Things I Think…
1. In the wake of the recent Supreme Court rulings, many of my fellow clergy have made public pronouncements exulting over the “victories” won for “our side”.
This…is a problem to me.
I’m not “pro choice'”…I hold to a traditional, biblical view on sexuality and life. However, abortion in particular is not so much a political issue to me as a pastoral concern. I hesitate to crow over anything that may keep someone from pursuing spiritual help, especially in cases where there is complexity and nuance that needs to be taken into account with the parishioner and before God. Legal “victories” do not automatically grant spiritual insight…
2. I think searching for ways to make abortion “safe, legal and rare” was the path of wisdom, but wisdom is rarely served by binary thinking and lust for victory…
3. If your side is opposed to “sinners”, your side is fighting God…
4. There was also much excitement over a ruling that allowed prayer in school settings…which may or may not dim when the Muslim or Satanist coach decides to rally the team…the prayer closet has turned into the prayer field with spectators…because we’re big on performative religion…God isn’t…
5. The nation is no holier today than before the rulings…because nations aren’t the point of the Gospel…and our commitment to “life” for all has its limits…
6. What we need is a new narrative…one this consistently emphasizes and celebrates life…whether it is the life of the unborn child or the life of the migrant, the elderly, or those on the margins among us…grounded in Scripture and based on love of God and neighbor…that might be persuasive…
7. Notorious “pastor” J.D. Hall was defrocked by his church for “serious sin” that turned out to be an addiction to Xanax. Evidently, they did not consider the years of viciously attacking and accusing the brethren to be serious sin, nor was being caught lying about people and trying to bring others to ruin….sounds about par for the course…
8. There were a bunch of posts on my Twitter feed celebrating the “pride” parades and naked people riding bicycles and and adults mingling with children at a “clothes optional’ water fountain…it was…indecent. I’m trying to move from disgust to concern for the lost…but I find it difficult…holding both in tension is exhausting…
9. There are some mainline clergy entering the culture wars from the left and they make me cringe as much as those on the right…because we are not meant to be culture warriors…and this war means you always have to compromise something Jesus said…on either side…
10. I saw this on Twitter earlier and wish I’d said it first and part of me thinks I may have…Jesus had to go get the one sheep because the other 99 ran it off…
Rational, compassionate and sane… Michael, it’s obvious that there’s something wrong with you. Well said…
This was said by one our Presidents’s moms.
Beware the righteous
Thanks, Duane.
I always have to be contrary… š
Those of us who hold a moderate position are increasingly marginalized or outright ignored. Worse, we are condemned to the deepest reaches of hell because we aren’t extremeists (i.e., we are compromisers). It is the extremists who are increasingly in control of the narrative. Long gone are the days of the public servant and politician who actually worked for the common good and worked across party lines. Nowadays it seems like our public “servants” just spew forth what they heard on Fox the night before.
They are just selling what the people want to buy…sadly…
The old narrative celebrates the king and the kingdom ā therein is life.
Dread,
That narrative needs to be our primary message…proclaimed and lived …
I am very perturbed that our culture devotes an entire month to Pride. If it was akin to Black History Month, I probably wouldn’t be so bothered. But, it’s basically a month dedicated to all the debauchery outlined at the end of Romans 1, and it really bugs me-especially because it’s done so publicly. I don’t think there is any other group that our culture salutes in this way. Flip side, I have gay colleagues with whom I am friendly and I prayerfully treat them as humans, not as the “others” I see in Pride parades. It’s a strange dichotomy that I am not always sure how to handle.
Linn,
It’s all to reinforce the meta narrative than any alternative lifestyle is good…we need to demonstrate our meta narrative as well…
Michael:
These are pure truth bomb material.
ā we need to demonstrate our meta narrative as wellā¦ā
Amen!
Sadly, call be a pessimist (I prefer ārealistā) but Iām not holding my breath for most so-called Christians
But that should not affect any of us on a personal level. Buckle upā¦itās a rough ride .
Steven,
Thanks …it is going to be a rough ride…but we all can make it smoother.
I have a question. This country was founded upon compromise. Whether one is left or right, neither can have it all. There has to be some give and take.
So my question is, is there any area of compromise regarding this abortion issue? Any way both sides have a measure of victory?
For instance, in cases of pregnancy due to rape or incest up to, say, 12 weeks? Something like that.
Granted, currently, we live in a culture where itās all or nothing so any attempt at compromise may fail. Not to mention the fact that SCOTUS didnāt make abortions illegal. They just handed it to the states to decide.
So what do you think? Iāll withhold my comments on the issue until later on so as not to influence your thoughts either way.
Officerhoppy,
I think there can be reasonable exceptions…medical ones and those you mentioned. I object to anyone at any time using it as a method of contraception.
I hesitate to make public pronouncements on subjects that are often pastoral and private and more complex than dogmatic statements…
Very different opinions on these matters, but it is what it is. I think the Us v Them, or those people/animals/perverts mentality is destroying Christianity and Right Wing politics. All I know is have gotten to know and walk with all the afore mentioned classes of people, they do not make me fear, most I am proud to call friends. I donāt see people the same since I dropped the Christianity. In fact I saw how they are provoked by the perpetual ridicule of the Christian Right. I donāt fear gays or abortion. There is just no point in me losing my mind over morality standards, I really just want to know and love people.
Reuben,
I try to treat all people with the idea that they are created in Gods image.
I do not fear or hate people with different sexual standards, nor can I affirm that God doesn’t have moral standards.
When I see naked old men frolicking with young children in fountains or public displays of nudity simply to shock, it doesn’t persuade me that God is wrong…
Our āpro-lifeā position seems to end at birth, and ignores minority children living in war zones, and without food or basic services in this country.
It consistently ignores native Americans.
Life doesnāt include those wrongly imprisoned and even executed as DNA evidence has proven.
It obviously ignores all the victimized in all settings, including religious.
In short, itās sad any group which excommunicates any other group for any single reason, must eventually themselves be excommunicated if their logic is followed in spirit.
UnCCed,
Much truth there, sadly…
UnCCed, I disagree with your first paragraph. The reality is that the Church has ministries and outreaches to all these groups, they just don’t make the headlines. It’s fashionable to criticize the church for ‘not caring for babies after birth.’ This is BS.
Michael, there is nothing wrong with a celebration of the demise of Roe v Wade. I had an expensive cigar and some good whiskey. (That day was also the Feast of John the Baptist. Not a coincidence in my mind) People have worked decades to overturn that law, and a victory lap and some high fives all around is not ‘unChristian.’ The work is not done, and there will be more battles on the state and local levels. In a way, the hard work is just beginning, but thank God, the murder of the unborn is no longer a ‘Constitutional Right.’
Stryker,
I have many friends who agree with you…
Dan from Georgia wrote:
“Those of us who hold a moderate position are increasingly marginalized or outright ignored. Worse, we are condemned to the deepest reaches of hell because we arenāt extremeists (i.e., we are compromisers).”
I have no desire to go to fundagelical heaven anyway.
I would prefer the Jewish version of ‘heaven’ called Olam Ha-Ba.
Stryker,
Regarding, “UnCCed, I disagree with your first paragraph. The reality is that the Church has ministries and outreaches to all these groups, they just donāt make the headlines. Itās fashionable to criticize the church for ānot caring for babies after birth.ā This is BS.”
Instead of seeking a discussion, you resulted to cheap, and intellectually lazy polemics.
However, since you didn’t even try, you didn’t ask any questions about my thinking, didn’t care about reaching out as a brother, it seems don’t care.
I don’t understand how fashion related to this most serious topic, but again, you didn’t show an intention to speak about this as a brother.
Regarding, “THIS is BS.” I’m sad either you don’t have spiritual mentors or they don’t care enough to encourage your speech to reflect the Lord between us.
Do you understand you are going to be stuck with me for all eternity?
If you read what I wrote, I didn’t specify “the church” regarding any position.
“Our” was used as residents of this country who hold a “pro-life” position.
I think you may find a lot of those people may not profess the Christian faith.
In the sense of US citizens, in my 50 years of living in multiple states in this country, a believer for approx 30 years, a vary diverse work history and situations, and member of just as diverse church traditions, here is what I’ve experienced.
Many of those whom I have known who profess that position show little to no concern about:
– the health and safety of children in poverty.
– children with brown skin being locked in cages on the border.
– imbalanced prison sentences between minorities and whites for similar drug convictions.
– the horrific and often ignored impact of children whose parents are in prison.
– millions of homeless and hungry children while we bailed out the banks (for like the 22nd time in our history).
– ongoing racist attacks.
– school shootings.
– etc.
I’m not assuming anything. I’ve repeatedly asked people (notice I didn’t decide their thoughts for them) and accepted their answers in they spirit if was given (no straw-men).
I’ve often found the vigor and zeal with which people have and continue to verbally fight against abortion seems to stop after the child’s death and very little extends to the living.
In fact, many have insinuated children suffering are some kind of God’s punishment for “not living according to His ways.” Not quite sure where Jesus taught a hungry child is God getting even with parents.
Also, I find it curious those of us who are supposed to view all life as precious, as a miracle of God, seem to use most of our energy in relation to pro-life in verbal battles when there is so much life we can still touch, in almost unlimited ways!
Why is something supposedly from God mostly focused on the dead and not equally on the living?
Why can pro-life mean ALL life?
Per the question above
Why canāt BLM be ALM? THEY say itās because of who is in particular danger. Anti abortion pro-lifers would apply that reasoning -while agreeing that all life is precious. There is no purity test for opposing abortion. Itāsā egregious nature is self-defining.
I have to say it…all life is precious unless it’s brown and stacked inside a trailer…or desiccating in the desert…or fleeing death from somewhere else…
Michael on July 1, 2022 at 9:10 am:
Well said, and you hit the target bull’s-eye.
Thatās good Michael thereās no purity test needed for pro immigration life.
63,000,000 abortions donāt require a purity test to oppose either.
Dread,
I have no problem with opposition to abortion…I have grave issues with the “pro life’ moniker when the same people are indifferent to death in other places.
It leads me to believe that it’s all about power…not the ‘sanctity of life’…
I never see the purity test come up here on immigration issues ā only abortion. I could have have missed it.
I think it disingenuous to call pointing out gross hypocrisy a “purity test’…
if one wants to hold to a “biblical” view of life…I have dozens more to support my position than the anti abortion folks do…
Michael
I was pointing out gross hypocrisy. And Iāll let that be the end of it.
Dread,
I get it…
My question though is now that the evangelicals have saved American babies are they going to be really pro life and save non American lives?
I already know the answer…
Everywhere I go in the world I find human suffering and simple lovers of Jesus hold hands, wiping blood, serving food, showing kindness. Some are evangelical – some Catholic – they seldom make headlines. The politicians and prancing preachers do.
God knows.
Iām not trying to fight but I do think we are fixed on the bad actors. The people are pretty amazing.
Dread,
Bowden said that Christians were the only ones making a difference on the border…and he wasn’t a Christian.
These saints do not make policy or appear on Fox News to speak of invasions either….the bad actors are the visible face of evangelicalism…