Would You Like Fries with That?

Pastor Tom today again cites "the wires," by which I assume he means World Net Daily I don't begrudge him using references with biases, just why not share the reference?

So I don't know how much stock to put in the story he mentions (since I could only find three sites on-line and they reference each other, and one site says the boys are twins who were 11 over a year ago, while the recent WND post lists them as 11 and 13 now). I am willing to concede that it is not a good thing if a government is meddling in the religious beliefs of its citizens to the extent that these sites say that Egypt is. Indeed, there are certainly Islamic states around the world that are religiously repressive and that is very bad indeed. I admire the courage of these young men to stick to their guns and take the consequences; civil disobedience at its best, breaking an immoral law.

Still, inherent in Pastor Tom's position (not just from this one post) is that Christianity is the superior religion AND governments would do well to propagate it and defeat Islam (which he sees as inherently violent). Whether force-fed or spoon-fed, any religion becomes distasteful. I prefer the free marketplace of ideas, unhindered by external expectation or obligation.

There was an agnostic professor in the Christian college I attended who kept his job because of tenure although at the time the school was working hard to reclaim its conservative Christian heritage. I remember him challenging us to consider why the administration felt compelled to require all students to take courses where they were taught one narrow type of theology. He would ask us, "If Christianity is so wonderful, why isn't it attractive enough on its own? Why must students be force-fed?" It was a good question then....it still is now.

Blog you later,
Pastor Ian

Gone to the Dogs

Michael Vick's problems cannot be solved by money, although he may find that he can hire good lawyers to keep him out of jail. His problems are also not caused by money. But at the root of his problems surely is the trust in money.

Pastor Tom does well to point to this problem, since the Bible cannot be ignored on the topic of money. This coming Sunday's Gospel reading is from Luke 12, where Jesus tells the story of a man who builds more barns to hold his "stuff" but dies before he can "enjoy" it. I will be preaching on that this week, so Michael Vick, as well as the whole culture of sports that at times boils down to worshiping our heroes with our money will be on my heart and mind as I prepare.

Blog you later,
Pastor Ian

Weekend Edition

Since Pastor Tom asked a question on one of his radio shows this week, it only seems right that "Questioning Your World" should on the Sabbath try to give an answer or two.

Tom raised the issue of a young man charged with animal abuse through an act of bestiality. He suggested that if love is reason enough to allow same-sex marriage then why not allow inter-species marriage on the basis of love? Well, on the surface I suppose that there is something of an equal comparison, but just scratching the surface will show that this is apples and oranges. The fact is that first of all it certainly takes two humans to even talk about equality and consent. Beyond that, it takes two adult humans, thus explaining why pedophilia is not defensible. It really is clearcut in both cases.

Surely the time has come for us to stop worrying about what consenting, loving adults do with each other in private and begin truly worrying about matters that make a difference in the lives of most people living, struggling and suffering in the world today.

Blog you later,
Pastor Ian

Media Free-for-all Market

Pastor Tom does well to raise multiple questions about the problem with the media coverage gone wild. He is right to point out the rampant voyeurism in our culture. It seems safe to assume that he would name this as a sign of depravity. So I'm pleased to agree with him today. But this issue again raises questions about the free market. If the market remains free to sell what depraved humans desire then how will this sort of problem ever change? We all need to be willing to work together for change, one depraved human at time if necessary.

Blog you later,
Pastor Ian

How Much Does Free Speech Cost?

Larry Norman once sang "you say all men are equal, all men are brothers, then why are the rich more equal than others?" And in regards to the way the Supreme Court defines free speech, the rich are certainly "more equal" than the poor since spending money is seen as a protected first amendment right when it comes to political advertising. OK, so the Fairness Doctrine is a different issue, but a similar principle. Of course the "free market" will pay for conservative talk since it is the conservatives in this country who fight the hardest to protect big business. This is not rocket science!

The airwaves are meant to be public, that is, they are "owned" by you and me. It is a limited resource in need of regulation because it would be chaos if anyone with a transmitter started broadcasting on any frequency they felt like. But the airwaves have been sold to the highest bidders and now most of the media is controlled by a handful of huge conglomerates. Without something like the Fairness Doctrine the equal access will go the way of the dinosaur.

And I find it strange that Pastor Tom has so much faith in the wisdom of the free market given his strong belief in human depravity. Yesterday big government was going to doom us, but today big business will save us? What about the "wisdom" of the market that brings us violence and pornography through multiple media? Aren't those examples of the market deciding what is best? Something isn't fair and balanced here.

Blog you later,
Pastor Ian

What if God is a Commie?

As a father of five, you might think that you could predict how I would respond to Pastor Tom's warning about huge fines for multiple children...and you would think wrong. Only two of my children are by birth, the others are adopted, so my wife and I have not done more than replace ourselves in the world's population. We have to organize ourselves somehow to allocate resources. For example, we wouldn't like it if the one person who lived where all the...let's see....crude oil was didn't want to share any of it with the rest of us. And when there are disputes we require mediation. So if we are going to live together on this planet we will have to suffer through government of one form or another.

So, do I have a God-given right to have as many children as I like and care not a fig about how my family now consumes more than the smaller families around me? Surely not. Again and again the Bible calls us to care for the other, particularly the one who has little.

So what sort of government should we choose, big or little? Pastor Tom suggests that human depravity requires a small government so that we can all be left to our own devices. Now wait a minute, wouldn't that mean unregulated depravity run amok? Sure, big government could represent concentrated depravity, but it could also (and I would contend more likely) represent collective enlightened self-interest. In either case, human depravity doesn't seem to be a sufficient theological principle to argue for one form of government or the other.

So I'm more inclined to look for an example in the Bible. I think the absolute equality of distribution of the precious and rare commodity of manna might give us a glimpse into what sort of economy God prefers.

Blog you later,
Pastor Ian

Conspicuous Tangerine Consumption?

Today Pastor Tom suggested that it is scary that some people believe in global warming and have the crazy notion that they should modify their behavior in some way.

OK, so I'll concede that the mercury in the compact fluorescent bulbs presents a disposal problem, but they certainly do significantly reduce electricity usage. I'll also agree that a single sheet of toilet paper is insufficient for the task most of the time, but how is using more than you need (of anything) a good thing?

And then there are the tangerines from afar...Exactly how is it a bad thing to choose to eat more of what is local so that transportation and storage demands are reduced? Is God pleased when we blithely continue consuming all that we want simply because we can? Is it too little to have an impact? Surely no act of kindness, or justice is too small or ever too late.

Blog you later,
Pastor Ian