Loving, Learning, and Leading

"We've mixed politics and religion so completely that many simply opt out of both; apparently they are reluctant to claim a religious affiliation because they don't want the political one that comes along with it~Eric Weiner, New York Times No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs — he wants to please his commanding officer. (II Timothy 2:4) I began reading a collection of essays in a book called " A New Evangelical Manifesto " and came across an arresting essay by Brian McLaren entitled "The Church in America Today".  In this essay, he identifies three characteristics of the predominant Evangelical political expression of the past twenty years. Even before I read the essay, I have had an uneasy feeling anytime evangelical Christianity was mentioned in the same breath with any type of politics.   Although I recognize that within the broad evangelical Christian community, there is an incredible diversity of political leanings

"If you say something offensively, people will react defensively" Rick Warren on Twitter, 8/11/12 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.  Proverbs 12:18 The amount of access that we have to one another has literally exploded with the global use of social media.  I now have regular facebook, twitter, imessages, instagram and email interactions with people from all over the world and in all types of social circles.  While many bemoan the explosion as it shows a deference away from face to face contact, I would submit that many of the people that I have interactions with solely via social media are people who I would never have the ability to actually meet face to face.  Therefore, social media acts as a access extender that allows me to connect with many more than I would have naturally. With that being said, I want to state that wherever there are people-people interactions, there will be pathology.  Over the past several mo

We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel Elie Wiesel was a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, and a leader in the post-WWII investigation of war criminals.  He speaks from experience of the complicity of silence with evil to produce the most horrific conditions and consequences.  His experiences, and that of millions, thunders aloud the responsibility of  members of a society to advocate for victims of injustice and against individuals, groups, laws, institutions, and systems that create and sustain injustice. Part of the problem with fulfilling the moral mandate to advocate for justice is understanding and identifying what constitutes injustice.  Additionally, prioritizing which injustices demand our attention is a difficult task for groups as each injustice can extract differing convictions and burdens. In my medical practice, I had the unfortunate experience to meet a e

"Leadership begins with identifying with the pain of the people you trying to lead" John Perkins in "Follow Me to Freedom" "Matt 9:36-37 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (NLT) Movement : Collective, organized, and sustained challenge to the status quo (Predominant culture, beliefs, and practices) Pain is natural.  It is a God-given sensation and awareness that something is wrong.  Without chest pain, we wouldn't know our hearts our sick, and without heart pain, we often do not know our emotions are wounded.  Pain often trumpets the warning that damage has been and is being done.  Its a call to change, rest, restore, or even move. John Perkins, the transformational leader and founder of the Christian Community Development Association , takes the bold step of understanding that leadership and awareness of pain are an essential link.  What he, and many other cult

" I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,"  President Barak Obama As Pastor of a wonderful congregation (www.newhopefree.org), I have been asked numerous times "What do you think of Gay marriage?".  I have been lobbied by Godly people who feel strongly for and Godly people who strongly oppose Gay marriage.  I have talked with congregants who feel this is the single most important issue of our era, and with those who feel this is merely a distraction in the church's mission.  I share that to say that church is not monolithic in its approach to this issue and I recognize that Godly people may respectfully disagree with what I am about to say. From a Biblical perspective, I have written extensively that healthy sexual intimacy is always from a perspective of marriage.  Sexual intimacy before marriage or outside of marriage is clearly prohibited in scri

"What if the purpose of marriage is to make you holy, not to make you happy?" Gary Thomas, Author of Sacred Marriage Sociologist Andrew Cherlin at John Hopkins University eloquently documents the changing role of marriage in his book, Marriage-go-round .  He notes that the purpose of marriage has changed historically and often mirrors the greatest value of the time.  Pre-modern (prior to the 1700's) marriage focused procreation.  Marriage was not necessarily for friendship or personal satisfaction, as it was towards legacy.  Modernity brought the understanding of friendship and camaraderie as the central theme.  Post-modernism (1970's onward) marriages are focused on self-satisfaction and self-fulfillment.  Contemporary suitors for marriage are often concerned chiefly whether a potential partner can meet their needs, desires, and dreams. This is not revolutionary.  Many cultural commentators, such as Yale professor and theologian, Miroslav Volf , have discussed

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."  Matthew 12:36-37 "But dehumanizing the victim makes things simpler It's like breathing with a respirator It eases the conscience of even the most conscious and calculating violator Words can reduce a person to an object, something more easy to hate An inanimate entity, completely disposable, no problem to obliterate" Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy in "Language of Violence" The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy are a 90's conscientious rap group that almost no one heard of, led by Michael Franti.  They are one of my favorite groups of all time because of their creative ways of challenging injustice.  In their song, Language of Violence , they tell the story of how physical violence is often preceded by dehumanizing words.  They spoke in th

 "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch."  Mark 14:34 Good Friday is complex.  It brings up a mixed bag of emotions for most.  The sheer horror of the torture, crucifixion, abandonment and shame are so overwhelming that even when visualized, like in Mel Gibson's Passion of Christ, its almost surreal.  The act of love that was being displayed by Jesus, willingly giving his life is equally overwhelming.  Who can put their arms around a love that suffers for that which is hostile against itself. It is so tempting to frame Good Friday in neat theological terms.  We use words like atonement, appeasement, and propitiation to talk about sacrifice that the Son of God made for humanity.  We do our best to take the rough edges off of the gruesomeness and the horrific violence by making the event spiritual, even otherworldly.  It sanitizes, domesticates if you will, the experience of the cross. Jesus d

Imagine, you see a stray dog in your neighborhood.   Since you have been in your neighborhood for sometime, you are familiar with all the dogs in your neighborhood, and this dog is definitely not from your neighborhood.  While it is simply sitting on a sidewalk, your instincts for safety kicks in.  You are well aware of the dangers that  a wild, undisciplined, or even rabid dog can present to your neighborhood.  So, you call the county animal control agency, and you describe that menacing canine to them.  To your surprise, animal control does not share the same degree of alarm, but states that they will send a unit to investigate the dog right away.  They specifically ask you not to approach the dog.  The dog notices you watching it and begins to move into a yard.  You become more alarmed as the villainous vermin is now coming closer and closer to his vicious potential.  You get out of your car and the dog begins to run.  You chase the dog until it is cornered, and the dog bares his te

" In regards to the gospels, we have forgotten what the main thing is." N.T. Wright in "How God Became King" I have begun to read N.T. Wright's book: "How God Became King".  Its premise asks a question that I have struggled with for some time.  That is, is the gospel (literally good news) of Jesus, revealed in the four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that same as what we consider the gospel today? In the classic creeds of the church, there is an emphasis on the atoning work of Jesus' death for our personal salvation and justification.  This formulation relies heavily on Paul's letters to the Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews (although the authorship of the book of Hebrews is contested).  This understanding of the gospel is thoroughly Biblical (I Corinthians 15:1-5).  It is focusing on the death and resurrection of Jesus and its work to establish an eternal link to God. The controversy, is not whether that formulation of &q

Racism need not be intentional or malicious for it to be. Monica Harrold, Coordinator of the the Race and Culture Task Force, African Heritage Network of the Free Methodist Church. Recently, Franklin Graham, the son of legendary evangelist, Billy Graham openly and publicly questioned President Obama's professed faith.  He has since apologized for his questioning and backed off his critique of the President quite a bit.  He adds his voice to the hundreds of pastors, talk show hosts, and politicians who seek more to discredit and diminish this president that encourage or build up Christian people in their faith and in their mission. Ronald Reagan, who is hailed by conservative Christians as the "Holy Grail" of presidents, never confessed to be an evangelical Christian.  Yet, few Christian conservative leaders took the time to question his beliefs, his alignment to classical Christianity, or the authenticity of his brief and relatively few statements regarding his perso

"The moral nihilism of celebrity culture is played out on reality television shows, most of which encourage a dark voyeurism into other people's humiliation, pain, weakness, and betrayal" Chris Hedges in "Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and Triumph of Spectacle" The tragic death of pop icon Whitney Houston this past weekend was heartbreaking, but not surprising.  Her struggles with drugs, alcohol, and recklessness has been well documented and popularized over the past decade.  Her life and death are tributes to America's celebrity culture, where lives become valued for their entertainment over and against their intrinsic value. "Being Bobby Brown" aired on the Bravo Network from 2005 through 2007.  The show was immensely popular and was a reality series looking at the life of Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston.  Critics on NBC's today showed characterized the show as " disgusting and crude" .  Although I never watched the sh

Jesus told this story: "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.  In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'  "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.  And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you ca

8 Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." 9 "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. 10 "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face. Job 1:8-11 In the book of Job, we are exposed to the discussions in a heavenly or otherworldly court.  God himself oversees this court and begins to address the court which is described as having angels, including fallen angels such as Satan.  The book of Job begins by powerfully illustrating that the events of our world are influenced by others in spiritual realms.  Although it is a heavenly court, the discussion centers upon Earthly matters.  We rarely take