Remember when Hurricane Katrina hit and all the Democrats were raging mad because people like Jerry Falwell had the audacity to attribute the storm to an act of God's retribution? Why is it okay for "film" maker Michael Moore and leaders in the Democratic party to consider Gustav to be God's wrath against Republicans?
Personally, I think God gets blamed for way too much as it is, and what we humans (and insurance companies) call "acts of God" really aren't. But shouldn't we at least all play by the same rules? What's good for the goose should be good for the gander. And what caused the media and the lefties to cry foul three years ago should be causing them to cry foul now.
Showing posts with label Rant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rant. Show all posts
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Is Nothing Sacred?
When did the line become so blurred? When did it become acceptable to curse, tell dirty jokes, and talk about sex in mixed company? And I'm not talking about prime time TV...I'm talking about church people! If I have to hear the words boobs, panties, sucks, pissed, damn, etc. one more time, I just might...CUSS! (Kidding.)
Yes, our teens need to know about sex-as-God-intended (so do adults), but don't youth pastors know that even just talking about sex in mixed company erodes the boundaries of modesty? Talking first, doing second. Talking doesn't always lead to doing, but I'll be darned (is that okay to say?) if doing ever happens without talking first.
Seriously, am I a prude?
PS: This is not the much-anticipated post about sex (as a follow-up to Meems' post that mentioned politics and money). This is just a rant.
Yes, our teens need to know about sex-as-God-intended (so do adults), but don't youth pastors know that even just talking about sex in mixed company erodes the boundaries of modesty? Talking first, doing second. Talking doesn't always lead to doing, but I'll be darned (is that okay to say?) if doing ever happens without talking first.
Seriously, am I a prude?
PS: This is not the much-anticipated post about sex (as a follow-up to Meems' post that mentioned politics and money). This is just a rant.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Mind Your Own Wallet
Yesterday I came across another Christian blog of which I do not know the author. Rather than leave a comment and possibly cause him irritation, I decided to make my own post with regards to the subject this blogger was discussing.
The author of the blog (a guy who happens to be in ministry in his local Christian church) was asking the opinion of his readers about an article he had read on the Internet. Here’s what he says, “I found this article online and I wanted to see what people think about it. This church in Houston is raising money to build two 200 foot crosses right off I-45… I want to hear your thoughts but I’ll give you mine first since its my blog. I think it is a colossal waste of money. The pastor that wants to build it talked about how it would be marking a city for Jesus. There are so many things that could be done with that money and so many lives that could be changed. Maybe a few people have gotten ministered to by seeing a giant cross on the side of the road, but I’m pretty sure they are few and far between. In my opinion, this is one of the reasons why non-Christians don’t like Christians. Instead of doing something in the community to bless it and serve the under privileged or at least plant some churches or do something overseas, we build giant crosses.”
Okay, first of all, I Googled the article so I could verify this guy’s take on the article. After reading the account myself I felt like he misrepresented the intent of the pastor for the cross structures. I won’t take the time to list out the discrepancies—the article can be found here.
So here’s my beef: Whenever I hear Christians using their time to judge/determine what other churches/other Christians/other ministries “should” be doing with their money it makes me think of a few things but always I remember the story of Jesus and the woman in Bethany who used up all that rare and costly perfume to anoint Him while at dinner. (Mk 14, Jn 12, Matt 26).
Did that ever get the dander up of some of Jesus’ own disciples in the house that day! Moved with indignation they were sounding off about how the ointment “could have been sold” and what they “could have done with the money”! Here’s where they talk about how it “could have been given to the poor.” Only wait… Jesus shuts them down telling them to leave her alone. And further He says in a sort of “oh, and by the way” manner, “what she’s done will be remembered wherever the gospel is preached.”
So to me this indicates complete approval for her part in history which happened to “waste” expensive perfume on the Lord before His burial. But here’s the part I want to notice. Isn't it interesting the way people tend to all of a sudden get all mushy about the poor when it comes to judging how someone else spends their money. Jesus included this statement to them just in case they didn't fully understand, “For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them.”
Okay, so my point is this… who are we to assume we have the right to read an article like this where fellow believers are making decisions with their own money (I mean no one had to give their money to that project if they didn’t agree with it) and determine if we think it is right or wrong?
Don’t we have better things to do, as fellow Christians, than pick on each other?
Jesus made it clear we would always have the poor AND we can do them good anytime we wish. That says to me we are to help the poor no matter how else we are spending our money. So we need to do both. We need to help the poor but it is also okay to build symbols of Christianity if that is what God tells us to do. I am not saying God told this pastor to do this but if He did, who are we to judge it? Who are we to judge if God did or didn’t tell him to build this structure? Every man will answer to God for everything we've done... or not done.
Why can’t we all mind our own business, do what we know WE are supposed to be doing for the kingdom and most importantly, if you don’t have something encouraging to say about fellow Christians, don’t say anything! Don’t Christians get enough ridicule from the media and the outside world without having to deal with our own brothers and sisters deciding from a distance whether a church in Houston is spending its (own) money like they should?
The author of the blog (a guy who happens to be in ministry in his local Christian church) was asking the opinion of his readers about an article he had read on the Internet. Here’s what he says, “I found this article online and I wanted to see what people think about it. This church in Houston is raising money to build two 200 foot crosses right off I-45… I want to hear your thoughts but I’ll give you mine first since its my blog. I think it is a colossal waste of money. The pastor that wants to build it talked about how it would be marking a city for Jesus. There are so many things that could be done with that money and so many lives that could be changed. Maybe a few people have gotten ministered to by seeing a giant cross on the side of the road, but I’m pretty sure they are few and far between. In my opinion, this is one of the reasons why non-Christians don’t like Christians. Instead of doing something in the community to bless it and serve the under privileged or at least plant some churches or do something overseas, we build giant crosses.”
Okay, first of all, I Googled the article so I could verify this guy’s take on the article. After reading the account myself I felt like he misrepresented the intent of the pastor for the cross structures. I won’t take the time to list out the discrepancies—the article can be found here.
So here’s my beef: Whenever I hear Christians using their time to judge/determine what other churches/other Christians/other ministries “should” be doing with their money it makes me think of a few things but always I remember the story of Jesus and the woman in Bethany who used up all that rare and costly perfume to anoint Him while at dinner. (Mk 14, Jn 12, Matt 26).
Did that ever get the dander up of some of Jesus’ own disciples in the house that day! Moved with indignation they were sounding off about how the ointment “could have been sold” and what they “could have done with the money”! Here’s where they talk about how it “could have been given to the poor.” Only wait… Jesus shuts them down telling them to leave her alone. And further He says in a sort of “oh, and by the way” manner, “what she’s done will be remembered wherever the gospel is preached.”
So to me this indicates complete approval for her part in history which happened to “waste” expensive perfume on the Lord before His burial. But here’s the part I want to notice. Isn't it interesting the way people tend to all of a sudden get all mushy about the poor when it comes to judging how someone else spends their money. Jesus included this statement to them just in case they didn't fully understand, “For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them.”
Okay, so my point is this… who are we to assume we have the right to read an article like this where fellow believers are making decisions with their own money (I mean no one had to give their money to that project if they didn’t agree with it) and determine if we think it is right or wrong?Don’t we have better things to do, as fellow Christians, than pick on each other?
Jesus made it clear we would always have the poor AND we can do them good anytime we wish. That says to me we are to help the poor no matter how else we are spending our money. So we need to do both. We need to help the poor but it is also okay to build symbols of Christianity if that is what God tells us to do. I am not saying God told this pastor to do this but if He did, who are we to judge it? Who are we to judge if God did or didn’t tell him to build this structure? Every man will answer to God for everything we've done... or not done.
Why can’t we all mind our own business, do what we know WE are supposed to be doing for the kingdom and most importantly, if you don’t have something encouraging to say about fellow Christians, don’t say anything! Don’t Christians get enough ridicule from the media and the outside world without having to deal with our own brothers and sisters deciding from a distance whether a church in Houston is spending its (own) money like they should?
Friday, April 25, 2008
Stop Christian Fascism?
I happen to drive past two of the largest churches in my city on my way to & from my (might I say averagely attended) church. The churches I’m referring to are well attended into the thousands on any Sunday morning. Both offering numerous service times from which to attend. Several of my friends & acquaintances go to each of these churches.
On my way home this past Sunday I was quite caught off guard by what I considered a disturbing sight. Just like every other Sunday, at their dismissal, there were hundreds of cars spilling out onto the roadway from the church -- all directed by the privately hired county Sheriff. Only this week each car was passing by a protester. It was an ordinary looking man who had positioned himself on the easement (not church property) with two large signs about his body.
These were not your run of the mill hand-painted or marker-written signs. No, these were obviously produced at a print shop in full color. The sign hanging around his neck was about 3’ x 6’…a little wide and a little awkward looking extending a few feet beyond each side of his standing position. The words on that sign were: Stop Christian Fascism. There was another sign resting against his legs sort of propped on the ground; it was as wide but not as high … maybe 18 inches by 6’. That sign said: Teach Tolerance.
I have to tell you this was disturbing. I haven’t quit thinking about it off and on since then. Imagine, of all the things this man could be doing and he chooses to hold up signs with this nonsense message in print at the exit of a local church on a peaceful Sunday morning.
Just what was he trying to accomplish? Did he want people to stop going to that church? Did he really think any of the attendees would be changed by his sign messages? I mean why not stand in front of that group of folks that run around with bombs in their backpacks blowing up buses and open air cafes? Now that might mean something to hold up signs saying Teach Tolerance. Isn’t it THAT group of people who have radically hateful ideas about which other groups of people should be allowed to live and die?
Tolerance? When I think of how tolerant our Heavenly Father is it makes me weep. If God wasn’t tolerant THAT man could have been smote instantaneously just for his utter gall to disrupt a simple Sunday morning of church goers.
Okay so fascism is a little much. PUH-LEEEZE. I looked it up. Fascism: A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
According to this definition I still don’t get it.
On my way home this past Sunday I was quite caught off guard by what I considered a disturbing sight. Just like every other Sunday, at their dismissal, there were hundreds of cars spilling out onto the roadway from the church -- all directed by the privately hired county Sheriff. Only this week each car was passing by a protester. It was an ordinary looking man who had positioned himself on the easement (not church property) with two large signs about his body.
These were not your run of the mill hand-painted or marker-written signs. No, these were obviously produced at a print shop in full color. The sign hanging around his neck was about 3’ x 6’…a little wide and a little awkward looking extending a few feet beyond each side of his standing position. The words on that sign were: Stop Christian Fascism. There was another sign resting against his legs sort of propped on the ground; it was as wide but not as high … maybe 18 inches by 6’. That sign said: Teach Tolerance.
I have to tell you this was disturbing. I haven’t quit thinking about it off and on since then. Imagine, of all the things this man could be doing and he chooses to hold up signs with this nonsense message in print at the exit of a local church on a peaceful Sunday morning.
Just what was he trying to accomplish? Did he want people to stop going to that church? Did he really think any of the attendees would be changed by his sign messages? I mean why not stand in front of that group of folks that run around with bombs in their backpacks blowing up buses and open air cafes? Now that might mean something to hold up signs saying Teach Tolerance. Isn’t it THAT group of people who have radically hateful ideas about which other groups of people should be allowed to live and die?
Tolerance? When I think of how tolerant our Heavenly Father is it makes me weep. If God wasn’t tolerant THAT man could have been smote instantaneously just for his utter gall to disrupt a simple Sunday morning of church goers.
Okay so fascism is a little much. PUH-LEEEZE. I looked it up. Fascism: A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
According to this definition I still don’t get it.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Riddle Me This (My Rant on Greg Boyd's 'Kingdom People' Philosophy)
In the past, I have appreciated Pastor Greg Boyd's responses to John Piper and Boyd's explanation of evil. But I sure wouldn't want to be Boyd's wife when evil comes knocking.
In Boyd's recent blog post, Boyd explains how he feels about "Kingdom people" (a big doctrine of his in many aspects) and asks if the Christian security guard at New Life Church in Colorado was a "hero" for shooting and killing the gunman who attacked the church. You can read the post for yourself if you want...I don't feel like restating his points here, probably because I disagree with many of them. Instead, I'd just like to ask a few questions myself. Feel free to answer if you'd like.
1. What would Boyd have preferred New Life Church do in response to the gunman? Lay down their weapons (or rather, not have weapons to begin with), line up their members in firing-squad style, and let the gunman open fire?
2. I doubt thieves, vandals, rapists, and murderers read Boyd's blog, but if they do, they now know a great target to hit: mega-church pastor who will let them have their way.
3. I wonder how this makes Boyd's congregation feel? Knowing their pastor won't protect them if attacked. Knowing there's likely no emergency response system or security personnel in place. Aren't shepherds supposed to protect the sheep?
4. Is this REALLY what Jesus meant by "turn the other cheek"? Did He mean for husbands to allow their wife and children to be attacked, raped, beaten, killed? Did He mean for us Christians (Kingdom People) to stand idly by and watch evil triumph?
5. What about when Jesus said that there's no greater love than to lay down one's life and that husbands are to give their life for their wife as Christ gave His for the Church? Where's the giving of one's life when you just stand there like a patsy and let evil have its way?
In Boyd's recent blog post, Boyd explains how he feels about "Kingdom people" (a big doctrine of his in many aspects) and asks if the Christian security guard at New Life Church in Colorado was a "hero" for shooting and killing the gunman who attacked the church. You can read the post for yourself if you want...I don't feel like restating his points here, probably because I disagree with many of them. Instead, I'd just like to ask a few questions myself. Feel free to answer if you'd like.
1. What would Boyd have preferred New Life Church do in response to the gunman? Lay down their weapons (or rather, not have weapons to begin with), line up their members in firing-squad style, and let the gunman open fire?
2. I doubt thieves, vandals, rapists, and murderers read Boyd's blog, but if they do, they now know a great target to hit: mega-church pastor who will let them have their way.
3. I wonder how this makes Boyd's congregation feel? Knowing their pastor won't protect them if attacked. Knowing there's likely no emergency response system or security personnel in place. Aren't shepherds supposed to protect the sheep?
4. Is this REALLY what Jesus meant by "turn the other cheek"? Did He mean for husbands to allow their wife and children to be attacked, raped, beaten, killed? Did He mean for us Christians (Kingdom People) to stand idly by and watch evil triumph?
5. What about when Jesus said that there's no greater love than to lay down one's life and that husbands are to give their life for their wife as Christ gave His for the Church? Where's the giving of one's life when you just stand there like a patsy and let evil have its way?
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