All Gay, All the Time.

A Martian who visted modern America today might well think that half the population was homosexual and the other half wished it were. This is bizarre, especially when you look at the actual statistics which show that as few as 2% of the general population identify themselves as "gay."
Writing last month in USA Today, conservative radio host Michael Medved noted, "UCLA's Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy offered a new estimate of homosexual identification: concluding that 1.7% of Americans say they're gay, and a slightly larger group (1.8%) identified as bisexual..." Despite the small numbers (and Medved cites a different study that puts the number at only 1.4%), the issue seems front and center everywhere.

When the Flintstones theme first crowed, "we'll have a gay, old time," it would have been difficult to imagine how the meaning of that phrase has changed to a cultural phenomenon sweeping the nation.

June might have been the wedding month of yesteryear, but this month the president declared,
"NOW, THEREFORE, I BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in my by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2011 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. [Emphasis his]

Look at TV. In September 2010, The New York Times noted that homosexual television characters are at a record high.
Look at schools, where children might not learn  basic historial or mathematical facts, but they do learn that "Heather has two mommies."

From coast to coast, the push for same-sex marriage is in the headlines. The controversial Proposition 8 vote referendum in California to define marraige as between one man and one woman has been overturned in federal court (nullifying the votes of seven million people) and is on appeal. In New York, the legislature has just voted to legalize same-sex marriage. Historically, these things have been imposed on "we the people" by judicial fiat.
The first official same-sex marriage in the United States was between two lesbians in Massachusetts in 2004, brought about by an ACLU lawsuit. Thanks to judical fiat in that state, the 1780 constitution, written largely by John Adams, was twisted by that state's highest court to impose same-sex marriage. Incidentally, that first legal same-sex marraige has already ended in divorce. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.
So what has happened in Massachusetts as a result of the legalization of same-sex marriage? For starters, the militant homosexual agenda has begun to take over. Already, the Catholic Church, which has helped place orphans in loving homes for centuries, can no longer operate in Massachusetts because the Church cannot in good conscience place them in homosexual homes. So the children are out of luck. Sad, but true.

Meanwhile, Bay state first graders have access to condoms at some public schools. As Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council notes, What could first graders possibly do with condoms, but maybe have a water balloon fight? I think all of this is quite tragic  because it puts another nail in the coffin of the American family. As the family goes, so goes society.

On the other hand, one of the most important, and yet, least trumpeted, stories about homosexuals in America is one of redemption.

Jerry Newcombe, senior producer and host of the Truth That Transforms television program (formerly The Coral Ridge Hour), has had the priviledge of interviewing dozens of former homosexuals. Rather than describing lives of happiness, they describe a lifestyle full of pain, conditional love, and rejection (despite society's full embrace).

As one of them said to Newcombe, "If you separate them, one on one, there are some very wretched people, who are hurting deeply."But through the power of the Gospel, these ex-homosexuals were freed from their former lifestyle.
Some have even gotten married (to a person of the opposite sex - I guess you have to clarify these things nowadays). One that was interviewed has been married for a decade, and now has three beautiful children. They are eternally grateful for the transformation in their hearts and are part of an umbrella group called Exodus International.

One former homosexual stated, "I was never happy that I was gay, but no one ever offered me a way out." But when someone did offer him a way out, he took it and was transformed from the inside out. As another formerly gay put it, "I never dreemed that the orientation would go away, that it would change, that it would ge tme to the point in my life where its not a temptation anymore.....It's never too late to change-because I did when I decided that I not going to be involved in homosexuality anymore."

Are there some ex-gays that have fallen of the wagon, so to speak? Sure. It reminds me of ex-ex-smokers. Just because some ex-smokers take up smoking again doesn't mean others are not able to quit for good.

I could only wish our visiting Martian would learn about the ex-gays and ex-lesbians because they are an important part of this picture....

Mystery of War & Peace

As Obama announced the troop drawdown in Afghanistan, Democrats bellow that it isn't enough, and it isn't quick enough. Well, I agree. Yet, I appreciate the calculated appraoch to the war that Obama has taken. Yet here we are again - another decade, another generation, another location, but the same debate: do we stay or do we fight?
We keep repeating this vicious cycle of war. We offer our varied reasons for why war exists, but there's no doubt that it is present and visceral. Peace-lovers have done a remarkable job of responding to war, of saying that war is "bad," but if we are going to change the way the world works we have to stop responding, and start acting.

The peace effort begins not with invasion, but understanding. If we, the privileged west, are not listening, engaging, and working to become educated about the intricacies of the Middle East then we will not effectively engage issues at hand. Whether we find ourselves for or against war, we must stop thinking that we can fix everything. We must purge from ourselves this thought that becuase we're developed, and because we're thte United States, we can jump into any place in the world and control the area.

BUT........

I'll be the first to state that if and when human rights violations occur by a government official we must exhaust every possible diplomatic and economic action before proceeding to military action. Even when we turn military, we must not stop the diplomatic work lest we miss out on a quicker end to conflict.

All told, I'm not sure why we must war. Thomas Hobbes had a good reason in his thoughts on the State of Nature. Some folks say it's because we're fallen, that we're doomed to be sinful. Every person has a reason that differs, if only slightly, from the next person.

I am not all that interested in finding out the deep metaphysical reasons why war exists. People have and will debate those reasons for centuries to come- they can debate them for me. I am interested, however, in working toward peace in war-torn areas.  I am convinced that neither bombs nor bullets, that neither land mines nore ignorant minds will bring about world peace. Only committed community, authentic love, and a dumb willingness will transform us all - peacemakers and warmongers - together.

One thing is certain - there's no such thing as a peaceful end to war. It always ends with more blood spilled than before, more families torn apart, and more parentless children. The only redemption at stake is that we will live our lives holding lost lives in the light, in the hope, of peace.

Theology of the Tomb

The Chilean Miners have, one by one, come up from the darkness. They have no doubt, risen up seemingly resurrected. As I read across the blogosphere I could not help but notice the powerful nauture of this story. Since the one year anniversary is fast approaching, I thought what better than to ponder on some things that came to my attention. Indeed to ignore this story might be to ignore your humanity. Yes, a movie and book deal are in the works, I'm sure. Yet, I don't think any person, film, or book could fully capture their experience. I'm not even going to try.

But, I will wonder aloud as I always do. I wonder if they ever asked, "Where's God?" I wonder if in the 17 days before they were located they started asking that question. Most of us, throughout our daily lives, don't have to spend 17 days in a hole to ask that question. Seems like for many people of faith, that question is always present. There are some that reassure themselves with strict belief, that might not account for the experiences throughout their lives. Yet, others, live in the silence of God, ever distant. Yet, somehow, in the distance they find a way to foster faith.

I have found we all approach theology differently. And, that's okay. From my perspective there are three places we find ourself living: The Death of Jesus, The Tomb, or the Ressurection.

Some of us live in the middle of the suffering and find our homes there. We have the gift to be present in the midst of suffering, to sit with, and cry with those around us. Others find themselves in the tomb, where death looms. Here a voice for liberation speaks out, boldly, and hopefully. Lastly, some live in the resurrection, where a proclamation of joy and life lives.

Me, I live where death looms and the shroud, when pulled away, reveals a broken body. There are no secrets, there is no wondering, just death and all his friends. Death is real, it is earthy, it is the connection we all have to one another. The tomb challenges me to connect with my earthiness, the inner-dwelling that is my emotions. To love is to prepare a table full of food and absent of preconditions. To love is to demonstrate hope and compassion for the stranger. To love is to become a witness and not judge.

People carry out social justice for a myriad of reasons. Some do it because that's what Jesus did, and others because in the resurrection they were called to go and do likewise. Me? I engage in social justice because there are thousands of people that live in the silence of God. No, its not metaphysical or revelatory science, but systematic silence. Allaround them are people that seems to be making it, but they aren't. It's not because they don't want to, but because we live in a world where humanity has been given responsibility, and we haven't done to well with it.

God hasn't left the scene. God hasn't left this world to go and play hopsctoch in the galaxy down the road. Rather, God is radically present, though not always speaking in a megaphone. God's presence is felt if we feed the hungry. God's presence will demonstrate itself if we live out the Kingdom of God.  God has and will be present with humanity. It's the greatest joy, the greatest burden, and the greatest hope to bear the presence of God. But if we continually think that God has to rush in and save humanity, we're never going to improve the conditions.

We bear the presence of God. If we think like this, in humility, we might see that there's hope in this world. We might see that God has prepared a future for us, with us, through us. This world isn't going to change without committed work.

So, as Miners, tired and dirty, slowly came up to the see the sun, to be resurrected, let us take note. Let us, the 'rest of the world' hear their story, their commitment. All they had was each other, and thanks be to God, they have made it safe.

This is the prayer that I pray,
"I see your creativity late into the night, for in the sky I am reminded that my life is small yet alive. I see you at airports, in taxis, and on ships. I see you on beaches, boardwalkes, and in urban cetners. I see you in the country, on famrs, and in fairs. I see you in the artists hand, the welders grasp, and the machanics care. I see you in a teachers passion, a ministers presence, and a firefighters fearlessness. I see you in family, friends, and foes. I see you in alleys, and in pews. I see you in color, diverse and varied. I see you outside of humankind's fences, and within them. You look limitless, boundless, and omni; yet bound and wrapped up and present. You are neither here not there, yet here and there. Everywhere, you sustain. All in all. Forever and ever. Amen."

GOP & God

On May 25th, 2011 the Senate voted down the Medicare overhaul pushed by Republicans. All Democrats and 5 Senate Republicans voted against the measure. Those 5 Republicans jumped the aisle for different reasons, but they jumped it nonetheless. Yet even as they have crossed the aisle, even as the partisan battle wages on, I can't help but wonder about the GOP and God. What exactly is the relationship?

In a word: unexplainable. The Religious Right held unimaginable power upon the Republican Party, and for that matter the political conversation. With the death of Dr. Jerry Falwell the power has waned considerably. Sure, Christian Fundamentalists still try to claim moral authority upon the United States, but by-and-large the conversation is moving away from centralized, authoritarian control - by means of those three letters: G-O-D.

I make it a point to not question the faith of the people. If they say they have it, I'll trust them. Then, again, I remember what Jesus said in the 13th chapter of John's Gospel:

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have loved for one another."




I remained concerned with love, because time-after-time Jesus commands love. Whether someone believes Jesus is the only way, think Jesus is one way, or fine with not knowing, love remains paramount. I've always been suspect of the GOP and their talk/stranglehold/control/manipulation of God-talk, because I know they have an agenda. Democrats do too, and there are people all throughout politics that could use a message of love, but it won't survive as the prevailing criterion for action.

Why you ask?


Love has no agenda.

Love does not try to coerce.
Love does not manipulate.
Love does not cut the feet out from under the infirmed and elderly.

But, love challenges into transformation. It is relational.

It's not interested in charity, but injustice. The problem I have ith the GOP and God is simple: they use "God" to hurt. I don't mind people having faith - in fact, if it's critical faith it may bear rich fruit. Yet using God to justify the denying of possibilities seems as bad, in my mind, as invading a country, killing hundreds of civilians, and saying we did it out of love because we sought to end evil.


Throughout the ages God has been on the side of good and evil because humanity argues God is on one side or the other. When the bombs drop, God is not on the plane, but in the suffering of humanity. When the tax cuts continue to fatten the richest and make those in chronic poverty the spoils of war, God sits with those unfairly oppressed. God is in the whisper of the child that asks for food and hears only, "No. We don't have any."

The relationship between the GOP and God remains unexplainable, because there is no relationship. God does not support political campaigns. God supports humanitarian campaigns. If that has political implications, then so be it; but people of faith must not justify the name of God as an endorsement for building up of the elite or making fear normative.
God sits with no party; God sits with humanity. That's all of us. God will continue to be a political hostage as long as people think God makes political decisions. We call God's breath "humanity," and God's compassion demonstrates itself in the ability to connect with each other. At the end of the day, my politics reflect humanity's needs because I am a person of love, a follower of Jesus.

Or as one person of love, a Jesus-follower, and general rabble-rouser once said, "Yes, I see the Church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists."

Thanks, Dr. King, and don't worry; we're working on it.
God isn't on the side of the GOP - God's on the side of humanity.

Osama Say What?

I really don't know where to begin. At first when the news decided to go bizerk about the whole Osama issue I was moderately surprised. Was this not the man that has played the greatest game of hide and seek in modern history? Was he really dead? Well, evidently so - at least according to Obama.
First let me commend our President for two things. One, he gave an extremely well-rounded and well-executed speech. And second, he commemorated those who fought relentlessly for the body of OBL, and he made evident the gratitude that I am sure the entire Nation was feeling course through their bodies. However, I feel that no one truly understands the ramifications of this. After the speech many Americans lined Pennsylvania Avenue cheering, singing, and chanting USA! USA! USA! amidst the glaring lights of the media's camera's.

My heart quickened for a moment at the sight of this. Are we not committing the same thing that the members of Al-Queda do when they blow up our buildings, burn our flags, or kill our troops? Are we not mocking them bluntly when we celebrate the death of a man that was the leader of their terrorist world? How does that look to the rest of the globe? And for that matter, what brooding retaliation will this cause in the coming months? I think the celebration of OBL's death should be the LEAST on our minds. Prayer was the ONLY thing I could think of last night.

In any case, this is a victory, a victory that is ten years TO LATE. The finding and capture of OBL should have been done immediately after 9/11. Instead we went rabbit trailing around the Middle East fighting endless battles and adding thousands of lives to the already insurmountable number here on the mainland of the United States. Not to mention the debt that our childrens, childrens, childrens, children will have to pay for....

More than ever this country needs prayer. Because now, both Democrats and Republicans are arguing over who's conquest this was, and who deserve's the credit for killing OBL. In my opinion, its the men and women that bravely entered the lion's den and killed the ravaging beast. No one else deserves credit - the end. But that leads me to ask why we must point fingers at our President accusing him of taking credit for this....if I'm not going crazy I don't believe I ever heard him say that. He is our Commander in Chief, he gives the orders, and personnel half way around the world execute the order. Enough said. It is those brave men and women that deserve the honor. Don't do them the injustice of pointing the political finger at your opposing party. Have some dignity and respect.

Today, Osama is dead and the world may seem a brighter place. Unfortunately, it is not. I fear that the light that shines on this world is one filament away from going out.
This is the deep breath before the plunge.
 I yield the floor.

Judas Reincarnate?

Can I jump on my soapbox for just a moment? I stop to ask this because it seems that I jump on it quite frequently. Nevertheless, I think now is a better time than most. A fair warning though - this note may be more edgy and honest than past ones, so prepare accordingly.

I posted a link the yesterday evening on my wall about Lady GaGa's latest release, "Judas". It happened to come on the radio on my drive home from work, and I have to admit that I was excited about hearing the newest juice from crazy GaGa. I have always been a fan of her and the immense talent that she holds. However, it seems that she is using the talent for the wrong ideaologies, and images. Our current teenagers are inundated with images of premarital sex, both heterosexual AND homosexual, the thoughts of masturbation, and the OK to commit all of it. Thanks to our music, they are infiltrated with malice and dissent; all through the lyrics leaking through the speakers.

When I arrived home I still had the song on my mind well after it had ended. I directly got online and looked up the lyrics. Why you ask...because I literally could not believe my ears, and in a matter of seconds I could not believe my eyes either.

"In the most Biblicial sense,
I am beyond repentance
Fame hooker, prostitute wench, vomits her mind
But in the cultural sense,
I just speak in the future tense
Judas kiss me if offenced,
Or wear an ear condom next time..."

Above is one of the bridges incorporated in the appalling song. I am of the younger generation, and every time I hear a new rap song by P. Diddy, Snoop Dog, 50 Cent, Akon etc, I am never really THAT surprised. It seems as if each one is trying to up the next with a better song about drugs, the Bentley, sex, and the list goes on and on.

What DOES surprise me is the fact that GaGa took a song, and made a mockery out of Christianity. And even MORE shocking is the fact that most are siding with her, even Christians who claim to walk the road of Christ. The fact is this song is a complete slap in the face to Jesus Christ. What Judas did in the Garden was miraculously planned by the Great Jehovah and even though he betrayed Jesus, he was still loved. For it was because Jesus hung on the Cross that Judas was saved.

Releasing such a mortally horrific song during the most sequential week in ALL of time takes some pretty big nerve. I am very, very surprised at this. Even now this makes me wonder what is next, and who is going to top this one. As Christians we should make sure we stand for Christ in every way, including blocking the dark lies that flow from our boom boxes, car stereos, and ear buds.

Like I said in my post last night, Lady GaGa will never flow into my head, heart, and mind if I can help it.
Meanwhile, I keep my eyes affixed to the Eastern sky hoping and praying for the sweetest sound I'll ever hear; the sound of the trumpet calling me home.....

"For as lightening that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man" - Matthew 24:27 

Quarantined Bliss?

Wow. It's been a short minute since I last posted. Life has been unbelievably crazy lately. The job has been sucking my life away a tiny drop at a time....its only now that I realize I have very few drops left.

Anyway, on to what this post is about...I wrote the following article a few weeks ago after the surmounting world drama in Japan, Libya, Egypt etc. It seemed that within a matter of weeks the world itself decided to go on strike. The following is what came of my frustration with our world today.....enjoy!



Just a few weeks ago, I had a mental awakening. It was as if a light in the corner of the proverbial black box in my head had finally flickered on. The only thing I can pinpoint that could have contributed to this is a misinformation overload. This prompted me to read every news source I could, not caring of their agendas. I began to watch YouTube videos and documentaries from around the world. Finding unbiased, un-spun truth has been an almost impossible battle. It feels as if it has been designed this way; orchestrated confusion. With the revolutions going on in Egypt and Libya the amount of conflicting news is more than ever. You have to pick the media outlet that suits your flavor of truth. Our personal opinions are fed to us by talking heads and fellow Americans who claim to know best. People have become complacent and desensitized to the wars that America and her allies are waging. We have been in a time of war for longer than most of our young children have been alive. Scrolling down social networking sites you see posts of things that are pointless and hold no importance. Who cares what flavor jellybean you enjoy most. Is what you are going to wear to your boyfriends house so important to you that you take time out of you day to announce it to everyone? Americans are in a state of ignorant bliss. We live in a nation where people will revolt in the lobbies of fast food restaurants over condiments. Yet when our liberties and civil rights are taken we sit idly by and wait for the next hand out. Our minds have become so distracted and led astray that it is going to be impossible for some to rebound. Strong family values and good morals have been replaced with, "Teen Mom"  and "Jersey Shore". The T.V. dinner of our parents generation has been replaced. Parents are now sitting their children down with a bowl of cheap processed foods while playing online multi player games. The time has come where everyone lifts their mental quarantine and joins the battle. We must inform each other regardless of race, color, and political backgrounds. Instead of bickering amongst each other over arguments that have been generated by the media, agree that your political differences have been designed to be just that. We are the wheels that run this nation and it is us who must remind the ruling class. Our politicians have more corporate sponsors than a stock car driver. They have been built and trained in the arts of deception, do not let them fool you. There was a time when normal working class citizens had a voice, and could run for office. We have returned to the Roman days of the plebeian and patricians, where ruling class families controlled everything, and contributed nothing. It you don't believe me; do some investigative research on their worth, and who contributed. They have no idea what it's like to sweat. Please help me inform, I do not stand on the left or the right, only right and wrong.