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Wednesday, 28 October 2009

Church Segregation Still Exhists, Really?

I grew up attending a Methodist church. One in Colorado, the other in New Jersey. Never in the history of attending these two churches have I seen one segregated. It's 2009, surely we're past that era!
I just read an article from The Christian Post about a Black methodist church and a White methodist church are just now reuniting. Seriously? The article states, "Members of Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, which was founded in the late 1700s by a group of blacks who walked out of St. George's Methodist Church because of segregated seating, were welcomed back for a "reunion" and integrated worship." For two churches that have been separated for so long, wouldn't they have united sooner?
Granted, Philadelphia was turbulent during the Civil Rights Movement and integration wasn't that accepted after Brown versus the Board of Education, but surely someone must have crossed "the picket line" sometime. I know that attending a new church is different. It's uncomfortable going to a temple or a mosque if you're a Christian, but it's not like these churches were speaking different languages or religions. They're our brothers and sisters!
"[Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler] hopes that one day a service like the one they just held 'will not even be newsworthy because we have overcome issues of racism, sexism, classism, and all other -isms that separate us from one another and God.'" Amen! I know that our culture can sometimes be different, but that shouldn't sperate us from expanding our horizons and worshiping from people that are different from us. It is a sad state of the world that 200 year old grudges mean more to us than worshiping together. Yes, I know and understand how hurt many African American's' remain over all the slavery that has occurred, but you can still feel for your ancestors and thank God for the transformation/abolition of slavery He has helped bring forth in a white church.
When you look past this recent announcement of reunion the article comes to a close by stating, "The integrated worship comes after The United Methodist Church adopted a constitutional amendment that recognizes 'the sin of racism that has been destructive to its unity throughout its history' and calls the denomination to 'confront and seek to eliminate racism.'" Come one UMC! It's about time. It's a wonder all the things you realize as you get older.
Attending the Methodist church as I child I was never taught about the church's dark history. Were we really that white supremacist? Not cool! I applaud the UMC for recognizing the sin of racism, but couldn't we have done it in 1962? As someone who has felt ostracized from the church because I was born "different" racism isn't that far from me being discriminated as a result of how I look. If anything, it is easier to accept African Americans into Methodism than it is for me being accepted into church culture---no one wants to be reminded that God's children don't always come in perfect packages.
So Methodism, congratulations on realizing that were are infact in an age of acceptance (for the most part). You have once again made me proud I have defected from your denomination. Hopefully it won't take you another 200 years to find the One True God who doesn't judge, ostracize, or force into molds---otherwise you'll be the ones punished in the end.

Wednesday, 21 October 2009

Evangelese: Politicians Beware

Yesterday, I came upon this article and was in a mix of emotions as a result of how it paints Evangelicals. The article is written as advice for politicians and how they should learn "our" language. Do we really have a different langauge? Are we really that stereotypical? The author's first prescription for politicians is to mimic some of our phrases. Below are the examples and suggestions:
1. Refer to "my heart":
a. Evangelical examples: asking Jesus into your heart, God is speaking to your heart.
b. Secular use: I feel in my heart, I know in my heart no matter how hard it may be, we need to provide basic medical care for every child in this country.

2. Say you felt "called" or were led to do something.
a. Evangelical examples: God called me to move to Seattle, to take up the ministry, to put John 3:16 on my eyeblacks. Richard Dawkins and I have been brought together.
b. Secular use: I felt called to take up the cause of health care for all.
3. Use the word "personal" liberally.
a. Evangelical example: I needed a personal faith. You aren't really a Christian until you have a personal relationship with Jesus.
b. Secular use: I have a personal relationship to the people in that nursing home.

4. Use the phrase "all the world."
a. Evangelical example: Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
b. Secular use: Whether we treat health care as a basic human right will have ripple effects flow into all the world.
5. Talk about events that "changed your life forever."
a. Evangelical example: Accepting Jesus as my personal savior changed my life forever.
b. Secular use: Sitting with that dying child changed my life forever.
All right, when you look at these phrases, yes, we do use them a lot. If a politician wanted to appear noble and connected to his Christian constituents he could use these phrases. He'd receive some credit if used properly, but that doesn't mean that his words have the sanctity that ours do when we use them. Even though these phrases my be true stereotypes of our community, we know why we use them. We understand that the calling comes from Him---not from our desires or ambitions, but from The One True God.
We tell how our lives have been changed forever to give Him the glory. To remind ourselves and others that we cannot and could not do this alone. Yes, sometimes it may be used to try and save someone, but at the end of the day it should not serve to condemn someone for their disbelief---it should become a beacon of His steadfastness. Giving testimony works the same way. We don't just tell stories to be snobbish "I was saved at age 7" aka "I'm better than you because I've lived in faith longer". We tell our testimonies to up lift. To give hope to the hopeless. To steady those that are fearful. To proclaim our joy and appreciation for all that He has done in our lives. If a politician really wanted to connect to us, he need to adopt these truths. His testimony must be real and true. They must be as open and honest as Susan Hutchinson. Although our community may be condemned to outsiders, we must remain firm in our truths.
Later in the article, the writer discusses some of the things politicians should never do.
1. Calling Christianity a religion. It isn't. It's a relationship. Agreed!
2. Referring to Jesus as a good man. He wasn't. He was God. Eh...I take issue, but for the most part it hold true.
3. Using the word "tolerance." It's a bad word that means you are a moral relativist. Probably true. Generally, tolerance means that we aren't truly loving our neighbors or enemies, as were meant to.
4. Mentioning priests or bishops. Way too Catholic. Evangelicals call them ministers or pastors or preachers. Agreed!
5. Using the words interfaith, or spirituality. Those are words for wusses and imply spiritual weakness. Spirituality, I'm okay with since I use it a lot, but in general the author is probably right. It tends portray someone who is spiritual as someone who picks and chooses the best aspects of Christianity and other religions and melding them together. I admittedly am a member of this group, on certain aspects.
All in all, this author isn't completely off base. Stereotypically she has us pegged, but it's just irritating when politicians adopt these phrases and don't mean them. Yes, it does depend on the type of political race it is (councilman, representative, senator, governor, President, etc) and the location of the race (local, state, national) in determining whether or not a politician means what he or she says in Evangelese. However, if they're trying to win my vote through my religious beliefs, then I'm probably not going to vote for them. They have more influence on my vote through the issues they stand for than whether or not they share the same religious beliefs. If anything, politicians need to be true to themselves, stand up for what they believe is the brightest vision of our future and stick to their guns, because that has become a fleeting thing in this country.

Read the entire article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/valerie-tarico/speaking-evangelese-tips_b_322999.html. Make sure you listen to Susan Hutchinson's speech (the link is in the article). The ending is a lesson that we should all live by.
How do you feel about this critique of Evangelese? Should politicians stay out of our culture?

Sunday, 18 October 2009

True Reliance...Have You Seen It?

I just watched this heart wrenching photo essay while looking for a job. Constructive, I know.
I've always been touched by photography. There's just something so fascinating about it. You can capture someone's essence in one frame. One frame is a fraction of a second in someone's life, but it's there for all time. It shows the resilience, frailty, or depth of any emotion for anyone, anywhere on the planet.
It's been a while since a photograph has truly left an imprint on me like this. After the Fire, a photo essay by Louise Chin and Ignacio Aronovich, looks at the devastation and faith that occurred in Brazil. It's haunting to see the devastation. When we Americans see our houses burn we know we have insurance. We have security. We have friends and family to lean on. These subject's lives have been ravaged by the fire. They weren't endowed with money, they weren't insured and safe; they were in the slums where Jesus is their only savior.
It's alarming to see how wide spread the fire was. One of the pictures is from a height and you can see how vast the fire was. Everything was cleared out. There is more ash then there are people. There's a child who is barefoot in the wreckage. Despite this devastation and lacking, there are many bright spots.
The two women, who sit among the wreckage, find comfort in the Bible. Seeing this photo essay you know that these people truly have nothing...except the reliance on Jesus. One fire victim says that there is only God amongst the homeless children and burned slums. You see the readiness to rebuild. The unknown strength that has arisen,
Watching this photo essay has truly reminded me how blessed I am. I've been reminded how our laziness and blame should be forgotten when things aren't going our way. When we think it has all gone wrong, we need to remember---like these fire victims---that He is with us. Homelessness may be one of the hardest tests anyone will ever have to face, but He is there. Everytime!
What do you think of this photo essay? Have you truly relied on Jesus like they have?

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

Would You Go To Church?

I just read an article about how churches have been closing their doors on Sunday to have activity days. Instead of a sermon and worship, church members are going out and performing activities like serving the homeless as part of the Faith in Action program. I see both what the churches and Faith in Action are doing, but does it really make you want to go to church on Sunday?
In a world where it's really hard to get out of bed on Sundays, for those like myself lacking the will, how are these churches giving me incentive to go to church? When I go to church I expect to have some sense knocked into me. I need that reminder of "Hello! You need to stop being so lazy and realize all the things that God wants for you! Is this really how He wants you to live your life?". If I heard that my church wasn't going to give me that wake-up call when I needed it, then why would I get up early to serve?
Everyone has their different causes. For some it's Austim, for some its breast cancer and for others its a rare disease someone in their family was born with. Yes, I realize that their intent is to make the congregation feel connected and like they're doing something together---so that it's not just the worship leaders and the missions pastors,etc. However, for the people like me that have bigger causes, why can't we just serve Him on our own? I'd rather serve in His name to a family who hasn't had a night away from their kids in two years because one child has Austim and the other has Downs Syndrome, then do something that I know is done all the time.
The article comments that most churchgoers believe that their church does enough for the homeless, but the statistics portray the opposite. I recognize that this may be true. Many people don't think that they have to do the work of helping the poor or homeless because someone else is out there doing it. It's understandable, we're a lazy self-serving generation, but if it is true and churches are underserving the underprivileged the surely they could think of other ways to help than giving up their Sunday morning.
These citizens need consistent help. Not just during Thanksgiving and Christmas, not just during Sundays. If they really wanted to make an impact they should partner with one of their local homeless or poor organizations and pair a church goer with one of their clients. Everyone needs a human connection---someone who'll check in on them every week. Take them out to the farmer's market or some other place that get's them out of their cardboard boxes and lift their spirits. Encouragement and positive attitude always rub off.
Yes, I know that some people are homeless by choice, but don't they still deserve a listening ear and compassion. Shouldn't we be thinking about why people occasionally choose to be homeless? It bet it may be for a very interesting reason.
Instead of making churchgoers donate their reflection time on Sunday, give them options. Some people are not morning people and if I had to go help someone in the morning they definitely would not receive the love and compassion from me that they would receive if I was allowed to donate my time say in the late afternoon---after a few cups of coffee and the biblical reminder of why Id be doing what I was doing.
Would you attend a church mandated function in lieu of worship? Would you prefer activity options if your service was mandated on Sunday during worship time?

Tuesday, 06 October 2009

Are Pedicures Displacing Jesus?

For the past six months I've been living at home. I've seen and dealt with many things, a big one being my mother's back problems. She's now getting treated, but it has not been an easy rode for her having one bulging and two herniated discs. I've had to fight the urge to scream when she tells me to carry her laptop case or handle all the luggage on a recent trip we took. I know the great pain that she has been in, but surely there has to be an end to how much servitude I must provide.
For years my mother has been pampered. She gets her hair dyed at least once a month. She has a full set of nails put on and a pedicure every two weeks at least. She maintains that they are necessary for her business reputation as a CEO for a non-profit. I think that this pampering has gone to her brain and it is partly to blame for why she refuses to pick up her laptop bag now that her back is injured. When you have bellmen and airport luggage guys to answer your beck and call why would you want to do any of the work?
On Saturday, my servitude to my mother hit a new low. She asked me to file her toe nails. Trust me, when she asked I was just a weired out as you are now. It was an outlandish thought that she would want me to file her toe nails. There are some things you do for your parents because they gave you life, but did I really have to do THAT? Yes, I did. I was initially adverse to her request, but then I thought about the reasons why I should. She didn't have the money, with all the back issues she's now had to forgo her "pampering" to pay the medical bills, it was the right thing to do, it was the Christian thing to do (to love my mother with kindness even though I really wanted to impale her with something for her selfishness).
Initially, I agreed because its easier to acquiesce to her demands than hear her whine, but as I filed them I remember that not so long ago our Lord did something similar. Despite the fact that Christ washed the disciples feet before His death, it's still important the He washed them. There is an important lesson in humility to be found from helping my mother.
Do not get high and might next time your at the nail salon! I was inconvenienced for less than ten minutes to help my mother, but yet there are people out there every day that give of themselves so that our feet can look coiffed. Jesus gave of himself so that the disciples could be clean and carry out the truth; we should look at our pedicurists and remember that message. Even though if you really, really look at it we shouldn't be focused on the hair salon or the nail salon at all since they only add vanity, which can become a negative force in our lives. If we really really wanted to live a Christian life we should give up these activities and go lead Christian lives, professing Christ's love and filing our neighbors toe nails...for free.
We can't allow our girly nature to lead us astray from Him. Sure, it feels good to have someone pamper us, to wash our feet, but the only one who can truly redeem us and make us spiritually clean is Christ! We need to remain focused on Him, not on ourselves. As I was filing my mother's toe nails I felt sad for her. Yes, she maintains the she is a Christian and she's sacrificing 40% of her income this year to help keep her foundation afloat, but shouldn't she be letting go of her vanity and trusting God? So what if her hair gets gray and her feet aren't polished? All He cares about is whether or not we give of ourselves and live under his guidance. I love my mother, but sometimes I really think that her pedicures are getting in the way of her faith.
Do you think that manicures and pedicures lead us away from Christ? What else do you think is displacing faith in your life?