When Faith and the First Amendment Conflict

An interesting storm is brewing in Texas.  And we know what kind of dust and mud can be kicked up down there........

A college in Stephenville (SW of Ft Worth), is planning a performance of the 1998 play, 'Corpus Christi' which portrays Jesus and many of His disciples as gay.  You can read about it by clicking here.  In the play, Jesus and Judas share a passionate kiss and Jesus performs a gay wedding for two of his followers.  Ultimately, Jesus is crucified under a banner that reads, "King of Queers".  Alrighty, then.

Is anyone surprised that this little play might ruffle a few feathers and incite a mob scene or two.  Somebody wire Arizona and get the Earp brothers to Texas in a hurry.  There's gonna be trouble.

In 1999, some Muslim clerics, upset that Christians did not take what they considered a strong enough stand against the play, issued a fatwah (death warrant) on the author.  I remember the tempest at the time.

Meanwhile, back in Texas...... conservative Christians are lining us, crying, "Blasphemy.  Shut that play down," and the college administration is throwing up their hands, claiming, "First Amendment".  It's High Noon.

Nobody wins when something like this happens.  The college comes off looking like rabble rousers and the Christians come off looking like wild eyed extremists.  How very sad.

I am one of those conservative Christians.  'Corpus Christi' is in direct conflict with what the Bible says about Jesus, the Gospel and Biblical morality.  My convictions require me point out the affront.  My heart is broken that Jesus is presented in this light.  My God is mocked and I ache over it.

The letter of the law may very well be on the side of the college.  Christians must allow alternative, even contradictory views to be expressed.  Sometimes those views will sting.  Sometimes they will offend.  But we must take the high ground.

We are outraged when Christians are persecuted in other countries.  We decry the absence of freedom of expression in certain religions and nations.  We must not become what we loathe in others.  We need to occupy the high ground.  The eternity of millions is at stake.

Why in the world would we expect those who don't share our belief system to conform to it?  On the other hand, why would those who demand 'tolerance' of Christians deliberately incite?  That is disrespectful.  But let's face it, there is no greater example of iconoclasm than the American college campus.  There is something about youth, higher education, restlesnness and the first amendment that bring out the rebellion in our young bucks and does.  Has it ever been different?

Dear Christians in Stephenville:
You are justified in your sense of indignation and hurt.  But I urge you to reply by speaking the truth in love.  By all means, confront the issue head on.  Do so, however, with reason, dignity and grace.  Let the force of your argument and the power of the Holy Spirit be your plan of action.  Leave the flailing, video bites and castigating to lesser groups.  Jesus is Lord, even of the First Amendment of the Constitution.  The Truth will win out.  I guarantee it.

Dear Tarleton State University:

You are correct.  You are entitled to host a public performance of 'Corpus Christi'.  But is it wise?  Are you being true to freedom of expression, or hiding behind a technicality to deliberately offend your neighbors?  Sometimes wisdom directs us to subjugate our rights for the sake of community and good will?  Your coice. Exercise your rights or demonstrate discretion?  Tough call.

Dear combatants:

You are in the public eye now.  Choose your words and actions wisely.  We are watching.  You are each, both, in a position to win the argument and lose the war.  You are all in my prayers.

Random Thoughts on the Health Care Reform Vote

I was disappointed to see the result of the Congressional vote on the Health Care Reform Bill. It is unquestionably another step in relinquishing our rights and responsibilities and having them handed to our Government. That is always a poor choice, even when the motives may be noble.

Governments botch everything they touch. New infrastructures will be built, new taxes levied and ever increasing layers of bureaucracy formed. It is inevitable. And the bigger these things grow, the less efficient (read, more expensive) they become. Look at Social Security, which has become nothing more than a Ponzi scheme that is on a path to leave tens of millions of baby boomers (and subsequent generations) out in the cold.

I believe it is a tragic mistake to allow Government to take over health care. I pray that this fails quickly or is repealed by the next congress. It is bad business. There are less expensive, more effective ways to lower health care costs and improve coverage. Tort reform and and opening the door for interstate insurance competition are just two things that would create dramatic change overnight without added cost to the American people or the American Government. But we wouldn't expect a room full of trial lawyers career politicians to push a plan like that, now would we?

Having said that, I would suggest that the Church has been somewhat culpable as well. It seems to me that conservatives and evangelicals have often been so caught up in a right wing political agenda that we have neglected our responsibility to preach and teach God's word in a way that brings such a revival to America that our society changes from the inside out.

Sometimes, I can't tell the difference between a church service and a Republican National Convention. I see more tears and emotion at Memorial Day and Fourth of July Services than at Easter. I get the feeling that we are more excited about the freedom symbolized by the flag than the freedom bought on a cross.

Liberal and Mainline denominations have become virtual spokespersons for the Democratic platform. I am often dismayed at the emphasis on 'Social Justice' replacing a call to repentance. It's honorable to be concerned for the poor and disenfranchised, but it is cowardly and unbiblical to hand our individual responsibility over to secular government. What a waste of resources and a travesty of stewardship I see coming from the Christian left.

My heart aches to see Christians take up the Bible in one hand and a trowel in the other. I long for a day when we preach with revival fervor and work like crazy to change the culture at the same time.

I have a vision of health care, sustainable agriculture, education and commerce driven, not by political direction, but by devotion to the God of the universe and His great command to "Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself."

I would love to see God's people on the left and on the right ask for a 'Mulligan' and start over using God's Word as a guide for our behavior and doctrine. If we would return to Him, we will begin to see this country change, one life at a time. It will spread to homes, communities, States and finally national level. We can see crime reduced, poverty banished, needs met, divorces abandoned, literacy improved and justice roll like rivers.

Imagine a future that does not require Republicans and Democrats, but leans on something we used to call, common sense. It sounds crazy. But I still believe.

One more random thought: while I think the health care reform vote, if implemented, will be bad for America, I don't believe it will usher in the Apocalypse. I have lived under Socialized Health Care before. It is inefficient and ineffective. It is demoralizing to doctors and nurses. But it is not the end of the world. It is not even the end of America. There are bigger battles, greater needs.

Wake up, Church! Stop being the puppets of politicians left or right. Don't be distracted by the good, when you are called to do the great!

I have more rambling thoughts and even some practical solutions, but not today. It's time to get ready for work.

I am frustrated, but I cannot despair, because Jesus is Lord!

Sustainable, Self Sufficiency - The Third Phase of the Revolution, Part 2

During our last chat, more of a monologue, really, I described some of the thought processes that have been driving some of my decision making during the two years since the release of IOU NO MORE.  The fact is, I have changed a great deal since then.  The principles and outline for becoming debt free have not changed, my thoughts on "Life After Debt", have changed dramatically.  I will probably elaborate on that a little in my upcoming e-book, "Debt Beat Dads".  But I'll introduce the subject here, in hopes of stimulating some thought.  BTW, we always love it when you share your thoughts.

I finished the last entry, with the fact that it was my Bible reading that has changed my views of wealth building and preparing for the future.  Specifically, my new thinking comes from the first 5 books of the Old Testament.  Even more specifically, from the latter chapters of Genesis and from the book of Leviticus.

Before I go into any detail, I might as well address all my Christian friends who will say, "We're not under the Old Testament Law, anymore.  We're under Grace."  You are exactly right.  If you will stay with me long enough, you'll see that I'm not advocating a return to Mt. Sinai, but rather I'm adapting some PRINCIPLES gleaned from Joseph and Moses, that I believe give us insight into the heart of God and provide some COMMON SENSE approaches to our own times and finances.

Phase two of the Revolution most profoundly impacts the categories of 'Giving' and 'Saving'.  Ok, I'll backtrack.  In IOU NO MORE, I conclude that money is really only good for three things; Giving, Saving and Spending.  That's it.  That's the list.  You could maybe add, burning, but the coins don't do that well.  The 'Cruise Control' spending plan is divided into those three categories.  You can see the plan in the Appendix of the book and it's available as a part of our 'Complete Forms Library' in the store.

In 2007, when I released IOU NO MORE, I promoted the traditional concept of giving 10% (tithe) and saving 10% (to 15%) of income.  I still believe that's a great place to start. My Bible reading, however, has caused me to raise the bar. Note: If you are trying to get out of debt, I still recommend saving up a $1,000 emergency fund and putting all other saving on hold until after you're debt free.

As I was reading through the Old Testament last summer, as part of my daily devotional time, I was struck by the fact that the Israeli's gave much more than a 10th of all they had.  While it's true that the tithe was the starting point, by the time you add up all the various offerings and sacrifices, the Israeli people were giving a minimum of 20% of their resources to God.  How interesting.  Most of us are not aware of that, because we rarely read the book of Leviticus.  I freely admit, it's not a page turner, but it sure was an eye opener this time through.

Similarly, the same book, affected my views on savings.  In several places, Moses describes the "interest rate" for buying back property, etc. as being 20%.  That made me go, 'hmmmm....'  The real kicker, though, for upgrading my views on savings came from the story of Joseph.  In Genesis 41(first book of the Bible), Joseph, of 'Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat' fame, after a series of dramatic events, becomes a prominent leader in Egypt.  He advises Pharoah to 'tax' the people 20% of their harvest for 7 years to prepare for disaster.  When the disaster (famine) came, Egypt had enough for her people and surplus to sell to neighboring nations. 

The implications of all those Bible passages was not lost on me.  Common sense, a rare commodity in the 21st century, said that 20% saving and giving was not in the Bible by accident.  God doesn't work that way.  To me, they have come to symbolize wisdom and generosity.  Wisdom, by saving 20% in order to be prepared for whatever comes our way, and to build wealth.  Generosity, by giving 20% to relieve the suffering of others and to advance the Kingdom of God.  I got very excited about it.

Here's how Brittan and I are working out phase 2 in our lives:  We began by increasing our giving.  We raised our weekly contributions to our local Church and we are giving to other causes, as well, mostly Christian Mission organizations.  Our goal is to raise our giving to 20% of our income.  We are at approx 15% now.

As for saving, we're doing that two ways.  1.  We are saving from our income via 401k and a money market account.  Our goal is to have at least 6 months living expenses in a money market account with easy access.  This is not an investment, it's insurance.  We're not trying to get rich off of the emergency fund, we're trying to make sure we have some security in time of crisis.

Additionally, we are storing up a minimum of 6 months (eventually, 1 year worth) of basic household supplies, like dried beans, rice, soap, toilet paper, etc.  We don't make a big deal about it.  We're not 'survivalists' or doomsayers.  We're trying to be wise.  We are not doing it all at once.  We buy a few items each time we go to the store.  We only buy things that have a long shelf life, and we buy basic or generic brands for our 'emergency store house'.  We also have a 'rotation' plan that uses up things that are getting close to shelf life and replacing them with fresh.  Again, our goal, through various methods of saving money and storing goods is to save 20% of our income.

I know it sounds crazy; give 20%, save 20% and live on 60%.  But you'd be surprised what you can do when you are DEBT FREE.  Can you imagine how the world would change if the debt free revolution really catches fire.  Just think about how much cash would flood the economy, how much money would be out there for charitable causes and how much less stress would be felt by the average family.  The pressure taken off of Government agencies would be enormous. I believe.  Oh, yes, I believe.  And I'm doing my best to live out my convictions. 

Coming up:  Phase 3, "The Road to Self Sufficiency".  Stay tuned.

The Reports are True! The Nazarene is Alive!

Blogging isn't a modern thing. It's only the technology that's new. Men and women have kept journals for centuries. Ships' Captains have kept logs since Navies first set sail. The only difference is, now we have computers for storage and the internet to allow the whole world, if they like, to see our rambling.

I was wondering last evening what a blog from the centurion in charge of Jesus' crucifixion might have looked like as his world turned upside down over the course of a long and interesting weekend. Perhaps it went something like this:

Centurion's Log: Friday: Today, I played a role in a very great mistake. Today, we executed the Son of God. I didn't think so at the start, but now...........

It began as a quite ordinary event. There were three scheduled for execution today. Two had been on the dockets for a while. One was hastily ordered only this morning. I am assuming the Governor did so to try and avoid a riot. My, how he hates this Judean assignment.

It's festival season here in Jerusalem. People are everywhere. It's some part of their religion. They swarm the city every spring to celebrate. And it goes on for two months. How do they ever get any work done?

The streets are quite literally teeming with bodies. Crowd control is difficult at the best of times. Pilate worries constantly this time of year. Today things got out of hand. A Galilean itinerant teacher, called Jesus (He is so much more) was arrested by the local temple police last evening and charged with all sorts of crimes against the Jewish religion. I have little understanding of their beliefs or traditions. But I do know the Priests and Clergy hate this Jesus with a great passion.

This morning came early as the High Priest led a contingent straight to Pilate's hall of judgment demanding immediate prosecution and execution of the Galilean. The Governor is not a strong man. He is sometimes wise, sometimes prudent, but rarely shows strength of leadership. After some attempts to settle the matter peacefully, even enlisting the help of Herod, the 'king' of these Jews, Pilate eventually yielded to the request of the Jewish leaders, out of fear of the crowd. As the morning progressed the scene had indeed become most unruly.

I was put in charge of the executions. It's part of my job. I neither like it nor am particularly repulsed by it. It is the duty of the Roman military to meet out justice swiftly and effectively. But in all my years of service, I have never seen a sight like the one I saw today. Crowds lined the streets, watching as we led the already severly flogged and bloodied Jesus towards the execution site. Blood loss, pain and exhaustion had stripped him of most of his strength, so progress was slow. Eventually, I was forced to conscript one of the bystanders into carrying condemned man's cross, or we might still be on the road.

By the time our procession reached the execution site, which these Jews call, "Skull Hill", the other two prisoners were already crucified. The soldiers with me were nervous, as was I, because of the sea of humanity that came to watch Jesus die. Why are people so fascinated by public execution? What morbid curiosity drives them? As a soldier, I have seen enough death to last me three lifetimes.

We nailed Jesus to the cross and lifted Him into place. I have chronicled the details of crucifixion elseswhere as have the historians, but I still shudder when I see and hear the bodies convulse as the cross is dropped into it's support hole. If ever a practice should deter crime, it is crucifixion.

Apart from the slowness of the march, the day had progress more smoothly than I could have hoped. Until the bodies were hanging, that is. It seems like only moments after we lifted the Galilean into place that all hell broke loose. Though it was mid day, it suddenly became darker than mid night. There were no clouds, only darkness. No stars, no sun, no moon only black. Frear gripped the crowd, but still they lingered. For hours it looked like the world might end. Terror gripped us all. And yet the people continued to watch the dying men, fixated with blood lust.

He died quicker than most. It's not surprising considering the torture he'd endured prior to execution. But it's what he said that has changed me to the core of my being. What he said, and what happened at the end. While the crowds mocked and insulted, Jesus carried on a conversation with one of the men beside him. He comforted the dying man with promises of forgiveness and eternal life. Rather than focus on his own agony, he aided another. Who behaves that way? He even forgave the crowd for their insults and insistance on his death.

At the moment of Jesus' death, the very earth shook. It was as severe and earthquake as I've experienced. All Jerusalem was rocked. It will be tomorrow before we can assess the damage, but I have heard that even the Jews' precious temple was damaged. An expensive, ornate curtain of some sort was destroyed. There is some commotion about it being torn fromt the top down. The significance of that is lost on me.

It was at that moment I realized the mistake we were making. The darkness, the earthquake, these were not coincidence. I pushed my way past the soldiers, with every intent of rescuing the Galilean. This was no ordinary man. I screamed at my men to help me. I begged the crowd to help me end this madness. "This really is the Son of God", I shouted. And I belive I am correct. But by the time I reached him, the man was dead. What have we done?

Centurion's Log: Saturday: I slept poorly last night. I am haunted by yesterday's events. It's much quieter today. I led a team through the city to survey the damage caused by the earth quake. Fortunately, there was very little. Apart from the temple, the only obvious damage is in the local burial yards. There are open graves everywhere. And dozens of bodies are missing. Perhaps vandals ransacked them in the night. Perhaps wild dogs went on a feeding frenzy. Perhaps both. But it will take weeks to find the remains and get them back into the ground. And these Jews with their odd customs and repulsion of corpses will bemoan the entire project. No doubt my men and I will do the lion's share of the work.

I can't get the Galilean, Jesus, off my mind. I've never seen a man like him. I've certainly never seen one die like him. Pilate ordered his tomb sealed and placed under guard. I guess that's one body that won't go missing in the earthquake's aftermath.

Centurion's log: Sunday, The body of the Nazarene, Jesus is gone. I have seen the gravesite myself. The stone that covered it is sitting nicely beside the empty cavern. The burial shroud is inside, but there is no corpse. There is no sign of forced entry and no sign of scavenger activity. The shroud is not damaged, nor is the head covering. There was no earthquake last night. Something is going on here, that I don't understand. Or do I?

Jesus' followers are all claiming that the man is alive. How can such a thing be? I was there, I saw him die. I oversaw the entire crucifixion. But there are more than 500 people who claim to have seen him.

And there is more. According to reports, many of them eyewitnesses, a great number of the former inhabitants of the burial yard, have been located..... alive and well. They walked as a group into the city this morning, claiming that Jesus, the Galilean had raised them. This is extroardinary. But it is undeniable. I have interviewed eyewitnesses and have even spoken with some who were dead and are now alive.

But what does it mean? How do I respond? Who will believe it? If I hadn't been present, I might wonder myself.... One thing is certain, today I must search the city. At all costs, I must find Jesus!

Note: While the 'centurion's log' is fiction, his story and the other events recorded here may be found in the New Testament accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Read them for yourself. Then go look for Jesus. He's not hard to find. Happy Easter.

First Things First

It the definition paragraph of this blog, I openly admit that this space will, from time to time pursue musings on faith matters. This is one of those times.

Today is Good Friday. I do not have the words to express what today means to me. On this day we remember when Jesus of Nazareth was tortured beyond measure and brutally executed, though innocent of either crime or sin. Over the years volumes have been written about who actually killed him. Was it the Jews? Was it the Romans? Was it Judas Iscariot? Was it a conspiracy?

Let me end the debate once and for all. If you need to find a villain behind the most heinous crime of all time, you need look no further than the author of this blog. It was me. I am guilty. I am responsible. For reasons I can't explain, other than an outrageous love, He took my place on the torture rack and on the cross. I should have been crucified. But He refused to allow me to pay my own debt. He knew I could never do it.

How do you thank One who would make a choice like that? How can you ever really demonstrate your appreciation? I owe Him everything. Every smile, every sunrise, every bird I hear sing, every joy I experience is all because of Jesus, the Christ. Sometimes I let Him down. Sometimes, maybe I make Him smile. But let all the world know this, I love Him beyond measure. He is my strength and my hope. Someday He will wrap His nail scared arms around me and I will hold him tight and thank Him personally. Until then, I'll just remain content to tell you about it.

Have a blessed Good Friday. And.......... Sunday's comin'. I'll can't wait to tell you bout that.