Not a good day . . .

It's a sad day for Virginia.

Normally, when people ask where I'm from, I answer with a measure of pride. "I'm from Virginia." That's not easy to do today. Perhaps you have followed the news from Charlottesville VA, home of the University of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, and a place of Southern charm. Of late, the news has been anything but charming. There is a statue in a Charlottesville park of General Robert E. Lee. The General, and Traveller, the horse he is riding, are undeniable parts of Virginia and US history. The cause for which Lee fought, whatever his personal views may have been, was a cause that denied liberty--in the most absolute sense--to millions of people. We can, and should rejoice that slavery in the United States was abolished. In recognition of that, the park where Lee's statue sits was recently named "Emancipation Park." And so, the stage is set for a conflict of dueling rights.  "We have a right, even an obligation, to remember our history." "I have a right to go to the park without seeing a man who oppressed my people honored as a hero." "We have a right to speak freely, especially here in Mr. Jefferson's home town." "We have a right to oppose you, to point out that some whom you regard as heroes, were our oppressors." "We will not be silenced." "Neither will we." One of the ugly skills of evil is the ability to so twist virtue that it becomes self-destructive. I can hear the Council of Hell chuckling as they spin their plan. "We'll take their rhetoric defending freedom and use it to enslave them. It is a demonic sport that is played out well beyond Charlottesville. City councils, police, and courts are mostly made up of people of good will. They want to do what is right, but this kind of evil presents cases where those tasked with keeping law and order, while, at the same time respecting liberty can't win. "Freedom of speech" that only protects the speech of those with whom the majority agrees is not really freedom.*  Yet allowing the kind of hateful rhetoric, and offensive public display that is likely to produce a tragedy like the one that took place in Charlottesville Virginia hardly passes as protecting the public. Open your window and you hear the cries, "Somebody needs to do something!" Indeed, and that someone is you and I. One of the clear teachings of Scripture is beautifully summarized in the words of our Lord,    “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12, NASB)   Using the Lord's gift of Himself as the chief example, the Apostle Paul reminds us to, "count others more significant than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3, ESV). Each of us needs to stop being so insistent on "my rights," and start being more concerned about loving others. Much of what is wrong in our world will not be cured by more police and better laws. It will be made better by kindness shown to others. I may have a right, but I must consider my neighbor before I exercise that right. Perhaps I can't stop evil from putting on a show, but I can refuse to be a part of the audience. If enough of us do that, the evil plan will suffocate in the vacuum. I challenge the news services to start. I remember Paul Harvey who used to report on some senseless crime, "Of course, he would want me to give his name." Period, silence, next story. Instead of rushing to be the first to report a group of idiots carrying tiki torches, why not set the standard by being the first to hit the mute switch? The answer doesn't involve somebody. It must start with ME!   It's STTA (Something To Think About).  (*I state without equivocation that the speech of the white supremecists who showed up at Charlottesville is vile. The question is, "Can the law make them stop saying it, without at the same time infringing on the rights of others to say what they think?" Not everything that is legal is right, nor can/should everything that is wrong be made illegal.)

An ugly time that isn't over

Fifty years, I wish we had come farther.

I saw that a movie is being released in conjunction with the fifty year anniversary of one of the worst race riots of the late sixties, Detroit.  I don't know if I'll see the movie, but just the announcement brought back memories. During the same era, twenty or so miles north of where I lived, large parts of Chicago burned. Just a few miles from where we lived stores where my family shopped and my friends worked were looted, torched, and eventually shut down (here). My roots are in the Middle South. I grew up in the Troubled North. My years of pastoral ministry were spent in a place better described as "mountain" than "southern," yet the vestiges of segregation were still evident, and the patterns of life that went all the way back to when one man owned another are undeniable. Now, I live in a place where a plethora of people groups live, and the struggle goes on. Like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "I have a dream." I'm beginning to see that more than something I dream for, it needs to be a star that I aim for, to keep me on track. The way I relate to people and the worth in them that I see has nothing to do with color of skin, language spoken, or place where they grew up. Smart people are better at some tasks than some of the rest of us. For other things, strong people excel. Neither of those qualities, though, nor any of the other usual measurements, determines one's worth. People are valuable and worthy of respect because people bear the image of God. People are the ones for whom the Son of God died. The band of the redeemed who will praise God in eternity are made up of every tribe, and tongue, and nation. Lord, help me to keep aiming at that star.   It's STTA (Something To Think About).

From Here To Ferguson & Back:

Something To Think About, Living Together in Peace:

From where I sit on my comfortable couch, to the very uncomfortable streets of Ferguson, Missouri is just over 650 miles.  As far as my understanding of what is going on there, I'm sure it is much farther. I represent a demographic that is often seen as a big part of the problem.  I am an old, middle-class, white guy from the South.  But I am an old, middle-class, white guy from the South, who is not interested in just leaving things the way they have been and are.  I would like to see things become better.  So, I ask, "What can I learn from what is going on a day's drive to the west?"   As much as I might want to, I can't just declare that all relevant history began when I was born.  I have prayed with, preached to, and been the guest of a lady whose father fought in the Civil War.  It wasn't really that long ago.  I know the racism that both justified and flows from slavery is not dead--not completely.  Last night after watching the news I readDaniel 9.  It just "happens" to be where I am in my reading.  Daniel 9 contains an eloquent prayer, much of which is a confession of the sins of Israel and Judah.  Though Daniel was not involved in those sins, as a member of the nation of Israel he acknowledged their impact on the current situation.  I can't just dismiss the past. Much that is going on--or, more to the point, much that is being said about what is going on--pushes buttons that produce anger.  I can't surrender to that.  James says I need to be more eager to hear than to spout off and be angry.  I need to listen!  I need to resist the urge to lash out. There seems to be a circuit wired into our psyche that says something like, "This injustice over here, justifies this wrong-doing over there.  Some people in Ferguson reason that since they and/or their family and neighbors have been treated unjustly, that that somehow justifies looting a merchant's store or destroying a police-car.  Meanwhile 650 miles away old, middle-class, white guys, are tempted to conclude that because some people are behaving in a lawless manner that that justifies treating another human with less kindness than she/he deserves. Sin does not correct sin.  Doing righteousness demands a price.  It is a price that is worth paying. The problems in our world are problems of the heart. In our fallen world we need law-enforcement, but better law enforcement is not the answer. People should have opportunity to live at peace and to have the opportunity to support their families and watch their children flourish.  Better education, and social-work, as important as they are, are not the answer. Only the Gospel of Christ has the power to change hearts.  Let's pray and share the good news where we can.   It's Something To Think About.

Something To Think About Loving our neighbor, 7/7

My buddies and I resumed our Monday morning listen to the audio version of Eric Metaxas's book, 7 Men and the Secret of Their Greatness.  Jackie Robinson is the first of the seven whose life overlaps with mine.  He was the grandson of a slave, and grew up in an era of deep racial division.  In 1945 Branch Rickey, General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, invited Robinson to the the first Black player in Major League Baseball.  Jackie Robinson not only excelled athletically, but faced the insults and taunts that were heaped on him with a divinely provided self-control.  The player and manager opened the door, and in just a short time the unfair barrier that prevented Black athletes from playing at the highest level had been eliminated. My observation, and the conversation this morning, indicate that we still don't have it right. Less than twenty years after Jackie Robinson got the break he deserved, Dr. Martin Luther King said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."  We have made progress, but we have not yet arrived. The Old Testament prophets often thundered against the injustices of their world.  Their words still carry great force when laid down next to the inequities of the 21st Century.  Amos said, “. . . let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.  (Amos 5:24) Like so many today who claim to follow God, the people of Israel were busy about external acts of worship.  Commentator Donald R. Sunukjian, helps us get a handle on the prophet's words: Instead of ritual and performance, God wanted a relentless commitment to justice and righteousness. . . . He wanted a passionate concern for the rights of the poor, a concern that would roll on like an ever-flowing river … like a never-failing stream that did not run dry. God wanted a day-to-day life of surging integrity and goodness. (Bible Knowledge Commentary) Few of us are in a position, like Branch Rickey, that affords us an opportunity to, in one fell swoop, reverse decades of injustice.  Each of us, though, can make a difference. Are we? It's STTA: Find out more about CBC at our website, or in a recent newsletter. God's Story in His Own Words. a message composed of nothing but Scripture that presents the flow of Divine Revelation from "In the beginning," to the final "Amen." You can find out about a relationship with Jesus that provides the kind of internal change that makes a difference in our world here.