Christian is a Noun
Text: Acts 11:19-30
Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo
July 8, 2007
Several years ago I heard a talk from a minister named Erwin McManus, one of the leaders of the Emergent Church movement. I’m not going to talk about the Emergent Church movement or it would take too much time and no one would still have a clue as to what I was talking about. But McManus is an interesting character in that movement.
He is the founding pastor of a church in Los Angeles named Mosaic. There is a fascinating quality to Mosaic. They do not call themselves a church. They do their thing and have their ministries and if people tell them that they are a church, they are a church. But to them, to be truly faithful is to have others see you as a church rather than innately being called a church.
In Acts 11 there is a similar scenario. The followers of Jesus are given the name Christian from outsiders. It is not a name that they have given themselves and many saw it as a derogatory term for the followers of Jesus.
Christians. They were called Christians for the very first time. The word Christian is not used a great deal in the Bible. Christian is used only twice and Christians is once in the passage we read from today. In both cases there is something that the word Christian has in common-----Christian is a noun.
Do you remember English class growing up? A noun was a person, place, or thing. A Christian, by definition, is a person who follows Jesus Christ.
Except the word Christian is used less often as a noun and more often as an adjective; a word which describes a noun. And, frankly, one of my great rants is that the word Christian has become cheapened. In 1 Peter 4:16 he writes, “Yet if any of you suffers as a Christian, do not consider it a disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this name.” The word Christian is a noun, a word which speaks to us of a person who follows Jesus Christ. To those on the outside, the word Christian was a term of mocking; but Peter says to use it to glorify God. He infers that we, as Christians, bear the name Christian and ultimately bear the name of our Savior.
But the word Christian has been cheapened. Instead of being a noun the word has become more often used as an adjective to describe items that really have no relevance to Christianity. I did some research to find some items that bear the title Christian. It is not an exhaustive list but it short is a long list.
I found:
Christian backpacks Christian punch balloons.
Christian bouncy balls. Christian squeeze earth balls.
Christian yo yos Christian rulers
Christian ties Christian pencils, pens, and magic markers.
Christian shirts Christian lip gloss.
Christian jewelry. Christian wallets
Christian coffee mugs The Christian diet.
And I have always heard that there was such a thing as Christian breath mints. I couldn’t believe it. But they do exist.
The thing is, if you read the Bible, if you read the stories of Jesus and embrace the sacrifice of Jesus then you realize that Jesus didn’t come to endorse products. Actually, Jesus’ teachings on money were quite interesting----Jesus had issues with money and would not have been pleased to endorse products.
I don’t mind of people have products which symbols which remind them of their faith----but don’t call the products themselves Christian.
Historically, as Christians, we have proclaimed to the world that Jesus suffered on the cross for us. Martin Luther called the words of John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life, “ a brief summary of all of Christianity.
Jesus came for people. Jesus died for people. Jesus was raised from the dead for people. God sent the Holy Spirit into the world for people.
Jesus did not come for product placement. Jesus did not die on the cross for backpacks, yo yo’s or bouncy balls. Jesus was not raised from the dead for the sake of pencils, pens, magic markers, or even coffee mugs. The Holy Spirit did not come into the world so that every family can be inspired to own a punch balloon or have fresh breath. And, if my chance you get a sense that I get greatly incensed by this gross commercialization of the name of Jesus Christ than you are correct.
We might, at times, need to use the word Christian as an adjective. We refer to the Christian Church, but the Christian Church has been in existence for 2000 years with the express purpose of carrying the message of Jesus Christ into the world. Christians have a specific kind of Worship and to refer to that Worship as Christian Worship is, by my standards, acceptable. Sacred Music is sometimes referred to as Christian and I can live with that. There are times, very limited times, when the word Christian may be used to describe something.
But it’s rare. The word Christian is a noun. Jesus came for people and invited people to be disciples and any almost other use of the name Christian, any other use of the name of our Savior and Lord, frankly, is intolerable to me.
Secondly, we need to recognize what being a Christian truly means.
Sometimes the things we refer to as Unchristian are interesting. Not being nice is labeled to be Unchristian. If your view of Christianity is about being nice all the time, please don’t read the gospels or you’ll find yourself uncomfortable with a lot of what Jesus said. He wasn’t always particularly nice.
I’m not saying it’s not a good thing to be nice, but it really doesn’t rise to the level of Christianity or not.
Being a Christian is becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. The word disciple is often a word not used with a great deal of understanding. Most of us, now, would define a disciple as a person who follows someone. Christians, we would say, are disciples of Jesus Christ. Followers.
But a disciple is more than a mere follower. In Biblical times a disciple was a person classified as a student of someone. In fact, the Latin word, discipila, is literally translated as student. But this was not the same way we refer to a student at any kind of school. A disciple, in Bible times, was a person who literally sat at the feet of another for many, many years and learned virtually everything the person knew. Socrates had a famous disciple named Plato, who in turn had a famous disciple named Aristotle, who in turn had a famous disciple named Alexander the Great.
Acts of the Apostles tells us that St. Paul was a student, a disciple of the great Rabbi Gamaliel.
Being a disciple of Jesus is not just following, but it’s almost literally sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning. Being a Christian is sitting at the feet of Jesus for a lifetime learning everything there is to know and come to know Jesus as best as we are humanly capable. It is not a brief decision but a lifetime commitment.
Going back to where I began, I was taken by Erwin McManus’ comments. He told a story about flying from the east coast back to Los Angeles when he was seated in the plane with a young man who was flying to Hollywood to become a big star. Or hoped he would be a big star.
The young man asked McManus what he did and McManus didn’t want to get into a long theological discussion so he told the guy that he was an author.
In any case as they made the trip the young man told McManus that his family was concerned for him as he didn’t know a soul in Los Angeles and was away from home on his own for the first time in his life.
Mosaic, at that time, met on Sunday evenings in a restaurant that was closed on Sundays. McManus told him that a group of his friends get together on Sunday nights at this one restaurant and talked and sang and hung out. He invited the guy and gave him the address.
To McManus’ great surprise the kid showed up the following Sunday night and watched McManus give a talk and was impressed that the guy he met on the plane was so well thought of by this group of friends that they were interested in what he had to say.
The kid came the next week and the same thing transpired.
He came a third week and the same thing transpired and the young man walked up to Irwin McManus and said, “Hey I figured it out! This is a church and you are the pastor!”
And he kept coming.
What made the story unique was that the young guy figured out it was a church by what was happening, what was talked about, and how people interacted with each other.
As Christians perhaps that is the way we need to see how we fit the role of Christianity. Our lives as Christians is not by the back packs we carry or the breath mints we use, but by what we do with our lives, what we talk about, how we interact with each other, and where we set our priorities. Being a Christian ought not be something we proclaim about ourselves; it ought to be something people recognize about us.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Facts and Hypothesis
I find it fascinating that people seem to confuse facts and hypothesis.
Facts are verifiable and essentially non-negotiable. Hypothesis is a theory that can be argued. Often when people argue a hypothesis they can be very compelling and very convincing. No matter how compelling and how convincing they are, however, a well argued hypothesis is still a hypothesis and doesn't become 'fact' until it can be totally verified.
I'll give an example.
There were some hypotheses that came into play at the end of World War II concerning Japan. The theory was that if the United States invaded Japan we would suffer 1,000,000 casualties and the death toll amongst the Japanese would be mind-boggling. The experience in Okinowa gave planners pause as so many of the Japanese civilians jumped off cliffs to their deaths. We had built three atomic bombs. We tested one and President Truman decided to drop the other two on Japan in a hope to end the war. People still debate whether this was a correct decision and/or a moral decision.
Here are the facts. We dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. Fact.
Many people were killed and two cities were devastated. Fact.
Shortly thereafter Japan surrendered and the war ended. Fact.
Was it a correct decision? It achieved the goals. If that makes it correct, it was correct. Was it moral? Here is where hypothesis steps in. We can theorize the ethical correctness and will do so endlessly. We can argue if it was a good decision or a bad decision and we can make hypotheses and argue them and that's all well and good. As long as we are aware that the facts and the hypotheses are different, it's fine.
I've been listening to people debate on the President's commutation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence. Lots of hypotheses are flying around and being argued. Talk radio has lit up the airways and people like Rush Limbaugh are stating that Libby did nothing wrong.
The problem is, that is his hypothesis and it flies in the fact of a fact.
Libby was prosecuted. We can argue whether or not he should have been, but he was prosecuted. Fact.
He went to trial. We can argue whether or not he should have gone to trial, but he did go to trial. Fact.
He was convicted of a crime by a jury. We can argue whether or not we believe he was guilty, but he was found guilty by a jury. Fact.
I'm weary of people saying he did 'nothing wrong' when he was tried and convicted. His trial and his conviction are not theories to be argued, they are cold, hard facts. He was convicted and that is also a cold, hard fact.
Whether or not one believes that Scooter Libby ought to have gone trial is great theater but we need to get past this talk radio culture of believing that hypotheses are facts and learn that facts are not negotiable.
Facts are verifiable and essentially non-negotiable. Hypothesis is a theory that can be argued. Often when people argue a hypothesis they can be very compelling and very convincing. No matter how compelling and how convincing they are, however, a well argued hypothesis is still a hypothesis and doesn't become 'fact' until it can be totally verified.
I'll give an example.
There were some hypotheses that came into play at the end of World War II concerning Japan. The theory was that if the United States invaded Japan we would suffer 1,000,000 casualties and the death toll amongst the Japanese would be mind-boggling. The experience in Okinowa gave planners pause as so many of the Japanese civilians jumped off cliffs to their deaths. We had built three atomic bombs. We tested one and President Truman decided to drop the other two on Japan in a hope to end the war. People still debate whether this was a correct decision and/or a moral decision.
Here are the facts. We dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. Fact.
Many people were killed and two cities were devastated. Fact.
Shortly thereafter Japan surrendered and the war ended. Fact.
Was it a correct decision? It achieved the goals. If that makes it correct, it was correct. Was it moral? Here is where hypothesis steps in. We can theorize the ethical correctness and will do so endlessly. We can argue if it was a good decision or a bad decision and we can make hypotheses and argue them and that's all well and good. As long as we are aware that the facts and the hypotheses are different, it's fine.
I've been listening to people debate on the President's commutation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence. Lots of hypotheses are flying around and being argued. Talk radio has lit up the airways and people like Rush Limbaugh are stating that Libby did nothing wrong.
The problem is, that is his hypothesis and it flies in the fact of a fact.
Libby was prosecuted. We can argue whether or not he should have been, but he was prosecuted. Fact.
He went to trial. We can argue whether or not he should have gone to trial, but he did go to trial. Fact.
He was convicted of a crime by a jury. We can argue whether or not we believe he was guilty, but he was found guilty by a jury. Fact.
I'm weary of people saying he did 'nothing wrong' when he was tried and convicted. His trial and his conviction are not theories to be argued, they are cold, hard facts. He was convicted and that is also a cold, hard fact.
Whether or not one believes that Scooter Libby ought to have gone trial is great theater but we need to get past this talk radio culture of believing that hypotheses are facts and learn that facts are not negotiable.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Some Helpful Hints
It's funny. No one ever comments. Oh well.
I have two helpful hints for people. I love being helpful.
First, do you love to cook but tend to be a klutz? Afraid to cut yourself while chopping those veggies?
Here's a helpful hint. Have someone else hold the food in place for you so that you are free to chop away and not have to worry about cutting yourself.
Secondly, people often find themselves sitting in church or sitting in the movie theater and they develop cough. And they don't want to cough and don't know a good cough suppression methods.
Here's a helpful hint. Drink a quart of prune juice. You'll be too terrified to cough.
You're welcome in advance for these helpful hints.
I have two helpful hints for people. I love being helpful.
First, do you love to cook but tend to be a klutz? Afraid to cut yourself while chopping those veggies?
Here's a helpful hint. Have someone else hold the food in place for you so that you are free to chop away and not have to worry about cutting yourself.
Secondly, people often find themselves sitting in church or sitting in the movie theater and they develop cough. And they don't want to cough and don't know a good cough suppression methods.
Here's a helpful hint. Drink a quart of prune juice. You'll be too terrified to cough.
You're welcome in advance for these helpful hints.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
The New M Phone
M Phone from Microsoft
Microsoft is releasing its competition to the I Phone. Their new product will be called the M Phone.
The M Phone will be designed to synch with Outlook enabling people to keep their contacts and calendar on their phone. All outgoing e-mails and phone calls from the M Phone will automatically add people to your contact list allowing you to max your memory within three months.
The calendar will be able to track your dates leading up to 2010 at which time users will be charged a nominal fee of $100.00 per year for each year.
Optional ear pieces are available with a simple software up grade to M Phone 1.0MX at a nominal fee of $100.00.
M Phone is secure. If anyone else tries to use your M Phone it will self destruct in 10 seconds.
You’ll be amazed at M Phone’s ability to access the Internet, You Tube, and MSNBC News Reports. For a nominal fee of $100.00 per month you can watch unlimited videos on a 1.5" x 1.5" screen.
The M Phone will be able to not only send a receive e-mails but can send attachments, fully downloadable on PC’s and M Phones. For a nominal $100.00 per month fee this service will be available.
M Phone runs on an exclusive network with clear coverage and excellent signals. To maintain this high quality M Phone users will only be able to speak to other M Phone users thus making other cellular services and home phone numbers obsolete.
Microsoft is releasing its competition to the I Phone. Their new product will be called the M Phone.
The M Phone will be designed to synch with Outlook enabling people to keep their contacts and calendar on their phone. All outgoing e-mails and phone calls from the M Phone will automatically add people to your contact list allowing you to max your memory within three months.
The calendar will be able to track your dates leading up to 2010 at which time users will be charged a nominal fee of $100.00 per year for each year.
Optional ear pieces are available with a simple software up grade to M Phone 1.0MX at a nominal fee of $100.00.
M Phone is secure. If anyone else tries to use your M Phone it will self destruct in 10 seconds.
You’ll be amazed at M Phone’s ability to access the Internet, You Tube, and MSNBC News Reports. For a nominal fee of $100.00 per month you can watch unlimited videos on a 1.5" x 1.5" screen.
The M Phone will be able to not only send a receive e-mails but can send attachments, fully downloadable on PC’s and M Phones. For a nominal $100.00 per month fee this service will be available.
M Phone runs on an exclusive network with clear coverage and excellent signals. To maintain this high quality M Phone users will only be able to speak to other M Phone users thus making other cellular services and home phone numbers obsolete.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Scooter Libby
Scooter Libby is not going to jail. He ultimately may be pardoned by President George W. Bush.
I actually do find myself pleased at this and my reaction does surprise me.
I recognize that it appears that a great deal of time and effort was wasted in this. A diligent prosecutor made his case, the judge, a law and order judge, presided, and a jury found Mr. Libby guilty. The judge sentenced Libby to the typical prison term for the crime and gave him a lecture about how officials are supposed to act.
I scoff at those who called this a witch hunt. Amazingly many of the people who called this a witch hunt were after Bill Clinton's scalp for lying about, well, a, ahem, experience with Monica Lewinsky. This wasn't a witch hunt. A grand jury found ample cause for prosecution and the case went forward and a fair trial was had.
What does impact me, however, is that I believe it is most obvious that Scooter Libby was the fall guy. He was going to go to prison for the crimes of others. He participated in the crimes, but was only one player.
What is bizarre about this is that George W. Bush has always played the role of Mr. Law and Order. He has less commutations and pardons given than any modern day President. As the governor of Texas he willingly carried out executions on people even when their defense attorneys had spent the trials passed out and sleeping through the trial. He said that he was sure that the trials were fair. When Karla Faye Tucker, a convicted murderer who had become a prison evangelist and who by all accounts had truly turned her life around, asked for clemency he denied it. She did not ask to be freed but asked to be able to continue doing ministry in the prison. Many people almost begged Mr. Bush to spare her. He made fun of her and had her executed.
But Scooter Libby is not going to jail. I'm sure he's happy. Frankly, I can't blame him. Perhaps now he can find some more honest work than working for the Bush Administration. I heard that Joe's Fly By Night Used Car Sales is looking for help....
I actually do find myself pleased at this and my reaction does surprise me.
I recognize that it appears that a great deal of time and effort was wasted in this. A diligent prosecutor made his case, the judge, a law and order judge, presided, and a jury found Mr. Libby guilty. The judge sentenced Libby to the typical prison term for the crime and gave him a lecture about how officials are supposed to act.
I scoff at those who called this a witch hunt. Amazingly many of the people who called this a witch hunt were after Bill Clinton's scalp for lying about, well, a, ahem, experience with Monica Lewinsky. This wasn't a witch hunt. A grand jury found ample cause for prosecution and the case went forward and a fair trial was had.
What does impact me, however, is that I believe it is most obvious that Scooter Libby was the fall guy. He was going to go to prison for the crimes of others. He participated in the crimes, but was only one player.
What is bizarre about this is that George W. Bush has always played the role of Mr. Law and Order. He has less commutations and pardons given than any modern day President. As the governor of Texas he willingly carried out executions on people even when their defense attorneys had spent the trials passed out and sleeping through the trial. He said that he was sure that the trials were fair. When Karla Faye Tucker, a convicted murderer who had become a prison evangelist and who by all accounts had truly turned her life around, asked for clemency he denied it. She did not ask to be freed but asked to be able to continue doing ministry in the prison. Many people almost begged Mr. Bush to spare her. He made fun of her and had her executed.
But Scooter Libby is not going to jail. I'm sure he's happy. Frankly, I can't blame him. Perhaps now he can find some more honest work than working for the Bush Administration. I heard that Joe's Fly By Night Used Car Sales is looking for help....
A Sign of Not so Good Things
Sunday marked a sign of not so good things. Maybe this isn't the biggest story of the week, but it certainly has gotten my attention.
On Sunday Yankee's third baseman Alex Rodriquez, one of the highest (if not the highest) paid professionally athletes on the planet was playing against the Oakland A's in New York. His wife, Cynthia, came to the stadium to watch her husband play. She wore a T-shirt with the words 'F@*% You" on it.
The New York media, obviously, has been following this as have the Yankees, etc.
Several things come to mind.
A-Rod has been booed once or twice in Yankee Stadium. He has put up big numbers but during the post season his productivity has been very poor. Many/most Yankee fans will say that paying him all of this money and building the offense of the team around him has been a mistake. Thus he has been booed a few times. He's also been cheered.
He's also making millions and millions of dollars to play a game. The people sitting in the stadium are paying good money to watch a game. They don't need to be insulted by his wife or any other play or any other player's family members.
But, most of all, people take children to baseball games. Baseball has been a part of the American landscape for a long time. Great plays of almost mythical proportion are burned in our memories.
Bobby Thompson hitting a game winning and playoff winning home run off of Ralph Branca in 1951. Or Mookie Wilson grounding the ball down the first base line and going through the legs of Bill Buckner. The second memory I remember all so well. It was late, my wife and 1 year old daughter were asleep upstairs. I had my finger on the 'off' button of the TV so I could immediately switch it off and not watch the Red Sox celebrate on the defeat of the Mets, and suddenly the game changed directions. I woke both of them up screaming and dancing downstairs. (Red Sox fans had a somewhat different reaction to this great event, by the way...)
Baseball has an almost mythic quality and the love of the game is passed on from generation to generation. Wearing T-shirts with obscenities on them to a ballpark is an affront to all those introducing their children to this very American game. Shame on her.
On Sunday Yankee's third baseman Alex Rodriquez, one of the highest (if not the highest) paid professionally athletes on the planet was playing against the Oakland A's in New York. His wife, Cynthia, came to the stadium to watch her husband play. She wore a T-shirt with the words 'F@*% You" on it.
The New York media, obviously, has been following this as have the Yankees, etc.
Several things come to mind.
A-Rod has been booed once or twice in Yankee Stadium. He has put up big numbers but during the post season his productivity has been very poor. Many/most Yankee fans will say that paying him all of this money and building the offense of the team around him has been a mistake. Thus he has been booed a few times. He's also been cheered.
He's also making millions and millions of dollars to play a game. The people sitting in the stadium are paying good money to watch a game. They don't need to be insulted by his wife or any other play or any other player's family members.
But, most of all, people take children to baseball games. Baseball has been a part of the American landscape for a long time. Great plays of almost mythical proportion are burned in our memories.
Bobby Thompson hitting a game winning and playoff winning home run off of Ralph Branca in 1951. Or Mookie Wilson grounding the ball down the first base line and going through the legs of Bill Buckner. The second memory I remember all so well. It was late, my wife and 1 year old daughter were asleep upstairs. I had my finger on the 'off' button of the TV so I could immediately switch it off and not watch the Red Sox celebrate on the defeat of the Mets, and suddenly the game changed directions. I woke both of them up screaming and dancing downstairs. (Red Sox fans had a somewhat different reaction to this great event, by the way...)
Baseball has an almost mythic quality and the love of the game is passed on from generation to generation. Wearing T-shirts with obscenities on them to a ballpark is an affront to all those introducing their children to this very American game. Shame on her.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Chef Competition Shows
I do not watch Survivor. I watched it in its first season and I believe I watched one other season. It was their 'all star' season of sorts. But I'm not a fan. I've never watched the show American Idol and the only person I know who was on there was the guy named Sanjaya. If they all sing like him, wow.
But I've become a fan of Top Chef and The Next Food Network Star. Part of my problem is that I like to eat and so I've come to love cooking shows. I used to be a big fan of The Frugal Gourmet years ago. He was my favorite TV minister.
Top Chef and The Next Food Network Star are quite different. The contestants on Top Chef are competing to be high level chefs in great restaurants. They don't need to have endearing personalities, but they must perform, culinary wise, in a very high level with complex recipes.
The Next Food Network Star requires people who can make very tasty, but simple food that the average person can make at home. The thing that stands out about this show is that they must cook well, but they must perform on camera at a very high level. Personality is important.
Some things have impressed me greatly.
I enjoy cooking and can be decent at it. Watching these people, on both shows, and the level that they cook at, I am very much an amateur. When I see them, especially on Top Chef and what they create, I'm dazzled. On the other show the ability to put things together quickly, on camera, wow.
A lot of these competition shows are pretty bogus to me....but this is a show where very skilled people compete with one another at very high levels. They've hooked me for sure.
But I've become a fan of Top Chef and The Next Food Network Star. Part of my problem is that I like to eat and so I've come to love cooking shows. I used to be a big fan of The Frugal Gourmet years ago. He was my favorite TV minister.
Top Chef and The Next Food Network Star are quite different. The contestants on Top Chef are competing to be high level chefs in great restaurants. They don't need to have endearing personalities, but they must perform, culinary wise, in a very high level with complex recipes.
The Next Food Network Star requires people who can make very tasty, but simple food that the average person can make at home. The thing that stands out about this show is that they must cook well, but they must perform on camera at a very high level. Personality is important.
Some things have impressed me greatly.
I enjoy cooking and can be decent at it. Watching these people, on both shows, and the level that they cook at, I am very much an amateur. When I see them, especially on Top Chef and what they create, I'm dazzled. On the other show the ability to put things together quickly, on camera, wow.
A lot of these competition shows are pretty bogus to me....but this is a show where very skilled people compete with one another at very high levels. They've hooked me for sure.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Random Thoughts Redux
More random thoughts. I'm getting good at random thoughts.
The car bombs in London are sobering. I am not convinced that things are very secure here and I still don't believe our agencies cooperate with each other like they do in England. The Department of Homeland Security is still run by a man who didn't know that the civic center in New Orleans was a human disaster----and it was being shown on TV all morning. I believe that my lack of confidence may be very justified. It doesn't make me happy, however.
Roger Clemens is 1-3 pitching for the Yankees who are paying him an obscene amount of money to pitch half the season. It has to make you wonder.
My wife, Janet, sent this quote to me from Sojourner's.
The church has only two alternatives in its confrontation with the world: either it adapts itself to the world and betrays the gospel, or it responds to the gospel and enters into conflict with the world.
--Rene Padilla
My sense is that we are better at the former than the latter.
The recent Supreme Court ruling on racial issues in schools concerns me.
John Roberts' words that the only way to end racial divisions is to end racial divisions is on many levels very true and good. Idealistically we should not need to be creating the diversity that we are creating to assure a good education to everyone. The problem is that it doesn't work out this one in the real world. I fear that we have taken a huge step backwards.
Crystal Meredith, the Louisville mother whose lawsuit brought this case forward said this:
Lisa Nowak's attorney has stated that it is outrageous that it was reported that his client wore diapers on her road trip. There were diapers in the car but not on her and her attorney has stated that these claims were made to make her look bad. I don't want to justify anything but has anyone come up with the obvious here? She lost it and had a mental breakdown. It seems amazing to me that we put very bright people in very stressful and dangerous situations where they are under intense scrutiny and they break---and we throw them to the dogs. I feel for this woman, I really do.
Finally, on I Phones. They have batteries that, when they die (not just need to be recharged), you have to replace the entire phone. Every have a cell phone battery die on you and need it to be replaced?
Consumer Reports has consistently ranked ATT/Cingular pretty much at the bottom of effective cell phone providers. You need to sign up with them to get an I Phone.
They are using a wider but slower network----all these 'extra' features of watching video clips and "You Tube" on your phone will need high speed access and it won't be as high as it probably needs to be.
Why do I want to watch movies on a 2 inch screen?
Finally, it looks great on TV. Have you ever purchased a computer product that worked as well as they advertised? Admittedly Apple has a better track record than Microsoft but I'm just curious to see how this works out.
Finally, I Phones are really expensive and the plans you need for them are really expensive. I am paying enough as it is.
Speaking of Microsoft. They've probably done a great money saving favor for many people. People don't want to purchase new computers right now because all new computers come with Microsoft Vista and Vista has helped Mac sales a great deal. Bill, Bill Gates, XP worked well! Still does. Vista is a dog! Learn a lesson from Coca Cola. New Coke didn't work!!! They pulled it.
Wow, New Coke. I wonder what rocket scientist dreamed that one up. Makes you wonder if Michael Chertoff used to work for Coco Cola...
The car bombs in London are sobering. I am not convinced that things are very secure here and I still don't believe our agencies cooperate with each other like they do in England. The Department of Homeland Security is still run by a man who didn't know that the civic center in New Orleans was a human disaster----and it was being shown on TV all morning. I believe that my lack of confidence may be very justified. It doesn't make me happy, however.
Roger Clemens is 1-3 pitching for the Yankees who are paying him an obscene amount of money to pitch half the season. It has to make you wonder.
My wife, Janet, sent this quote to me from Sojourner's.
The church has only two alternatives in its confrontation with the world: either it adapts itself to the world and betrays the gospel, or it responds to the gospel and enters into conflict with the world.
--Rene Padilla
My sense is that we are better at the former than the latter.
The recent Supreme Court ruling on racial issues in schools concerns me.
John Roberts' words that the only way to end racial divisions is to end racial divisions is on many levels very true and good. Idealistically we should not need to be creating the diversity that we are creating to assure a good education to everyone. The problem is that it doesn't work out this one in the real world. I fear that we have taken a huge step backwards.
Crystal Meredith, the Louisville mother whose lawsuit brought this case forward said this:
"My son is my world and I will never regret fighting for his rights." "I only hope this case has brought attention to the school board and to the community that each child's education is more important than their plan."
I, as a parent, understand children being 'our world' but in all cases we, as communities, need to see what is best for all the children of the community and not just some. What concerns me is that her fight was about what benefited her son and not what was best for everyone's children.Lisa Nowak's attorney has stated that it is outrageous that it was reported that his client wore diapers on her road trip. There were diapers in the car but not on her and her attorney has stated that these claims were made to make her look bad. I don't want to justify anything but has anyone come up with the obvious here? She lost it and had a mental breakdown. It seems amazing to me that we put very bright people in very stressful and dangerous situations where they are under intense scrutiny and they break---and we throw them to the dogs. I feel for this woman, I really do.
Finally, on I Phones. They have batteries that, when they die (not just need to be recharged), you have to replace the entire phone. Every have a cell phone battery die on you and need it to be replaced?
Consumer Reports has consistently ranked ATT/Cingular pretty much at the bottom of effective cell phone providers. You need to sign up with them to get an I Phone.
They are using a wider but slower network----all these 'extra' features of watching video clips and "You Tube" on your phone will need high speed access and it won't be as high as it probably needs to be.
Why do I want to watch movies on a 2 inch screen?
Finally, it looks great on TV. Have you ever purchased a computer product that worked as well as they advertised? Admittedly Apple has a better track record than Microsoft but I'm just curious to see how this works out.
Finally, I Phones are really expensive and the plans you need for them are really expensive. I am paying enough as it is.
Speaking of Microsoft. They've probably done a great money saving favor for many people. People don't want to purchase new computers right now because all new computers come with Microsoft Vista and Vista has helped Mac sales a great deal. Bill, Bill Gates, XP worked well! Still does. Vista is a dog! Learn a lesson from Coca Cola. New Coke didn't work!!! They pulled it.
Wow, New Coke. I wonder what rocket scientist dreamed that one up. Makes you wonder if Michael Chertoff used to work for Coco Cola...
Thursday, June 28, 2007
What Does it Say About Us When...
What does it say about us when we trumpet trivial nonsense.
Last night CNN interupted Wolf Blitzer who was interviewing Bill Cosby concerning urban problems and education. Breaking news. Paris Hilton was arriving at Larry King's studio.
Paula Zahn had a ticker on her show counting down the minutes and the seconds to King's interview with Paris Hilton.
This morning CNN news was about two things, first of which was Paris Hilton.
Joe Scarborough on MSNBC was doing his show following and criticizing CNN's endless coverage of the Paris Hilton story the night before. This went on and on. Finally a viewer e-mailed him and said that all CNN was doing was covering Paris Hilton and all he was doing was covering CNN's coverage of Paris Hilton. He laughed and said touchee! The writer was correct.
And, of course, Elizabeth Edwards was interviewed today on all the shows and Ann Coulter is being interviewed by all these shows.
Meanwhile...
At hearings in LA the sheriff had to justify as to why he let Ms. Hilton out of prison early. This hearing was held BEFORE the hearing discussing the issues of a woman who died on the floor of the waiting room in an LA hospital with her family and other people calling 911 to help her because she was obviously in major trouble and the medical staff wouldn't see her. Priorities.
Meanwhile...
Our troops are in two wars overseas and each day young American soldiers are killed and/or grievously wounded.
Healthcare remains an issue for people.
Urban poverty continues to be on the rise.
The environment is in trouble.
The poor are getting poorer and the middle class is shrinking.
Oil prices have stymied economic growth (unless you are an oil company.)
And Paris Hilton and the coverage of Paris Hilton are the lead stories.
Last night CNN interupted Wolf Blitzer who was interviewing Bill Cosby concerning urban problems and education. Breaking news. Paris Hilton was arriving at Larry King's studio.
Paula Zahn had a ticker on her show counting down the minutes and the seconds to King's interview with Paris Hilton.
This morning CNN news was about two things, first of which was Paris Hilton.
Joe Scarborough on MSNBC was doing his show following and criticizing CNN's endless coverage of the Paris Hilton story the night before. This went on and on. Finally a viewer e-mailed him and said that all CNN was doing was covering Paris Hilton and all he was doing was covering CNN's coverage of Paris Hilton. He laughed and said touchee! The writer was correct.
And, of course, Elizabeth Edwards was interviewed today on all the shows and Ann Coulter is being interviewed by all these shows.
Meanwhile...
At hearings in LA the sheriff had to justify as to why he let Ms. Hilton out of prison early. This hearing was held BEFORE the hearing discussing the issues of a woman who died on the floor of the waiting room in an LA hospital with her family and other people calling 911 to help her because she was obviously in major trouble and the medical staff wouldn't see her. Priorities.
Meanwhile...
Our troops are in two wars overseas and each day young American soldiers are killed and/or grievously wounded.
Healthcare remains an issue for people.
Urban poverty continues to be on the rise.
The environment is in trouble.
The poor are getting poorer and the middle class is shrinking.
Oil prices have stymied economic growth (unless you are an oil company.)
And Paris Hilton and the coverage of Paris Hilton are the lead stories.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
A Complete Lack of Decency
Ann Coulter has displayed a complete lack of decency. She has taken it upon herself to be the personal critic of John Edwards. Whether you like John Edwards or not, or whether you would ever choose to vote for him or not is not at issue. She seemingly cannot resist taking deeply personal potshots at him. A few months back she referred to him as a faggot. It was a dreadful derogatory remark referring to the gay community that most people above the age of 12 years old recognize it as a dreadful and derogatory word and will not use it out of a sense of decency. Except Ann Coulter. She inferred that John Edwards was a faggot. It was an indecent comment on its own merit and truly bizarre. John Edwards doesn't happen to be gay so where this came from no one is really sure.
On "Good Morning America" the other morning she said, "“If I’m going to say anything about John Edwards in the future, I’ll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot.” Oh, it was a joke. I missed the punchline. A person is running for President and you are suggesting that you wish he had been killed by terrorists?
John Edwards has utilized the personal attacks by Ms. Coulter to raise money for his campaign. His premise is that she might learn that these kind of personal attacks on people are an affront to the average citizen and people will pay money to a candidate to prove that point. I'm not saying that I agree or disagree with his fund-raising on this but it has worked.
Last night Chris Matthews was interviewing Ann Coulter....they need to put a longer delay on her than most guests because her language tend to be on the salty side and she doesn't seem to have the ability or the desire to clean up her language on television. They do it for her.
In the middle of the interview Elizabeth Edwards called and took Ms. Coulter to task. Quoting, "The things she has said over the years, not just about John but about other candidates, lowers the political dialogue at precisely the time we need to raise it,” Elizabeth Edwards said in a phone call to MSNBC’s Hardball host Chris Matthews as Coulter, a guest on the program, listened.
Political discourse needs to be about issues and people need to be able to seriously dialogue about issues. Shouting over a person or being cruel in one's statements about another does lower the political dialogue. Frankly the Ann Coulter's of the world will continue doing their thing and lowering the dialogue as long as people keep buying their books and inviting them to be on the air. The only way we will raise the dialogue is by disempowering those who choose to lower it.
On "Good Morning America" the other morning she said, "“If I’m going to say anything about John Edwards in the future, I’ll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot.” Oh, it was a joke. I missed the punchline. A person is running for President and you are suggesting that you wish he had been killed by terrorists?
John Edwards has utilized the personal attacks by Ms. Coulter to raise money for his campaign. His premise is that she might learn that these kind of personal attacks on people are an affront to the average citizen and people will pay money to a candidate to prove that point. I'm not saying that I agree or disagree with his fund-raising on this but it has worked.
Last night Chris Matthews was interviewing Ann Coulter....they need to put a longer delay on her than most guests because her language tend to be on the salty side and she doesn't seem to have the ability or the desire to clean up her language on television. They do it for her.
In the middle of the interview Elizabeth Edwards called and took Ms. Coulter to task. Quoting, "The things she has said over the years, not just about John but about other candidates, lowers the political dialogue at precisely the time we need to raise it,” Elizabeth Edwards said in a phone call to MSNBC’s Hardball host Chris Matthews as Coulter, a guest on the program, listened.
“It debases political dialogue,” Elizabeth Edwards added. “It drives people away from the process. We can’t have a debate about issues if you’re using this kind of language.”
Ann Coulter tried a bogus approach as a response that Elizabeth Edwards wanted her to be totally quiet. Ms. Edwards was not and everyone watching knew it. It was the tone, and the kind of things that are said. I watched the clip on "You Tube" and it's fascinating to watch Ms. Coulter's body language. She fidgets and is incredibly uncomfortable. She is legimately being taken to task and knows it.Political discourse needs to be about issues and people need to be able to seriously dialogue about issues. Shouting over a person or being cruel in one's statements about another does lower the political dialogue. Frankly the Ann Coulter's of the world will continue doing their thing and lowering the dialogue as long as people keep buying their books and inviting them to be on the air. The only way we will raise the dialogue is by disempowering those who choose to lower it.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Today's News
The long national nightmare is over. Paris Hilton was released from jail today. She's happy. Her parents are happy. The tabloid people are happy. One person has consented to interview her. Larry King. I often wonder what he was like before he had his lobotomy. Imagine the brain power in the room with Larry and Paris there together. Yeah, I know. I'm too sarcastic.
The Chicago Bears cut Tank Johnson. They should have cut him before the Super Bowl and there was no earthly way he should have been allowed to play. Incredible.
Speaking of the Bears, they are still depending on Rex Grossman. I was at a Super Bowl party filled with Colts fans and everyone cheered whenever Grossman got on the field like something good was coming our way. When your QB is cheered by the other team and the other team is thinking that he might be their real MVP it's time to get nervous and perhaps think about getting a different QB.
Of course Grossman played well against the Giants....
I am legimately excited that the Harry Potter book finale and the 5th movie is coming out.
If David Chase were writing the Harry Potter books here's is how it would end.
Harry would be in the room along with Ron and Hermoine. Snape would be there as would Hagrid. Voldemort would come into the room and....
the next 20 pages of the book would be blank and that would be all.
The Chicago Bears cut Tank Johnson. They should have cut him before the Super Bowl and there was no earthly way he should have been allowed to play. Incredible.
Speaking of the Bears, they are still depending on Rex Grossman. I was at a Super Bowl party filled with Colts fans and everyone cheered whenever Grossman got on the field like something good was coming our way. When your QB is cheered by the other team and the other team is thinking that he might be their real MVP it's time to get nervous and perhaps think about getting a different QB.
Of course Grossman played well against the Giants....
I am legimately excited that the Harry Potter book finale and the 5th movie is coming out.
If David Chase were writing the Harry Potter books here's is how it would end.
Harry would be in the room along with Ron and Hermoine. Snape would be there as would Hagrid. Voldemort would come into the room and....
the next 20 pages of the book would be blank and that would be all.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Approval Ratings and Where They Come From
I was looking at the President's approval ratings and the approval ratings of Congress. All are dismally low and no one from either party should jump up and down for joy. These dismally low approval ratings are reflective of how people are really feeling. There are looming huge issues facing us and our nation's leaders are failing miserably.
First and foremost the wars. I use the word wars (plural) very intentionally. When World War II first became a part of our day to day reality the President attempted not to have too much press given to the war, to casualties, etc., under the belief that people would be mortified to see how many people were dying. Then President Roosevelt reverse his decision on this (this would be called a flip flop nowadays, when you change policies because you have changed your mind....and maybe gotten some insight!). He reversed his policy because he wanted the nation to know deep in their guts that we were at war and this war was painful and brutal. People had to sacrifice for the sake of the war.
We are a nation at war in two nations and we are simply not facing the fact that we are at war in two nations and our troops are in harm's way every day. And...there are not enough of our soldiers and this is not equipment in either place. Despite political spins, no one is saying the really dreadful thing that may be on the horizon. We are falling behind in both regions and the painful reality is we may end up losing not one war but two. Neither Congress nor the President has been willing to have a Caput colonectomy in order to really address this.
Has anyone noticed that the real estate market is a disaster?
We are paying record high prices for gasoline and oil companies are making record high profits. Is their a correlation and why is no one really addressing this?
The really thing, however, is that basic services are not taking place. Incompetence reigns supreme.
The EPA approved a few years ago, New York City air and water to be clean and good post 9/11. Record numbers of people are getting or have gotten ill from the toxins that filled the air. Scraps of human remains have been found filling potholes in NYC streets. The former mayor of New York, who is running for President, assured people this would not happen. It did. The former head of the EPA, Christie Todd Whitman assured people that the air and water was safe. It wasn't even close.
Katrina was a disaster. It remains so. Other than Hellofajob Brownie the same cast of characters is still in place and New Orleans remains a mess.
The State Department handles passports. Read the news.
The worst thing, however, is that we do not seem to be safer. Somehow we are being led to believe that taking our shoes off and emptying baby's sippy cups is preventing terrorist attacks.
The problems loom and our political leaders in DC play games with one another and put their party's goals as more important than the nation's needs. Both parties.
The low approval ratings are EARNED!!!
First and foremost the wars. I use the word wars (plural) very intentionally. When World War II first became a part of our day to day reality the President attempted not to have too much press given to the war, to casualties, etc., under the belief that people would be mortified to see how many people were dying. Then President Roosevelt reverse his decision on this (this would be called a flip flop nowadays, when you change policies because you have changed your mind....and maybe gotten some insight!). He reversed his policy because he wanted the nation to know deep in their guts that we were at war and this war was painful and brutal. People had to sacrifice for the sake of the war.
We are a nation at war in two nations and we are simply not facing the fact that we are at war in two nations and our troops are in harm's way every day. And...there are not enough of our soldiers and this is not equipment in either place. Despite political spins, no one is saying the really dreadful thing that may be on the horizon. We are falling behind in both regions and the painful reality is we may end up losing not one war but two. Neither Congress nor the President has been willing to have a Caput colonectomy in order to really address this.
Has anyone noticed that the real estate market is a disaster?
We are paying record high prices for gasoline and oil companies are making record high profits. Is their a correlation and why is no one really addressing this?
The really thing, however, is that basic services are not taking place. Incompetence reigns supreme.
The EPA approved a few years ago, New York City air and water to be clean and good post 9/11. Record numbers of people are getting or have gotten ill from the toxins that filled the air. Scraps of human remains have been found filling potholes in NYC streets. The former mayor of New York, who is running for President, assured people this would not happen. It did. The former head of the EPA, Christie Todd Whitman assured people that the air and water was safe. It wasn't even close.
Katrina was a disaster. It remains so. Other than Hellofajob Brownie the same cast of characters is still in place and New Orleans remains a mess.
The State Department handles passports. Read the news.
The worst thing, however, is that we do not seem to be safer. Somehow we are being led to believe that taking our shoes off and emptying baby's sippy cups is preventing terrorist attacks.
The problems loom and our political leaders in DC play games with one another and put their party's goals as more important than the nation's needs. Both parties.
The low approval ratings are EARNED!!!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Be Careful Who Advocates for You
It has become fashionable for organizations to use athletes to endorse products. In recent years churches have begun to use athletes to promote their churches. One needs to be careful who advocates for you. They might not necessarily put you in the best light. Sometimes these athletes are more of a hazard than a help. Here are some amazing quotes:
* New Orleans Saint RB George Rogers when asked about the upcoming season... "I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first."
* "Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein." - Football commentator and former player Joe Theismann 1996
* "You guys line up alphabetically by height." - Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach
* "You guys pair up in groups of three, then line up in a circle." - Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach
* Boxing promoter Dan Duva on Mike Tyson hooking up again with promoter Don King - "Why would anyone expect him to come out smarter? He went to prison for three years, not Princeton."
* Shaquille O'Neal on whether he had visited the Parthenon during his visit to Greece - "I can't really remember the names of the clubs that we went to."
* Shaquille O'Neal, on his lack of championships - "I've won at every level, except college and pro."
* 1982 - Chuck Nevitt, North Carolina State basketball player, explaining to Coach Jim Valvano why he appeared nervous at practice - "My sister's expecting a baby, and I don't know if I'm going to be an uncle or an aunt."
* 1991 - Steve Spurrier, Florida football coach, telling Gator fans that a fire at Auburn's football dorm had destroyed 20 books - "But the real tragedy was that 15 hadn't been colored yet."
* 1996 - Lincoln Kennedy, Oakland Raiders tackle, on his decision not to vote - "I was going to write myself in, but I was afraid I'd get shot."
* 1991 - Torrin Polk, University of Houston receiver, on his coach, John Jenkins - "He treats us like men. He lets us wear earrings."
* 1987 - Shelby Metcalf, basketball coach at Texas A&M, recounting what he told a player who received four F's and one D - "Son, looks to me like you're spending too much time on one subject."
* 1991 - Frank Layden, Utah Jazz president, on a former player - "I told him, 'Son, what is it with you. Is it ignorance or apathy?' He said, 'Coach, I don't know and I don't care.'" (from The Daily Dilly)Monday, June 18, 2007
Stuff in the News
Former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee is running for the Republican nomination for President. Currently he is lagging in the polls behind Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Fred Thompson (who might not even be running), Mitt Romney, Tommy Thompson, and some guy named Pete who runs a pizza place in Denver. Huckabee recently complained that the news media is focused more on Paris Hilton's adventures than they are on the Presidential campaign. Actually, what he meant was that the news media is focused more on Paris Hilton than HIS run for the Presidency. Governor Huckabee, here's the sad news for you. When this is over you will be remember as the former Governor of Arkansas who moved out of the Governor's mansion and lived in a mobile home for a while. This might have been very noble of you but the people are Arkansas were mortified because the perception of the nation was that everyone lived in mobile homes in Arkansas and you seemed to verify that myth to the world. As much as I hate to say it, Paris Hilton is a bigger news story than you. Sorry!
Edith Isabel Rodriguez, died of a perforated bowel on May 9 at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital in Los Angeles. She was bleeding from the mouth and writhing on the floor in pain in the ER waiting room with people calling 911 FROM THE ER WAITING room begging for help. Hospital officials ignored them and the 911 operators were incredibly rude to the callers. At minimum everyone involved in this case, from the people in charge of the ER waiting room, the 911 operators and the police who came in and arrested her for a parole violation, needed to be fired immediately. Frankly, criminal charges would not be out of line in this case. Incredible!!!
Prince William and Prince Harry have told the world that the death of their mother has impacted them greatly and will impact them their entire lives. Matt Lauer was able to interview them and he astutely was able to gather this piece of information. It's good that they have had all the years of fine education and protocol training to offer them the insight that losing your mother at a young age will impact your life. (I know I'm being mean!)
I received an e-mail the other day from a person who was passing on an e-mail that was sent to her. It was one of those, "I know I should have checked Snopes before sending it on," moments but she's a terrific lady who didn't realize that people send out nonsense. It was a story telling the world that Barack Obama is really a radical Islamic Fundamentalist with a radical Islamic agenda. Other than getting facts wrong, other than making claims about events that happened a decade after Obama left a school and saying he was there, and other than the fact that he's member an active member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago for over 20 years, it was a good article. Please note the sarcasm. Here's the thing to me. If you don't like a candidate that is fine. We all have our choices. But please be honest. There is no reason to make up fictional tales to scare people.
On the Giants front....They cut Lavar Arrington as a liablity. He was in a motorcycle accident and was badly hurt----but has non life threatening injuries. The Giants look smart.
Finally, my poor Mets have become pitiful. Their record for the last 10 games is 2-8 and they have lost their last 5 series. When they hit their pitching is lousy and when they get good pitching they can't hit. Or there was last night against the Yankees where they couldn't pitch and couldn't hit. Where is Marvelous Marv when you really need him?
Edith Isabel Rodriguez, died of a perforated bowel on May 9 at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital in Los Angeles. She was bleeding from the mouth and writhing on the floor in pain in the ER waiting room with people calling 911 FROM THE ER WAITING room begging for help. Hospital officials ignored them and the 911 operators were incredibly rude to the callers. At minimum everyone involved in this case, from the people in charge of the ER waiting room, the 911 operators and the police who came in and arrested her for a parole violation, needed to be fired immediately. Frankly, criminal charges would not be out of line in this case. Incredible!!!
Prince William and Prince Harry have told the world that the death of their mother has impacted them greatly and will impact them their entire lives. Matt Lauer was able to interview them and he astutely was able to gather this piece of information. It's good that they have had all the years of fine education and protocol training to offer them the insight that losing your mother at a young age will impact your life. (I know I'm being mean!)
I received an e-mail the other day from a person who was passing on an e-mail that was sent to her. It was one of those, "I know I should have checked Snopes before sending it on," moments but she's a terrific lady who didn't realize that people send out nonsense. It was a story telling the world that Barack Obama is really a radical Islamic Fundamentalist with a radical Islamic agenda. Other than getting facts wrong, other than making claims about events that happened a decade after Obama left a school and saying he was there, and other than the fact that he's member an active member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago for over 20 years, it was a good article. Please note the sarcasm. Here's the thing to me. If you don't like a candidate that is fine. We all have our choices. But please be honest. There is no reason to make up fictional tales to scare people.
On the Giants front....They cut Lavar Arrington as a liablity. He was in a motorcycle accident and was badly hurt----but has non life threatening injuries. The Giants look smart.
Finally, my poor Mets have become pitiful. Their record for the last 10 games is 2-8 and they have lost their last 5 series. When they hit their pitching is lousy and when they get good pitching they can't hit. Or there was last night against the Yankees where they couldn't pitch and couldn't hit. Where is Marvelous Marv when you really need him?
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Why This is a Big Deal
The issue of District Attorney Mike Nifong being disbarred in North Carolina is a big deal. The aftermath of the Duke case leaves a huge wake.
First some things need to be said.
These young men were having a crazy party and hired strippers. Talk about poor value judgments.
Additionally, the two young women who were hired as strippers. Talk about poor value judgments.
One girl cried rape. The evidence did not back up her claim. Lack of evidence, however, did not stop Mike Nifong from charging full speed ahead to prosecute the case. It looks like it was pure politics. He prosecuted three lacrosse players from a prestigious university in the rape of a young African American woman despite the fact that there was no evidence to support the criminal charges. I suspect that he didn't like the three young men and wanted them to be guilty....but....
He broke Gil Grissom's rule. You always follow the evidence where it leads...not where you want it to go. Nifong has now been disbarred.
Here's why this is a big deal.
For one his actions caused huge consequences.
The three young men will be remembered forever as the people who were accused in this rape case. No matter what they do or where they go a cloud will be over them.
The lacrosse coach of Duke lost his job. He's now at Bryant College in Rhode Island. Bryant College is a good school in a nice area----but ever hear of it? Duke is high profile...Bryant College isn't. Talk about demotions.
But her's the worse part. An athlete will rape or sexually assault a young woman. She might not be believed. I feel for the next victim of a sexual assault from someone famous. The rush to judgment will be on her and not the defendent. Mike Nifong has cast a long shadow and created a slew of victims. One can only hope that his best career opportunities for the future include the line, "Would you like fries with that?"
First some things need to be said.
These young men were having a crazy party and hired strippers. Talk about poor value judgments.
Additionally, the two young women who were hired as strippers. Talk about poor value judgments.
One girl cried rape. The evidence did not back up her claim. Lack of evidence, however, did not stop Mike Nifong from charging full speed ahead to prosecute the case. It looks like it was pure politics. He prosecuted three lacrosse players from a prestigious university in the rape of a young African American woman despite the fact that there was no evidence to support the criminal charges. I suspect that he didn't like the three young men and wanted them to be guilty....but....
He broke Gil Grissom's rule. You always follow the evidence where it leads...not where you want it to go. Nifong has now been disbarred.
Here's why this is a big deal.
For one his actions caused huge consequences.
The three young men will be remembered forever as the people who were accused in this rape case. No matter what they do or where they go a cloud will be over them.
The lacrosse coach of Duke lost his job. He's now at Bryant College in Rhode Island. Bryant College is a good school in a nice area----but ever hear of it? Duke is high profile...Bryant College isn't. Talk about demotions.
But her's the worse part. An athlete will rape or sexually assault a young woman. She might not be believed. I feel for the next victim of a sexual assault from someone famous. The rush to judgment will be on her and not the defendent. Mike Nifong has cast a long shadow and created a slew of victims. One can only hope that his best career opportunities for the future include the line, "Would you like fries with that?"
Friday, June 08, 2007
Random Thoughts
I'm at that point right now where I can't think of anything to blog about. I thought I'd throw out some random thoughts.
First, I think I figured out the 'health reason' for which Paris Hilton was released from prison. They were sick of her.
Secondly, Cal Thomas recently wrote an editorial attacking the religious convictions of several of the Democratic nominees. Thomas, of course, regular supports the religious convictions of people within his own, Republican party. He makes an observation that Barack Obama made the statement, "I am my brother's keeper." It was a reference to Genesis after Cain kills Abel. God asks of Cain the whereabouts of Abel and Cain responds, "Am I my brother's keeper?" From that point on much of the Bible gives a definitive answer of 'yes' to this question. But Thomas makes the statement that Obama is ignorant of the Bible (though Obama nailed the meaning of the passage) and that this was some sort of a Biblical statement that people ought to be on welfare and such. Huh? Thomas, of course, is a model Christian who supports torture. When the Cal Thomas' of the world are making theological observations and critiques of other people's theological positions we ought to all run for cover.
I hear people ponder with the question, "Can you imagine how bad it would have been if Al Gore had been elected President?"
I wonder.
The Clinton Administration had made following and tracking Bin Laden their priority. Is it possible that intelligence reports would have been seen and 9/11 been prevented? In fairness this is a true 'what if?' kind of question, but it has to make you wonder.
When Clinton left office there was a huge budget surplus. Now it's a major deficit. Gore would have probably continued the policies of the Clinton Administration.
Would the oil companies have been able to gouge people as much as they have?
I strong doubt we'd be fighting a war in Iraq.
It has to make you wonder.
Finally, the Mets have lost 4 in a row. That's what happens when I get excited and post a blog about my team. They have gone 1 and 5 since I posted that. In 1986 the Mets won the World Series and the Giants season ended with a Super Bowl victory. Foolishly I kept watching sports after such a great year. What a fool I am!
First, I think I figured out the 'health reason' for which Paris Hilton was released from prison. They were sick of her.
Secondly, Cal Thomas recently wrote an editorial attacking the religious convictions of several of the Democratic nominees. Thomas, of course, regular supports the religious convictions of people within his own, Republican party. He makes an observation that Barack Obama made the statement, "I am my brother's keeper." It was a reference to Genesis after Cain kills Abel. God asks of Cain the whereabouts of Abel and Cain responds, "Am I my brother's keeper?" From that point on much of the Bible gives a definitive answer of 'yes' to this question. But Thomas makes the statement that Obama is ignorant of the Bible (though Obama nailed the meaning of the passage) and that this was some sort of a Biblical statement that people ought to be on welfare and such. Huh? Thomas, of course, is a model Christian who supports torture. When the Cal Thomas' of the world are making theological observations and critiques of other people's theological positions we ought to all run for cover.
I hear people ponder with the question, "Can you imagine how bad it would have been if Al Gore had been elected President?"
I wonder.
The Clinton Administration had made following and tracking Bin Laden their priority. Is it possible that intelligence reports would have been seen and 9/11 been prevented? In fairness this is a true 'what if?' kind of question, but it has to make you wonder.
When Clinton left office there was a huge budget surplus. Now it's a major deficit. Gore would have probably continued the policies of the Clinton Administration.
Would the oil companies have been able to gouge people as much as they have?
I strong doubt we'd be fighting a war in Iraq.
It has to make you wonder.
Finally, the Mets have lost 4 in a row. That's what happens when I get excited and post a blog about my team. They have gone 1 and 5 since I posted that. In 1986 the Mets won the World Series and the Giants season ended with a Super Bowl victory. Foolishly I kept watching sports after such a great year. What a fool I am!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Ah! Armando!
Casey Stengel, when he managed the NY Mets in 1962 to the worst season ever in the history of Major League baseball, observed that the Mets would improve when their bad players left the Mets and played for other teams.
Tonight was one of those moments. Armando Benitez is the closer for the San Francisco Giants. Shea Stadium, however, is not a happy place for Armando. Mets fans remember him in Game 1 of the Subway Series. The Mets had the game and all Armando had to do was to pitch one inning against the Yankees. He blew it. Actually Armando had a habit of decompressing in big games for the Mets. They finally dumped him.
Tonight he came in against the Mets with a one run lead. He walked the fastest guy on the Mets, Jose Reyes. He didn't make Reyes steal second, Armando balked. Reyes eventually ended up on third with Carlos Delgado, dangerous power hitter at the plate. Armando figured a way to get Reyes off the base paths. He balked....again. He balked in a run to tie the game. Needless to say, Armando decompressed and threw a juicy fastball to Delgado. Delgado hit it. The ball landed in Yonkers and the Mets won. Every Met fan knew that Armando was going to give up a home run to Delgado. It was a moment of poetic justice.
Casey was right. The Mets have scattered their bad players around the league and are currently in first place.
Tonight was one of those moments. Armando Benitez is the closer for the San Francisco Giants. Shea Stadium, however, is not a happy place for Armando. Mets fans remember him in Game 1 of the Subway Series. The Mets had the game and all Armando had to do was to pitch one inning against the Yankees. He blew it. Actually Armando had a habit of decompressing in big games for the Mets. They finally dumped him.
Tonight he came in against the Mets with a one run lead. He walked the fastest guy on the Mets, Jose Reyes. He didn't make Reyes steal second, Armando balked. Reyes eventually ended up on third with Carlos Delgado, dangerous power hitter at the plate. Armando figured a way to get Reyes off the base paths. He balked....again. He balked in a run to tie the game. Needless to say, Armando decompressed and threw a juicy fastball to Delgado. Delgado hit it. The ball landed in Yonkers and the Mets won. Every Met fan knew that Armando was going to give up a home run to Delgado. It was a moment of poetic justice.
Casey was right. The Mets have scattered their bad players around the league and are currently in first place.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Jerry Falwell
Jerry Falwell died.
People’s response to this news has been most interesting. Some are grieving the passing of what they see as a great person, some are indifferent, and some have an almost bemused expression.
Like most people Jerry Falwell will leave behind a mixed legacy. He was the founding pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church and was a beloved pastor by all accounts. In interviewing people at Liberty University, the school he founded, he was also beloved. He was above board with his accounting and never really got hooked up in a scandal----which is, in and of itself a legacy, because so many people wanted to find one. I do believe that his faith was sincere. In fairness he was a regular on many shows representing his beliefs----and unlike many people in talk radio he was willing to talk to people who disagreed with him.
I was not a fan. This was a Christian minister who produced a hate movie about Bill Clinton that was filled with fictional events parading as reality.
This was a Christian minister who, in part, blamed 9/11 on the ‘immorality of this country.
This was a Christian minister who made war on Tinky Winky, the purple Teletubbie who Falwell proclaimed was gay. I decided to watch the Teletubbies after that and, trust me, it was PAINFUL!!! The Teletubbies made Barney look like Shakespeare.
Falwell preached a Gospel which pretty much was focused on being anti-gay and anti-abortion. He preached a Gospel on being anti-gay and anti-abortion almost to the exclusion of every other topic. To be blunt, listening to him, he sounded like a bigot. He angered me because he cherry picked Scripture to support his bigotry. I found it and I still find it to be offensive.
He also completely ignored other social issues of huge importance. Hunger, poverty, homelessness and such were not on his agenda. Despite the fact that Jesus spoke more about hunger and poverty than anything else (if you take the time to read an entire Gospel, you’ll notice this!), Falwell believed that these did not rank the importance of speaking on his agenda.
He was often portrayed as kind and generous. Alexandra Pelosi (yes, ‘her’ daughter) did a very benign documentary on Evangelicals and interviewed Falwell----and did not, in any way shape or form, attempt to defame him. Falwell was very happy to speak with her until he found out who her mother was. Then he had her removed from his presence telling Ms. Pelosi what he thought about her mother. (It wasn’t good!)
Frankly, Jerry Falwell preached a message that, to me, distorted so much of Christianity.
But he had his fans and built a legacy. Someone said to me that they hoped Falwell was in hell. Frankly, I hope that he’s in Heaven learning that preaching about the depth of God’s love is what it’s about as opposed to teaching others to hate in the name of God. That’s my hope and that’s my prayer.
People’s response to this news has been most interesting. Some are grieving the passing of what they see as a great person, some are indifferent, and some have an almost bemused expression.
Like most people Jerry Falwell will leave behind a mixed legacy. He was the founding pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church and was a beloved pastor by all accounts. In interviewing people at Liberty University, the school he founded, he was also beloved. He was above board with his accounting and never really got hooked up in a scandal----which is, in and of itself a legacy, because so many people wanted to find one. I do believe that his faith was sincere. In fairness he was a regular on many shows representing his beliefs----and unlike many people in talk radio he was willing to talk to people who disagreed with him.
I was not a fan. This was a Christian minister who produced a hate movie about Bill Clinton that was filled with fictional events parading as reality.
This was a Christian minister who, in part, blamed 9/11 on the ‘immorality of this country.
This was a Christian minister who made war on Tinky Winky, the purple Teletubbie who Falwell proclaimed was gay. I decided to watch the Teletubbies after that and, trust me, it was PAINFUL!!! The Teletubbies made Barney look like Shakespeare.
Falwell preached a Gospel which pretty much was focused on being anti-gay and anti-abortion. He preached a Gospel on being anti-gay and anti-abortion almost to the exclusion of every other topic. To be blunt, listening to him, he sounded like a bigot. He angered me because he cherry picked Scripture to support his bigotry. I found it and I still find it to be offensive.
He also completely ignored other social issues of huge importance. Hunger, poverty, homelessness and such were not on his agenda. Despite the fact that Jesus spoke more about hunger and poverty than anything else (if you take the time to read an entire Gospel, you’ll notice this!), Falwell believed that these did not rank the importance of speaking on his agenda.
He was often portrayed as kind and generous. Alexandra Pelosi (yes, ‘her’ daughter) did a very benign documentary on Evangelicals and interviewed Falwell----and did not, in any way shape or form, attempt to defame him. Falwell was very happy to speak with her until he found out who her mother was. Then he had her removed from his presence telling Ms. Pelosi what he thought about her mother. (It wasn’t good!)
Frankly, Jerry Falwell preached a message that, to me, distorted so much of Christianity.
But he had his fans and built a legacy. Someone said to me that they hoped Falwell was in hell. Frankly, I hope that he’s in Heaven learning that preaching about the depth of God’s love is what it’s about as opposed to teaching others to hate in the name of God. That’s my hope and that’s my prayer.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
The Fine Art of Respect
We live in a culture, sadly, that has lost its ability to respect one another.
Al Sharpton makes a rather crass comment about Mitt Romney's religious belief as a Mormon. This appears to be the same Al Sharpton who was offended by Don Imus who made a crass comment about the Rutger's Women's Basketball team. Imus was removed from the radio for his crassness. Rush Limbaugh finds himself amused playing a song entitled, "Barack the Magic Negro," (to the tune of Puff, the Magic Dragon...). I do find something interesting about Rush. Just when I think that he's got the bottom of the barrel scraped clean he finds a new bottom.
Talk radio, TV, politicians, even church people have grown increasingly disrespectful of one another. I do hope that we are able to reverse this trend and learn to treat one another with dignity as opposed to the way we so often do now.
Al Sharpton makes a rather crass comment about Mitt Romney's religious belief as a Mormon. This appears to be the same Al Sharpton who was offended by Don Imus who made a crass comment about the Rutger's Women's Basketball team. Imus was removed from the radio for his crassness. Rush Limbaugh finds himself amused playing a song entitled, "Barack the Magic Negro," (to the tune of Puff, the Magic Dragon...). I do find something interesting about Rush. Just when I think that he's got the bottom of the barrel scraped clean he finds a new bottom.
Talk radio, TV, politicians, even church people have grown increasingly disrespectful of one another. I do hope that we are able to reverse this trend and learn to treat one another with dignity as opposed to the way we so often do now.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Grr!
Last night I watched Nightline on ABC. It was a debate on the existence of God. Not a new debate by any stretch of the imagination. On one side were two people who represented what they called Rational Response Squad, Brian Sapient and Kelly. On the other side were Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. The people from the Rational Response Squad were attempting to prove that God doesn't logically exist whereas Comfort and Cameron were supposed to prove that God exists but they weren't allowed to use the Bible as a resource. As soon as Comfort and Cameron made the foundational claim that God existed because of the 10 Commandments they were in a jam because they used the Bible. For those who don't know it, the 10 Commandments are in Exodus and Deuteronomy.
The biggest problem with this debate, to me, is that there truly was no winner and the people on the show were annoying.
Here are some of the things that bothered me. Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron spoke for a segment of Christianity but completely misrepresented many Christians. They decided to prove that God exists through the creation model. There needs to be a creator. Fine. The problem was, their creator image was a literal reading of Genesis. They argued that there was no such thing as evolution and that Creationism is scientifically valid. This argues a premise that the universe and our world are 6000 years old and not the millions of years scientists claim. Frankly, this argument is a war on reality and actually makes most Christians look like fools. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th Century stated that the Creation accounts of Genesis were symbolic accounts that offered a theological explanation for Creation. In the 13th Century they didn't accept it as science but since 1890 many have. 1890. Creationism, as taught now, is not a part of traditional Christian teaching----it's actually very modern and very revisionist.
Most long term scholars and people who taught me, who were not radical or even pariticularly liberal as many people believe, said that a rational perception is that God is a Creator who created the universe with the potentiality of evolving. Did God create? Yes! But God created a creation that could change and grow and, yes, even evolve. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin who lived from 1881 - 1955 believed that if we don't believe in God's creative and evolving power, we diminish God.
Sapient and Kelly looked a lot smarter than Cameron and Comfort during these exchanges and, frankly, made more sense. Had a more reasonable argument been made about Creation, they would have had to approach their debate from a very different perspective because they would have realized and perhaps learned that there are Christians who are incredibly rational. I was annoyed because the perspective of Christians was greatly diminished not by those who argued with them, but by the very presenters of Christianity. I'm annoyed that ABC even remotely believes that they had a show that even touched the surface.
But Sapient and Kelly, to me, were not very plausible either. Sapient thought that personal name calling, such as calling Cameron a real 'numbnuts' was good debating. Kelly went on a rant that she would prefer to be in hell than to be in a heaven that is ruled by a ego maniacal tyrant such as God. It would have been very nice of them to be able to debate on the grounds of what Christianity actually does teach as opposed to their perceptions of what Christianity teaches.
But life is bizarre. The show ended and I changed the channel and found myself watching Letterman interview Lindsey Lohan. Made me long for Sapient, Kelly, Cameron, and Comfort.
The biggest problem with this debate, to me, is that there truly was no winner and the people on the show were annoying.
Here are some of the things that bothered me. Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron spoke for a segment of Christianity but completely misrepresented many Christians. They decided to prove that God exists through the creation model. There needs to be a creator. Fine. The problem was, their creator image was a literal reading of Genesis. They argued that there was no such thing as evolution and that Creationism is scientifically valid. This argues a premise that the universe and our world are 6000 years old and not the millions of years scientists claim. Frankly, this argument is a war on reality and actually makes most Christians look like fools. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th Century stated that the Creation accounts of Genesis were symbolic accounts that offered a theological explanation for Creation. In the 13th Century they didn't accept it as science but since 1890 many have. 1890. Creationism, as taught now, is not a part of traditional Christian teaching----it's actually very modern and very revisionist.
Most long term scholars and people who taught me, who were not radical or even pariticularly liberal as many people believe, said that a rational perception is that God is a Creator who created the universe with the potentiality of evolving. Did God create? Yes! But God created a creation that could change and grow and, yes, even evolve. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin who lived from 1881 - 1955 believed that if we don't believe in God's creative and evolving power, we diminish God.
Sapient and Kelly looked a lot smarter than Cameron and Comfort during these exchanges and, frankly, made more sense. Had a more reasonable argument been made about Creation, they would have had to approach their debate from a very different perspective because they would have realized and perhaps learned that there are Christians who are incredibly rational. I was annoyed because the perspective of Christians was greatly diminished not by those who argued with them, but by the very presenters of Christianity. I'm annoyed that ABC even remotely believes that they had a show that even touched the surface.
But Sapient and Kelly, to me, were not very plausible either. Sapient thought that personal name calling, such as calling Cameron a real 'numbnuts' was good debating. Kelly went on a rant that she would prefer to be in hell than to be in a heaven that is ruled by a ego maniacal tyrant such as God. It would have been very nice of them to be able to debate on the grounds of what Christianity actually does teach as opposed to their perceptions of what Christianity teaches.
But life is bizarre. The show ended and I changed the channel and found myself watching Letterman interview Lindsey Lohan. Made me long for Sapient, Kelly, Cameron, and Comfort.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Westboro Baptist Church shows up
Wow. The people from the Westboro Baptist Church showed up in Louisville today. If you don't know anything about the Westboro Baptist Church than you have missed one of the true low points of Christianity in America. Westboro Baptist Church is in Topeka, Kansas and their pastor is Fred Phelps and they spread a message of hate. Real hate.
They operate a couple of websites. www.godhatesfags.com. Another one is www.godhatesamerica.com. These are the people who have been picketing military funerals across the nation.
They believe that the world is filled with sin and is pretty much beyond redemption. They see the war in Iraq and the casualties there, as the wrath of God on his. They celebrate such events as 9/11, Katrina, and Virginia Tech as, ahem, proof that they are correct. They came to Louisville, Kentucky to picket outside some churches.
Now this is where it gets interesting. Their choices of churches is somewhat remarkable. One would think that they would have been picketing some of the more liberal churches, some of the most controversial churches with their social stands. Here is where they chose to protest:
The Cathedral of the Assumption. Actually, the Cathedral of the Assumption, for a Roman Catholic Church is progressive. They are very upfront that they welcome everyone who walks through their doors----and they do. They must abide by Roman Catholic rules which aren't always welcoming, but Assumption is a bit more progressive than the average Roman Catholic Church. But they are a Cathedral in a denomination that is pro-life. The Roman Catholic Church condemns homosexual behavior as sinful. They are anti-capital punishment and pro advocacy for the poor. The RC church doesn't fit all the liberal/conservative rankings, but as a church the Cathedral of the Assumption was an interesting choice.
But the other church they claimed to have gone to was Southeast Christian Church. Southeast is very representative of conservative, evangelical Christianity and is not a hotbed for liberalism. Whether one agrees with Southeast Christian Church or not is not relevent. It seems to be a bizarre church for these people to picket at. Oh, and they they picket they shout at people.
In looking at their website they have some other places they are planning to attend.
They were heading to Lexington today to picket at the University of Kentucky for whatever ills UK is perpetuating on society. (I doubt it's the football team!)
Then they are going to Witchita, Kansas for the funeral of Army Sgt. Alexander J. Funcheon. That same day they plan to picket at Fort Bragg for the memorial service for the 37 Ft. Bragg troops killed since last August.
I heard that the pastor of the Cathedral of the Assumption changed his sermon today to directly address what they people were picketing about----and he received a standing ovation from his congregation. I don't know what took place at Southeast Christian Church, but I suspect that they addressed this also in a way that comforted those hurt and affirmed their ministry.
My great hope and prayer is that more and more people are exposed to the people of Westboro Baptist Church, more and more people will see the devastation of hatred, and learn to embrace the wonderful gift of love.
They operate a couple of websites. www.godhatesfags.com. Another one is www.godhatesamerica.com. These are the people who have been picketing military funerals across the nation.
They believe that the world is filled with sin and is pretty much beyond redemption. They see the war in Iraq and the casualties there, as the wrath of God on his. They celebrate such events as 9/11, Katrina, and Virginia Tech as, ahem, proof that they are correct. They came to Louisville, Kentucky to picket outside some churches.
Now this is where it gets interesting. Their choices of churches is somewhat remarkable. One would think that they would have been picketing some of the more liberal churches, some of the most controversial churches with their social stands. Here is where they chose to protest:
The Cathedral of the Assumption. Actually, the Cathedral of the Assumption, for a Roman Catholic Church is progressive. They are very upfront that they welcome everyone who walks through their doors----and they do. They must abide by Roman Catholic rules which aren't always welcoming, but Assumption is a bit more progressive than the average Roman Catholic Church. But they are a Cathedral in a denomination that is pro-life. The Roman Catholic Church condemns homosexual behavior as sinful. They are anti-capital punishment and pro advocacy for the poor. The RC church doesn't fit all the liberal/conservative rankings, but as a church the Cathedral of the Assumption was an interesting choice.
But the other church they claimed to have gone to was Southeast Christian Church. Southeast is very representative of conservative, evangelical Christianity and is not a hotbed for liberalism. Whether one agrees with Southeast Christian Church or not is not relevent. It seems to be a bizarre church for these people to picket at. Oh, and they they picket they shout at people.
In looking at their website they have some other places they are planning to attend.
They were heading to Lexington today to picket at the University of Kentucky for whatever ills UK is perpetuating on society. (I doubt it's the football team!)
Then they are going to Witchita, Kansas for the funeral of Army Sgt. Alexander J. Funcheon. That same day they plan to picket at Fort Bragg for the memorial service for the 37 Ft. Bragg troops killed since last August.
I heard that the pastor of the Cathedral of the Assumption changed his sermon today to directly address what they people were picketing about----and he received a standing ovation from his congregation. I don't know what took place at Southeast Christian Church, but I suspect that they addressed this also in a way that comforted those hurt and affirmed their ministry.
My great hope and prayer is that more and more people are exposed to the people of Westboro Baptist Church, more and more people will see the devastation of hatred, and learn to embrace the wonderful gift of love.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
God's Goodness
God’s Goodness
Text: Acts 9:32-43
Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo
April 22, 2007
I’ve been ruminating about this sermon a great deal. I had chosen my text and named the sermon last month. Preaching about God’s goodness two weeks after Easter is such a great concept. The problem is that the events of this past week have made many of us feel greatly separated from God’s goodness.
At the point in Acts of the Apostles that we are looking at today it immediately follows Luke telling us that the church was growing and thriving and St. Paul was just getting started with his preaching. The scene changes and we have Peter perform two miracles; he heals a paralyzed person and raises a woman named Tabitha from the dead. It is an amazing demonstration of the power God has given people in the early Christian church and it is a magnificent demonstration of God’s goodness.
God’s goodness.
Years ago when I was a very young, very new minister one of my colleagues in town was having a far better life than I have ever had. Every time you would ask him how he was doing, how things were going, he’d say, “I am wonderful. This is the day that the Lord has made. How can we by anything but wonderful?”
My problem was I could think of some ways to be anything but wonderful. It’s not that my life was bad, but not every day was a very good day and some days I felt wonderful and other days a lot less than wonderful.
God’s goodness.
If we read the Gospels we read many stories of Jesus performing miracles and sharing God’s goodness with people. We read about miracles performed by the apostles in Jesus’s name and we encounter God’s goodness. The problem is, at some point, if we are reasonably honest with ourselves and others, we sometimes miss or get mystified by God’s goodness.
Of late the news has not been filled with stories of God’s goodness.
This weekend we had dinner with some friends from our old church in Ohio. Their son’s college baseball team was playing at Hanover College and we decided to meet up and spend some time together. Their son attends Bluffton University and was on the bus in Atlanta that was in the accident that killed seven people. In remembering that accident and in talking to them my heart was again broken by the tragedy.
Many people reeled when they heard Don Imus’ comments of a few weeks ago. What he said was blatantly racist and, almost overlooked, blatantly sexist . Part of people’s outrage was that he exposed the nasty fact of life that racism and sexism still impact our society. Whether you like Don Imus or not, or whether you agree with the price Don Imus has had to pay or not, he revealed to us that the subjects of racism and sexism are not dead but very much alive and people are still having a very difficult having rational and civil discussions about them.
But the news of this week was far, far worse.
Like so many people I have tried to make some sort of sense out of what happened. Janet graduated from Virginia Tech took classes in the building where the massacre took place and lived in the dorm where the first two murders were committed. In our home what took place at Virginia Tech has struck hard and deeply.
One of the police officers said that it all became too much when he was in a classroom, filled with slaughtered students, with their cell phones ringing and going unanswered. The students were being called by frightened and desperate parents hoping their child was okay. The police officer knew that there would be tremendous grief and hard break for those on the other end of the phone.
And then the pictures and the video of the killer. Maybe the less said, the better.
It was a horrible tragedy that reminds us that life is often filled with tragedy.
Perhaps the most eloquent words were spoken by the professor Nikki Giovanni when she put things into some sort of a perspective:
We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.
How can such a things happen? How can a good and loving God allow such things to happen?
It is a timeless and eternal question.
Job asked it. All sorts of terrible things had befallen him and he greatly lamented and wanted God to tell him why.
And God thundered back. Literally. And the answer was that if Job was God, Job would know the answer; and since Job wasn’t God, there was no answer.
The Book of Job is one of my favorite books of the Bible and it is a book that very much reveals the awesomeness of God, but it is also frustrating because the one answer people really want goes unanswered.
Which brings us back to God’s goodness.
People have always grappled with God’s goodness and the presence of evil in the world.
Luke, in this passage from Acts speaks of two miracles. The first is when Peter heals a man Aeneas who had been paralyzed and was bedridden for eight years. It was a horrible fate to be paralyzed and, I’m sure, as Aeneas laid in his bed day after day he had to question God’s goodness.
And then there was Tabitha who died. Tabitha, was a good woman. She helped the poor and was always doing good. Her death was a tragedy and a loss for those who knew her. How could God take such a good person from their midst?
And Peter raises her back to life.
Sometimes when we read the Bible it is easy to get the impression that somehow God was more involved in people’s lives, that more amazing things were taking place. Sometimes we mistakenly believe that they may have had it better than we do.
Please take note that the richest person in all of Jerusalem at that time would have gladly changed lives with anyone sitting here today. Our lives in our day and age are significantly easier, significantly more comfortable, significantly better in so many ways than life was back then. The stories of God’s goodness through the signs performed by Jesus and the apostles brought glimpses of hope to people whose lives often seemed hopeless.
That is, in so many ways, how God reminds us that God’s goodness is around us. We see the goodness of God in little things. But we often have to be looking because those little things often come in odd packages.
A Dutch woman named Corrie Ten Boom’s family hid a Jewish family in a hiding place in their home. They were betrayed by an informant and the family was taken to a concentration camp. Ironically, the Nazis never found the hiding place and the people they had been hiding were able to escape.
Corrie Ten Boom said that one of the greatest blessings in life was an infestation of fleas. The barracks room where she was imprisoned was infested, badly, with fleas. But she said those fleas were a magnificent gift from God because none of the guards would enter into their barracks room so they were left alone.
It’s sometimes little things.
But it’s also God’s presence.
We often, when there is horror around us, wonder where God is. The answer is that God is always present. And, in my heart, I believe that God’s heart is the first to break in the midst of tragedy.
William Sloane Coffin, when he as the pastor of Riverside Church in New York City lost his son. His son had too much to drink and was driving on a dark and rainy night with a broken windshield wiper when he drove off a bridge into a river and drowned. It was a tragic, needless death.
Coffin said that he was upset when people put their arms around him and said that it was God’s will.
Coffin said that it was not God’s will that his son drank too many beers. It was not God’s will that his son never bothered to have his windshield wiper replaced. It was not God’s will that his son got into the driver’s seat while he was drunk. Coffin said that his great solace and comfort came in believing that when God saw Coffin’s son drown in the river, God’s heart was the first heart to break.
God did not design roads in Atlanta that are confusing. God did not tell the driver to be in the wrong lane. But God’s heart was the first heart to break when the bus plunged down onto the highway.
God did not make us racist. God did not make us sexist. God has never taught anyone to hate. We do that all by ourselves. And when we share hatred, God’s heart is the first heart to break.
God did not tell the young man to purchase the guns. God did not tell the young man how to kill. God did not compel the young man to kill. He did it himself. And God’s heart was the first to break as he watched an innocent slaughter.
God’s goodness is present. God’s goodness often shows up in little things. But mostly God’s goodness shows up quietly, by being with us, loving us, and suffering with us through the most difficult of times.
In my office I have a sign which reads, Bidden or not bidden, God is still present. I actually have it in English and Latin. Often we see it and recognize it as recognizing that no matter what we say or what we do, God is with us. Sometimes we don’t like this because, well, when we are doing something we ought not be doing and we aren’t thrilled that God is present.
But, bidden or not bidden, God is present. This means that no matter what, good or bad, wonderful or dreadful, God is present. And where God is present, goodness is present, and where goodness is present, ultimately there is always hope, even in the midst of great despair.
Text: Acts 9:32-43
Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo
April 22, 2007
I’ve been ruminating about this sermon a great deal. I had chosen my text and named the sermon last month. Preaching about God’s goodness two weeks after Easter is such a great concept. The problem is that the events of this past week have made many of us feel greatly separated from God’s goodness.
At the point in Acts of the Apostles that we are looking at today it immediately follows Luke telling us that the church was growing and thriving and St. Paul was just getting started with his preaching. The scene changes and we have Peter perform two miracles; he heals a paralyzed person and raises a woman named Tabitha from the dead. It is an amazing demonstration of the power God has given people in the early Christian church and it is a magnificent demonstration of God’s goodness.
God’s goodness.
Years ago when I was a very young, very new minister one of my colleagues in town was having a far better life than I have ever had. Every time you would ask him how he was doing, how things were going, he’d say, “I am wonderful. This is the day that the Lord has made. How can we by anything but wonderful?”
My problem was I could think of some ways to be anything but wonderful. It’s not that my life was bad, but not every day was a very good day and some days I felt wonderful and other days a lot less than wonderful.
God’s goodness.
If we read the Gospels we read many stories of Jesus performing miracles and sharing God’s goodness with people. We read about miracles performed by the apostles in Jesus’s name and we encounter God’s goodness. The problem is, at some point, if we are reasonably honest with ourselves and others, we sometimes miss or get mystified by God’s goodness.
Of late the news has not been filled with stories of God’s goodness.
This weekend we had dinner with some friends from our old church in Ohio. Their son’s college baseball team was playing at Hanover College and we decided to meet up and spend some time together. Their son attends Bluffton University and was on the bus in Atlanta that was in the accident that killed seven people. In remembering that accident and in talking to them my heart was again broken by the tragedy.
Many people reeled when they heard Don Imus’ comments of a few weeks ago. What he said was blatantly racist and, almost overlooked, blatantly sexist . Part of people’s outrage was that he exposed the nasty fact of life that racism and sexism still impact our society. Whether you like Don Imus or not, or whether you agree with the price Don Imus has had to pay or not, he revealed to us that the subjects of racism and sexism are not dead but very much alive and people are still having a very difficult having rational and civil discussions about them.
But the news of this week was far, far worse.
Like so many people I have tried to make some sort of sense out of what happened. Janet graduated from Virginia Tech took classes in the building where the massacre took place and lived in the dorm where the first two murders were committed. In our home what took place at Virginia Tech has struck hard and deeply.
One of the police officers said that it all became too much when he was in a classroom, filled with slaughtered students, with their cell phones ringing and going unanswered. The students were being called by frightened and desperate parents hoping their child was okay. The police officer knew that there would be tremendous grief and hard break for those on the other end of the phone.
And then the pictures and the video of the killer. Maybe the less said, the better.
It was a horrible tragedy that reminds us that life is often filled with tragedy.
Perhaps the most eloquent words were spoken by the professor Nikki Giovanni when she put things into some sort of a perspective:
We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.
How can such a things happen? How can a good and loving God allow such things to happen?
It is a timeless and eternal question.
Job asked it. All sorts of terrible things had befallen him and he greatly lamented and wanted God to tell him why.
And God thundered back. Literally. And the answer was that if Job was God, Job would know the answer; and since Job wasn’t God, there was no answer.
The Book of Job is one of my favorite books of the Bible and it is a book that very much reveals the awesomeness of God, but it is also frustrating because the one answer people really want goes unanswered.
Which brings us back to God’s goodness.
People have always grappled with God’s goodness and the presence of evil in the world.
Luke, in this passage from Acts speaks of two miracles. The first is when Peter heals a man Aeneas who had been paralyzed and was bedridden for eight years. It was a horrible fate to be paralyzed and, I’m sure, as Aeneas laid in his bed day after day he had to question God’s goodness.
And then there was Tabitha who died. Tabitha, was a good woman. She helped the poor and was always doing good. Her death was a tragedy and a loss for those who knew her. How could God take such a good person from their midst?
And Peter raises her back to life.
Sometimes when we read the Bible it is easy to get the impression that somehow God was more involved in people’s lives, that more amazing things were taking place. Sometimes we mistakenly believe that they may have had it better than we do.
Please take note that the richest person in all of Jerusalem at that time would have gladly changed lives with anyone sitting here today. Our lives in our day and age are significantly easier, significantly more comfortable, significantly better in so many ways than life was back then. The stories of God’s goodness through the signs performed by Jesus and the apostles brought glimpses of hope to people whose lives often seemed hopeless.
That is, in so many ways, how God reminds us that God’s goodness is around us. We see the goodness of God in little things. But we often have to be looking because those little things often come in odd packages.
A Dutch woman named Corrie Ten Boom’s family hid a Jewish family in a hiding place in their home. They were betrayed by an informant and the family was taken to a concentration camp. Ironically, the Nazis never found the hiding place and the people they had been hiding were able to escape.
Corrie Ten Boom said that one of the greatest blessings in life was an infestation of fleas. The barracks room where she was imprisoned was infested, badly, with fleas. But she said those fleas were a magnificent gift from God because none of the guards would enter into their barracks room so they were left alone.
It’s sometimes little things.
But it’s also God’s presence.
We often, when there is horror around us, wonder where God is. The answer is that God is always present. And, in my heart, I believe that God’s heart is the first to break in the midst of tragedy.
William Sloane Coffin, when he as the pastor of Riverside Church in New York City lost his son. His son had too much to drink and was driving on a dark and rainy night with a broken windshield wiper when he drove off a bridge into a river and drowned. It was a tragic, needless death.
Coffin said that he was upset when people put their arms around him and said that it was God’s will.
Coffin said that it was not God’s will that his son drank too many beers. It was not God’s will that his son never bothered to have his windshield wiper replaced. It was not God’s will that his son got into the driver’s seat while he was drunk. Coffin said that his great solace and comfort came in believing that when God saw Coffin’s son drown in the river, God’s heart was the first heart to break.
God did not design roads in Atlanta that are confusing. God did not tell the driver to be in the wrong lane. But God’s heart was the first heart to break when the bus plunged down onto the highway.
God did not make us racist. God did not make us sexist. God has never taught anyone to hate. We do that all by ourselves. And when we share hatred, God’s heart is the first heart to break.
God did not tell the young man to purchase the guns. God did not tell the young man how to kill. God did not compel the young man to kill. He did it himself. And God’s heart was the first to break as he watched an innocent slaughter.
God’s goodness is present. God’s goodness often shows up in little things. But mostly God’s goodness shows up quietly, by being with us, loving us, and suffering with us through the most difficult of times.
In my office I have a sign which reads, Bidden or not bidden, God is still present. I actually have it in English and Latin. Often we see it and recognize it as recognizing that no matter what we say or what we do, God is with us. Sometimes we don’t like this because, well, when we are doing something we ought not be doing and we aren’t thrilled that God is present.
But, bidden or not bidden, God is present. This means that no matter what, good or bad, wonderful or dreadful, God is present. And where God is present, goodness is present, and where goodness is present, ultimately there is always hope, even in the midst of great despair.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Horror of Horrors
What happened at Virginia Tech yesterday was a horror of horrors. Campus security is going to be scorned in public for not locking down the campus after the first shooting. Gun rights activists from both perspectives are doing to be screaming at one another trying to spin their perspective. The very openness of college campuses is going to be questioned.
The sad fact of life is that no one could have predicted this. No matter how much people try to analyze it, the murder of a man and a woman in a dorm does not ordinarily turn into a monumental spree killing. No one could have anticipated what was to happen. I suspect hindsight will impact many decisions made on many campuses. It's just so sad.
What is chilling to me was the efficiency of the killer. Being Italian and being from New Jersey I am a major fan of The Sopranos. Part of what I like about that show is that it is painfully real. The bad people truly are bad people. The thing is, when they kill someone, they do so with ruthless efficiency. It is not simply spraying a bunch of bullets around. In real life killers shoot the victim down and then go and finish them off. Killing is not a by-product of the violence, it is the reason for the violence.
The young man who did these shootings did this. He literally executed these students.
I only can hope and pray for the families of victims and everyone associated with Virginia Tech. What has transpired is horrible. I also hope that we are able to learn something that will enable us to prevent such things from happening again.
The sad fact of life is that no one could have predicted this. No matter how much people try to analyze it, the murder of a man and a woman in a dorm does not ordinarily turn into a monumental spree killing. No one could have anticipated what was to happen. I suspect hindsight will impact many decisions made on many campuses. It's just so sad.
What is chilling to me was the efficiency of the killer. Being Italian and being from New Jersey I am a major fan of The Sopranos. Part of what I like about that show is that it is painfully real. The bad people truly are bad people. The thing is, when they kill someone, they do so with ruthless efficiency. It is not simply spraying a bunch of bullets around. In real life killers shoot the victim down and then go and finish them off. Killing is not a by-product of the violence, it is the reason for the violence.
The young man who did these shootings did this. He literally executed these students.
I only can hope and pray for the families of victims and everyone associated with Virginia Tech. What has transpired is horrible. I also hope that we are able to learn something that will enable us to prevent such things from happening again.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
The Problem with Al
In watching the whole Don Imus debacle I found myself, as usual, scoffing at the wasteland that is talk radio.
Rush, of course, has had his share of racist and sexist moments. His ability to pick out portions of news stories and weave them into a liberal plot against the universe is legendary. ESPN had the good sense to quickly fire him a few years back when he demonstrated his racist side as well as football ignorance. As a Giants fan who has seen Donovan McNabb surgically skewer the Giants’ secondary to claim that McNabb was not very good was obviously someone who didn’t watch much football.
Howard Stern, of course, has pushed the boundaries of indecency for a long time. He has moved to satellite radio where he can pursue his adolescent fantasies and use bad language to his heart’s content.
Then there is Don Imus. What Don Imus said was and is indefensible. It was racist, it was insensitive, it was crude and cruel. Imus has been around for a long time. I used to listen to him driving to work in New Jersey in the early 1980's when he did the morning show on WNBC radio in New York City. Something Imus was then, that he no longer is now, is funny. He’s gotten older and meaner. His remarks to the Rutgers’s University Women’s Basketball Team demonstrate that he seems to have realized that his life and style might not be all that cool.
The thing that bothers me more, however, is that once again Al Sharpton has placed himself on the center stage.
Al Sharpton.
He goes by Rev. Al Sharpton. His “Reverend” title is a demonstration of religious freedom in the United States. Attorneys have to pass a bar exam to be able to practice law; Physicians have to pass medical school and take boards in order to practice medicine. In most denominations there is a requirement of four years of college and three years of seminary---studying theology on a graduate school level, before ordination. To get the title “Reverend” requires a lot of time and study.
However, religious freedom means that virtually anyone can use the title “Reverend.” You can get the title via mail order and legally be a minister. Many of the mega-churches in existence have pastors who have been called and ordained and given the title “Reverend” by churches and these folks never did attend seminary. Al Sharpton was ordained at the Washington Temple Church of God in Christ by Bishop F.D. Washington at the age of 10. He had not attended college, he had not attended seminary and he was not formally trained or educated to be a member of the clergy. Sharpton would later go to college for a short time and dropped out.
Sharpton’s big push to the limelight took place in 1987 in Wappingers Falls, New York, a small town close to 80 miles north of New York City, when a 15-year-old girl named Tawana Brawley was found in covered with feces and racial slurs written in charcoal. Brawley, who is black, claimed to have been abducted and raped by six white law enforcement officers. Sharpton jumped to her defense and claimed that Ms. Brawley was a victim of racism and police brutality, etc., etc., etc.
The story dominated the news in the New York metropolitan area. Sharpton appeared almost nightly on the news demanding that justice take place. The little town of Wappingers Falls was seen as a horrible, dreadful place and the police officers were eviscerated by virtually everyone.
And it all turned out to be a hoax. The hospital could find no physical evidence of a rape. Brawley, who claimed that she had been tied up for several days, bore no evidence of this and was well fed and, despite claiming that she was tied up outdoors, had no symptoms or signs of exposure. Furthermore, the writing on her was upside down----an indication that she, herself had written the racial slurs.
For whatever reason Tawana Brawley did this is sad and unknowable. The thing is, as it was becoming increasingly obvious that the story was a hoax it was also becoming increasingly obvious that facts meant little to Al Sharpton. He still railed about this racist attack and has never apologize for his role in this and for the slanderous comments he made towards the police officers.
We recently saw Sharpton concerning the Duke University Lacrosse team and the results were not unlike the results at Wappingers Falls. And Sharpton has yet to apologize about this.
What makes me truly angry with Don Imus is that what he did is what empowers fools like Al Sharpton. Then appearing on Al Sharpton’s radio show, giving Sharpton the higher ground and more ammunition was not only foolish for him, but, frankly, further subjected the nation to Al Sharpton’s theatrics.
Racism and sexism are serious issue. What has become increasingly obvious is that we still have many racial issue and gender issues to overcome. Crass, crude comments still pervade our culture and that is intolerable. But nothing of note is ever solved by fools and charlatans and, frankly, Al Sharpton is both a fool and a charlatan.
Rush, of course, has had his share of racist and sexist moments. His ability to pick out portions of news stories and weave them into a liberal plot against the universe is legendary. ESPN had the good sense to quickly fire him a few years back when he demonstrated his racist side as well as football ignorance. As a Giants fan who has seen Donovan McNabb surgically skewer the Giants’ secondary to claim that McNabb was not very good was obviously someone who didn’t watch much football.
Howard Stern, of course, has pushed the boundaries of indecency for a long time. He has moved to satellite radio where he can pursue his adolescent fantasies and use bad language to his heart’s content.
Then there is Don Imus. What Don Imus said was and is indefensible. It was racist, it was insensitive, it was crude and cruel. Imus has been around for a long time. I used to listen to him driving to work in New Jersey in the early 1980's when he did the morning show on WNBC radio in New York City. Something Imus was then, that he no longer is now, is funny. He’s gotten older and meaner. His remarks to the Rutgers’s University Women’s Basketball Team demonstrate that he seems to have realized that his life and style might not be all that cool.
The thing that bothers me more, however, is that once again Al Sharpton has placed himself on the center stage.
Al Sharpton.
He goes by Rev. Al Sharpton. His “Reverend” title is a demonstration of religious freedom in the United States. Attorneys have to pass a bar exam to be able to practice law; Physicians have to pass medical school and take boards in order to practice medicine. In most denominations there is a requirement of four years of college and three years of seminary---studying theology on a graduate school level, before ordination. To get the title “Reverend” requires a lot of time and study.
However, religious freedom means that virtually anyone can use the title “Reverend.” You can get the title via mail order and legally be a minister. Many of the mega-churches in existence have pastors who have been called and ordained and given the title “Reverend” by churches and these folks never did attend seminary. Al Sharpton was ordained at the Washington Temple Church of God in Christ by Bishop F.D. Washington at the age of 10. He had not attended college, he had not attended seminary and he was not formally trained or educated to be a member of the clergy. Sharpton would later go to college for a short time and dropped out.
Sharpton’s big push to the limelight took place in 1987 in Wappingers Falls, New York, a small town close to 80 miles north of New York City, when a 15-year-old girl named Tawana Brawley was found in covered with feces and racial slurs written in charcoal. Brawley, who is black, claimed to have been abducted and raped by six white law enforcement officers. Sharpton jumped to her defense and claimed that Ms. Brawley was a victim of racism and police brutality, etc., etc., etc.
The story dominated the news in the New York metropolitan area. Sharpton appeared almost nightly on the news demanding that justice take place. The little town of Wappingers Falls was seen as a horrible, dreadful place and the police officers were eviscerated by virtually everyone.
And it all turned out to be a hoax. The hospital could find no physical evidence of a rape. Brawley, who claimed that she had been tied up for several days, bore no evidence of this and was well fed and, despite claiming that she was tied up outdoors, had no symptoms or signs of exposure. Furthermore, the writing on her was upside down----an indication that she, herself had written the racial slurs.
For whatever reason Tawana Brawley did this is sad and unknowable. The thing is, as it was becoming increasingly obvious that the story was a hoax it was also becoming increasingly obvious that facts meant little to Al Sharpton. He still railed about this racist attack and has never apologize for his role in this and for the slanderous comments he made towards the police officers.
We recently saw Sharpton concerning the Duke University Lacrosse team and the results were not unlike the results at Wappingers Falls. And Sharpton has yet to apologize about this.
What makes me truly angry with Don Imus is that what he did is what empowers fools like Al Sharpton. Then appearing on Al Sharpton’s radio show, giving Sharpton the higher ground and more ammunition was not only foolish for him, but, frankly, further subjected the nation to Al Sharpton’s theatrics.
Racism and sexism are serious issue. What has become increasingly obvious is that we still have many racial issue and gender issues to overcome. Crass, crude comments still pervade our culture and that is intolerable. But nothing of note is ever solved by fools and charlatans and, frankly, Al Sharpton is both a fool and a charlatan.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Blinded by Doubt----Easter Sermon
Blinded by ...Doubt
Text: John 20:1-18
Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo
Easter Sunday, 2007
There’s a marvelous story about a Rabbi in New York who wanted to attend an Easter Service to see what it was like. The Rabbi had a Christian friend who he called and his friend invited the Rabbi to come to church with him on Easter.
When the preacher got up to give the sermon the preacher said, “The story of the tomb being empty is not important.”
Then he said, “The story of Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene is not important.”
He went on, “The story of Jesus appearing to the apostles is not important.”
At this point the Rabbi leaned over to his friend and asked, “So, what is important?”
The first impulse, if we are really honest when it comes to Easter, is doubt.
Peter and John ran to the tomb to see for themselves. They doubted.
Mary Magdalene was crying, blinded by tears, because she doubted.
Like the apostles and like her we are blinded....mostly by doubt.
And doubt is often easy to come by.
The recent documentary by James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici, despite many of their words, was a cynical attempt to cast doubt on Jesus and Easter.
In the early Christian Church there were rival “Gospels” written, books that never made it into our Bible, which attempted to discredit Jesus and the events of his death and resurrection.
Throughout history, Easter and doubt have walked hand in hand.
And, to be honest, Jesus didn’t make it easy.
He performed miracles only for those who already believe in him. Jesus would never perform a miracle to prove who he was.
And Jesus, when he was raised from the dead, only appeared to people who already believed in him. If it had been me, I’d have come back and tweaked the noses of Pilate, Herod, and the Sanhedrin and said to them those immortal words, ‘I’m back!’
But Jesus was much more mature than I am.
Easter may best be seen by seeing life without Easter. Sometimes a good thing is best seen through the lens of something negative.
The famous Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life portrayed life without the main character. He learned how beloved and needed he was by seeing what life would have been like had he not lived.
When we have pain it feels bad; but pain helps us appreciate good health.
The rain enables us to celebrate the sunshine.
If there had been no Easter every funeral sermon I have ever preached is a lie. Any sense of hope I share with people who grieve and any sense of hope I have from losing people I love, comes from Easter. It comes from the belief that Jesus was raised from the dead and that there is hope when we die. If no Easter, I have been lying to others and to myself.
If there had been no Easter 2000 years of Christianity has been invalidated. People have more than remembered or honored Jesus, people have staked their lives on Jesus. Martyrs deaths would be in vain. Missionaries who have brought so much comfort have done so ultimately based on a farce.
Actually my entire life would be a life of giving false hope to people and perpetuating a lie.
If there was no Easter Jesus was just some great teacher like so many from the ancient world. He’d join the ranks of Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates and be studied by some, but he would not have been worth committing one’s life to.
If there was no Easter. If all we lived with was doubt.
But, the tomb was empty.
But Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene.
Jesus appeared to the apostles.
And we, 2000 years later, embrace Easter with faith, and celebrate Easter with joy because it is the day that ultimately gives us the greatest hope of all.
Text: John 20:1-18
Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo
Easter Sunday, 2007
There’s a marvelous story about a Rabbi in New York who wanted to attend an Easter Service to see what it was like. The Rabbi had a Christian friend who he called and his friend invited the Rabbi to come to church with him on Easter.
When the preacher got up to give the sermon the preacher said, “The story of the tomb being empty is not important.”
Then he said, “The story of Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene is not important.”
He went on, “The story of Jesus appearing to the apostles is not important.”
At this point the Rabbi leaned over to his friend and asked, “So, what is important?”
The first impulse, if we are really honest when it comes to Easter, is doubt.
Peter and John ran to the tomb to see for themselves. They doubted.
Mary Magdalene was crying, blinded by tears, because she doubted.
Like the apostles and like her we are blinded....mostly by doubt.
And doubt is often easy to come by.
The recent documentary by James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici, despite many of their words, was a cynical attempt to cast doubt on Jesus and Easter.
In the early Christian Church there were rival “Gospels” written, books that never made it into our Bible, which attempted to discredit Jesus and the events of his death and resurrection.
Throughout history, Easter and doubt have walked hand in hand.
And, to be honest, Jesus didn’t make it easy.
He performed miracles only for those who already believe in him. Jesus would never perform a miracle to prove who he was.
And Jesus, when he was raised from the dead, only appeared to people who already believed in him. If it had been me, I’d have come back and tweaked the noses of Pilate, Herod, and the Sanhedrin and said to them those immortal words, ‘I’m back!’
But Jesus was much more mature than I am.
Easter may best be seen by seeing life without Easter. Sometimes a good thing is best seen through the lens of something negative.
The famous Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life portrayed life without the main character. He learned how beloved and needed he was by seeing what life would have been like had he not lived.
When we have pain it feels bad; but pain helps us appreciate good health.
The rain enables us to celebrate the sunshine.
If there had been no Easter every funeral sermon I have ever preached is a lie. Any sense of hope I share with people who grieve and any sense of hope I have from losing people I love, comes from Easter. It comes from the belief that Jesus was raised from the dead and that there is hope when we die. If no Easter, I have been lying to others and to myself.
If there had been no Easter 2000 years of Christianity has been invalidated. People have more than remembered or honored Jesus, people have staked their lives on Jesus. Martyrs deaths would be in vain. Missionaries who have brought so much comfort have done so ultimately based on a farce.
Actually my entire life would be a life of giving false hope to people and perpetuating a lie.
If there was no Easter Jesus was just some great teacher like so many from the ancient world. He’d join the ranks of Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates and be studied by some, but he would not have been worth committing one’s life to.
If there was no Easter. If all we lived with was doubt.
But, the tomb was empty.
But Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene.
Jesus appeared to the apostles.
And we, 2000 years later, embrace Easter with faith, and celebrate Easter with joy because it is the day that ultimately gives us the greatest hope of all.
Random Thoughts
So interesting. I make serious posts and no one comments. I do an April Fool's joke and I have several comments. Actually, it was fun. Actually, it was quite interesting to read USANudists post. I do believe that churches ought to welcome everyone----but my preference is that they be dressed when they come to Worship.... I know this for sure, I'm going to be dressed at Worship sparing a lot of people a lot of horror.
Howard Stern, radio host, is well-noted for grotesque sexual comments on the radio. Don Imus and Rush Limbaugh are building quite a portfolio of racist comments. Makes me wonder about these radio folks. Does the radio attract such personalities or does sitting in front of a microphone do it to people?
My Mets are 4-0!!!! They have a pitching staff that is a mixture of a geriatric unit and a boy scout troop. Thus far they look good. We'll see....it's a long season.
We did combined Maundy Thursday Service and Good Friday Service with the pastors and people of Central Christian Church. It was a great experience and I greatly enjoyed working with the two pastors from that church. I think that both Lori and I had an excellent experience with them. Thing is....it makes me sad to realize that Christian unity does have a way to go. We commemorated Jesus' final supper and Jesus' death together....but we will be apart for Jesus' resurrection.
Happy Easter! And go to church on Sunday!
Howard Stern, radio host, is well-noted for grotesque sexual comments on the radio. Don Imus and Rush Limbaugh are building quite a portfolio of racist comments. Makes me wonder about these radio folks. Does the radio attract such personalities or does sitting in front of a microphone do it to people?
My Mets are 4-0!!!! They have a pitching staff that is a mixture of a geriatric unit and a boy scout troop. Thus far they look good. We'll see....it's a long season.
We did combined Maundy Thursday Service and Good Friday Service with the pastors and people of Central Christian Church. It was a great experience and I greatly enjoyed working with the two pastors from that church. I think that both Lori and I had an excellent experience with them. Thing is....it makes me sad to realize that Christian unity does have a way to go. We commemorated Jesus' final supper and Jesus' death together....but we will be apart for Jesus' resurrection.
Happy Easter! And go to church on Sunday!
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Christianity and Nudism
I've come to the conclusion that the only true way to be a Christian in today's world is to become a nudist. People who come to church wearing clothing are allowing their clothing to come between them and God.
Many people say that they don't come to church because many of the people in the church are dressed better than they are. If everyone was naked, then no one could say that.
Sometimes people don't come to church because it's too warm. If everyone was naked, the chances of it being too warm would be diminished.
Imagine if our Sunday best was our birthday suit? Some people might object, but think about this.
If God had meant for us to be naked than we would have been born......
We aren't really 'naked' we're just not wearing any clothing!
According to modern success advice, "Clothes makes the man (or woman)". But according to the bible, God made the man and woman, and he made them without clothes.
Too often Christians just stand around with their hands in their pockets. If they were naked...
So, Christianity and nudism. An idea whose time has come. Please read below for a further statement:
April Fools!
Friday, March 30, 2007
The Nazi and Hitler Card
In this past week two people used the Nazi or Hitler card.
Tom DeLay. In his new autobiography he was lameting the fact that criminal charges had been brought against him. After all, he is a good Christian and an honest man. In fairness, however, the only person I've ever heard refer to Tom DeLay as being honest was Tom DeLay himself. However, despite the fact that he ventured into criminal behavior, and despite the fact that he was charged with a crime by a Grand Jury, and despite the fact that appeals courts upheld the charges, Tom DeLay is saying that the charges against him are liberal persecution of him. Then he said it.
"By charging this big lie, liberals have finally joined the ranks of scoundrels like Hitler."
Tom DeLay. There it was. People who are opposed to him are like Hitler and and Nazis.
But then Tom Coughlin (must be a Tom thing of late), who is the coach of the New York Giants (football team) decided that he too had to use the Hitler card.
Tom Coughlin is not beloved by NY Giants fans. I happen to be one. I've been a Giants fan since Fran Tarkenton was their quarterback. I saw Rocky Thompson play live. I've watched them from bleacher seats in Yankee Stadium as well as numerous other places. I'm a diehard.
Tom Coughlin's NY Giants were, last year, at one point 6-2 and ended the season 8-8. The players hated him. The fans hated him. The press was critical of often very foolish calls on his part. But the Giants gave him a one year contract extension. The owners of the Giants have been largely the Mara family, some of the kindest souls in existence and they didn't want to be unfair to their coach. His job was saved by the act of very gracious owners.
But Coughlin had been roundly critized and then he said it.
"I hear some of it and I see it," Coughlin said in response to a question about the criticism he received last season. You know (VP of communications Pat) Hanlon tells me about it, what's going on . . . Hitler and then me, in that order. Unfortunate, but it is."
Which means that the only person in history who has been criticized more than Tom Coughlin was Adolf Hitler.
So, to Mr. DeLay. You, sir, have been indicted. You sir, have been one of the most notorious partisans who has ever been on Capital Hill. You sir, are one of those dreadful people (both parties have them) who puts party over nation. We sir, are better off without you in Congress. Go to trial and see what happens. But please, never compare those who opposed you to a man who gave the order to exterminate 6,000,000 Jewish people for the simple crime of being Jewish. Never mind the countless people who survived the concentration camps, those who died in combat saving the world from his maniac, as well as the countless others who died as a result of Adolf Hitler. A corruption charge against you, which looks quite valid, does not compare to this.
So to Mr. Coughlin. First, I hope that the Giants fire you for your comments. They should. Hitler was critized as perhaps the worst human being in all of history. Valid criticism. You have been criticized by people who follow the NY Giants for being a lousy coach. For your information, Allie Sherman was criticized more than you. We even sang "Good bye Allie" to him at games. But to state that you are the second most critized human being in all of history, just behind a person who did all of the above mentioned things, you, sir, are an eggroll shy the #3 luncheon special.
Either people have a bad sense of history, or are just plain stupid, using Hitler or the Nazis as a comparison should be used judiciously and sparingly, at best. They were a blight to civilized people and we ought to remember that before we start throwing them around.
These are two Toms who need to find their rock and crawl back under them.
Tom DeLay. In his new autobiography he was lameting the fact that criminal charges had been brought against him. After all, he is a good Christian and an honest man. In fairness, however, the only person I've ever heard refer to Tom DeLay as being honest was Tom DeLay himself. However, despite the fact that he ventured into criminal behavior, and despite the fact that he was charged with a crime by a Grand Jury, and despite the fact that appeals courts upheld the charges, Tom DeLay is saying that the charges against him are liberal persecution of him. Then he said it.
"By charging this big lie, liberals have finally joined the ranks of scoundrels like Hitler."
Tom DeLay. There it was. People who are opposed to him are like Hitler and and Nazis.
But then Tom Coughlin (must be a Tom thing of late), who is the coach of the New York Giants (football team) decided that he too had to use the Hitler card.
Tom Coughlin is not beloved by NY Giants fans. I happen to be one. I've been a Giants fan since Fran Tarkenton was their quarterback. I saw Rocky Thompson play live. I've watched them from bleacher seats in Yankee Stadium as well as numerous other places. I'm a diehard.
Tom Coughlin's NY Giants were, last year, at one point 6-2 and ended the season 8-8. The players hated him. The fans hated him. The press was critical of often very foolish calls on his part. But the Giants gave him a one year contract extension. The owners of the Giants have been largely the Mara family, some of the kindest souls in existence and they didn't want to be unfair to their coach. His job was saved by the act of very gracious owners.
But Coughlin had been roundly critized and then he said it.
"I hear some of it and I see it," Coughlin said in response to a question about the criticism he received last season. You know (VP of communications Pat) Hanlon tells me about it, what's going on . . . Hitler and then me, in that order. Unfortunate, but it is."
Which means that the only person in history who has been criticized more than Tom Coughlin was Adolf Hitler.
So, to Mr. DeLay. You, sir, have been indicted. You sir, have been one of the most notorious partisans who has ever been on Capital Hill. You sir, are one of those dreadful people (both parties have them) who puts party over nation. We sir, are better off without you in Congress. Go to trial and see what happens. But please, never compare those who opposed you to a man who gave the order to exterminate 6,000,000 Jewish people for the simple crime of being Jewish. Never mind the countless people who survived the concentration camps, those who died in combat saving the world from his maniac, as well as the countless others who died as a result of Adolf Hitler. A corruption charge against you, which looks quite valid, does not compare to this.
So to Mr. Coughlin. First, I hope that the Giants fire you for your comments. They should. Hitler was critized as perhaps the worst human being in all of history. Valid criticism. You have been criticized by people who follow the NY Giants for being a lousy coach. For your information, Allie Sherman was criticized more than you. We even sang "Good bye Allie" to him at games. But to state that you are the second most critized human being in all of history, just behind a person who did all of the above mentioned things, you, sir, are an eggroll shy the #3 luncheon special.
Either people have a bad sense of history, or are just plain stupid, using Hitler or the Nazis as a comparison should be used judiciously and sparingly, at best. They were a blight to civilized people and we ought to remember that before we start throwing them around.
These are two Toms who need to find their rock and crawl back under them.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
A Titanic Easter
Recently there has been a great deal of ‘buzz’ surrounding a documentary by James Cameron who directed Titanic and Simcha Jacobovici a Canadian documentary maker. They claim that they have ten ossuaries (small coffins for bones) of Jesus and his family. It almost makes one feel that we are in for a Titanic Easter where two people have proven that Jesus was not raised from the tomb. At least bodily. I had the impression as I watched these two individuals on the Today Show that they wanted to disrupt Easter for people. It was like “We have found Jesus’ bones!!! We have the smoking gun!!!”
I’m taking the claim of James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici with the same seriousness I would take a Saturday Night Live skit. Despite their claims otherwise, this is a sad joke.
James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici are film makers. Jacobovici has done some interesting and controversial films mostly around Judaism. He made a film on the ossuary of James, brother of Jesus which many people said was historically and theologically inaccurate.
Cameron is mostly famous for two Terminator movies and Titanic. Titanic was a visually stunning movie and it very aptly demonstrated the final moments of that great ship and the terror of people involved. Cameron does seem to demonstrate his theology of Heaven at insipid vision that “Heaven” was being back on the ship uniting two people who had been together for a fling on their journey. Ugh.
These ossuaries were found in 1980 and have been examined by theologians and archeologists alike who have pretty much universally stated that they are nothing particularly special. It wasn’t until these two film makers got together and decreed to the world that they had found Jesus’ bones. And, to prove this, they produced statisticians to prove that these names were more rare than people believed.
The fact that most archeologists said that what Cameron and Jacobovici said were names, were, in fact scratches that may have remotely appeared to look like writing if one had a very fertile imagination.
Cameron has stated, “I'm not a theologist. I'm not an archaeologist. I'm a documentary film maker."
For the record, I’ve never met a theologist in my life. His ignorance of people who study theology demonstrates what is wrong with this film.
But it also speaks to wider issues.
First, there often seems to be a serious diminishment of those who seriously study theology, the Bible, and these ancient times. Whether you liked it or not, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ had some major historical inaccuracies and was not consistent with Gospel accounts. I recall teaching one of the accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion and I was called to task for disagreeing with Gibson. Actually, it was Luke and Matthew who disagreed, not me, but, oh well.
The thing is, serious study is serious study. I don’t agree with every theologian I have ever read. To be blunt, I think many of them are off the wall. (Unless a theologist is an off the wall theologian!) I do appreciate the fact that there are serious people doing serious research and serious study of both theology and archeology. When two film makers come to a vastly different conclusion from all the experts, I’m putting my money on the people who are the experts. Sadly, Cameron and Jacobovici have, whether intentionally or not, put themselves out there like experts and have made fools of themselves. Of course, they are making a lot of money for this so they might not be so dumb! But prostituting one’s self may be profitable, but it doesn’t make it right.
But, even more profound, the resurrection of Christ is about faith. It cannot be historically proven to have taken place or to have not taken place. Jesus appeared to believers. He didn’t pop in on Herod and Pilate and decree, “I’m back!” He appeared only to those close to him. And it was their faith that enabled them to see who was in their midst.
Faith is believing in things unseen and unproven. It is ultimately about belief.
As for me, I am angry at James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici. Their carelessness and thoughtlessness, and pitiful research will lead to many people questioning their faith during a very holy season. For some, faith is very difficult and it is easier to embrace what they can see than it is to believe what cannot be seen.
Faith is based on belief and cannot be proven. And that is the joy and the adventure of walking with Christ. So invest yourself with Jesus this Easter, and do not sink to the level of these clowns and embrace their nonsense.
I’m taking the claim of James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici with the same seriousness I would take a Saturday Night Live skit. Despite their claims otherwise, this is a sad joke.
James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici are film makers. Jacobovici has done some interesting and controversial films mostly around Judaism. He made a film on the ossuary of James, brother of Jesus which many people said was historically and theologically inaccurate.
Cameron is mostly famous for two Terminator movies and Titanic. Titanic was a visually stunning movie and it very aptly demonstrated the final moments of that great ship and the terror of people involved. Cameron does seem to demonstrate his theology of Heaven at insipid vision that “Heaven” was being back on the ship uniting two people who had been together for a fling on their journey. Ugh.
These ossuaries were found in 1980 and have been examined by theologians and archeologists alike who have pretty much universally stated that they are nothing particularly special. It wasn’t until these two film makers got together and decreed to the world that they had found Jesus’ bones. And, to prove this, they produced statisticians to prove that these names were more rare than people believed.
The fact that most archeologists said that what Cameron and Jacobovici said were names, were, in fact scratches that may have remotely appeared to look like writing if one had a very fertile imagination.
Cameron has stated, “I'm not a theologist. I'm not an archaeologist. I'm a documentary film maker."
For the record, I’ve never met a theologist in my life. His ignorance of people who study theology demonstrates what is wrong with this film.
But it also speaks to wider issues.
First, there often seems to be a serious diminishment of those who seriously study theology, the Bible, and these ancient times. Whether you liked it or not, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ had some major historical inaccuracies and was not consistent with Gospel accounts. I recall teaching one of the accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion and I was called to task for disagreeing with Gibson. Actually, it was Luke and Matthew who disagreed, not me, but, oh well.
The thing is, serious study is serious study. I don’t agree with every theologian I have ever read. To be blunt, I think many of them are off the wall. (Unless a theologist is an off the wall theologian!) I do appreciate the fact that there are serious people doing serious research and serious study of both theology and archeology. When two film makers come to a vastly different conclusion from all the experts, I’m putting my money on the people who are the experts. Sadly, Cameron and Jacobovici have, whether intentionally or not, put themselves out there like experts and have made fools of themselves. Of course, they are making a lot of money for this so they might not be so dumb! But prostituting one’s self may be profitable, but it doesn’t make it right.
But, even more profound, the resurrection of Christ is about faith. It cannot be historically proven to have taken place or to have not taken place. Jesus appeared to believers. He didn’t pop in on Herod and Pilate and decree, “I’m back!” He appeared only to those close to him. And it was their faith that enabled them to see who was in their midst.
Faith is believing in things unseen and unproven. It is ultimately about belief.
As for me, I am angry at James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici. Their carelessness and thoughtlessness, and pitiful research will lead to many people questioning their faith during a very holy season. For some, faith is very difficult and it is easier to embrace what they can see than it is to believe what cannot be seen.
Faith is based on belief and cannot be proven. And that is the joy and the adventure of walking with Christ. So invest yourself with Jesus this Easter, and do not sink to the level of these clowns and embrace their nonsense.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Bluffton University Tragedy
I was drinking coffee on the Friday morning when it happened and I heard that a bus carrying the Bluffton University baseball team had been in a horrible accident in Atlanta. I jolted up. One of the kids from my old church in Ohio was on the Bluffton baseball team. I called my old church and found out that Brandon was okay. I watched the CNN special on the accident and found out that Brandon was the one who called 911 and he, as well as his parents, were interviewed for the piece.
It was and is a stark reminder of the fact that when these tragedies take place there are people who know the people in the midst of the tragedy. Buses and planes and automobiles, are filled with people who are known and loved by others. Often, on the news, we see the story, we learn about the facts, but we often don't feel the impact of the event. This time, I did, and wow.
It was and is a stark reminder of the fact that when these tragedies take place there are people who know the people in the midst of the tragedy. Buses and planes and automobiles, are filled with people who are known and loved by others. Often, on the news, we see the story, we learn about the facts, but we often don't feel the impact of the event. This time, I did, and wow.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Can We Question God?
Can We Question God?
Text: Acts 9:10-19
Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo
February 11, 2007
The Lord appears to Ananias and tells him to Straight Street to find a man from Tarsus named Saul. Now Ananias was a God man who was used to being obedient to God in all things. But when asked by Jesus to find this Saul from Tarsus, Ananias is alarmed. Had Jesus, in Heaven, not been on top of things?
This was not unlike someone appearing in a vision in 1942 and being told to go to Berlin and talk to a man named Adolf. Or go to Bagdad and see a man named Saddam. Saul, to the early Christians, meant two things. Trouble and death. And no one wanted any part of him.
So Ananias asks about Saul and Jesus assures him that all is well and Ananias goes off and does what he has been asked.
But rewind the tape a little. Ananias questions Jesus. Ananias questions God. And lives. It makes you want to ask the question, can we question God?
The short answer is ‘yes.’ So if you wanted a really short sermon and wanted to get to the bottom line, the answer is ‘yes’ and you are free to go. But if you stay, I do have some more thoughts.
Have you ever thought what you’d ask God about? I have several thoughts.
Superficially:
What were you thinking when you created the ostrich?
Why did you make the pit in the avocado so big?
Why is it then when I’m driving down a road there is always someone going way under the speed limit who is in front of me?
Why is it that some people are just so annoying?
And maybe a bit more in depth:
There is good and evil and I don’t understand what it is that drives people to do such tremendous evil or good in the world?
Why do people have to suffer?
Why do children have to die?
Why do good things happen to bad people; and bad things happen to good people?
We probably all have questions we’d like to ask God.
Sometimes we question God like Ananias did because we don’t understand God’s logic, we don’t understand God’s wisdom.
I have this vision that we are going to go to Heaven and God is going to ask us one question and the question is this:
“Why did you believe all the people who said that when you got to Heaven, I was going to ask you this question or that question?”
I am amazed and dazzled by all the books and preachers who claim to know what questions God is going to ask us at the pearly gates. To even claim that indicates, to me, that people think they have deciphered God’s wisdom and logic.
God’s wisdom, God’s logic eludes us. Mystics who have spent their lives in prayer and reflection on God and God’s ways all come to the same conclusion. The more time they spend in prayer and in learning about God the MORE mysterious God becomes. Over the years I have preached on many of the same passages in the Bible many, many times, seemingly simple passages, simple stories, simple parables, and often the truth of those stories eludes me as I discover more and more mystery within them.
I never worry when people say that they question God because they do not understand. I worry when people don’t question God, when people ‘know it.’ If we can fully understand God, if we can fully know God, our God is not big enough.
Secondly, we question God because we are troubled by God. I listened to a sermon once about forgiveness and the preacher said that at times we need to forgive others for the wrongs they have done to us. At times we have to forgive ourselves for getting ourselves into jams. And, at times, we need to forgive God because we have found ourselves in plights, in circumstances where we didn’t do anything wrong, but things have gone awry or even tragic.
Often when people are not that attractive in a world where beauty seems to mean everything, those people will be angry at God for making them as they are.
We are a society that almost worships athletic accomplishment. Go to scholarship night sometime at a school and you’ll hear athletic scholarship after athletic scholarship. Being a good athlete is a natural ability, a gift from God and often people get angry at God for not receiving this.
I saw the movie Amazing Grace two times. It is a wonderful movie about William Wilberforce, a member of the British Parliament who led the crusade to end the slave trade. Wilberforce was a person of great religious conviction who believed, with his whole heart, that he was doing God’s will be helping to end the slave trade. It took him twenty painfully difficult years to do so. He had to question, over and over again why God would lead him to such a frustrating endeavor.
Plus there is the fact that we all lose people we love, spouses, partners, children, and parents and friends. And we ask the question, why?
The question many people ought to be asking isn’t if they are ever troubled by God, and if they aren’t, why aren’t they? God, we say, often moves in mysterious ways, but that explanation isn’t always enough.
If you have never questioned God you have never read the Psalms. God is often praised for some very bizarre things.
In Psalm 135 it begins one would imagine:
Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord; give praise, O servants of the Lord,
you that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious.
Psalm 135:1-3
Most people would read this and say that this is nice. It’s a Psalm praising God and that’s a good thing. It’s what they are praising God for, however, which becomes bizarre:
He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both human beings and animals;
he sent signs and wonders
into your midst, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings--
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan. Psalm 135:8-11
Maybe Og the king of Bashan was a bad guy, but what kind of a God longs to be praised for smiting Og?
In Psalm 136 a beautiful Psalm that inspired song On the Willows from the play Godspell. The Psalm is beautiful until we have the Psalm ending with people rejoicing in the day when they can dash the babies of Babylon against the rocks.
We question God, at times, because we need to. God is often a mystery to us and, frankly, when we are this mystified, we need to question.
Which brings me to the final point. We can question God because God loves us enough to be questioned.
Jesus professed God as Father. A Father is a parent who we hope loves his children. God as Father is a Father who loves His children perfectly. As any parent can tell you, children ask questions. Loving parents patiently and at times impatiently answer the questions. Some are answered right away, some are answered in time. Some are answered partially and simply at the time and the answer changes. Such as the question, where do babies come from? The depth and detail of the answer is different for a 5 year old than a 12 year old. (As an aside, we can quibble about the ages, but this is for example purposes only.)
We question parents because parents love us enough to take the time and answer. So it is with God. We can question God because God loves us enough to be questioned.
The most audacious question asked in the Bible was asked by the prophet Jeremiah. It’s the question that if asked, is the most likely to inspire a lightning bolt.
Why is my pain unceasing,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail. Jeremiah 15:18
Jeremiah’s question is poised because he had been called by God to be a prophet and people were tormenting him and hurting him. The question, “Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed” is made potent by the context: “Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail.” When translation puts this so poetically when it says, “You are like a well spring of deceptive waters.” The words just hang there. Why are you tormenting me; I get the impression that you lied.”
And God takes Jeremiah back, gives him new promises, and restores him and loves him.
Frankly, after Jeremiah, any question we can ask God is not going to be nearly as tough.
The story begins with the Lord appearing to Ananias and telling him to get Saul and bring him into the fold. Ananias questions the Lord and the Lord answers and Ananias obeys.
Questioning God is a valid thing to do. It reminds us that we are paying attention, and it teaches us, grandly, that God loves us enough to answer.
Text: Acts 9:10-19
Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo
February 11, 2007
The Lord appears to Ananias and tells him to Straight Street to find a man from Tarsus named Saul. Now Ananias was a God man who was used to being obedient to God in all things. But when asked by Jesus to find this Saul from Tarsus, Ananias is alarmed. Had Jesus, in Heaven, not been on top of things?
This was not unlike someone appearing in a vision in 1942 and being told to go to Berlin and talk to a man named Adolf. Or go to Bagdad and see a man named Saddam. Saul, to the early Christians, meant two things. Trouble and death. And no one wanted any part of him.
So Ananias asks about Saul and Jesus assures him that all is well and Ananias goes off and does what he has been asked.
But rewind the tape a little. Ananias questions Jesus. Ananias questions God. And lives. It makes you want to ask the question, can we question God?
The short answer is ‘yes.’ So if you wanted a really short sermon and wanted to get to the bottom line, the answer is ‘yes’ and you are free to go. But if you stay, I do have some more thoughts.
Have you ever thought what you’d ask God about? I have several thoughts.
Superficially:
What were you thinking when you created the ostrich?
Why did you make the pit in the avocado so big?
Why is it then when I’m driving down a road there is always someone going way under the speed limit who is in front of me?
Why is it that some people are just so annoying?
And maybe a bit more in depth:
There is good and evil and I don’t understand what it is that drives people to do such tremendous evil or good in the world?
Why do people have to suffer?
Why do children have to die?
Why do good things happen to bad people; and bad things happen to good people?
We probably all have questions we’d like to ask God.
Sometimes we question God like Ananias did because we don’t understand God’s logic, we don’t understand God’s wisdom.
I have this vision that we are going to go to Heaven and God is going to ask us one question and the question is this:
“Why did you believe all the people who said that when you got to Heaven, I was going to ask you this question or that question?”
I am amazed and dazzled by all the books and preachers who claim to know what questions God is going to ask us at the pearly gates. To even claim that indicates, to me, that people think they have deciphered God’s wisdom and logic.
God’s wisdom, God’s logic eludes us. Mystics who have spent their lives in prayer and reflection on God and God’s ways all come to the same conclusion. The more time they spend in prayer and in learning about God the MORE mysterious God becomes. Over the years I have preached on many of the same passages in the Bible many, many times, seemingly simple passages, simple stories, simple parables, and often the truth of those stories eludes me as I discover more and more mystery within them.
I never worry when people say that they question God because they do not understand. I worry when people don’t question God, when people ‘know it.’ If we can fully understand God, if we can fully know God, our God is not big enough.
Secondly, we question God because we are troubled by God. I listened to a sermon once about forgiveness and the preacher said that at times we need to forgive others for the wrongs they have done to us. At times we have to forgive ourselves for getting ourselves into jams. And, at times, we need to forgive God because we have found ourselves in plights, in circumstances where we didn’t do anything wrong, but things have gone awry or even tragic.
Often when people are not that attractive in a world where beauty seems to mean everything, those people will be angry at God for making them as they are.
We are a society that almost worships athletic accomplishment. Go to scholarship night sometime at a school and you’ll hear athletic scholarship after athletic scholarship. Being a good athlete is a natural ability, a gift from God and often people get angry at God for not receiving this.
I saw the movie Amazing Grace two times. It is a wonderful movie about William Wilberforce, a member of the British Parliament who led the crusade to end the slave trade. Wilberforce was a person of great religious conviction who believed, with his whole heart, that he was doing God’s will be helping to end the slave trade. It took him twenty painfully difficult years to do so. He had to question, over and over again why God would lead him to such a frustrating endeavor.
Plus there is the fact that we all lose people we love, spouses, partners, children, and parents and friends. And we ask the question, why?
The question many people ought to be asking isn’t if they are ever troubled by God, and if they aren’t, why aren’t they? God, we say, often moves in mysterious ways, but that explanation isn’t always enough.
If you have never questioned God you have never read the Psalms. God is often praised for some very bizarre things.
In Psalm 135 it begins one would imagine:
Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord; give praise, O servants of the Lord,
you that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious.
Psalm 135:1-3
Most people would read this and say that this is nice. It’s a Psalm praising God and that’s a good thing. It’s what they are praising God for, however, which becomes bizarre:
He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both human beings and animals;
he sent signs and wonders
into your midst, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings--
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan. Psalm 135:8-11
Maybe Og the king of Bashan was a bad guy, but what kind of a God longs to be praised for smiting Og?
In Psalm 136 a beautiful Psalm that inspired song On the Willows from the play Godspell. The Psalm is beautiful until we have the Psalm ending with people rejoicing in the day when they can dash the babies of Babylon against the rocks.
We question God, at times, because we need to. God is often a mystery to us and, frankly, when we are this mystified, we need to question.
Which brings me to the final point. We can question God because God loves us enough to be questioned.
Jesus professed God as Father. A Father is a parent who we hope loves his children. God as Father is a Father who loves His children perfectly. As any parent can tell you, children ask questions. Loving parents patiently and at times impatiently answer the questions. Some are answered right away, some are answered in time. Some are answered partially and simply at the time and the answer changes. Such as the question, where do babies come from? The depth and detail of the answer is different for a 5 year old than a 12 year old. (As an aside, we can quibble about the ages, but this is for example purposes only.)
We question parents because parents love us enough to take the time and answer. So it is with God. We can question God because God loves us enough to be questioned.
The most audacious question asked in the Bible was asked by the prophet Jeremiah. It’s the question that if asked, is the most likely to inspire a lightning bolt.
Why is my pain unceasing,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail. Jeremiah 15:18
Jeremiah’s question is poised because he had been called by God to be a prophet and people were tormenting him and hurting him. The question, “Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed” is made potent by the context: “Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail.” When translation puts this so poetically when it says, “You are like a well spring of deceptive waters.” The words just hang there. Why are you tormenting me; I get the impression that you lied.”
And God takes Jeremiah back, gives him new promises, and restores him and loves him.
Frankly, after Jeremiah, any question we can ask God is not going to be nearly as tough.
The story begins with the Lord appearing to Ananias and telling him to get Saul and bring him into the fold. Ananias questions the Lord and the Lord answers and Ananias obeys.
Questioning God is a valid thing to do. It reminds us that we are paying attention, and it teaches us, grandly, that God loves us enough to answer.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Serious people. Not so serious people.
I am struck on political forums by serious people and not so serious people. Sadly, many of the not so serious people want to be taken seriously.
Recently, the conservative columnist Mona Charen wrote about Rev. Al Sharpton’s ‘revelation’ that his family was owned by Strom Thurmond’s family. It, of course, raised the issue and discussion on slavery. Considering the wonderful movie, “Amazing Grace” is out speaking quite eloquently on the topic, it was an interesting moment. Of course, Sharpton did a lot of grand standing and Charen, to her credit, addressed the issue that slavery is still an issue in many parts of the world. She made an observation that Al Sharpton is not a serious person. I would agree with her.
I think that Jesse Jackson used to be a serious person. He followed Martin Luther King, Jr., who was a serious person. But Jackson seems to have been lost in his celebrity. Both Jackson and Sharpton ran for the Presidency and lost badly. I read of someone putting Barack Obama in the same category and almost fell of my chair. Agree with him or not, Barack Obama is a very serious person.
Seriousness is not a racial issue, it’s a gravitas issue. In the conservative world, George Will is a serious person. Whether you agree with him or not, he makes cogent arguments. Rush Limbaugh likes to ridicule people and though he seems to long to be a player, he has become increasingly less serious.
Which brings me to Ann Coulter who write prolifically and is invited to conservative gatherings because she brings ‘a voice.’ Sadly, she is not a serious person. She made a comment about John Edwards using the ‘faggot’ word and people have been outraged. Why they are outraged just now by her comments boggles one’s imagination, but they are outraged.
Ponder for a moment. Ann Coulter is a hard living woman. She is in her mid-40's and wears incredibly short mini-skirts to show the world how glamorous she is. She seems to delight in making tawdry comments about people. Who can forget her comments about the widows of 9/11 victims?
Coulter once dated Bob Guccione, Jr., whose father was the founder of that great and serious magazine, Penthouse. She’s never been married and is noted to be part of the hard party set.
She is questioning, however, what she perceives to be the ethical core of John Edwards. He has been married to Elizabeth for close to 30 years. They have several children and lost one in a tragic car accident. Elizabeth has battled through breast cancer. Edwards has never been questioned as anything but an upstanding family man. He has stood by his wife through better and worse, and nary a scandalous word about him. So, I guess that makes him a good target for a crude statement by Ann Coulter.
Ann Coulter is not a serious person.
Being liberal or conservative does not make one serious or not. Having gravitas does. As long as we empower the clowns in our society and give them the illusion of seriousness, we are going to be plagued by more and more of them.
Recently, the conservative columnist Mona Charen wrote about Rev. Al Sharpton’s ‘revelation’ that his family was owned by Strom Thurmond’s family. It, of course, raised the issue and discussion on slavery. Considering the wonderful movie, “Amazing Grace” is out speaking quite eloquently on the topic, it was an interesting moment. Of course, Sharpton did a lot of grand standing and Charen, to her credit, addressed the issue that slavery is still an issue in many parts of the world. She made an observation that Al Sharpton is not a serious person. I would agree with her.
I think that Jesse Jackson used to be a serious person. He followed Martin Luther King, Jr., who was a serious person. But Jackson seems to have been lost in his celebrity. Both Jackson and Sharpton ran for the Presidency and lost badly. I read of someone putting Barack Obama in the same category and almost fell of my chair. Agree with him or not, Barack Obama is a very serious person.
Seriousness is not a racial issue, it’s a gravitas issue. In the conservative world, George Will is a serious person. Whether you agree with him or not, he makes cogent arguments. Rush Limbaugh likes to ridicule people and though he seems to long to be a player, he has become increasingly less serious.
Which brings me to Ann Coulter who write prolifically and is invited to conservative gatherings because she brings ‘a voice.’ Sadly, she is not a serious person. She made a comment about John Edwards using the ‘faggot’ word and people have been outraged. Why they are outraged just now by her comments boggles one’s imagination, but they are outraged.
Ponder for a moment. Ann Coulter is a hard living woman. She is in her mid-40's and wears incredibly short mini-skirts to show the world how glamorous she is. She seems to delight in making tawdry comments about people. Who can forget her comments about the widows of 9/11 victims?
Coulter once dated Bob Guccione, Jr., whose father was the founder of that great and serious magazine, Penthouse. She’s never been married and is noted to be part of the hard party set.
She is questioning, however, what she perceives to be the ethical core of John Edwards. He has been married to Elizabeth for close to 30 years. They have several children and lost one in a tragic car accident. Elizabeth has battled through breast cancer. Edwards has never been questioned as anything but an upstanding family man. He has stood by his wife through better and worse, and nary a scandalous word about him. So, I guess that makes him a good target for a crude statement by Ann Coulter.
Ann Coulter is not a serious person.
Being liberal or conservative does not make one serious or not. Having gravitas does. As long as we empower the clowns in our society and give them the illusion of seriousness, we are going to be plagued by more and more of them.
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