On Negativity, Baptists, & Homosexuality.
I probably shouldn’t be writing this.
First, because I’m widely viewed as negative. So this is sort of the pot calling the kettle black.
Two, I vowed not to write anything today and instead focus on work. But I’ve got 4 sets of proofs out and I’m sitting and waiting.
Third, this will probably start stuff with people who I am really tired of fighting with.
Fourth, I’m not sure how constructive it is.
And if the fact that I’m going to go ahead and write this despite the above doesn’t show my ignorance, then I don’t know what does.
So here goes.
Last month, I wrote an editorial to a local community paper. I was thinking about placing an advertisement for Red Cowboy and one for Anna’s new photography business (site forthcoming). In the month’s of April and May, a local pastor and the former pastor and my “boss” at our last church wrote two articles in his regular religion column sharing his view on homosexuality. I didn’t write my artile to be antagonistic or to ram my views down anyone’s throat. I didn’t once attack the pastor or even his position. Instead I tried to simply articulate something different.
The pastor’s April article bothered me, but also didn’t because although I don’t necessarily agree with the position, I respect his right to say it and ironically enough, understand his arguments (since it was my argument for most of the entirety of my “Christian” life). But when I got the May paper and the pastor was harping on the same subject for the 2nd month in a row and this time upping the rhetoric by saying homosexuals were the same as pedophiles or child pornographers and calling them perverts . . . I decided to email the editor.
My editorial didn’t begin as an article. Rather I wrote the editor of the paper and shared my new concerns about placing an ad for our businesses in his paper, when I felt that the paper was taking a very polarizing position in the community. This is a free paper that gets distributed in the mail to households in 4 local counties. I shared with the editor that I was concerned that a local, community paper would deliberately take such a staunch position knowing that many people in the community are practicing or struggling homosexuals.
After exchanging emails back and forth for a few days, he asked if I would be willing to write a response to the pastor’s two articles. The editor graciously gave me 600 words or less (a daunting task to try and articulate a proper posture towards homosexuality) to give an alternative position . . . so I accepted and wrote this article.
First the good news. I got almost a dozen emails (some Christians and some non-Christians) from local readers who applauded me for taking such a positive and hopeful stand. These readers said very nice things about my piece. And I was glad that at least another perspective, albeit the less popular and held to perspective, got shared in such a public forum. I was thankful that if nothing else, that at least non-Christians got to hear a more moderate voice in the whole debate.
Now the bad news and my reason for writing. I got a lot of negative emails and letters. All of them obviously disagreed with my position, but at least some were respectful in tone such as this one by Eddie Jones, while others were much more negative in content and tone such as this one by Jack Lawson, pastor of White Plains Baptist Church.
The negative ones didn’t bother me really. Again, because I at least can understand their perspective since I shared it with them in the past. And I respect their right to express their opinion. But some of the letters I got were extremely hateful. One lady sent me a handwritten note poking fun at my age, my education, and intelligence. Using words like “stupid”, “ignorant”, “apostate”, and a few other choice words. Maybe I’ll scan it in one day.
I also got multiple emails quoting Tozer and talking about Sodom and Gomorrah and animal sex. All the while saying I was a peace-loving hippy. I guess I’ve been called worse.
What makes it even funnier, is now I’m starting to get comments left on my blog from some of these people. I’ve moderated/spammed a few. But one guy left me a comment on this post, again poking fun at my education, simply because I mentioned that the same pastor was giving away and plagiarizing his sermons to promote his new website. The only funny thing is that the guy didn’t have enough guts to post his real name or real email address. Instead relying on fake names for both. I know this because I tried to email him and share something softer. After the email bounced back and checking it’s IP, aware now that it came from the same city that the pastor lives in, I said something harsher. Oddly enough, the guy also left anonymous/fake comments on this blog, where many Baptist leaders were debating plagiarism.
I write all of this to land here.
I find it odd that I get called the “apostate” one. When my tone was soft, gentle, loving, and respectful in my editorial – kind of like that Jesus guy. Instead I get sent scathing, hateful emails and letters from “Christians” who call me names and insult my intelligence and faith. I also find it odd that I’m now getting comments from people with fake names and fake email addresses.
And supposedly I’m the one who lacks integrity.
I’m open about my drinking. I’m open about my cussing. I’m open about my theology. I’m open about my friends.
Meanwhile, there are others who hide their drinking. Hide their attitudes. And hide their agenda with fake names and veiled attacks.
So with that being said . . . I know who you are. You know who you are. Why don’t you act like a man and say what it is you need to say instead of hiding behind a “name”. And that’s a double entendre for those of you who are witty enough to pay attention.
Subverting the Empire: Final Links.
Here are the final links for my latest collection of thoughts on Subverting the Empire. You can now find a button in the right sidebar as well.
Part One – Why We Do What We Do
Part Two – Dangerous Criticism
Part Three – Undermining (featured in Next-Wave Magazine)
Part Four – Agitating
Part Five – Reminding
Part Six – Critique as Construction
Part Seven – In Jesus’ Name
[tags]Subversion, Subversive, Emipre, American Empire, Subverting the Empire, God & Empire, Christians & Empire[/tags]
Politics & Economics.
I know this isn’t some huge insight . . . but I was writing a comment and I stumbled upon a new connection for me.
Our economy has now become our politic. Meaning that we can no longer distinguish our political theory (democracy) from our economy (capitalism). I’m sure there are a thousand books out there by way smarter people who have already developed this thought. But for most in the West . . . where consumerism and materialism (capitalism’s ugly step-sisters) reign . . . our politics no longer have a multi-dimensional flavor. It’s subtly and overtly all about the economy.
Whether Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or Green. Our politic is almost soley shaped by our economic values.
War . . . has recently turned into an effort to stabilize regions (stabilize regions is a good thing) where the world has an economic interest (we go about it with questionable motives).
I certainly understand that economic theory plays a vital role in our politic . . . but where are the other voices . . . the truly spiritual . . . the physical . . . the cultural . . . the environmental . . . all of these other areas have become submissive to the economics. They have no life of their own. Let alone an integrated one.
Perhaps this is why much of the world sees America in specific and the rest of the West in general as such “evils”. Because our politic has become so embedded with capitalism’s consumerism and materialism. And of course the militarism needed to protect it. Of course I could go off on the rest of the West (Britain, France, Canada, Spain, Italy) for scapegoating the United States in all of this. They are simply projecting their own guilt and apathy off on to us. But that’s another story for another day.
Thoughts?
What I Am For (final links).
Last week, this site was host to a collective of many of my friends retelling the stories of how they left the traditional models of church for various reasons (click here for a pdf version of The Exodus Papers). I want to thank all of the readers who left us encouraging comments and shared with us how their own stories related to and mirrored ours. I also want to thank those who offered a different perspective and shared how they were still apart of traditional models of church and how God was still stirring in those contexts. It served as a gentle reminder to me as well that God has not given up nor forgotten his bride.
Over the last 6 months, during my “exodus”, I’ve really struggled with the tension between these two worlds. Of having and voicing “a prophetic call to rethink” to the organized “church world” and loving the “called out community of God” (a more suitable term for church for me) as Christ loves it.
Last week we shared with you our wounds of exile. This week, I’d like to share with you our dreams for the gathered. I know this may be overkill for some (with 2 weeks back-to-back of “church talk”) but this is about as inspired as I’ve been in a while. And I also feel like I’m “doing” some constructive theology for the first time in a long time.
Here are the final links.
What I Am For – Dream One
What I Am For – Dream Two
What I Am For – Dream Three
What I Am For – Dream Four
What I Am For – Dream Five
The Exodus Papers (pdf version now available).
TheExodusPapers.pdf
8 Friends. All under the age of 25. Former staff members and leaders in churches and denominational offices. A self-employed graphic designer, a party planner, a salesman, a violinist, a horse whisperer, a banker, a photographer, a convenience store manager, a nurse, a car dealer employee, and a PHD candiate. Bloggers, friends, and spouses. They all tell the story of how they walked away from the traditional models of church and how they are now exploring alternative models of community and practice.
This is our attempt at sharing our stories. Beyond the statistics and figures. Beyond George Barna’s book, Revolution, with pseudo names. We have nothing more than real stories and real experiences that tell of how we walked away, were forced out, or fired. Some of our stories our painful and we still need time to heal the wounds as we “detox”. Some of our stories our hopeful as we have found alternative ways to live the way of Jesus in our world.
This is neither an attempt at being critical or to minimize the role and value that many of the traditional models of church still have and play in God’s economy. These are simply the faces behind the stats, that tell us that young people are leaving the church at a fairly rapid rate. At a time in history when many pastors and church leaders are bemoaning and concerned with the loss of young people in their congregations . . . we . . . the young, creative, gifted, and called twenty-somethings . . . have been pushed to the margins. We now stand on the outside looking in at a time when the church most needs us.
We hope you enjoyed this little experiment. I want to thank all of my good friends who took some time to share with us their stories and guest blogged on my site. You should check out each and everyone of their sites. They are all great bloggers and worth following.
Leslie. Nick. Eric. Anna. Tank. Jessica. D10.
Enjoy.
TheExodusPapers.pdf
Tags: Exodus Papers, Revolution, George Barna, Emerging Church, Megachurches, House Church