Sabbatical?

Perhaps the mathematicians among us can find some multiple of seven in the number of my posts or in the days or weeks of the duration of this blog. But even if there is none, I have decided to take a sabbatical from this endeavor. I tire of the via negativa of this approach. I will continue to faithfully read Engaging Your World to be aware of what is being said. I choose not to shoot from the hip in response. A good example is Pastor Tom's concern about Islam. He may have studied this topic extensively, but I have not done enough study myself to feel comfortable either agreeing with his assessment or finding fault. His abiding concern has led me to study Islam as objectively as I am able, but I cannot respond with a quick blog reply. Since I am writing a weekly 500 word column I need to focus my thoughts and craft them accordingly. Thus, this reactionary blogging has become a distraction.

I hope you will read my weekly offerings (and respond to them) at OpEdNews.com and at my primary blog, Culture Dove. I will leave this blog here and will notice if any comments are left, but for now I will not be posting daily.

Blog you later?
Pastor Ian

PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE

The lesson I take from this high profile hypocrisy of talking the talk without walking the walk is simply that we all need to humbly walk the walk. We should be careful to avoid preaching black and white while living in the gray.

Now this may be a stretch if you are not a fan of Babylon 5 (quite possibly the best TV series ever), but bear with me. There was a threat of total annihilation from a force known as the Shadow. They had overwhelming strength and could simply materialize at will. Now there was surely some psychological meaning involved there. But there was also a wise race governed by what was called the Gray Council. They were so named because they stood in the place between the darkness and the light. Shadows are a difficult place to be, but we must go there. Carl Jung spoke of the "shadow side" not as a force of evil but the necessary consequence of standing in the light. True danger exists in denying the shadow side, true humility and power to do good comes from accepting its presence. Should Randy and Paula White be held accountable for their behavior? Absolutely! In fact, likely the best thing for them is to learn through the consequences of their behavior. I think that that lack of logical suffering due to their wealth and the likely blind following they will keep is what is upsetting Pastor Tom most. I would agree.

Blog you later,
Pastor Ian

DR. DOBSON, WHAT ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION?

If the Religious Right makes good on its threat to start its own political party it will be very interesting to see if they will admit that this is a pluralistic country and that the president is president of all the people. The exclusive language put forth by Dr. Dobson has no place in the government. I certainly defend his right to speak up about his beliefs and to try to influence government policy. But a political party representing an exclusive Christian position would violate constitutional law if it began treating the government as a theocracy. As much as civil liberties have disappeared under this current administration I shudder to think what this political party would consider appropriate obedience to God. Would they support laws against all that they consider blasphemous? What would the fate of Muslims in America be under an administration of their candidate.

I do share Pastor Tom's assessment that splitting the vote on the right would be helpful to any candidate to the left. I would certainly welcome that.

Blog you later,
Pastor Ian

DO I GET AN A?

I scored 18 out of 20 on Pastor's Tom's quiz, but I think he only gets barely passing marks for his lack of biblical perspective. America is not the theological equivalent of ancient Israel, although sometimes the Religious Right seems to want us to think that. Of course, if we were to consider ourselves responsible to God in our national behavior in the same way, we most certainly would need to understand the biblical mandate to care for the stranger. Providing hospitality to the sojourner remains a mandate of the first order in the Middle East to this day. When fields were harvested, the edges were to be left for gleaners to come and take care of their needs. The covenantal promise to Abraham was that God would bless him so that every family of the earth would bless themselves by the descendants of Abraham.

So I guess it is a good thing that we aren't a Christian nation so that we can ignore our neighbors and accumulate all the wealth we desire and keep it to ourselves!?!?

Blog you later,
Pastor Ian

DO YOU LOVE ENOUGH TO SPEAK THE WHOLE TRUTH?

Mardi Gras is a taxpayer supported "heterosexual" festival in New Orleans...
What if that were the focus of the post by Pastor Tom, would he speak of the intolerance of all heterosexuals because of the decadent behavior of a few? I have known a couple of dozen homosexuals and only one or two of them have ever flaunted their sexuality in public to any extent that I witnessed. Overwhelmingly, the gays and lesbians I know simply want to live their lives quietly permitted to have their private lives remain private just like heterosexuals.

Is there something wrong with the decadence in public that this street fair represents? Sure, just like the drunken debauchery at Mardi Gras and spring break. Fortunately, events like these are predictable in that they happen at arranged times in specific places and thus are avoidable by the general public who doesn't want to see that sort of thing.

As for love enough to speak the truth, I'll take the encouragement to heart and loving all of you who read this enough, I want to warn you that faith without works is dead. I also want to warn you that God cares a whole lot about the needs of people who are poor. In fact Christ is present among you right now in the form of people who are sick, hungry, homeless and in prison. He is waiting to see you. On these things the Bible is most definitely clear, certainly clearer than on the issue of committed, loving relationships between members of the same sex.

Blog you later,
Pastor Ian

WHAT D'YA KNOW?

What d'ya know, a blog from Pastor Tom to which I can wholeheartedly say, "Amen, brother!" That warms the cockles of my ecumenical heart.

I'm also saddened with Tom that more folks don't know the history the Little Rock 9, but I also wonder how many of us today are moved by and see the parallels in the story of the Jena 6 in the headlines (finally) today?

Blog you later,
Pastor Ian

JUST DESSERTS

I am very pleased to see Pastor Tom finally draw a line limiting the good effects of the free market. A $14,500 dessert is surely a decadent extreme that can result from the free market run amok. But where does the Gospel demand that we draw the line? The word of God is clear that we cannot serve both God and mammon. So once we start concerning ourselves with the making of money, we have turned our gaze away from God. We must choose what obedience means in the context of our own individual situations, but given the model Jesus provided (he was homeless don't forget) and relative wealth we all know as Americans, I would suggest that that line is a lot closer to where we all live than this outrageous luxury in Sri Lanka.

While not looking for a debate, I did take notice of this line that I found troubling:

I also understand we can abuse the call of God to look out for the poor among us, making that the satisfying of the Gospel to the exclusion of truth.

Given the Bible's exceptional attention to the needs of poor people I find it hard to envision a scenario where anyone can do TOO much in this area. The truth of the Gospel is that it is impossible to love God whom you haven't seen while ignoring the suffering around you. Surely the parable of Dives the rich man and Lazarus shows the truth of the Gospel.

Blog you later,
Pastor Ian