceptable position.... and for a while, I tried to respect it... but I just can't. I don't buy it anymore. Because, again, you will not find that person taking that more metered view on any number of other abominations in the bible. They don't love the shellfish eater, but still feel the need to hold to the biblical truth of that person's sinfulness. You don't hear them trying to draw equivalencies like, "Yes, that person mixes fabric... but God hates my sin of gossip too... so we are all just sinners!"
No, you never hear statements like that because... well... the Christian knows they would sound completely moronic. Which just shows how cultural these things are. What Christianity has not yet grasped is that when they hold an anti-homosexual position, even when nuanced with as much grace as they can allow, it sounds to everyone else the way a biblically based anti-mixed-fabric person would sound to them.
A bit looney.
So, the choice is - take the whole "Word" and EVERYTHING that entails.... or, admit that you are selecting to separate certain verses because your religious culture directs you to do so.
But please stop acting like you have an acceptable, nuanced, middle ground because... like Jesus... that position just makes everyone else want to throw up.
I have been listening to the audiobook of God, No! for the past week on my drives to and from work. It is wonderful. Penn does his own reading, which MAKES the book. I can't imagine anyone else being able to deliver his material. Penn's reading is so casual and animated, you can imagine you are sitting across from him at a pub while he dominates the conversation. I have not laughed so hard in a long time. I have never seen his magic show, but if he does sleight of hand half as well as he spins a yarn - it must be something to see.
Penn weaves in and out of religion and atheism, often just sharing an amusing personal story to highlight a life lesson. His vocabulary and mode of speech is often joyously crass as he explains his passions, however, you never doubt this man has a heart of gold. Still, Penn says fuck and cocksucker with such wild abandon that I make sure I am a fair distance from school before pressing play.
One part that particularly caught me was as he told the story of a Hasidic Jew turned atheist he met after the show. The man wanted Penn to help him lose his Kosher "virginity" by joining him for a bacon cheeseburger. Penn went on to talk about their friendship and some of his insights into the Hasidic faith. Though he could list a hundred things wrong with Hasidic Judaism, he did say that he -nevertheless- was envious of their community. I could relate - I feel that way about Mormonism. I am clear on all the points of disagreement I have with their faith, nevertheless, I find their community downright enviable.
Penn shares tales about performing magic, getting naked in zero gravity, being spurned in a gay bathhouse, and his love of women with tattoos and artificial breasts. Wit and wisdom are woven through his stories to create hours of entertainment and ideas with which to wrestle.
During various staff and class "get to know you" games, I often hear "If you could have dinner with one celebrity, who would it be?" After listening to this book, I would answer Penn Jillette!
Scrooge may be one of literature's unsung heroes. He is the victim of having been created at the wrong place and in the wrong era. His value system was scorned and treated with derision. How would he be judged today?
Today, there are scores of Americans loudly trumpeting and rallying for his values. He is not a miser, but a hero! In the past, he was the archetype of a failed human being; today he would be doing book signings and preaching his message on the AM radio dial.
Consider some of his quotes which used to earn him the reputation of a miser and wicked man...
"I wish to be left alone, sir! That is what I wish! I don't make myself merry at Christmas and I cannot afford to make idle people merry. I have been forced to support the establishments I have mentioned through taxation and God knows they cost more than they're worth. Those who are badly off must go there."
Here he articulates a belief that anyone receiving assistance is "idle".
"Another word from you, Cratchit, and you will celebrate Christmas by losing your position."
Scrooge uses his financial advantage to further line his pockets while paying as little as he can. The abuse of workers does not bother him because if they do not like it, they may go elsewhere. In his mind, he has committed no foul. This is a completely justifiable position to many Americans.
Scrooge believes virtue comes from making money and being shrewd in business. The following statement by Jacob Marley runs in complete opposition to his worldview:
"Business?! Mankind was my business! The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!"
Yes, Scrooge may have been a failure in the mind and era of Dickens; but in many town halls across today's America ....
Tea Leaf Reading: A form of divination or fortune-telling method that interprets patterns in tea leaves.
Once or twice a month, I get an email or a comment on my blog from an enthusiastic Christian who wants to point out the error of my ways. Sometimes it is done gracefully, but more often than not it is proclaimed by someone who has become overly frustrated because I have the audacity to hold a view of God that is different than theirs. If this were the 16th century, some commentators would probably have me burned at the stake - as John Calvin did Michael Servetus. Since present laws and culture will not permit that, they must resign themselves to caustic comments and emails.
The latest comment on one of my Truth Project (a DVD series by Focus on the Family) blogs finished off by warning me not to comment further, lest there be eternal consequences. Interesting theology... but I actually want to focus on the beginning of his comment. He said:
"I am simply amazed at how on earth you got to be on the top of Googles searches regarding the Truth Project but it simply goes to show me how powerful the enemy is and how important things like the Truth Project really are. Your views are not only wrong they are a terrifying example of why the project exists in the first place."
His interpretation of what has placed my articles at the top of Google searches is very typical of how some Christians read random events. He doesn't like what I have written, so he interprets that this blog's high placement in Google searches must be the work of Satan.
However, one could just as easily say that Focus on the Family is spreading a poor interpretation of God though their Truth Project seminars, and God was getting a little tired of the misrepresentation; so He bumped a nobody blogger to the top of Google's list to try to get the word out that Focus on the Family has gone way off the path.
Of course, either view is just Tea Leaf Reading... looking at a random happening and assigning an outside meaning to it. Not too different from thinking that fluffy white cloud bears a striking resemblance to Scooby-Doo.
Before I get started, I want to put in a plug for fellow blogger Adam, who has been doing some great summations and commentary of The Truth Project by Focus on the Family. You can check out his writings here.
Somehow in Google's calculations, one of my articles on the Truth Project has moved up to the third item on their search list. Not sure how long that will last, but it is causing my blog to get slammed (slammed for my little corner anyway).
About twice a month I will get emails thanking me or condemning me for my articles. The disadvantage to email, as opposed to commenting, is that no one else sees your response. Most thank-yous are short, but the complaints can get lengthy. I don't mind the complaints, but a lot of them repeat stuff that someone has already taken me to task about.
So, I thought I might post a couple of the more coherent complaints (many are just mindless rants), and my responses so future complaints can deal with topics that nobody has touched yet.
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(Letter)
I stumbled across your comments as I was searching The Truth Project, which I have seen. I tried to find out more about you and was disappointed to find that your self-description was very limited. I find that in order to make heads or tail of someone's opinions you need to understand his bias.
Everyone is biased by his upbringing, his life's experience and especially his personality. I find that in order to actually be open to truth, you need an understanding of your personal bias (your personal worldview) before you can really be open to truth. I am glad that you are passionate enough about your search for God that you would spend so much time expressing your opinions. You are obviously an intelligent person. Intelligence alone is not enough when searching for truth. I am disappointed in your methods of interpreting scripture.
Your bias is very obvious.Truth by definition is not relative. It is there to grasp and to provide confidence for your faith. I would be interested in knowing enough about you to see why you have arrived at answers that seem graceful and loving but are actually misunderstandings. As an Evangelical Christian myself I think you have totally misunderstood The Truth Project.
(My response)
I appreciate your taking the time to read my blog and to comment. Although you and I may disagree about the Truth Project, I am sure there are many points of Faith that we have in common. I want to use something you said to explain why I feel the way I do.
"Everyone is biased by his upbringing, his life's experience and especially his personality."
I couldn't agree more. These biases and vested interests are something all of us are subject to and can never fully get away from. That is why I cannot agree with your second statement:
"Truth by definition is not relative."
Every word we utter, every word we hear, is filtered through our biases and vested interests. Not even scripture can be purely distilled. Each of us reads a verse and asks, "What does that mean?" That is why we hear certain verses quoted often by some and little by others. We all weigh into it differently.
God is Truth... the rest of us muddle through as best, and hopefully as honestly, as we can.
I may be wrong about the Truth project, however I can state that I used to think in that format. It is not an unknown area for me.
Blessings to you and all those you do life with this Christmas season!
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(Letter)
Hi.Just have to say are you kidding me about the men in suits having the right answers and the women having the wrong answers?Seriously, you are reaching.Obviously they are interviewing people off the street when they aren't in suits. The men in suits are prepared and ready to answer the questions and anyone can see that. They aren't trying to fool anyone with that.Plus there is a "respectable" engineer that they are interviewing that doesn't have the "right answers".
Sorry, I just get tired of people ALWAYS trying and reaching to find something wrong when these people are trying to do something so right. We are human and aren't going to get it exactly right and God can give individuals the discernment, but really, do you think you are helping anything by picking apart what YOU think is not right. Well, it isn't. This series is amazing and it's an eye-opener.You don't have to agree with every single detail of every single sentence, but you are going to miss a lot of truths if you are just looking constantly for things that could be right or wrong. I didn't even agree with your other points either just so you know.
In the end, we are both believers, and I'm happy that I'll meet you in heaven some day so we can laugh at the way we both fought thru all this stuff to find truth.Thank God for grace.Ha.
(My response)
If the white men in suits being right were the fulcrum of my argument, I would agree with you. However, I was merely pointing out the ironic ending of the whole thing... the cherry on top, as it were.
Do I think I am helping? Perhaps I am not, but I believe I am and here is my reasoning. It is not enough that the TP is "trying to do something right". When their rhetoric is designed to present "the Christian Worldview", they have taken on the right to speak for a myriad of people, both living and not. I believe in this that they have overstepped their bounds. They of course have every right, even a duty, to present their view as they understand it. However, it is inappropriate to state things with as broad a brush as they do.
Secondly, it is necessary that other views be heard. Scripture is very clear that we are not to judge ourselves by ourselves or compare ourselves with ourselves. In many counselors there is wisdom. The fact is there are many Christians entrenched in the TP style of rhetoric and because they surround themselves with like minded people, they are not even aware that there are other ways to consider these points. If they hear ANYTHING to the contrary, the only thought they will let enter in is that the contrary position is wrong - no wrestling, no consideration. I by no means think people ought to avoid the TP, there are a number of people at my church who teach it; but I do hope they will look at it critically. If you google search the TP, there is plenty of praise for it. I think a critique or two should be allowable.
Atheism is a reasonable response to the universe. I mean, if my view of religion was dependent on typical religious people, I would have jumped ship long ago. The behavior of many people in my faith community has to make me laugh sometimes.... my only other response would be to cry.
Focus on the Family pulled from its citizenlink site an interview they had with national talk-show host Glenn Beck regarding his latest book "The Christmas Sweater". It is a fictional story based on Glenn's own experience growing up as an ungrateful teen. You can read the interview at Mormon Times here.
So why did the interview get pulled? Basically, because some Christian groups felt that Beck (who is Mormon) sounded TOO Christian in the article and complained to Focus. Apparently, the Christian public needs to be protected from Mormons who sound too Christian.
Now don't get me wrong. I am no fan of Glenn Beck. In fact, I think Focus and Beck deserve each other.
However, Focus on the Family's move to pull the article is typical of what I see in many (though not all) Christian circles. It is an inability to listen to anything or anyone that is not in 100% agreement. If there is any deviation from one's standard norm, the words of the other become tainted and therefore should probably not even be heard.
I have seen this from various Christians who interact with Mormons here in Salt Lake. We took some visiting friends of ours down to Temple Square. They grew increasingly uncomfortable the longer we stayed, stating that their children were becoming confused by the mixing of traditional Christianity and Mormonism there.
I have never had this problem with my children. I have always explained in detail, in a positive way, different religious views. My daughter would then respond, "How is that different from what we believe?"
I would then state "Well sweetheart, this is what I believe... as you grow you will have to work out what you believe."
As I grew up, I remember being shocked that people of other religions, and atheists, were not the demons I had been told to expect. I was confused by the lack of continuity between what I had been taught and what I was experiencing. I have determined that my children will not have to unlearn things to the level that I did.
To bring this back around, what Focus is doing is typical of what I grew up with... shhhhhh... don't listen.... close your ears..... let us worry about the big ideas.... stay in your box.....
I really think Focus on the Family should consider changing their name. At one time they did probably focus on the family, but they have grown into something else. I think Fear for your Family might be a more accurate ministry description. Every month I get a new letter from them telling me what I should fear this month (and to send them money). Either its gays, or public schools, or secularism, or evolutionists .... or gay secular public schools teaching evolution.
This month, its all of those evil secular retailers who are not bending the knee at our... uh, I mean God's.... throne - by not giving Christmas its rightful place at the center of the biggest materialism orgy of the year! Focus on the Family has started their "Merry Tossmas" campaign and are encouraging all Christians not to shop at those stores that insist on saying horrible phrases like Happy Holidays or Season's Greetings.
THIS is what we are supposed to be bothered by?! Thanks Focus for continuing to stoke the flames of absurdity in the Christian subculture.
It has never ceased to amaze me (though no longer surprise me) how Dobson and Focus on the Family will twist, distort, and exaggerate. Listening to Dobson's comment yesterday, I had to choose between: Is Dobson that unashamedly devious or pathetically ignorant?
"He's trying to make the case that it is anti-democratic to believe or fight for moral principles in the Bible that are not supported by people of all faiths. Or presumably by those of no faith....What the senator is saying there in essence is that I can't seek to pass legislation for example that bans partial-birth abortion because there are people in the culture who don't see that as a moral issue. And if I can't get everyone to agree with me, it is undemocratic to try to pass legislation that I find offensive to the Scripture. Now that is a fruitcake interpretation of the Constitution. This is why we have elections, to support what we believe to be wise and moral. We don't have to go to the lowest common denominator of morality, which is what he is suggesting....What he is trying to say here is unless everybody agrees we have no right to fight for what we believe. I thank God that that is not what the Constitution says."
Sorry Dobson... go back and listen to the speech again (DID you listen to it?). Obama is not saying that he cannot pursue moral legislation unless it is ok with people of all faiths. He is saying that if his moral view is founded in scripture, he must find a way to argue his case to someone who does not accept the validity of scripture.
Here is what Obama said:
"Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God's will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all."
What is saddest of all is that millions of Christians will take what Dobson says as gospel ... without ever looking into it themselves.
I found this sadly amusing. This was on the envelope of Focus on the Family's latest letter asking me to send them money:
"Liberals are determined to remake America. Here's how YOU can stop them!"
The letter inside was completely over the top. It would have been absolutely hilarious if I didn't know that this letter will cause many Christians to further harden their hearts against their neighbors and the community they live in.
About 25 % of my blog hits each month come from two articles I wrote about The Truth Project. It is, according to the producers at Focus on the Family, "a small group curriculum designed to communicate the Christian worldview". Since Focus on the Family has decided to proclaim THE Christian Worldview, I figure Christians everywhere might want to be aware of it (since Focus has decided to speak for all of us).
I get a fair amount of email based on these two articles. Some thank me for giving some food for thought when considering the series. Others denounce me as a tool of Beelzebub, and wish I would just do the world a favor and quit sucking air.
About a month ago, I started an article about Focus on the Family's, "The Truth Project". My objections to the first episode were too numerous to list in one post, so I hope to finish up here.
One of the foundational issues that I disagree with is the presenter's assertion that Jesus came to "bifurcate" the world. This is a pretty common view amongst western Christian fundamentalists- that the world is divided into "Us" and "Them". It tends to be a rather thin slice of "Us" because there are many Christians in this equation who do not measure up either. A wrong answer on the orthodoxy litmus test will quickly put you in the "Them" category.
Before any of us spend too much time "bifurcating" our relationships, I think we should consider Paul's advice in Romans 2:
1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
The presenter then continued to emphasize the "us/them" relationship by translating scripture into war metaphors. He believes the world is a battlefield and we must defend ourselves. I believe Jesus called his followers to a forward movement of love, rather than a defensive posture of fear. A war metaphor causes Christianity to resemble Islamic extremism, Mao atheism, or Rwanda warlords - submit or be conquered! How is this the good news of the Gospel? Do we submit to Christ because he is the most powerful? How is that different? Did Paul not declare "God's kindness leads us to repentance"?
My next contention would require you to watch the video to get the full effect, but basically, the presenter postulates a "What if?" concerning Satan. Personally, I love what if questions when it comes to theology. However, in the next step, he performs a quick slight of hand and begins referencing his "what if" as if it were now a given. He then uses it to buttress his argument that the entire cosmos is in a battle over these two worldviews (Satan's and God's). If there are only two worldviews, then everything can be neatly separated into "us/them".
I reject the "us/them" postulation. I believe there is only "us". Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15:
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
Paul does not make a distinction here. He puts himself into the same camp as his neighbor. There is no superiority. The only one superior in the equation is Christ.
Barbara Nicolsi sums up the problem with seeing people in an "us/them" mindset:
I think that, unfortunately, a lot of orthodox Catholics and Christians are either sitting in the cave hunkered down, or they're like Jonah sitting under a Gourd plant waiting for God to vent his wrath on the world—on the ungodly—and they're going to be disappointed if He doesn't. I don't see these people having sorrow for sin; I see them having indignation towards sin. And to me, that's an important difference. Sorrow for sin is "I am a part of this." Indignation for sin is "you are the ones messing up the world!"
They did a man-on-the-street style segment where they asked people about "Truth". People with the "wrong" answer tended to be women, European, progressive looking. People with the "right" answer tended to be old, white men in suits. At this point, I felt the video devolved into a bad caricature of itself.
Toward the end, the presenter stated that he hates the phrase "people of Faith". Unless you subscribe to his standard of Christianity, your searchings are pointless. You are either with us or against us. If you are with us, you are a child of the Father. If you are against us, he says, you are a child of the devil.
I believe Jesus showed a different attitude toward people "outside the faith". The woman at the well in John 4 might have had a different response to Christ if he had called her a child of the devil.
The final question he asked was, "Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?'
My answer: What I believe about Him does not change who He is, it never has and it never will. What I believe about Him has changed over time. Many of the beliefs I felt were "unchangeable" have shifted as I learned more about Him. So I now hold many of my beliefs loosely. This does not grant me certainty or security. I have replaced those notions with fidelity. I believe this gives me opportunities to grow.
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*UPDATE* For some reason, this article comes up very high in Google when searching The Truth Project. However, there are some great bloggers of Faith who have also weighed in with their concerns and observations. I have linked their pages based on a keyword search for The Truth Project. The Hopper God, Superman, and the Buckeyes Recovering Sociopath Below the Din
I learned an important lesson recently. Never sign up to teach a curriculum that you have not reviewed. I know, that sounds self evident. What can I say?
The curriculum I signed up to teach is called "The Truth Project". It is a 12 part series produced by Focus on the Family and it is designed to teach the Christian worldview.
I do not think that "Christianity" can have a worldview; people have worldviews. Since Christianity is made up of people, and since people have various perspectives of worldview, then worldviews within the community of Christianity will vary. If you were to probe the various views within my church alone you would get a cacophony of perspectives. If one were to take into account Catholic, Lutheran, Greek Orthodox, Charismatic, conservative, liberal, traditional, progressive, liturgical, emergent, etc.; you would have to conclude that one voice alone may not speak for the Christian community. Many voices must be heard.
The Truth Project is a response to a decline in basic knowledge of scripture and doctrine amongst evangelical Christians. A Christian pollster concluded in 2005:
"Although most people own a Bible and know some of its content, our research found that most [professed evangelicals] have little idea how to integrate core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to the challenges and opportunities of life."
"Ironically,the United States became a nation of forgetters at the same time it became a nation of evangelicals. Believing in Christ became more important than knowing about Christ. To evangelicalism, therefore, we owe both the vitality of religion in contemporary America and our impoverished understanding of it."
Having only watched the first hour teaching, it seems the Truth Project is attempting to GIVE the answers to Christians so they can have "a response". The presenter states that there is no area where God has not given the answers; and that these answers will be presented so the Christian will know what is "True" and what is "False".
What first came to my mind was that this premise was in contradiction to Paul who said that we only know and prophesy "in part". Paul seemed to feel there were aspects of our story that we would only know after death. (1 Corinthians 13:9-12).
In addition, the approach of the video may have unintended consequences. If the Christian community lacks education about its own theology, the solution is not to "give" them the answers. Teach them to study. I have taught for 16 years and each year I have students whose only interest is the right answer. They have no interest in understanding, comprehension, or application. They just want to know if they got it right, so they can be done. Christians need an education, not a list of answers.
____________________________________________
I am going to list some of my disagreements in the order that they occurred in the video.
One of the first things the presenter does, and continues to do throughout the video, is refer to culture in a negative light. Culture is portrayed as "anti-God". I do not tend to agree with Mark Driscoll, but I think this quote by him is apropos:
"Fundamentalism is really losing the war, and I think it is in part responsible for the rise of what we know as the more liberal end of the emerging church. Because a lot of what is fueling the left end of the emerging church is fatigue with hardcore fundamentalism that throws rocks at culture. But culture is the house that people live in, and it just seems really mean to keep throwing rocks at somebody's house."
In addition, I think culture needs to be critiqued and looked at objectively, but it is neither good nor bad on its own. A demonizing of culture leads to an unhealthy view of those outside of the Christian subculture. This creates a fear response and often paranoia amongst many of the Christian populace. Yoda said:
"Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering".
A fictional character, but I think the quote is valid. It could be argued that the Christian fear of people outside their subculture has often led to hate. This is never a Christian response.
At the beginning the presenter poses the question "Why did Jesus come into the World?" His "class" gave varied answers, many of which could be justified scripturally, but he stated that they were wrong (he might argue that they were wrong in reference to his particular scripture reference, but he never made that clear). He uses Jesus' statement in John to build his case.
"In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." John 18:37b
The video seeks to prove to the listener that Truth is the point of everything God ever did and that one is either for or against it. Much of his argument throughout the video relies on proof-texting. Henry Neufeld gives a good definition of proof-texting:
"By proof-texting I mean the use of individual scripture texts to produce apparent support for a doctrinal position without adequate regard for the contexts of the individual texts which may indicate differences and nuances."
To discuss the scriptural reasons of why Jesus came would not have helped his argument. He wanted to divide everything into black and white terms. Therefore, other reasons were not mentioned and the answers of his class were dismissed.
Here are a couple of other reasons Jesus came: (these are just a few of the more blunt ones; inferred would be much longer)
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:17
"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst." 1 Timothy 1:15
"Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Hebrew 10:9-10
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10 "For I have comedown from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me."John 6:38
These scriptures, and others like them, do not lend themselves to drawing a line in the sand. As I will get into in my next post on this topic, the purpose of this video was to bifurcate (his word) humanity to those who follow the Truth (by his definition) and those who do not.
I simply do not believe that is the way of Jesus. More later.... Read Part 2
Every month I get a letter from Focus on the Family. I rarely open it. The alarmist statement on the outer envelope usually prompts me to aim it straight for the garbage. How I got on their list I am not sure. Each month there is some hype about Christianity being under attack by gays / liberals / public schools ... etc. Each month there is a new boogie man.
I got an email from a friend once. She had been informed about how the "Public Schools" were up to something evil, and she wanted to know if she should be concerned. I don't remember the issue, but here is my reply:
___
Heh, don't worry; everything is going to be OK. I remember when I started teaching 15 years ago, the big panic in the Christian world was the book - "Heather has two mommies" ( a book about a child living in a lesbian family). Supposedly every classroom was going to be given copies of this book, there would be classes about it, your kid's teacher would make them read it, and soon all children everywhere would be gay and the world would blow up. 15 years and 3 schools later and I have yet to even see a copy.
The reality is that these "ministries" rake in big cash every time they run a report saying "Homosexuals and Atheists are beating children while the public schools cheer them on!" A friend of mine who used to work for the 700 Club told me about their "7 Days Ablaze" fund raising drive. He said they did more gay and atheist tie-ins to the public schools that week than any other time because it generated tons of phone calls. Around the office he said they called the drive, "Seven Gays Ablaze".
School systems are primarily community driven. Rochester Schools were pretty much what they were because the community wanted them that way. The same is true out here in Salt Lake. I think the question should always be, "Am I happy with what is happening at my child's school?" If one scourers the schools of the country, it would be easy to find oddball things to report about.
I want accurate information about schools as much as anyone, but I am suspicious of groups who intake a greater income of money on bad news rather than good. Plus, I think the time has come for our Christian communities to start loving goodness more than they hate evil.
Plunk, Plunk. My two cents.
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It has always been in the back of my mind to write a blog about the use of exaggeration and overstatement in the Evangelical community. So many ministries preying on fear. However, this author beat me to it and wrote about it much better than I ever could. Click HERE for a great read.
