According to the Bible sin is transgression of the law.

Let the debate begin

Which law?

Old Testament?

New Testament?

Both?

Christianity teaches that sin separates us from God.

Sin is what sent Jesus to the cross.

We are all sinners,.

Born that way.

We sin because we are sinners.

Sin will ultimately land us in hell unless we trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins.

Sin is the problem and Jesus is the solution.

Our hearts are black but Jesus can make them white through his blood that he shed on the cross.

Without sin I wonder if Christianity would exist?

For those of us who are not Christians sin takes on a different meaning.

Since there is no God to offend, and no God to give an account to, sin does not carry the force that it does with the Christian.

The list of sins, according to the Bible, according to the pastor, according to each Christian, is quite long.

Every person has their own sin list.

No sin list is the same.

As an unbeliever my sin  list  is quite short.

And it gets shorter every day.

Since I reject the Bible as an objective standard of right and wrong how do I determine my morals and ethics?

Do I need a god, Church, or pastor to tell me what my morals and ethics should be?

Do I need a Bible to tell me what my morals and ethics should be?

According to the Bible all the law can be summed up in two commands:

• Love God
• Love your fellow human beings

My morals and ethics are based on the premise that I should love my neighbor as myself.

I should treat people like I would want to be treated.

I should not do things that would harm other people.

I should value my relationships with my family and my fellow human beings to such a degree that  I live in such a way that my actions cause them no harm.

God does not enter the picture. My only concern is the relationships I have with others. When I live in a selfish, unloving, unkind, unjust manner then I am “sinning” against my fellow human beings.

My sin does not bring the judgment of God. It does hurt the relationships I have with others. My sin causes personal loss and pain.

If what I do does not hurt others, if it does not damage my relationships with others then it is not “sin.” (I don’t even like using the word sin)

This makes life much simpler for me.

I am still a “sinner” but I am much less a “sinner” since I abandoned the Christian faith.

Losing God, the Bible, and the complex, never ending, sin list has allowed to realize, for the first time in many many years that it is OK to be human.

After living a lifetime of denying who I am I can now be free to be Bruce. I am still finding out who I really am. 

So much of my life was labeled as sin.

I suspect I will always have a Christian sin hangover. A lifetime of being beat over the head with an angry God, a dying Savior, and a rule book called the Bible, has left a lot of deep wounds.

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The solution to the problems of life.

The way, truth , and life.

The one who makes life worth living.

Redeemer.

Deliverer.

Savior.

If Jesus is the giver of new life.

If Jesus cleanses a person from sin.

If Jesus gives his followers new desires.

If Jesus gives his followers a new song.

If Jesus fills that empty void in a person’s heart.

If Jesus gives his followers everything they need pertaining to life and godliness.

If Jesus heals.

If Jesus sets the drunk and the junkie  free.

If Jesus cleanses the sinner from all unrighteousness.

If Jesus really is who and what Christians say he is….

Why are their lives no different than mine? No different than most agnostics or atheists I know?

It seems the only difference between me and thee is what we do on Sunday.

I am as moral and ethical, if not more so, as most Christians.

I live honestly and justly.

Yet, without Jesus.

If Jesus really is who and what Christians say he is….

Why are there so many Christian books written to deal with the messy, dysfunctional lives of the followers of Jesus?

I m trying real hard to understand what benefit there is to following Jesus. (judging only from what I see)

If I can live morally and ethically without Jesus then why join a social group that demands 10% of my income to be a member in good standing?

If Jesus is what you need I say good for you.

I hope you will say the same for people like me who have no need for Jesus. (or at least no need of the American, Western, Evangelical concept of Jesus)

Jesus may be the answer to your questions but he is not the answer to mine.

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2. What Do We Really Know About Jesus? Part 2
3. What Do We Really Know About Jesus?

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Isaiah 49:16

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From the Jesus Needs New PR blog:

GLENN SAYS… I’m begging you, your right to religion and freedom to exercise religion and read all of the passages of the Bible as you want to read them and as your church wants to preach them . . . are going to come under the ropes in the next year. If it lasts that long it will be the next year. I beg you, look for the words ’social justice’ or ‘economic justice’ on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!

GLENN CONTINUES… Communists are on the left, and the Nazis are on the right. That’s what people say. But they both subscribe to one philosophy, and they flew one banner. . . . But on each banner, read the words, here in America: ’social justice.’ They talked about economic justice, rights of the workers, redistribution of wealth, and surprisingly, democracy..

I’ll give Beck credit for one thing…he speaks out loud what many right-wing Christians and politicians think privately.

I am for virtually everything the Glenn Beck is against.

And that’s a good thing.

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Midwestern Baptist College was started in 1954 to train Fundamentalist Baptist preachers for the ministry. Men from all walks of life came to Midwestern to train for the ministry. Since Midwestern  was a non-accredited, private religious institution students were not eligible for student aid. Most students worked full-time jobs while attending Midwestern.  There were a large number of older, married men taking classes. My father-in-law was in his mid-thirties when he attended Midwestern.

The academics at Midwestern were very substandard. Most teachers taught at an adult Sunday School class level.  In fact, some adult Sunday School classes I have taught over the years were much more challenging than many of the classes I took at Midwestern.  Many of the teachers were graduates of Midwestern.  The Bible classes were most often taught by pastors who had graduated from Midwestern. (I should note that the founder of Midwestern had a earned doctorate from Wayne State/

I wonder if it could have been otherwise. With a large number of older students, and with most students working full time jobs, a rigorous academic program would have resulted in a large number of failures.

The man who taught English  was a closet homosexual.  He was single and lived in the dorm. He and I did not get along very well. I knew what he was (remember  I was quite homophobic at the time) and we clashed repeatedly. He finally told me to stay out of his class. If I would do that he would give me a passing grade. Worked out great for me.  I got a passing grade without doing the work and I got to shoot baskets during the time for English class.

The man who taught business classes at Midwestern was a schizophrenic. Great guy. Single. Lived in the dorm. As long as he took his meds he was fine.  But, he didn’t like to take his meds.

One night he drove his car to the black section of Pontiac, got out of the car, and handed his keys to the first person he saw.  He then walked back to the dorm.  It took us a week to track down his car and retrieve it.

The man who taught Missions was a former missionary. I really enjoyed his class. Lots of stories. Very personal. He was passionate about missions and his passion infected everyone who took his class.  He only taught one year.

World History was taught by a pastor’s wife who literally read the textbook to the class. She spoke with a monotone voice. The highlight of the class was when someone would fart.

The Bible and doctrine  classes I took were all taught by pastors. Most of the classes were taught  in a devotional manner.Since the Bible was the inerrant Word of God (KJV only) we never discussed textual variants or alternative explanations or understandings of a text.  God said it and that settled it.  I learned very little bible in BIBLE college.

Biology class was the biggest joke of all. No lab. All lecture. The teacher was a racist and he spent a few classes talking about why we should only marry  our “own kind.” The teacher was a pastor with no meaningful science training.

I have come to see that Midwestern did not exist for the purpose of giving me an education.  It existed for the purpose of indoctrinating me in the Fundamentalist, Independent Baptist faith. Difference and dissent was quashed. Troublemakers were thrown out. (also known as shipped) Academic freedom did not exist. Either a teacher taught the party line or they were fired.

The College had a library. It had very few books and most of the books it did have were castoffs from pastor’s libraries. I only used the library a handful of times.

What learning I now possess I do not owe to Midwestern.  A few years into the ministry I realized that the education I received at Midwestern was academically inferior.  I began to buy books and started the long, arduous task of learning the Bible. Over the years I ended up with a library of over 1,000 theological books. (all of which I have since sold on EBay)  More than once someone would come into my study, and upon seeing the books, ask me if I actually read all of them.  Yes, was the answer.

I know of more than a few fundamentalist pastors whose whole library would fit on two shelves. No need to read or study. The Bible is all we need.

Ignorance among Fundamentalist, Independent Baptists is far too common. Winning souls is the priority. It should come as no surprise when men trained this way teach error or become cultic in their practices.

I plan to write a good bit more about my time at Midwestern Baptist College. Stay tuned.

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That’s it.

I am dead serious.

There is NO legal requirement in Ohio for starting a Church. Anyone can do it. By default Churches are tax exempt. (even if they do NOT have official 501c3 status)

There is NO legal requirement in Ohio for starting a Christian School. (as long as it is associated with a Church)

Any Church group can start a School and remove their children from the public school. There is no government oversight, no rules, no regulations. Homeschooling is minimally regulated in Ohio and private Christian schools even less so.

Ohio is the Wild Wild West when it comes to new Churches and Christian Schools.

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A preschooler is caught in the middle of a fight between religion and sexuality. Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School, in Boulder, has refused to readmit a preschooler because the child has two moms. Her parents are lesbians.

"God and Jesus would not allow discrimination in that way," said Joellen Raderstorf, one of about two dozen demonstrators who turned out at Sunday’s church service.

Most of the protesters stood silently, across the street, holding signs. One read "God loves all people."

Some of them went inside during mass. The priest addressed the situation in his sermon.

"He feels like it’s a calling to be strict with upholding the catholic principles," said Dave Ensign, president of the Board of Directors of Boulder Pride, a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender organization.

"People who understand the Catholic teaching will understand why the decision was made," said Fabien Ardila, a member of the parish.

However, not everyone in the parish agreed with the decision.

"I just feel the Catholic church is a church that should be teaching acceptance and tolerance. I just don’t think this is an example of that," Juli Aderman-Hagerty told 7NEWS as she was leaving mass. "Father Breslin said it right. We’re all sinners. Why discriminate against this end of sinners?"

Church leaders declined to answer questions from 7NEWS.

However, the Archdiocese of Denver did issue this statement:

"To preserve the mission of our schools, and to respect the faith of wider Catholic community, we expect all families who enroll students to live in accord with Catholic teaching. Parents living in open discord with Catholic teaching in areas of faith and morals unfortunately choose by their actions to disqualify their children from enrollment." ….

The hypocrisy of the Church leaders is quite clear for all to see.

Why is this lesbian couple and their child being singled out for not following Church teachings?

Do any divorced people have their children in the school?  Do any of the parents use birth control?  Is the lesbian couple the only family in the school that is living in open discord with Catholic teachings?

I wonder if parochial schools in Colorado receive government funding? (as they do here in Ohio) If so I would think such discrimination is illegal.

Stories like this remind me of  how much more work there is to do in the quest for making our society just.

Now, if the school has a closed enrollment (practicing Catholics only) and receives NO government aid then they should  be permitted to choose who they want in their school. But, if their enrollment is open and they receive government aid of any kind, then they should be required to  follow the law forbidding discrimination.

The greater issue is the message that this sends to the world.  A Church who welcomes some but despises others. 

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Two channels were having a live fund raiser, or so it seemed.

Both channels had the same TV preacher raising money for them at the same time.

An amazing feat…..two places at the same time. (the broadcasts were “fake” live)

I guess with God all things are possible.

I doubt that many people even notice such things.

I do.

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• Teach bad theology
• Make outrageous statements about life
• Make nonsensical statements
• Be a bad attempt at humor
• Be a bad attempt at being “cool” or “relevant”

Of course, the above criteria pretty well covers 99% of all Church signs. 

This week’s Stupid Church Sign of the Week award goes to the bench in front of Kroger in Defiance, Ohio.

The bench has an ad spot that says:

Got Jesus?

Inquiring minds want to know….Is Jesus lost?

No, I don’t have Jesus.

Which Jesus are they looking for? Surely they are aware there is more than ONE Jesus? Surely they know that every Christian has their own  version of Jesus, their own personal savior?  (I know YOUR Jesus is THE Biblical Jesus)

The ad is an attempt to be cute.  It is a religious version of the “Got milk” commercials.

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…Christian-based materials dominate a growing home-school education market that encompasses more than 1.5 million students in the U.S. And for most home-school parents, a Bible-based version of the Earth’s creation is exactly what they want. Federal statistics from 2007 show 83 percent of home-schooling parents want to give their children ”religious or moral instruction.”

”The majority of home-schoolers self-identify as evangelical Christians,” said Ian Slatter, a spokesman for the Home School Legal Defense Association. ”Most home-schoolers will definitely have a sort of creationist component to their home-school program.”

Those who don’t, however, often feel isolated and frustrated from trying to find a textbook that fits their beliefs.

Two of the best-selling biology textbooks stack the deck against evolution, said some science educators who reviewed sections of the books at the request of The Associated Press.

”I feel fairly strongly about this. These books are promulgating lies to kids,” said Jerry Coyne, an ecology and evolution professor at the University of Chicago.

The textbook publishers defend their books as well-rounded lessons on evolution and its shortcomings. One of the books doesn’t attempt to mask disdain for Darwin and evolutionary science.

”Those who do not believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God will find many points in this book puzzling,” says the introduction to ”Biology: Third Edition” from Bob Jones University Press. ”This book was not written for them.”

The textbook delivers a religious ultimatum to young readers and parents, warning in its ”History of Life” chapter that a ”Christian worldview … is the only correct view of reality; anyone who rejects it will not only fail to reach heaven but also fail to see the world as it truly is.”

When the AP asked about that passage, university spokesman Brian Scoles said the sentence made it into the book because of an editing error and will be removed from future editions.

The size of the business of home-school texts isn’t clear because the textbook industry is fragmented and privately held publishers don’t give out sales numbers. Slatter said home-school material sales reach about $1 billion annually in the U.S.

Publishers are well aware of the market, said Jay Wile, a former chemistry professor in Indianapolis who helped launch the Apologia curriculum in the early 1990s.

”If I’m planning to write a curriculum, and I want to write it in a way that will appeal to home-schoolers, I’m going to at least find out what my demographic is,” Wile said….

Apologia and Bob Jones University Press say their science books sell well. Apologia’s ”Exploring Creation” biology textbook retails for $65, while Bob Jones’ ”Biology” Third Edition lists at $52.

Coyne and Virginia Tech biology professor Duncan Porter reviewed excerpts from the Apologia and Bob Jones biology textbooks, which are equivalent to ninth- and 10th-grade biology lessons. Porter said he would give the books an F.

”If this is the way kids are home-schooled then they’re being shortchanged, both rationally and in terms of biology,” Coyne said. He argued that the books may steer students away from careers in biology or the study of the history of the earth.

Wile countered that Coyne ”feels compelled to lie in order to prop up a failing hypothesis (evolution). We definitely do not lie to the students. We tell them the facts that people like Dr. Coyne would prefer to cover up.”

Adam Brown’s parents say their 16-year-old son’s belief in the Bible’s creation story isn’t deterring him from pursuing a career in marine biology. His parents, Ken and Polly Brown, taught him at their Cedar Grove, Ind., home using the Apologia curriculum and other science texts.

Polly Brown said her son would gladly take college courses that include evolution, and he’ll be able to provide the expected answers even though he disagrees.

”He probably knows it better than the kids who have been taught evolution all through public school,” Polly Brown said. ”But that is in order for him to understand both sides of that argument because he will face it throughout his higher education.”

My wife and I have been home schooling our children since 1994. We have one child who is still being home schooled. He will graduate next year.

We are members of the fundamentalist Home School Legal Defense Association. We use textbooks that are published by Christian companies.

And we hate it.

We don’t hate home schooling per se’. Home schooling can and does provide an excellent education.  All of our children have done well and have had no trouble going on to college. That said, we also know that the weakest part of our home schooling program is science, especially lab-based science.

When we began home schooling we decided that we would focus on reading, writing,spelling, English, basic science, history, and math through Algebra and Geometry. We firmly believe that if you teach a child to read well and write well that they can accomplish most anything.

We have been members of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) for a number of years. They do an excellent job at protecting the legal right of parents to educate their children at home.  They are zealous defenders of constitutional rights.  I commend them for this, yet  I despise them at the same time.

HSLDA also involves itself in a number of right-wing religious and political lobbying efforts.  Every time I get the  HSLDA magazine I want to scream.  I must be the only liberal that is a  HSLDA member.

HSLDA membership costs 120.00 per year.  For that 120.00 per year, HSLDA agrees to represent you or consult with you on legal matters related to home schooling. There is a lot of confusion about the legal requirements for home schooling and sometimes this results in conflict with local school officials, social service agencies, and courts. HSLDA provides a worthy and needed service.  There is no secular alternative.

Religious textbooks dominate the home school textbook market. It is impossible to avoid using them. In most  subjects ignoring the religious overtones is quite easy. But, not in the science textbooks. Young earth creationism is taught as “good” science and evolution is derided as godless and satanic. I don’t know of any text that deals honestly with the issue of evolution.

The Bob Jones Press textbook quote in the above article is quite typical:

”Those who do not believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God will find many points in this book puzzling,” says the introduction to ”Biology: Third Edition” from Bob Jones University Press. ”This book was not written for them.”

The textbook delivers a religious ultimatum to young readers and parents, warning in its ”History of Life” chapter that a ”Christian worldview … is the only correct view of reality; anyone who rejects it will not only fail to reach heaven but also fail to see the world as it truly is.”

According to the Bob Jones textbook good science begins with the Bible. The only TRUE worldview is the Christian worldview. Failure to embrace the Christian (Bob Jones) worldview will result in a distorted understanding of the world and most likely will earn you a berth in hell after you die.

I would counter that it is the fundamentalist Christian that has the distorted view of the world. A worldview where religion has been substituted for science. A worldview that can not be rationally defended. A worldview that leads to small minded and narrow minded thinking.

Creationism is not science and it has no place in the science classroom. For the non-religious homeschooler the problem is that there are no secular, non-creation science textbooks.

I am often asked, if we had it to do all over again, would we still home school our six children?

Maybe. We started home schooling for religious reasons. We now home school because we simply want to finish what we started. It is too late to change horses. Perhaps if our youngest son was in elementary school  we might think differently, but he will graduate next year and it would be unfair to him to change now.

My views on evolution have certainly changed over the years. I embrace evolutionary thought, but I still have a lot of questions.  Of course that’s me in a nutshell.  Questions. 

I am still skeptical of the QUALITY of a public school education.  I don’t like the cookie cutter approach used in the the public school.  I don’t like all the emphasis on testing.  I don’t like the lack of emphasis on reading and writing in High School.

I have many doubts about the state of public education in America but I no longer consider the public schools as evil, as dens of communistic, godless ideology. Teachers are underpaid and underappreciated. They deserve better, and so do our children.

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Stolen from Andrew Hackman’s blog Hackman’s Musings.  I am sure he stole them too. 

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• Comments are now closed after 15 days.  I was leaving comments open indefinitely but I am getting way too much spam to deal with. Spammers target old posts.  I am hoping by closing the comments after 15 days this will cut down the spam.
• I removed the threaded comments feature. It seems some people have a problem following the flow of the comments. One lady even took me to task over someone else’s comment. She was CERTAIN I had attacked her. What I was certain of is that she couldn’t follow the discussion thread.  She was wrong BUT I do find some of the discussion threads hard to follow when they get 5 or 6 threads deep.
• The comments will appear oldest first, newest last. Any comment thread over 100 comments will generate a new comment page. (100 comments per page)

As always, thank you for reading Restless Wanderings. Thank you for commenting. And most of all, thank you for your friendship. This blog is the closest I am going to get to heaven, so thank you for making it heaven-like some days.  Of course there are those commenters who make it like hell too…but I am focusing on the positive.

Bruce 

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(azalea in our side yard. Planted decades ago. Absolutely beautiful)

That’s what the greeter told me as I left the Meijer store today.

Have a nice day.

What does this mean…have a nice day?

How do I determine if I am having a nice day?

I am in a lot of pain today.

I shuffled through the store, leaning on my cart, my body screaming fuck you.

From head to toe, I hurt.

Vicodin, please.

I still hurt.

Don’t touch me.

Don’t walk so heavy on the floor.

Every movement, every sensation, sends my pain receptors into overdrive.

I have thoughts of the relief of death.

Have a nice day?

Yet, I am not in the hospital.

I don’t live is a war torn  country.

My children are safe.

My grandchildren laugh and play.

M wife gently kisses me and feels my pain as she walks out the door to a social engagement I can not attend.

Spring showed up today.

The flowers are poking their heads through the ground.

The sun is shining.

Robin egg malted milk balls are at the store for Easter. One bag down and who knows how many to go.

So,it is a nice day.

But, it isn’t a nice day.

Have a nice day.

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Zoe posted the following comment quote on the Thoughts from a Sandwich blog. The comment quote comes from the discussion section of an article in the Oakland Press website.

" All I ever hear these Dawkins-worshipers talk about is "education", "evidence", "reason", "logic", "rationality", "truth", and other such blasphemy.

You god-haters don’t need any of these, that is why God wrote the Bible. "

Pretty well sums up Christian Fundamentalism.

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HT: Right Wing Watch

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The director of a little-known legislative council helping to oversee the state’s agency for injured workers often asked her three-member staff to pray and judged them "on the quality of their faith" before firing them, the staffers say.

The two staff attorneys and an executive assistant accuse Virginia McInerney, director of the Ohio Workers’ Compensation Council, of wrongful discharge, religious discrimination, harassment and retaliation.

McInerney said last night that she could not discuss specifics because legal action could be involved. But she said, "I deny the wrongdoing they are alleging."

The Feb. 16 firings have Democrats and others raising questions about what happened inside the council, which is expected to receive more than $1 million in Bureau of Workers’ Compensation funds this fiscal year.

According to the workers, McInerney told them that she believed God placed her in the job. They said she led the staff in prayer, asked a worker to listen to and take notes on God at Work CDs and complained that a Senate resolution to privatize the bureau was "another of Satan’s efforts to stall or impede the council’s progress."

One worker also complained that McInerney said the source of conflict in the office was an "inability to recognize her ‘divine gift for editing.’"

"It became increasingly clear that the director was judging employees not on professional performance but on the quality of their faith, according to her beliefs," staff attorney Kim H. Finley wrote in a letter this week to state Sen. Stephen Buehrer, chairman of the council.

Finley, staff attorney Shadya Y. Yazback and executive assistant Stephanie Susan Irwin all sent letters to Buehrer on Tuesday protesting their firings. Buehrer, R-Delta, refused to comment on the matter yesterday….

Finley said in her letter that the workers approached McInerney on Feb. 10 seeking separation agreements because "her poor management, failed leadership and discriminatory practices had led to significant and insurmountable inter-office issues."

McInerney said she could not meet their terms under state law and offered them the chance to resign. The workers said that when they refused, they were fired. They are asking the council to consider "modifying the terms" of their departures.

The council is not part of the bureau but was created in 2007 after a series of bureau investment scandals. It was modeled after the Ohio Retirement Study Council, which provides legislative oversight of the state’s employee pension systems.

The duties of the bipartisan council, which consists of legislators and representatives of employers, employees and the public, include reviewing the soundness of the bureau and legislation affecting it.

McInerney, 52, who had worked at the Ohio Legislative Services Commission, started as director on July 6, 2008, at a salary of $102,500 a year, according to state personnel records. She has appeared on the 700 Club, written a book and magazine articles about Christian singles and spoken in the past at the Vineyard Church of Columbus….

If this report is true McInerney should be IMMEDIATLEY removed from her position and those fired should be reinstated.

I am concerned that Sen. Steve Buehrer is the head of the council. Buehrer is a right-wing fundamentalist Christian and this may cloud his judgment on this matter.. He represents my district. I have written Buehrer several times over the years. He has never responded to anything I have sent him. Evidently he only represents SOME people in District 1. Perhaps he only represents Republicans, which make up  60+ percent of his district.  Time will tell if Buehrer will act according to the Constitution rather than his Fundamentalist Christian beliefs. I have my doubts.

This is another reminder that God and government do not go well together.

If you doubt Virginia McInerney’s religious motivations check out her website.

Google search for Virginia McInerney

HT: Religion Clause

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Paul wrote the following the Church at Corinth:

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. ¹¹For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. ¹²Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. ¹³Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; ¹⁵Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. ¹⁶And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. ¹⁷For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.  ! Corinthians 1:10-17

Within the Church at Corinth there were contentions over who to follow after. It seemed  everyone had their favorite preacher. Some liked Paul, others liked Apollos. Some thought Peter was the best preacher in town, and yet others thought Christ himself was. (ponder that for a moment)

Paul ends the first chapter of First Corinthians with these words:

That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

2000 years of Church history show very clearly that the early Christian Church did not listen to Paul. The Christian Church is hopelessly divided. Each sect believes they have the corner on the truth. Each sect believes their leaders are anointed and called by God. One sect, the Catholic Church, believes their leader is Christ on earth.

There is no unity in the Christian Church. Jesus prayed that his followers would be one. That’s one prayer that definitely went unanswered.

What happens when you take a hopelessly fractured Church and wed it with American style capitalism?

Welcome to the mega-church.

Churches aren’t known for what they believe or even the works they do. They are known for who their pastor is.

When asked where they go to Church a Christian will often say “I go to  Pastor Smith’s Church.”

The focus of everything is on the pastor. He is the mover and shaker. He is what powers the machine. Without him it all fails.

Christian TV, radio and publishing is all about the personalities within the Church. Name recognition is the name of the game.

Does anyone really believe Rod Parsley is a good writer? Yet, his books sell. Why? Name recognition.

Everything is focused on and culminates with the sermon and the preacher.

I had people drive 40 minutes to the Church I pastored in SE Ohio. They loved my preaching. They thought I was the greatest preacher since the last guy they thought was wonderful. Really? As much as I think that I am a pretty good public speaker, they had to drive past 40 Churches to get to the Church I pastored. Not one of those  Churches had a preacher that could preach competently? (well maybe not, after hearing more than a few preachers) 

What happens when the pastor leaves the Church? What happens when the personalities change, when a new preacher takes over? Strife. Division. People leave the Church. Why? Because Church became about the preacher rather than about Jesus and serving others.

Why is it the pastor’s name is on everything? The sign out front. The bulletin . Every piece of literature the Church produces.

If it is really is all about Jesus then why does it matter if anyone knows the pastor’s name?

Ah, but it does matter. Most Christians are good capitalists. (serving a socialist Jesus) They are consumers first and Christians second.  They know people are “attracted” (the attractional method) to the Church by the pastor, the programs, the building, etc.

They know the pastor becomes the face of their Church. It shouldn’t be this way, but it is, and quite frankly, it is the Church itself that must bear the blame for this.

They revel in the cult of personality. They love having a name brand preacher. They watch Christians TV and listen to Christian radio because  Pastor/Rev/Dr/Evangelist/Bishop/Apostle so-and so is on. Take away the names and it becomes as interesting as eating a no-name hamburger at a no-name restaurant surrounded by no-name people.

Christianity supposedly has a higher calling.  Supposedly Jesus is all that matters. Let him have the preeminence in all things the Bible says.  Supposedly the  Christian is to be counter-cultural. Against the world, not going along with it.

You see, out here in the real world. a world devoid of Jesus, and the Christian cult of personality we have our own cult of personality.

How dare  I criticize Christianity for the very same thing that I do and other worldlings like me do?

Here’s the difference. We don’t set ourselves up as a moral standard. We don’t say our way of  life is “the way, truth, and life.“ We don’t divide the world into those who are in and those who are out.

I  am quite willing to admit  I am a member of the cult of personality. Are you my Christian friend? Are you willing to admit that your cult worship is what Paul condemned in 1 Corinthians 1? Are you willing to admit that really you aren’t any different than us heathens? The only difference being where you spend time on Sunday?

I am a sports fan. What would sports be without personalities?

There are some authors and writers that I consider gods. I will drive to go hear them.

I worship at the feet of Jon Stewart. I am a member of the  Daily Show Church.I worship 4 nights a week.

Wendell Berry or Bart Ehrman come anywhere near here to speak, I ‘ll be in the front row.

Don’t even get me started on musicians I think are rock/pop/country/blues/ gods.

I even watch American Idol. How cultish is that?

My Christian friend, truth be told, you are just like the rest of us.

So, maybe you might want to choose better personalities to worship. Do you really want to keep worshipping the likes of Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Mark Driscoll, John Piper, Rick Warren, Ed Young, Rob Bell, and your local mega-church pastor?

Do you really want to keep telling yourself that your Church’s worship band really “rocks”, that they are “rock gods” when you could be listening to U2 or  Sugarland?

In the realm of the gods my gods are better than yours. 

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• Prisons would be renamed "Love the Sinner Hate the Sin Tough Love™ Community Intervention Centers."
• Coveting your neighbor’s ass would be a capital offense.
• The Bible Belt would be replaced by The God Delusion Neck-tie.
• Taco Bell would be renamed The Rob Bell All-Food-Is-Spiritual-Ethno-Dining Experience (after first being called Rob Bell’s Everything Is Velvet Sex-Mex for, oh, about two days).
• “Thou shalt make war” would be enshrined as the 11th commandment.
• Rick Warren would be elected President for Life, after Jesus declines the offer.
• Billy Graham’s face would be carved into Mount Rushmore.
• The message on the Statue of Liberty–Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free–would be replaced with "God helps those who help themselves."
• The Washington Monument would be demolished, due to its resemblance to a giant . . . well, you know.
• McDonald’s, Oprah Winfrey and the state of Michigan would become wholly owned subsidiaries of Zondervan.
• There would be liberty and justice for all. Except atheists, socialists, pro-choicers, gays, New-Agers, Marilyn Manson, Mexicans, and possibly the Mormons.
• The Constitution would be replaced with The Purpose Driven Life.
• The capital would be moved to Lynchburg, Virginia.
• The U.S. would take a more active part in bringing on the Rapture by nuking Mecca.
• Benny Hinn would be named Secretary of Health, Bob Tilton Secretary of the Treasury, Dr. Creflo A. Dollar the Surgeon General, and James Dobson the head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
• The Pledge of Allegiance would be replaced with the sinner’s prayer.
• The word of knowledge would become the CIA’s primary weapon in the War on Terror, as water-boarding is replaced with 24-hour exposure to TBN.

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HT: Jesus Needs New PR

Oh, BTW here is two pictures of Driscoll, the REAL man.

Yes sir, a mullet says “there’s a REAL man.”

Wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt while preaching says to the world, “Take me seriously. I am a real man!”

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Kurt Vonnegut was often asked why he bothered writing. He answered this way:

Many people desperately need to receive this message: I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about,although  most people don’t care about them. You are not alone.

What he said.

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(crocus in our yard 2009)

We all have a past.

My past is littered with good and bad things that I have done. Between good and bad is where most of us live.Neither saint nor sinner, just human.

Few of us escape this life without having done some things that would be embarrassing to us if someone found out about them.

We have secrets.

We know where the bodies are buried.

Sometimes our minds are haunted with the indiscretions and missteps of the past.

Maybe you are different.

But  I doubt it.

We often bury the past but it has a nasty way of coming to the surface, often when we least expect it or can least afford it .

I have sat in countless counseling sessions with married couples. I have watched the past spring up out of the depths as couples seemingly talk about what their current troubles are. Bang…the past becomes the present.

I see a counselor on a regular basis. I am shocked at times when the distant past percolates to the surface.Even after a year of counseling I still have secrets.  I still have things that hide and fight being brought to light.

I have been married 31 years. I married a wonderful woman.  I love her more than she’ll ever know. Yet, even after all these years we still don’t know everything about each other. I am still learning about my wife, her past, her life.

Some married couples say they can talk about anything.  I want to believe that but I have my doubts…

My wife and I can talk about most everything, but not everything.

Take suicide.  I battle with depression. I have had suicidal thoughts on and off over the years. It is just a part of who  I am.  The Bruce roller coaster. A great ride but man can it be scary sometimes. 

My wife wants to be there fore me but on this one issue she can’t. I understand. So I don’t talk about it with her. When those dark times come I keep my suicidal thoughts and comments to myself. Such times are rare but they do happen. Polly’s there for me 99.9% of the time. That’s enough for me. I wish we could go that last .1% but we can’t.

Over the last several days I have been contacted by someone who knows a  preacher  friend of mine.  This person tells a sordid story about the past life of my preacher friend. Terrible sins. Debauchery. Sex with minors. Getting a 13yr old girl pregnant.

Granted, most of these things took place before my preacher friend became a Christian. The person who contacted me alleges that the sinning didn’t stop after the preacher became a Christian.  It is hard to believe, and  I am inclined to dismiss the person telling me this BUT they know too many specifics about my  preacher friend for this to be a coincidence.

The preacher preached many times at the Churches I pastored.  I know he held back things about his life. He had preached for us three times before I found out he had been divorced.

His defense?  It’s under the blood. Whatever happened before salvation is buried in the depths of God’s forgiveness. For him life began when he was saved.

I am not sure what I think of all this.

Preachers claim to be God’s man.  They claim to be called by God.  They claim to be a voice for moral and ethical living.  They claim to know the truth.

Yet, they often hide their past.

Oh, I know why.  Most Churches can’t handle the truth.  They don’t want fallible, frail, sinful pastors.  They want saints on white horses who live in glass houses. They want to be inspired.  They don’t want a pastor like them.

So pastors disappoint.

Pastors cheat, lie, and steal.

Pastors get divorced. They commit adultery. They commit murder. They abuse their children, their spouse.

They lose their temper. They curse. They look at porn.

They can sin with the best of humanity.

Imagine how inspiring it would be if the pastor was ever honest with how his life really was? Few Churches want such inspiration.

Pastors can do wonderful works too. Selfless. Kind. Compassionate. Giving. Loving. Patient.  A wonderful husband and father.

In other words pastors are just like everyone else.

I am uncertain as to how much information about the past we owe those we are close to. How much does a pastor owe a Church about his past? If it is “under the blood” one would think that full disclosure would be in order and that the Church would accept such a confession as past history. forgiven and forgotten.

Except…we are creatures of habit.  Our past often charts the course for present and future. It doesn’t have to but often it does.

Salvation doesn’t make you a new person, contrary to what a preacher might tell you.  Yes, people have had conversion experiences. Their lives have changed around the edges, but at the core they remain who they are.

I have made many changes in my life. Lots of them.  I have had many conversion experiences. Yet, at the foundational level I remain who I always have been.

I am a pessimistic, half glass empty kind of guy. I have a quick temper, Quick to rise, quick to subside.  I don’t bear grudges. I get over things quickly. I am passionate. I am likely to charge hell with an empty squirt gun. I am changeable. I am moody. I get depressed easily. I am a tenderhearted person that cries easily.  I bore easily. I hate having money and I spend it quickly.

That’s me, and for the most part I have been this way my entire life. Chip around the edges, scrape and repaint, I essentially remain what I have been my entire life.

There are certain things I don’t like about my wife and I am damn certain there are things my wife doesn’t like about me. But, we have come to realize we are who we are.  Love the good things about each other, and tolerate or ignore the things that irritate us. Attempts to change people most often end in failure and may bring unintended consequences.

I have a lot on my mind today.

This post is me talking out loud.

Thanks for listening.

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But sex is a lot more fun without clothes.

Do you know there is a group called the Christian Nudist Convocation?

The Christian Nudist Convocation if for Christian fundamentalists  who like living the natural life.

I found the following on the policy page for the Christian Nudist Convocation:

As Christian nudists, we are first and foremost Christians! We hold to the values and moral standards revealed in God’s Word. We also believe in standards of Conduct that will allow us to represent Christ well to others both inside and outside the household of faith.

The CNC leadership is committed to the pursuit of naturism that is in complete harmony with God’s standards of righteousness. Furthermore, Christian Naturism as a movement is striving to create and maintain a reputation that is above reproach in matters of moral conduct. We therefore present the following policy statement which will be the standard for behavior at all CNC events.

Here is the Christian Nudist Convocation policy on sexual conduct:

There is much confusion in our culture and especially within Christendom regarding the nature and morality of nudity. Many believe that nudity and sexual misconduct go hand in hand. However, we strongly affirm that nudism is not about sex. Furthermore, because of the prevalent misunderstanding regarding the relationship between nudity and sex, it is especially important that we take a very firm stance regarding sexual conduct at all CNC events. This is important for those who attend our events and for those who would question our motives for embracing nudism. This is our stance:

1. Sexual expression between married couples is private and not for public display. Couples are asked to limit themselves to simple expressions of affection when in public.
2. Sexual activity between unmarried couples is contrary to God’s Word and will not be condoned by CNC.
3. Suggestive comments, innuendoes and jokes are contrary to our ideals and are not appropriate.
4. "Swinging" is against God’s moral law and will not be tolerated.
5. Adults are not to spend time alone with children that are not their own except by the express permission of the parents/guardians.

Violations of the standards of sexual conduct will be considered by a committee of the CNC leadership team and the resort owners in order to determine an appropriate response. Action will only be taken when violations can be affirmed by 2 or more witnesses. Zero-tolerance will be the guiding standard for our decisions. Any suspected violations of these standards are to be reported to the CNC event leadership team for review and/or action.

If everyone is Christian at the Christian Nudist Convocation why is there a need for a sexual conduct policy? The fact that there IS a policy leads me to believe that nudity and sex go hand in hand.

Can you imagine what a nudist Church service is like? Gives a new understanding of notion of a Baptist preacher letting it all hangout during his sermon. Imagine Sister Bertha and her 44dd’s dancing in the spirit.

Of course one could argue that this group is the truest of Christian groups…getting back to the original state of Adam and Eve, before sin.

Imagine…sitting around naked with the people you go to Church with, or used to go to Church with?

Scary isn’t it? 

I want to think this is a spoof….but  I fear it is not.

HT: Christian Nightmares

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Everyone of us has a past.

Everyone of us have things in our past that we regret. We wish we could have a do-over.

We all have moments in time that we wish had never happened.

A person with no regrets is a person who hasn’t lived much.

One of the big selling points for Christianity is that the blood of Christ cleanses the sinner from all their sin.

Every transgression, every misdeed, every dark and evil act, is forgiven. They are “under the blood.” They are cast into the sea of God’s forgetfulness. As far as the east is from the west, never to be remembered again.

Salvation brings cleansing. Salvation wipes the slate clean.

Even when Christians transgress after the initial point of salvation they still can find instantaneous cleansing simply by confessing their transgression and asking forgiveness. (1 John 1:9)  And just like that the slate is wiped clean.

Since we are not to judge each other, and God is the only judge, if God forgives us then that’s the end of the matter.

Whew! Glad that’s over.

I have no idea if God exists, and if he exists if he forgives people of their sins. How does anyone KNOW their sins are forgiven? Because they “feel” better? Because their “burden” is lifted?

This kind of thinking allows many Christians to avoid be confronted with, and being held accountable for, their past transgressions. If God has forgiven them why can’t everyone else?

God may forgive you but your wife, husband, children, family, friends, neighbors, coworkers may not.  The only shed blood they are concerned with is shedding yours.

When we sin, we sin first and foremost, not against God, but one another. People sin against people. Our deeds affect others. God is not bothered in the least by our sin. Why should he be?  If God is as Christians say he is, how could our sins ever “hurt” him?

I respect people who are willing to honest about their life. No hiding behind God’s skirt. No hiding in the fountain filled with blood.

What we need is honest confession.

I did it.

I am sorry.

Will you forgive me?

I understand if you can’t.

Life is messy.

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That’s the gold standard in Christianity.

Always tell the truth.

Be ye perfect even as your father in heaven is perfect.

God never lied and neither should you.

Here’s the problem…everyone lies.

EVERYONE.

Yes you, and you are lying if you think you don’t.

One man I pastored years ago believed in telling the absolute truth in every circumstance. As a result he had a lot of problems in his relationships with other people.

One Sunday a woman asked  him what he thought of her new hat. He told her it looked terrible and that it was an awful hat.He couldn’t figure why the woman was upset with him. After all, he just told the truth. Aren’t Christians supposed to tell the truth?

He worked for a local pizza company.  The company advertised “our dough is made fresh daily.” If the dough was made late in the day they would keep the dough over night and use it the next day.

He quit his job because  “dough is made fresh daily” was a lie. He wasn’t going to work for a company that lied.

He refused to sing certain songs in Church because he disagreed with the theology in the song.  It would be a lie to sing a song you did not believe was teaching the truth.

Needless to say this man’s life was one perpetual train wreck.

Telling the truth is a good thing to do most of the time.

Generally, I tell the truth. In fact, I almost always tell the truth. (understanding that truth can be quite subjective)

But, sometimes I lie.

And I don’t even feel guilty about it.

When my wife says to me “do you think I look fat in this outfit” how should I answer her?

I know she has gained weight over the years. Six kids and 31 years of marriage will do that to you.

When my wife asks me “do you think I look fat in this outfit” what is she REALLY asking?

She is asking, “do you still love me as I am?”

The right answer is, “you look great honey.”

I have a lot of health problems.

People ask me “how are you feeling?”

99% of the time they really don’t want to know, and quite frankly I don’t want to tell them.

So I lie. “I am feeling fine.”

There is this faulty notion that if someone ask us a question that we OWE them the truth.

No we don’t.

Just because you ask doesn’t mean I am obligated to tell you the truth.

Sometimes it is just easier to tell one of the respectable lies we all tell.

We lie for many different reasons. To avoid embarrassment. To avoid conflict. To hide. To misdirect. To protect.

Most days, in most cases, I tell the truth.

Sometimes, I don’t.

Humans lie. We all do.

Christians do. Pastors do.

Does that mean you can’t trust me to tell the truth?

Of course not. Generally, and in most circumstances, I will tell you the truth . (at least to the degree I understand it)

But,  I reserve the right to lie.

And I am not going to feel guilty about it.

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