Michele and I watched a "Frontline" episode last night about retirement. Here's some of what we learned.
The days of the old-style pensions are over. Even if you have one, if the company you worked for goes bankrupt, you could lose much of your retirement benefit. The new alternative to the pensions, of course, are company 401Ks. The problems here are:
1. Only about 10% of employees max out their contributions, which is what most or all of them should be doing.
2. Many employees can't resist the urge to dip into these savings. In some cases, they use them in real emergencies, to make ends meet between jobs, etc. Other times, the withdrawals are not so necessary.
3. Some employees terribly mis-manage their portfolios and wind up making the least of their savings.
4. Sometimes corporate restructuring results in a change for the company's 401K plan. The new plan isn't as attractive as the old one.
Like a lot of segments in this series, the impact was mostly negative. "Frontline" sort of specializes in revealing nothing more than how bad things are. There's a place for that, I guess. But I also like to hear something positive and practical.
Anyway, the whole thing got me to thinking about independent congregations (i.e., those not affiliated with a denominational structure) and their ministers. Exceptions aside, from what I've observed most preachers and other church staff have a limited number of years they can stay employed with a church. On top of that, most independent congregations do nothing to encourage and help their staff members to be good stewards of the financial long-haul.
I wonder, if people with pensions and 401Ks won't necessarily be financially sound in their golden years, what about people without such benefits?
It seems to me that independent congregations should, at the very least, insist that their staff knows about and has easy access to good financial advice and resources for retirement planning. Some preachers know a lot of Bible, are people fluent, and with God's help succeed at building up the body of Christ. A lot of those same people are financially illiterate and will not fare well in the coming decades.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Monday, May 15, 2006
About Blogging
At the very end of June 2005, six months after my start here, I went ahead and added a site meter to this blog. Ever since then, my blogging experience has included regular checks of the meter.
I’m writing this now because, nearly a year later, I’ve just passed 5,000 visits and 10,000 page views. Those were milestones for me.
I know, some blogs generate that much traffic in a week, even a day. Not to mention that if it weren’t for me and a small circle of family and friends who show up here at least once a week, my numbers would be much, much lower. I’m thankful for my regular visitors. And I especially appreciate it when someone thinks this blog is worth adding to his or her own list. “Referrals,” visits to this blog by way of another one, account for a good number of my visits.
In addition to regular commenters here, I’ve been intrigued by the significant number of lurkers. If you regularly stop by but don’t ever comment, that’s fine with me. I hope you’ll keep coming. I’d also be happy to hear from you sometime.
Speaking of comments, you have to wait a little while for yours to appear on this blog. That’s because, sometime back, spammers plus a certain person who didn’t have good intentions made comment moderation a practical necessity. Barring those exceptions, I post all comments as soon as I see them, usually within the day.
I’ve been interested to see which days are busiest here. Evidently, most bloggers take the weekends off. That perception probably has something to do with the religious routines of most of my readers.
It’s also fun to try to figure out which kinds of posts generate the most interest and response. Most of the time, if it’s closely related to the Churches of Christ, my religious family, then it gets at least a few responses.
Like my early experiences with email, I’m still figuring out what blogs are best for. What compares to a blog? What are its best uses? What is blogging all about? Any thoughts?
I’m writing this now because, nearly a year later, I’ve just passed 5,000 visits and 10,000 page views. Those were milestones for me.
I know, some blogs generate that much traffic in a week, even a day. Not to mention that if it weren’t for me and a small circle of family and friends who show up here at least once a week, my numbers would be much, much lower. I’m thankful for my regular visitors. And I especially appreciate it when someone thinks this blog is worth adding to his or her own list. “Referrals,” visits to this blog by way of another one, account for a good number of my visits.
In addition to regular commenters here, I’ve been intrigued by the significant number of lurkers. If you regularly stop by but don’t ever comment, that’s fine with me. I hope you’ll keep coming. I’d also be happy to hear from you sometime.
Speaking of comments, you have to wait a little while for yours to appear on this blog. That’s because, sometime back, spammers plus a certain person who didn’t have good intentions made comment moderation a practical necessity. Barring those exceptions, I post all comments as soon as I see them, usually within the day.
I’ve been interested to see which days are busiest here. Evidently, most bloggers take the weekends off. That perception probably has something to do with the religious routines of most of my readers.
It’s also fun to try to figure out which kinds of posts generate the most interest and response. Most of the time, if it’s closely related to the Churches of Christ, my religious family, then it gets at least a few responses.
Like my early experiences with email, I’m still figuring out what blogs are best for. What compares to a blog? What are its best uses? What is blogging all about? Any thoughts?
Thursday, May 11, 2006
The Music of Kenny D, etc.
Okay, so maybe you’ve read “Inorganic Music,” a recent post over at Mike Cope’s blog. And maybe you’ve read some of the 100+ comments.
Either way, don’t walk, run to Ken Danley’s blog and read his latest, “Greener Grass."
- - - - - -
"Unfortunately, most of the theology I learned in seminary was in the translation mode. Take this biblical image and translate it into something more palatable to people who use Cuisinarts. The modern church has been willing to use everyone's language but its own. In conservative contexts, gospel speech is traded for dogmatic assertion and moralism, for self-help psychologies and narcotic mantras. In more liberal speech, talk tiptoes around the outrage of Christian discourse and ends up as an innoucuous, though urbane, affirmation of the ruling order. Unable to preach Christ and him crucified, we preach humanity and it improved. . . . By the time most of us finish qualifying the scandal of Christian speech, very little can be said by the preacher that can't be heard elsewhere."
William Willimon in Peculiar Speech: Preaching to the Baptized
What Willimon describes helps me to understand why early leaders of the American Restoration Movement insisted that we"call Bible things by Bible names." When we use biblical vocabulary to discuss biblical realities, it's so much more likely that we will truly go back to to the genuine message of the Bible, to the Word of God that will endure forever, to the truth that we cannot live without.
But the problem with back-to-the-Bible movements is that, because of human sin, they come to use biblical passages, always word for word, in order to support teachings that are less than and foreign to the Word of Christ. The fact that Satan can both quote and apply the Scriptures fails to make them wonder if, perhaps, they're doing it the devil's way rather than God's.
By the grace of God, such movements, if kept alive, produce a few people who announce not what has been repeated to them by others, but what they have recently heard when prayerfully, closely listening to the Word of God.
Either way, don’t walk, run to Ken Danley’s blog and read his latest, “Greener Grass."
- - - - - -
"Unfortunately, most of the theology I learned in seminary was in the translation mode. Take this biblical image and translate it into something more palatable to people who use Cuisinarts. The modern church has been willing to use everyone's language but its own. In conservative contexts, gospel speech is traded for dogmatic assertion and moralism, for self-help psychologies and narcotic mantras. In more liberal speech, talk tiptoes around the outrage of Christian discourse and ends up as an innoucuous, though urbane, affirmation of the ruling order. Unable to preach Christ and him crucified, we preach humanity and it improved. . . . By the time most of us finish qualifying the scandal of Christian speech, very little can be said by the preacher that can't be heard elsewhere."
William Willimon in Peculiar Speech: Preaching to the Baptized
What Willimon describes helps me to understand why early leaders of the American Restoration Movement insisted that we"call Bible things by Bible names." When we use biblical vocabulary to discuss biblical realities, it's so much more likely that we will truly go back to to the genuine message of the Bible, to the Word of God that will endure forever, to the truth that we cannot live without.
But the problem with back-to-the-Bible movements is that, because of human sin, they come to use biblical passages, always word for word, in order to support teachings that are less than and foreign to the Word of Christ. The fact that Satan can both quote and apply the Scriptures fails to make them wonder if, perhaps, they're doing it the devil's way rather than God's.
By the grace of God, such movements, if kept alive, produce a few people who announce not what has been repeated to them by others, but what they have recently heard when prayerfully, closely listening to the Word of God.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
New Article by Evertt W. Huffard
One of the journals I never fail to read is Restoration Quarterly. Since its beginnings nearly 50 years ago, it’s been the scholarly serial publication among Churches of Christ. [The Stone-Campbell Journal, also by and for scholars, started much more recently; it is a decidedly Christian Churches and Churches of Christ publication. Like RQ, the S-C Journal contains a lot of great stuff].
The latest issue of RQ showed up in my mail box yesterday. As usual, I immediately read the cover and decided what I would dive into first. With one glance, I knew.
The lead article is by Evertt Huffard, the dean of my alma mater, Harding Graduate School. About 15 years ago, I took my first class with Evertt: “Church Growth.” One of the many things I loved about that class was the kind of response the teacher would give to some question about, for example, how our required readings connected to our work as church leaders. By the time Evertt was through, I’d think to myself, “That sounds like something Jesus would have said.” His answers were, at once, spiritual and practical and gracious and wise. Just right. Evertt has become one of the few people I really sit up and listen to every time. He has a good mind and a good heart, and he works hard for the Lord. He deserves to be heard by the churches.
The title of this new article is, “When Scholarship Goes South: Biblical Scholarship and Global Trends.” And it’s an eye-opener. For people with any sort of global vision, his facts aren't news. The contribution of this article is not what it reports, but how it synthesizes what many have already heard, and how it challenges leaders within the Restoration Movement.
Huffard basically says that the worlds of Christendom and of the Churches of Christ are radically changing. Here are two quotes:
In 1800, one percent of all Protestants lived outside Europe and America; today 66% do so.
The Churches of Christ have more congregations in Africa than in the USA. From 1989 to 2000 the number of congregations doubled from six to twelve thousand, at a time the missionary force decreased.
He goes on to explain some of the causes and effects of such change, as well as some developments that will impact (change!) the change. Above all, he describes how the world wide web, especially multiple reciprocal email, will “completely globalize the scholarly community.”
Finally, as you come to expect from him, he has a short, practical list. He calls it “Implications for Scholarship.” They are:
1. Globalize the audience of our scholarship
Huffard points out that this is important not only for connections between the USA and, say, India. It can also be positive for the American church’s mission where it is. If American scholars gave more attention to the conservative, traditional, and biblicist convictions of the global south and east, they might find a bigger audience at home too. He writes, “The churches that are growing numerically in the USA have a public respect for the Bible but less appreciation for scholarship.” (i.e., at least as scholarship has been done).
2. Equip the church to be a witness to the nations
“If the missiological call for incarnational ministry applies to scholarship, then several things will have to happen. The first, and possibly most difficult, is the openness to those who are more conservative than many scholars have become” (obviously related to the first point).
3. Make scholarship accessible—share resources
In short, recognize that there are hundreds of millions of poor people where Christianity is rapidly growing. Be merciful and kind. Make the process and results of scholarly work available to them too.
Finally, Huffard turns specifically to scholars in the Restoration Movement and, in so many words, says “You too. Let's do better. For example, we should publish things in this journal that, say, an African church leader can appreciate and use.”
Years ago, at a Restoration Quarterly breakfast, I heard John Wilson speak to Church of Christ Bible scholars. What he said to them was, You’ve earned respect among the world’s scholars. But for the most part you’ve neglected the church(es) you came from. Do better (which is not to say, necessarily, do better academically).
Years later, here’s another trusted voice saying much the same thing, only this time from a much more global perspective. I don’t know how many people effectively listened to Wilson’s speech. I wonder how many will make changes because of what our brother Evertt is saying. God, help us.
The latest issue of RQ showed up in my mail box yesterday. As usual, I immediately read the cover and decided what I would dive into first. With one glance, I knew.
The lead article is by Evertt Huffard, the dean of my alma mater, Harding Graduate School. About 15 years ago, I took my first class with Evertt: “Church Growth.” One of the many things I loved about that class was the kind of response the teacher would give to some question about, for example, how our required readings connected to our work as church leaders. By the time Evertt was through, I’d think to myself, “That sounds like something Jesus would have said.” His answers were, at once, spiritual and practical and gracious and wise. Just right. Evertt has become one of the few people I really sit up and listen to every time. He has a good mind and a good heart, and he works hard for the Lord. He deserves to be heard by the churches.
The title of this new article is, “When Scholarship Goes South: Biblical Scholarship and Global Trends.” And it’s an eye-opener. For people with any sort of global vision, his facts aren't news. The contribution of this article is not what it reports, but how it synthesizes what many have already heard, and how it challenges leaders within the Restoration Movement.
Huffard basically says that the worlds of Christendom and of the Churches of Christ are radically changing. Here are two quotes:
In 1800, one percent of all Protestants lived outside Europe and America; today 66% do so.
The Churches of Christ have more congregations in Africa than in the USA. From 1989 to 2000 the number of congregations doubled from six to twelve thousand, at a time the missionary force decreased.
He goes on to explain some of the causes and effects of such change, as well as some developments that will impact (change!) the change. Above all, he describes how the world wide web, especially multiple reciprocal email, will “completely globalize the scholarly community.”
Finally, as you come to expect from him, he has a short, practical list. He calls it “Implications for Scholarship.” They are:
1. Globalize the audience of our scholarship
Huffard points out that this is important not only for connections between the USA and, say, India. It can also be positive for the American church’s mission where it is. If American scholars gave more attention to the conservative, traditional, and biblicist convictions of the global south and east, they might find a bigger audience at home too. He writes, “The churches that are growing numerically in the USA have a public respect for the Bible but less appreciation for scholarship.” (i.e., at least as scholarship has been done).
2. Equip the church to be a witness to the nations
“If the missiological call for incarnational ministry applies to scholarship, then several things will have to happen. The first, and possibly most difficult, is the openness to those who are more conservative than many scholars have become” (obviously related to the first point).
3. Make scholarship accessible—share resources
In short, recognize that there are hundreds of millions of poor people where Christianity is rapidly growing. Be merciful and kind. Make the process and results of scholarly work available to them too.
Finally, Huffard turns specifically to scholars in the Restoration Movement and, in so many words, says “You too. Let's do better. For example, we should publish things in this journal that, say, an African church leader can appreciate and use.”
Years ago, at a Restoration Quarterly breakfast, I heard John Wilson speak to Church of Christ Bible scholars. What he said to them was, You’ve earned respect among the world’s scholars. But for the most part you’ve neglected the church(es) you came from. Do better (which is not to say, necessarily, do better academically).
Years later, here’s another trusted voice saying much the same thing, only this time from a much more global perspective. I don’t know how many people effectively listened to Wilson’s speech. I wonder how many will make changes because of what our brother Evertt is saying. God, help us.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Looking Back, Looking Forward
This morning, my students take the final in Old Testament. On Wednesday, the New Testament class will get their turn. I’ve really enjoyed my first semester of teaching at Amarillo College. And I think it’s going to get better.
Putting together the finals for these survey courses took me back to some of the questions I started with: What is it that students should get from these classes? And, what’s this all about anyway?
Sure, I want to know more about strategies for teaching well. I’m all for good form. But even more, I want to clarify what it is I think I’m trying to do and why?
My experience says that those sorts of questions can be taken up before and/or after a semester, but not during. That’s because the pressure of week-to-week teaching doesn’t leave much room for exploring your philosophy of education, not to mention that objectives really should be established before you start. So now that I’m in between, it’s time to get busy.
This summer, I’ll get to probe some of those questions and do some of those things. And even though I have plenty to keep me occupied already, I’d be glad to hear about more. So if you’ve come across a book or a website or an event or something else you know I should know about, please comment.
I’ve heard great things about Palmer’s book on “The Courage to Teach.” At a community college in Connecticut where I had an adjunct gig, most of the full-time faculty were reading and discussing that one. It’s on my list.
Oh, and then there’s the question of content. That is, do I have something to teach? That one’s also going to take up part of my summer because in the coming fall I will officially lose my new-guy status and will teach a full load, including “Life of Paul” and “World Religions.”
The text books for those classes have already been selected and ordered. Right now, I’m focused on reading as much as I can. For “World Religions” I’m also putting together a schedule of guests, devotees of the various religions we’ll explore. Send word if you want. For now, I’m praying:
Dear Lord, thank you for the joy of learning and for the pleasure of teaching. Thank you for words and for the wonder they describe. Thank you for others who have searched and who search with me.
God, help me to become, more and more, the teacher you want me to be. For times when my subject was rich but my portrayal of it was poor, please forgive. I give thanks to you and ask for your grace in the name of Christ, Amen.
Putting together the finals for these survey courses took me back to some of the questions I started with: What is it that students should get from these classes? And, what’s this all about anyway?
Sure, I want to know more about strategies for teaching well. I’m all for good form. But even more, I want to clarify what it is I think I’m trying to do and why?
My experience says that those sorts of questions can be taken up before and/or after a semester, but not during. That’s because the pressure of week-to-week teaching doesn’t leave much room for exploring your philosophy of education, not to mention that objectives really should be established before you start. So now that I’m in between, it’s time to get busy.
This summer, I’ll get to probe some of those questions and do some of those things. And even though I have plenty to keep me occupied already, I’d be glad to hear about more. So if you’ve come across a book or a website or an event or something else you know I should know about, please comment.
I’ve heard great things about Palmer’s book on “The Courage to Teach.” At a community college in Connecticut where I had an adjunct gig, most of the full-time faculty were reading and discussing that one. It’s on my list.
Oh, and then there’s the question of content. That is, do I have something to teach? That one’s also going to take up part of my summer because in the coming fall I will officially lose my new-guy status and will teach a full load, including “Life of Paul” and “World Religions.”
The text books for those classes have already been selected and ordered. Right now, I’m focused on reading as much as I can. For “World Religions” I’m also putting together a schedule of guests, devotees of the various religions we’ll explore. Send word if you want. For now, I’m praying:
Dear Lord, thank you for the joy of learning and for the pleasure of teaching. Thank you for words and for the wonder they describe. Thank you for others who have searched and who search with me.
God, help me to become, more and more, the teacher you want me to be. For times when my subject was rich but my portrayal of it was poor, please forgive. I give thanks to you and ask for your grace in the name of Christ, Amen.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
This-n-That
Thanks to the folks who submitted ideas for my "Top Ten" list. I'll take all I can get. So when you think of more, make a comment.
By the way, I once read that Letterman has 12 writers for his list. Each day that they tape a show, the writers get the name of the list that morning. Each one has to come up with his own list of ten within a few hours. Then, Letterman sits down with the list of 120 and makes his picks.
- - - - -
This year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees should have included The Cars instead of Blondie. And that's a fact.
- - - - -
Two recently-seen bumper stickers:
"Save the Whales -- Collect the Whole Set!"
"God Bless John Wayne"
- - - - -
Michele and I are thinking about a trip that would take us to Carlsbad Caverns, the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Las Vegas. If you've recently gone to any or all, I'd appreciate hearing from you.
By the way, I once read that Letterman has 12 writers for his list. Each day that they tape a show, the writers get the name of the list that morning. Each one has to come up with his own list of ten within a few hours. Then, Letterman sits down with the list of 120 and makes his picks.
- - - - -
This year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees should have included The Cars instead of Blondie. And that's a fact.
- - - - -
Two recently-seen bumper stickers:
"Save the Whales -- Collect the Whole Set!"
"God Bless John Wayne"
- - - - -
Michele and I are thinking about a trip that would take us to Carlsbad Caverns, the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Las Vegas. If you've recently gone to any or all, I'd appreciate hearing from you.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Top Ten Reasons to Study Biblical Hebrew . . .
Okay, so it looks like as early as the coming Fall semester, I might get to offer a section of Biblical Hebrew. If that happens (please, Lord) then I want to put together a flyer that names ..."The Top Ten Reasons to Study Biblical Hebrew."
Since this idea just hit me, I haven't had a chance to come up with more than one or two of my own ideas. Here's the best I've got so far . . .
1. Nothing clears your throat like a good "hchet"!
2. Rabbis make six figures.
3. It's God's first language.
Help! Suggestions?
Since this idea just hit me, I haven't had a chance to come up with more than one or two of my own ideas. Here's the best I've got so far . . .
1. Nothing clears your throat like a good "hchet"!
2. Rabbis make six figures.
3. It's God's first language.
Help! Suggestions?
Friday, April 28, 2006
More Resources for Bible Study
Here and there I’ve mentioned some good resources for Bible students and teachers. Here are a couple more:
1. Some people have already discovered that the web contains many sites featuring the Bible in various translations. One of the better ones is Bible Gateway. It features a passage lookup and also a keyword search for concordance-type study. The home page address is
http://www.biblegateway.com/
2. The Jerusalem Archaeological Park is billed as Israel’s most important place for the study of antiquity. But just in case you’re not planning a trip to the Middle East, the Park has an impressive web site where you can see, for example, a simulated panoramic view from the inside of the Second Temple, a place well known to Jesus and the Apostles. The site also features time lines, as well as maps and depictions of the city of Jerusalem and the two Temples through history. The home page can be found at
http://www.archpark.org.il/
1. Some people have already discovered that the web contains many sites featuring the Bible in various translations. One of the better ones is Bible Gateway. It features a passage lookup and also a keyword search for concordance-type study. The home page address is
http://www.biblegateway.com/
2. The Jerusalem Archaeological Park is billed as Israel’s most important place for the study of antiquity. But just in case you’re not planning a trip to the Middle East, the Park has an impressive web site where you can see, for example, a simulated panoramic view from the inside of the Second Temple, a place well known to Jesus and the Apostles. The site also features time lines, as well as maps and depictions of the city of Jerusalem and the two Temples through history. The home page can be found at
http://www.archpark.org.il/
Thursday, April 13, 2006
What I Wanted to Say
Something I've learned since entering the world of blogs: My number of readers goes up (way up) when I post a comment at Mike Cope's blog.
And that's true in more than one sense. First, the number of people who read the comments at Mike's blog is greater than the number of people who read the posts at my blog. Second, by commenting at the other place, I get referral visits to my blog from people who wonder about this smart, dumb, or somewhere-in-between "Frank" who posted a comment there.
Anyway, something happened a day or two ago that has me writing back here at home again. I typed a comment in response to Mike's lengthy post about homosexuality. But the comment never got published. When I view it from my computer, I'm informed that "Your comment is still awaiting moderation" or some such. View it from your computer, and you won't see a thing.
So it's like my comment's been given a "time out" or doesn't have a ticket to the game. I don't know why. But I do know that I still want to weigh in about this one. So, for the sake of those who will hear me here, here's what I tried to say.
In his post, Mike says: "The church should not endorse homosexual marriages, but should advocate (out of justice and compassion) for full civil rights for gay couples. Just because we may not endorse another person's decisions doesn't mean we don't advocate for their protection and civil rights."
In response, I said, " . . . I think it's important for Christians to know that current political struggles for the civil rights of homosexual couples are not as socially benign as they might seem. The fact is, legal rights and recourse are currently available to people who live together and/or share business and property interests. I'm convinced that the current push is not for the sake of gaining legal rights, but for the sake of establishing new legal definitions of marriage. That question, and I think you agree, is kingdom business. This is where, trying to be harmless as doves, we shouldn't forget to be wise as serpents."
Now, here's why I wrote that. From my recent experiences in the State of Connecticut, I think that the homosexual lobby has a big plan. If I'm right, then it goes like this:
Since we know that a flat-out declaration of war in favor of gay marriage isn't going to achieve what we want, here's what we'll do. First, preying upon the sympathies of people who would never vote for gay marriage, but who do value fairness, we'll tell the stories; like the time when Jim couldn't even visit his life partner, Steve, who was in the ICU because, after all, Jim is not related to Steve by blood or by marriage (a close parallel to the specter of "back-alley abortion clinics" used to shore up Roe v. Wade).
This will tug at the heart strings and will motivate the anti-gay-marriage people to strike a compassionate compromise: civil unions. But (and this is the part those straight dunderheads don't get) the difference between what we'll call "civil unions" and legal marriage will be the difference between Tweedledee and Tweedledum.
Then, once this becomes the norm, the shift from "civil union" to "marriage" will simply be a change of language. Hey, it worked for "gay" and "queer." Why not "marriage"?
Next, as the grammatical distinction disappears and the legal realities emerge, it's a simple matter of a couple moving from, say, Connecticut to Tennessee. The question of the legal standing of the same-sex couple will, quite literally, become a federal case. Finally, de facto marriage will be declared "marriage."
I think that's how the play-book reads. If so, then people who oppose same-sex "marriage" should not be fooled into a compassionate support for so-called civil unions. The homosexual lobby is well-funded, influential, savvy, and, above all, determined. Christians should not, in the name of love or any other reason, go along with them.
And that's true in more than one sense. First, the number of people who read the comments at Mike's blog is greater than the number of people who read the posts at my blog. Second, by commenting at the other place, I get referral visits to my blog from people who wonder about this smart, dumb, or somewhere-in-between "Frank" who posted a comment there.
Anyway, something happened a day or two ago that has me writing back here at home again. I typed a comment in response to Mike's lengthy post about homosexuality. But the comment never got published. When I view it from my computer, I'm informed that "Your comment is still awaiting moderation" or some such. View it from your computer, and you won't see a thing.
So it's like my comment's been given a "time out" or doesn't have a ticket to the game. I don't know why. But I do know that I still want to weigh in about this one. So, for the sake of those who will hear me here, here's what I tried to say.
In his post, Mike says: "The church should not endorse homosexual marriages, but should advocate (out of justice and compassion) for full civil rights for gay couples. Just because we may not endorse another person's decisions doesn't mean we don't advocate for their protection and civil rights."
In response, I said, " . . . I think it's important for Christians to know that current political struggles for the civil rights of homosexual couples are not as socially benign as they might seem. The fact is, legal rights and recourse are currently available to people who live together and/or share business and property interests. I'm convinced that the current push is not for the sake of gaining legal rights, but for the sake of establishing new legal definitions of marriage. That question, and I think you agree, is kingdom business. This is where, trying to be harmless as doves, we shouldn't forget to be wise as serpents."
Now, here's why I wrote that. From my recent experiences in the State of Connecticut, I think that the homosexual lobby has a big plan. If I'm right, then it goes like this:
Since we know that a flat-out declaration of war in favor of gay marriage isn't going to achieve what we want, here's what we'll do. First, preying upon the sympathies of people who would never vote for gay marriage, but who do value fairness, we'll tell the stories; like the time when Jim couldn't even visit his life partner, Steve, who was in the ICU because, after all, Jim is not related to Steve by blood or by marriage (a close parallel to the specter of "back-alley abortion clinics" used to shore up Roe v. Wade).
This will tug at the heart strings and will motivate the anti-gay-marriage people to strike a compassionate compromise: civil unions. But (and this is the part those straight dunderheads don't get) the difference between what we'll call "civil unions" and legal marriage will be the difference between Tweedledee and Tweedledum.
Then, once this becomes the norm, the shift from "civil union" to "marriage" will simply be a change of language. Hey, it worked for "gay" and "queer." Why not "marriage"?
Next, as the grammatical distinction disappears and the legal realities emerge, it's a simple matter of a couple moving from, say, Connecticut to Tennessee. The question of the legal standing of the same-sex couple will, quite literally, become a federal case. Finally, de facto marriage will be declared "marriage."
I think that's how the play-book reads. If so, then people who oppose same-sex "marriage" should not be fooled into a compassionate support for so-called civil unions. The homosexual lobby is well-funded, influential, savvy, and, above all, determined. Christians should not, in the name of love or any other reason, go along with them.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Emerging Churches?
This just in from the Things-That-Make-You-Go-Hummm Department: A bumper sticker spotted today says, "Home improvement begins with a King James Bible"
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Later this year (August, to be exact) IVP Academic Press will release a new book by Ray Anderson, who teaches theology at Fuller Seminary in California. The title: "An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches." The following is the book's table of contents:
Preface: What Has Antioch to Do with Jerusalem?
1. It's About Theology, Not Geography
2. It About Christ, Not Just Christology
3. It's About the Spirit, Not Just Spirituality
4. It's About the Right Gospel, Not Just the Right Polity
5. It's About Kingdom Living, Not Kingdom Building
6. It's About the Work of God, Not Just the Word of God
7. It's About the Law of Love, Not the Letter of the Law
8. It's About Community of the Spirit, Not Just the Gifts of the Spirit
9. It's About Mission, Not Just About Ministry
10. It's About the Church Ahead of Us, Not Only the Church Behind Us
I haven't read the book, but churches that style themselves "emergent," I suspect, are fortunate to have someone like Anderson providing clarification and giving some expression to what they're about and why. This should be an interesting and challenging read.
- - - - -
Later this year (August, to be exact) IVP Academic Press will release a new book by Ray Anderson, who teaches theology at Fuller Seminary in California. The title: "An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches." The following is the book's table of contents:
Preface: What Has Antioch to Do with Jerusalem?
1. It's About Theology, Not Geography
2. It About Christ, Not Just Christology
3. It's About the Spirit, Not Just Spirituality
4. It's About the Right Gospel, Not Just the Right Polity
5. It's About Kingdom Living, Not Kingdom Building
6. It's About the Work of God, Not Just the Word of God
7. It's About the Law of Love, Not the Letter of the Law
8. It's About Community of the Spirit, Not Just the Gifts of the Spirit
9. It's About Mission, Not Just About Ministry
10. It's About the Church Ahead of Us, Not Only the Church Behind Us
I haven't read the book, but churches that style themselves "emergent," I suspect, are fortunate to have someone like Anderson providing clarification and giving some expression to what they're about and why. This should be an interesting and challenging read.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
It's a New Car! (to me)
Tuesday night, I picked up my new car: a 1992 Ford Crown Victoria with just over 60,000 miles. I haven't named her just yet. Stay tuned.
I bought the car from the second owner, a preacher man from the northern panhandle. He knew the original owner very well, an older church-going gentleman who rarely went out and finally got too old drive.
The preacher told me that the car has always been garaged and regularly serviced. I believe him. It's in beautiful condition and rides great.
I know, I know, cars like this often turn into pumpkins shortly after purchase. Anything can happen. But for now, I'm having fun.
I bought the car from the second owner, a preacher man from the northern panhandle. He knew the original owner very well, an older church-going gentleman who rarely went out and finally got too old drive.
The preacher told me that the car has always been garaged and regularly serviced. I believe him. It's in beautiful condition and rides great.
I know, I know, cars like this often turn into pumpkins shortly after purchase. Anything can happen. But for now, I'm having fun.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Like the other friends of Job, Eliphaz was convinced that Job was suffering because he had sinned. Eliphaz was wrong about that. But he paid Job a high compliment when he said,
You have encouraged many;
You have strengthened failing hands.
Your words have kept him who stumbled from falling;
You have braced knees that gave way (Job 4:3-4).
Evidently, Job had earned the reputation of an encourager. I get the impression that when other people saw him coming, they smiled because they knew he would listen with sympathy and speak with kindness. I thank God for people like that, don't you?
Some of my recent experiences have reminded me of the value of encouragement. I've enjoyed getting to meet and speak to congregations of the Church of Christ at Adrian and Fritch, Texas. Both of those churches provide financial support to the Bible Chair ministry at Amarillo College. During my visits to them, they added some moral support for the director as well. Great people.
- - - - -
Just a follow up on the Stephen King thing: there was a comment on that post from Greg Stevenson, who teaches a course on popular culture and religion at Rochester College. He's recently started blogging and has a good entry on "Stephen King's Religious Stories." The rest of his blog, called "Caritas," is cool too. You can check it out and welcome Greg at http://caritas2.blogspot.com
You have encouraged many;
You have strengthened failing hands.
Your words have kept him who stumbled from falling;
You have braced knees that gave way (Job 4:3-4).
Evidently, Job had earned the reputation of an encourager. I get the impression that when other people saw him coming, they smiled because they knew he would listen with sympathy and speak with kindness. I thank God for people like that, don't you?
Some of my recent experiences have reminded me of the value of encouragement. I've enjoyed getting to meet and speak to congregations of the Church of Christ at Adrian and Fritch, Texas. Both of those churches provide financial support to the Bible Chair ministry at Amarillo College. During my visits to them, they added some moral support for the director as well. Great people.
- - - - -
Just a follow up on the Stephen King thing: there was a comment on that post from Greg Stevenson, who teaches a course on popular culture and religion at Rochester College. He's recently started blogging and has a good entry on "Stephen King's Religious Stories." The rest of his blog, called "Caritas," is cool too. You can check it out and welcome Greg at http://caritas2.blogspot.com
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