Don't Say Jesus in Alabama

I have been compelled to write this piece in response to the recent complaints by atheist in Alabama that prayers are being said in the name of Jesus. My Bible tells me that if I deny Jesus he will deny me. The early Christians thought nothing of dying for Jesus and were willingly martyred for their faith. How sad we must be for our beloved Jesus to see. Not only are we not willing to die for the one who died for us, but we really don't want to be made uncomfortable or embarrassed or to be thought of as Jesus freaks. We are a strange people. We would willingly die for our country, for our family, or maybe for our honor. But we have to ask ourselves who we are as a "Christian" people if we are not willing to stand up to those who oppose Christianity and in particular, the name of Jesus.

Our founding fathers surely would not believe the state of the union today. Indeed, they intended for no religion to be endorsed by the government. I can imagine how surprised they would be to learn of how we have let the government intrude into all parts of our lives. In a democratic system, if you are not involved you are a non-entity. So as a religious organization or as a church, if you are not operating in the public sphere then you're not operating very much. This removal of God, religion, and spirituality clothed in the structure of religious beliefs from the public forum has been a gradual process. The worst part of this creation of an atheistic society that has been created over the last 50 years here in America, is that it has been created with the tax dollars from a predominately Christian society. My Christianity, or my chosen expression of spirituality, is a very important part of who I am, and it is not possible for me to participate in the public school system that asked me to compartmentalize my life. Of course, the real crime here is not that the government runs an atheistic school system, but that I am forced to participate in it. Our greatest need in education is competition. We need school vouchers. We need choices. My fellow citizens need choices. Countless people want better for their children than what the public school system lays at their feet but cannot afford to make choices in their education. If people were allowed choices about where their kids went to school in regards to a voucher system that included private school, we would have a stronger public school system. Yes, it would be a shrunken public school system. But it would be more efficient and have expectations of Excellency that comes with competition. Quite frankly, if people had choices about where their kids went to school, we wouldn't need such a huge and expensive public school system. I do believe the people who argue against voucher systems on average care a great deal about children's education. But I also believe that their greatest energy is expended upon protecting the institution of public education and therefore find any ideas about competition and dispersion of funds to be a threat. I hope that our next governor of this great state of Mississippi is a governor who understands that a voucher system will make us stronger.

Jesus has been a source of division in the world for 2000 years, so it should be no surprise to us that there are so many people hostile to his great name. It wasn't that long ago, here in our very Christian and very conservative Hattiesburg, Mississippi, that an elementary school teacher gave a school assignment for children to write about what Christmas meant to them. One child wrote about Jesus, and his assignment was returned to him with the instructions that he was not to write about Jesus in his assignments at the public school system. There was public outcry, the teacher was given proper instructions about the right of students to speak of their religious beliefs at school as the story goes. But do not miss the systematic dismantling of Christianity in America that has occurred in the past 50 years and continues today. If you can't write about Jesus in Mississippi or speak his name in Alabama, then the dismantling is complete. We have allowed it by accepting government intrusion, and its hostility to Christianity, into every aspect of our lives. We will only have Christian communities to the degree that we are willing to protect our rights to be open and active in our spiritual beliefs. Our ability to pray, speak, and worship in the public forum is what separates us from Christians in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other such countries.

My hope is that America grows not into an atheistic society but into the multicultural and diverse society that it has the potential to be. Only a voucher system that allows people choices and thereby doesn't force participation in a public school system that discriminates against Christianity will carry us into that multicultural future.

Revising the revisionist history on Old Testament teaching

Jesus tells us to not take an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, but to love our brothers and sisters. He tells us to turn the other cheek, to give more than what we are asked for, and to share with those who don't have what we have. The spirituality of Jesus is a completion of the law. In what the law was attempting to accomplish through justice, Jesus brings to completion for Grace. So we know from the teachings of Jesus, that we are called to more than "an eye for an eye."

Because we have studied the spirituality of Jesus for 2000 years, and at least know on an intellectual level that we are to apply it to our lives, we often view the justice of an eye for an eye is barbaric and antiquated. Sometimes the God of the Old Testament seems so bloody and violent to our modern eyes. I think if we look at the setting of God's teaching on justice we will see that it is not violent, but restrictive in the violence that allows. It is an improvement on what men were doing to each other in the name of retaliation and justice. Although we as Christians know that justice is not enough and that we should extend grace to each other I think the very nature of our problems today comes from our escalation of violence. God's teaching of an eye for an eye is something we should look at with fresh eyes because God's teaching is against the escalation of violence.

Recently we've had arson in the homeless camps that we minister to. It is actually the third arson in the past six months, and we now know that all these fires were basically set by 1 man. The first fire was the burning of a tent that belong to a man who was not well-liked in the homeless community and was somewhat of a bully. Providence used in the burning of his tent to move him into rehab and at the time we didn't know who set fire to the tent, so nothing more was thought of it. Again about six weeks ago there was a fire and about an acre of Woods was burned. No tent was destroyed and no one was harmed. But this last fire was different. It was malicious and violent. The man had been abusive to a woman in the camps, attacking her, knocking her to the ground. She was defended verbally by another homeless man, and for this crime his camp was burned. He lost everything he had, which wasn't much, but whether you have a little or a lot when you lose everything, everything is gone. He torched several other camps, and made a second trip in the middle of the night to burn what he had missed the first time. The only camp left standing was the tent of a man who stands 6'9" and has friends in the community. It was a calculated decision to leave it alone.

The homeless community is very upset with this man, James, who is alleged to have burn the camps. They are concerned about the danger to human life that is present with the burning of tents in the middle of the night. They are angry about the loss of material possessions that cannot be replaced, such as a crucifix that came from the casket of a grandmother, or a Bible that was given by a loved one. They know the level of violence involved in this arson is too extreme and calls for a response. But I think the most heinous thing about this crime is that it extends beyond an eye for an eye. No one would be angry with James to the level they are angry now, if his tent had first been burned. We would be disappointed with him, sad that he had not heeded the call of Jesus, but we would understand on some level the reasoning for his response. So I would argue that James's crime is that no one had first burned his tent. And without this level of justification there is no justice, there is no eye to match eye. He escalated violence beyond any reasonable expectation of reciprocity. If we follow "an eye for an eye" to its logical conclusion, that we never escalated violence above what is done to us, in this absence of the escalation of violence we are only loving each other. Maybe we would just use harsh words with each other in the heat of the moment and there would never be blows thrown or fires lit.

I think somewhere in this argument is a missing link. We who know that with strong love comes strong boundaries and responsibilities know that there must be consequences for actions. This justice begins and ends with loving each other. In the middle, where the rubber hits the road, lies all our successes and failures. The most important rule in living with these failures is to not escalate violence, but only take "an eye for an eye." I think if we never escalate violence to each other, never answer harsh words with a slap, or a rude driver with the middle finger, then we are not far away from what Jesus is asking us to do. Because Jesus asked us to extend Grace to each other and to love as God loves us. God does not give us what we deserve but withholds the taking of an eye. So let us always follow Jesus and not return evil for evil and always remember never more than eye for an eye.

Warrior

Today I heard a very inspirational talk given by retired Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond. Gen. Hammond was in charge of the Baghdad operations during the surge of operation Iraqi freedom. I can tell you there are no cobwebs in my tear ducts now, having been cleaned out thoroughly during his hour and a half talk. There's something very mysterious about patriotism and how it can affect us on the deepest level. I think the same level is the level of commitment that Christ calls us to. Gen. Hammond has given his life to a greater calling. And he has answered that call. I thank him on behalf of myself, my wife, and my two beautiful children. Because of men of excellence like Gen. Hammond, we have lived in freedom and peace. There is much danger and evil in the world. Today I know that Gen. Hammond knows firsthand the perils of freedom we have. I know that Jesus has called us to nonviolence, and I live into that nonviolence every day. Every day I fall short. Mostly it's a mental exercise.

But I am not so naïve to think that there hasn't been killing on my behalf. And that my enjoyment of American freedom has been my consent of that violence. Because I have two beautiful daughters and a beautiful wife, I do not have the luxury to pretend that I would not use violence if necessary to defend them. Having heard Gen. Hammond speak, I am sure he is no more fond of violence than I am, and knows more about its consequences than I do.

He told us today of a man named Mark Rosenberg. Mark was a major in the Army, and in the darkest hour after the assault on Sadr city, it was Mark who had a spark, and inspiration, an idea of how to defeat the insurgents. His idea succeeded but Mark was killed by an IED on his way out of Sadr city. Gen. Hammond believes that Mark's actions led directly to the successful outcome in Iraq. There is very great irony that freedom in a Muslim country may happen because a Jewish man, Mark Rosenberg, had the inspiration to come up with a plan, and ultimately lay down his life. I also reflect upon the fact, that about 2000 years ago, a Jewish man lay down his life so that we all might be free. Maybe today is a good day to reflect upon what we owe the Jewish people for all they have given to us. Not only Jesus, Mary, Peter, Paul, and so many in our spiritual heritage, but Mark Rosenberg.

So today I give thanks to the great warriors who war on my behalf. Let us pursue peace always and everywhere and love our brothers as we love ourselves.