Christian?

Lord, I Want to Be a Christian

                It was painful and made me angry.  I am a daily viewer of MSNBC’s Morning Joe.  It is one of the most balanced and insightful politically focused shows on television.  I have heard high praise from people of all political persuasions – including friends who worked in the Reagan White House.  The main commentators represent both sides of the majority political scene – Joe Scarborough, a one time Republican member of the Congress from Florida, and Mika Brzezinski, an ardent but reflective Democrat.  The interviewees also reflect the show’s intent to let all spectrums of the political dialogue  be heard.  This morning the Rev. Dr. Franklin Graham was interviewed.  Naturally he was asked about  Rick Santorum’s words about whether President Obama is a Christian.  His answer was very circumspect.  When asked about Santorum’s and even Gingrich’s faith, he was very direct in affirming that they are “Christian.”  The more he talked the more he alluded to his opinion that Obama (That’s how he addressed the President of the United States) was not governing like a Christian.  When he described what a Christian was he used the traditional language that a Christian is a person who at a definable moment in his or her life has accepted Jesus Christ as her or his personal Lord and Savior.  Consistent church attendance also appeared to be a secondary criteria. 

                Well by the time he was finished, he had placed me on the fringe of Christendom and eliminated most of my friends from eternal salvation – both Tea Partyers and Progressives, Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians and all other eclectic political thinkers, Jews as well as Mormons, Muslims, Christian Scientists, Hindus and all loving agnostics and, oh yes, Sunday morning golfers.  To all my friends who read this blog let me say – “Sorry about that!”  Naturally one of Jesus’ best remembered teachings came to mind – “Judge, lest you be not judged.”  I could go on in my own judgment of the Rev. Dr. Franklin Graham, but I would prefer to let grace abound.

                Amid my stewing over the Rev. Dr. Graham’s words and the recent pontification on things theological spoken by some in the Republican presidential race as well the trivializing and questioning  by some of President Obama’s soul bearing faith journey at the Presidential Prayer Breakfast,  the words of an African American hymn came to mind.  “Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart…….Lord I want to be more loving….Lord I want to be like Jesus.”  I want to be a Christian in my heart, not just in my words!  I want be like Jesus – more gracious than judgmental in the words I speak, more concerned about the poor, more concerned about loving my neighbor (Which includes enemies in our family and around the world – yes, that’s in the Bible), more forgiving, more generous in the use of my giving (Remember if you have two robes it is good to share one to another who has none – I am still working hard on this one), …….you probably by now get the message. 

                Christians with a different perspective than Dr. Graham on the issue, now is the  time to stand up and without apology say “Even if my way of building the realm of God is different from yours and even if I can’t identify the exact moment when I said I am going to follow Jesus, I am still a journeying Christian, seeking the Spirit’s guidance.  I do want to be like Jesus!  God bless you Dr. Graham and others who think like you!  I am glad we are part of a diverse family of Christ-followers.”  Now let’s all join together – Lord I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart.  Lord I want to be a Christian in my heart. 

P.S. Prayers for the Rev. Dr. Billy Graham who was the catalyst for millions of people considering being like Jesus. 

Thoughts on Sport from a Whistle Blower

I have a striped shirt that I put on at least once a week.  I now officiate recreation league basketball games.   Nine-to-fifteen-years-old children and youth heed every word when I blow on my Fox 40 whistle.  Ah, such power.  This past week I officiated a 9-12-year-olds girls’ basketball game.  I have always loved girls’ basketball – particularly the UCONN Huskies.  I like the female game because it plays itself out below the rim.  Plays are set and run – no dunk, dunk and more dunks; few one-on-one isolations. There is also a spirit of “team” that is often absent in the men’s game.  This past Saturday a little girl came to the sideline to take a throw in for her team.  Her demeanor was so refreshing and delightful that I share this free flowing prose with you as a hymn of praise to the essence of sport. 

No Dancing Matter?

She danced and whirled toward me smiling attired in her gold uniform of battle!

Did she not know that this was serious business?

The parents knew the gravity of the matter.

Those volunteer teacher- tacticians – so they thought  - pacing the sideline knew the magnitude of the moment.

Did she not know the propriety expected of her?

She was entranced with the thoughts of some delightful deity who cared little for the physical dexterity expected of her, let along what the score happened to be!

She was experiencing joy as she came to collect the tan, leather sphere that rested in my open palm!

Did she not realize that the numerical differential was not in her favor?

This was the simplest of arithmetical activities to understand.

She was oblivious to winning and losing and its dreadful consequences……..

As some thought.

She giggled, she laughed as she hurled the sphere in the direction of someone else adorned in matching attire to hers!

And then with a spin and a laugh she danced back onto the field of battle.

She was wrapped in the celestial glow of playing a child’s game; others were wrapped in the thrall of lost innocence that believed that the number of times that pre-pubescent females hurled a circular object threw a steel and string cylinder really mattered.

When the contest was completed few who competed cared little about the numerical differential brightly illumined from above for all the world to see.

They embraced and danced and laughed while those who encircled the venue of battle pondered the consequences of what had happened.

Fluidity of the spirit vs. brittleness of the soul.  The eternal contest.

The losers were obvious to all who would see with innocent eyes.

The Loss of Decency

“The Loss of Decency”

                If I must be classified by political party, I guess I would be called a moderate Democrat.  My familial political lineage is filled with all sorts of Republican, Democrat, Populist, and even Socialist sympathizers.  To use the image of Tony Campolo, I am a “red letter Christian.”  Such a term transcends any political branding.  For those of you who are un-schooled in the theology of Eastern College, Evangelical Christian professor Campolo, let me explain. By “red letter Christian” he means that the words of Jesus (in red in many Bibles) are the foundational source of authority for people of faith.  Paul’s theological ruminations on Christology and ecclesiology, etc. are nice, but it is what Jesus is given credit for saying that is at the heart of Christian behavior.

                Where is all this leading?  A few days ago at the conservative political coalition, CPAC, there was a panel discussion on the Catholic church’s disagreement with the recent health care ruling concerning the inclusion of contraception care within health insurance coverage – even in Catholic employers such as colleges, hospitals, and social service agencies.  I believe there is room for debate on the church and state and rights of women components around the coverage issue.  But what happened at CPAC turned my stomach and again angered me toward strident fundamentalism of any kind but particularly the Christian right.  Fox media commentator, Cal Thomas, after watching a video clip of MSNBC Rachel Maddow supporting the rights of women for the inclusion of the contraception component in the plan – even for Roman Catholic related institutions – made the sarcastic remark  “I’m really glad, Genevieve, that you played the original Maddow clip, because I think she is the best argument in favor of her parents using contraception. I would be all for that. And all the rest of the crowd at MSNBC, too, for that matter.”  Many in the audience applauded.  I was appalled!

                The red letters that Jesus spoke talked about the divine worth of every human being.  They spoke of kindness and grace as the foundation of any words spoken or actions taken.  Mr. Thomas or any others who applauded such remarks surely cannot claim the mantel of Jesus Christ as their Savior.  Where has the decency of people of faith gone?  While I may not agree with the opinions of some who see the world differently from me, I pray that God will help me to always look for the divine within them.  

An Apologetic without Apology

A Good Word for the Local Church – An Apologetic but not an Apology

                I guess I have grown tired of the continual articles about faith is good – organized religion is bad journalistic efforts.  It seems that an increasing number of people who say they hold to a faith-based perspective on life are offering demonstrative critiques of organized religion as found in the institutional church.  Church bashing is increasingly in vogue. While in my lengthy journey as an ordained minister serving for over 35 years in local churches I have seen some of the “less-than-Christian” behavior that the faith-without-religion critics are using as their thesis for being “unaffiliated.” I feel I still need to offer a good word for organized religion’s basic unit of operation.  It has been my contention all along that the church doesn’t receive the immense credit it deserves for its role in society – in the past and in the present.  So I offer an apologetic for the church without apology.

                The local church is the place where unique and diverse community is encouraged and fostered.  While many churches lack racial-ethnic diversity as we define it today, it is still the place where young children, inquisitive teenagers, young and middle aged parents, singles and couples, and seasoned citizens meet and greet and share their life stories.  It is the place where seeking souls from across the economic spectrum sit side by side in the worship of the One who tears down the dividing walls.  It is increasingly the place where people of different racial, cultural, and sexual preference backgrounds study the Word together and work for the social welfare of the greatest in need together.  There are very few places in our society where people of different ages, economic circumstances, and racial and cultural backgrounds gather.  Very few other organizations and institutions bring such divergent people together in search of the meaning of life.  Not even the educational system – particularly around age diversity – can claim to be the place for building community.

                The local church is the place where preventative holistic healthcare is always available.  Whether it is the wisdom shared about living a fulfilling life from words spoken from a pulpit or a sharing of life’s trials with someone at a fellowship hour or in a pastor’s office or the community support in a time of illness or bereavement, the church is a primary healthcare provider.  I cannot imagine how many times I have seen a word spoken, an embrace offered, and a counseling insight shared where some form of emotional, spiritual, or relational healing has taken place.  Visiting the sick; communicating with the lonely; welcoming with equal love and care each person regardless of their status in the world’s eyes; offering a space and a place for organizations that bring wholeness to the addicted and conflicted, that is the essence of the local church I experienced.  Maybe the problem is that all of this is done through simple acts of goodness that bring no fanfare.

                The local church is a place that calls us to remember and to serve those in greatest need in the wider world.  While attending to the well being of its community, it also challenges those who dare to hear the Gospel call to think globally and to offer not just heart but hands in service to those in greatest need.  It offers hands on opportunities to experience the realities of the wider world and to work for changing the forces in the world that cause oppression and division in the global community.  It is a place that comforts our hurting souls and disquiets us from becoming too comfortable in a world where so many suffer.  The church (particularly my United Church of Christ) has historically been the catalyst for societal action in the areas of quality education, racial and ethnic discrimination, women’s and sexual preference equality and rights, quality healthcare delivery, and so much more in the area of human service providing.  Again the church goes about its outreach and justice ministries seeking little public recognition. 

                The local church is a place where eternal values are taught.  While some would be fair in their critique of the church occasionally becoming involved in theological trivia and strident judgmentalism on some issues that Jesus himself would concede as unimportant, the church does offer a constant reminder of the values that are important for the salvation of our souls and the world.  I once told a parishioner who asked about the many facets of my “job” on Sunday mornings that I have the role to remind all who will hear, including myself, of those things – compassion, grace, forgiveness, kindness, patience, humility – that make for a truly good and blessed life.  All of us need a refresher course in holy living on a regular basis and the church provides that values education.

                And maybe the complaint by many faith-without-church advocates “that the church is filled with hypocrites” is yet another reason why the church is so valuable and essential.  We need a place in the world that offers grace and calls for repentance.  In remembering the church in which I grew up I recalled the funeral of one older member who constantly complained about almost everything the church did and supported.  Yet, at his funeral the pastor while acknowledging some of the man’s shortcomings said that he had been a good man and a child of God.  Maybe the church’s major gift to the world is to welcome soiled and broken souls – probably in some way all of us – with a word of grace and, when necessary, a loving call for repentance.  In my ministry I have felt that it was my role to try to seek the God-ness and the good inside of the most cantankerous and mystifying souls who crossed my path.  The church is a place of grace and grace again.  Where else is such compassion offered?

                Maybe the faith without church advocates don’t want to have their opinions challenged or shallow holy moments tested.  Maybe it is the “other-centered-ness” of the church that keeps those seeking individual salvation from entering into Christian community.  I have a personal belief that in our attention deficit, “myself first” world that many critiques of the institutional church have not given participation in a community of faith a fair chance.  Yes, the church must always be seeking to be relevant in every age, but also those desiring the benefits that the local church offers must take the time to dig into the life-enhancing realities that being part of a true community of soiled-saints has to offer.  It is time that the “churched” speak out without apology about the blessings of being part of that community of seeking souls that is call the local church.