A new organization is taking root to undo the passage of Prop 8 here in CA.
Here's their web site ... check it out, and if you're so inclined, join with us to end this sad moment in CA history.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Mormons, Catholic Bishops and evangelicals - Argh!
Thanks to the Mormon and evangelical churches for sinking millions into the Prop 8 effort.
Now the Catholic bishops take on Obama and his views on abortion (click HERE).
I am a Christian, have been a Christian all of my life, but I have never been in one of these camps.
They don't speak for me, they don't speak for millions, nor do they have the last word on the Bible, or anything else for that matter.
The simple reality: the Bible says everything, so, in effect, it says nothing, until we put our hand to it. Jim Jones of Jonestown put his hand to it, and so did Mother Teresa. Take your pick, if you will, but the point is this: there's no automatic pathway to the truth. Neither the president of the Mormon church or the pope in Rome can claim some special revelation or right of interpretation.
I am a person of generous spirit and have tried throughout the years of my ministry to be a builder of bridges - to any and all groups of faith, but at what point does one recognize the difficulty, if not the impossibility, of trying to befriend a viper.
As I reach out, they pray for the salvation of my lost soul.
As I try to build a bridge, they dig a deeper ditch?
As I articulate a gospel that welcomes and includes an array of thought, they articulate a gospel that excludes me and likely sees me destined for hell.
At what point does one say: too much is at stake to let this one go?
Is it time for folks all around the world to stand up and put a stop to the power-plays of the very groups who would take away our freedoms in a heartbeat, who would undo American democracy for a theocratic dictatorship? They are not, and have never been, the friends of American democracy - only using it to protect their own interests. That Democracy should defend the rights of those who would destroy it is the particular genius and burden of Democracy - a marvel these groups cannot, and will not, understand.
I have no clear answers, but I'm distressed.
Now the Catholic bishops take on Obama and his views on abortion (click HERE).
I am a Christian, have been a Christian all of my life, but I have never been in one of these camps.
They don't speak for me, they don't speak for millions, nor do they have the last word on the Bible, or anything else for that matter.
The simple reality: the Bible says everything, so, in effect, it says nothing, until we put our hand to it. Jim Jones of Jonestown put his hand to it, and so did Mother Teresa. Take your pick, if you will, but the point is this: there's no automatic pathway to the truth. Neither the president of the Mormon church or the pope in Rome can claim some special revelation or right of interpretation.
I am a person of generous spirit and have tried throughout the years of my ministry to be a builder of bridges - to any and all groups of faith, but at what point does one recognize the difficulty, if not the impossibility, of trying to befriend a viper.
As I reach out, they pray for the salvation of my lost soul.
As I try to build a bridge, they dig a deeper ditch?
As I articulate a gospel that welcomes and includes an array of thought, they articulate a gospel that excludes me and likely sees me destined for hell.
At what point does one say: too much is at stake to let this one go?
Is it time for folks all around the world to stand up and put a stop to the power-plays of the very groups who would take away our freedoms in a heartbeat, who would undo American democracy for a theocratic dictatorship? They are not, and have never been, the friends of American democracy - only using it to protect their own interests. That Democracy should defend the rights of those who would destroy it is the particular genius and burden of Democracy - a marvel these groups cannot, and will not, understand.
I have no clear answers, but I'm distressed.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
What Happened to the Repubiican Party?
The Wall Street Journal has published an excellent piece noting the decline of the conservative intellectual once represented by William Buckley et al. The recent selection of Sarah Palin as a VP candidate and then tauted as a potential leader of the Republican Party reveals the decline of the right into populist anti-intellectual demagoguery.
A thoughtful article full of quotable quotes - check it out HERE.
A thoughtful article full of quotable quotes - check it out HERE.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Obama and the Economy
I'm 64, and can't recall a time when a President-elect had quite so much on the plate. I believe comparisons to Lincoln and FDR are appropriate.
The headlines this morning: Obama calling on economic experts for their advice.
It's going to take a lot of cool-headed thinking to find an approach, likely, multiple approaches, to resolving the world's financial crisis brought about by ideological thinking.
As Greenspan noted in his recent testimony to Congress, "everyone has an ideology."
That's true, but some ideologies are spelled with capital letters and others are a bit more fluid.
When Greenspan admitted that his Ideology, held for forty years, was flawed, he might well have said, "Any Ideology, spelled with capital letters, is flawed." Life doesn't yield to superimposed models (see Chaos Theory). Life requires a fluid, responsive, approach - a commitment to principles, but a willingness to revise the game plan and made lots of mid-course adjustments.
What we've seen since the halcyon days of Reagan has been an IDEOLOGY - ill-thought, never tested in a complex modern economy, looked upon as foolish by our Allies, and for my take on things, essentially fascist - the linking of business and government via the instruments of deregulation and low taxes. The fatal flaw of Greenspan's Ideology: what's good for business will be good for everyone.
Now is not the time for Ideology ... now is the time for intelligence.
Does Obama and his team have what it takes?
I believe so, but only time will tell.
The magnitude of our problems is immeasurable ... it took a long time for us to get here, and it will likely take some time for us to find our way through and out.
But I am heartened by Obama's style - to consult with the best and to think his way through, reminding us with the truth: it will take time - a year or two, maybe even the first time. This is the kind of honest talk we've needed to hear for a long time.
If confidence-building is one of Obama's primary tasks, it will be done with the truth!
And, as Jesus said, "the truth is what sets us free."
The headlines this morning: Obama calling on economic experts for their advice.
It's going to take a lot of cool-headed thinking to find an approach, likely, multiple approaches, to resolving the world's financial crisis brought about by ideological thinking.
As Greenspan noted in his recent testimony to Congress, "everyone has an ideology."
That's true, but some ideologies are spelled with capital letters and others are a bit more fluid.
When Greenspan admitted that his Ideology, held for forty years, was flawed, he might well have said, "Any Ideology, spelled with capital letters, is flawed." Life doesn't yield to superimposed models (see Chaos Theory). Life requires a fluid, responsive, approach - a commitment to principles, but a willingness to revise the game plan and made lots of mid-course adjustments.
What we've seen since the halcyon days of Reagan has been an IDEOLOGY - ill-thought, never tested in a complex modern economy, looked upon as foolish by our Allies, and for my take on things, essentially fascist - the linking of business and government via the instruments of deregulation and low taxes. The fatal flaw of Greenspan's Ideology: what's good for business will be good for everyone.
Now is not the time for Ideology ... now is the time for intelligence.
Does Obama and his team have what it takes?
I believe so, but only time will tell.
The magnitude of our problems is immeasurable ... it took a long time for us to get here, and it will likely take some time for us to find our way through and out.
But I am heartened by Obama's style - to consult with the best and to think his way through, reminding us with the truth: it will take time - a year or two, maybe even the first time. This is the kind of honest talk we've needed to hear for a long time.
If confidence-building is one of Obama's primary tasks, it will be done with the truth!
And, as Jesus said, "the truth is what sets us free."
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Free at Last
The river turned a bend last night ... for me, like waking up from a bad dream ... 8 years of insanity, not only for our nation, but the whole world who rejoices with us right now.
I think historians will mark this election as one of the most significant in our history, and with that, the Neo-Con Repubs have been put out to pasture. Libby Dole is gone; my only disappointment is Minnesota - a goofy third-party candidate diverted enough votes from the Dem to return Michele Bachman to Congress - she will be isolated and with few allies, but the real loss is Minnesota's 6th District - their voice in Congress has been seriously compromised.
Our friend from Germany called yesterday to say, "We're all praying for Obama."
What a joyous day ...
Hats off to McCain - his concession speech revealed the real McCain - I think he will be a major part of America's healing ... and Palin? She's history - she'll be a star on the fried chicken circuit - but unless she changes her tune, she's a has-been.
What a glorious day for our nation ... yesterday, the real America lifted its head to let the world know that the last 8 years have been an aberration, not the norm.
America the Beautiful ... another chance to be great in the best sense of that word.
Obama's the man who will lead us into the 21st century.
Monday, November 3, 2008
I'm Tired
I'm tired.
I hope Obama wins ... I'll be saddened beyond despair if he doesn't ... and gladdened incredibly if he does.
The Reagan/Bush web of lies cannot go on much longer. It has already proven disastrous for the nation and the world ... yet so many Americans continue to believe it's lies of small government and low taxes. Surely a formula for ruin, yet lies have life - and it takes a resolute effort to undo them, their tentacles wrapped tightly around the brain.
The heart of this great nation has been shrinking and growing meaner - think Michele Bachman and Libby Dole, not to mention Palin. Which, by the way, proves that idiocy is no respecter of gender.
Only a president of great-hearted proportions can clean house and tell these nut cases to take a hike: they represent neither Jesus (whom they all claim to have in their back pocket) nor the American people (whom they purport to support).
They're American fascists - melding big biz and government - the greatest of all dangers: see Italy and Germany, 1935. Fascinating to note how Hitler screamed constantly against the socialists/Communists, and how the Vatican tragically opted to quietly support Hitler and his stance against "godless" Communism. For all of his vile ideas, Hitler remained in the good graces of the Roman Church. I wonder why he was never excommunicated!
Anyway, back to the election at hand ...
More tomorrow ... when it's over.
And I hope that Obama does it convincingly enough to cancel the need for recounts and law suits, for either side ... and may the Supreme Court never again hand us a Bush!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Focus on the Family
Has Dobson completely lost his marbles?
FOTF has published a fear-mongering, "left-behind," scenario looking back from 2012 on an Obama presidency.
Check out Dobson's insanity HERE.
Noted last week in Christianity Today, reader response has been overwhelmingly negative, giving me hope that the "evangelical" community is clearly transforming itself, escaping from the iron grip of Dobson's dogma.
I added my two cents worth:
FOTF is nuts! What else can one say? Their fear-mongering, "left-behind" imagery (which they gleefully relish), is part of a fascist effort to link far-right Christian groups and powerful corporate entities with government, further eroding the middle class, stripping this nation of its essential freedoms, imposing a Taliban-like control on the American bedroom and completely redefining Jesus according to Dobson’s dogma. Let’s face it: Dobson hates gays, hates freedom, hates folks who see things differently – he’s been drinking the Reagan/Bush elixir of power and control for a long time, riding the conservative crest of the last 20 years. With “total victory” once in view (Bush’s second term), Dobson has seen his evangelical world collapse and his control erode. He’s now an angry, marginalized, man desperate to regain his “empire.” His letter, this doomsday scenario, is the stuff of cheap novels and b-movies – that anything like this should be published in the name of Jesus is so far over the top as to defy understanding. For Dobson and FOTF, much prayer – to be freed from the demons of fear and to regain a “salt of the earth/light of the world” (modest metaphors) sense of identity. Enough of worldly power; now is the time to reclaim the power of Jesus who came, not to be served, but to serve and to give his life that we might find ours.
FOTF has published a fear-mongering, "left-behind," scenario looking back from 2012 on an Obama presidency.
Check out Dobson's insanity HERE.
Noted last week in Christianity Today, reader response has been overwhelmingly negative, giving me hope that the "evangelical" community is clearly transforming itself, escaping from the iron grip of Dobson's dogma.
I added my two cents worth:
FOTF is nuts! What else can one say? Their fear-mongering, "left-behind" imagery (which they gleefully relish), is part of a fascist effort to link far-right Christian groups and powerful corporate entities with government, further eroding the middle class, stripping this nation of its essential freedoms, imposing a Taliban-like control on the American bedroom and completely redefining Jesus according to Dobson’s dogma. Let’s face it: Dobson hates gays, hates freedom, hates folks who see things differently – he’s been drinking the Reagan/Bush elixir of power and control for a long time, riding the conservative crest of the last 20 years. With “total victory” once in view (Bush’s second term), Dobson has seen his evangelical world collapse and his control erode. He’s now an angry, marginalized, man desperate to regain his “empire.” His letter, this doomsday scenario, is the stuff of cheap novels and b-movies – that anything like this should be published in the name of Jesus is so far over the top as to defy understanding. For Dobson and FOTF, much prayer – to be freed from the demons of fear and to regain a “salt of the earth/light of the world” (modest metaphors) sense of identity. Enough of worldly power; now is the time to reclaim the power of Jesus who came, not to be served, but to serve and to give his life that we might find ours.
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