For the love of God.

Billy Graham's faith mission nears close

By Julia Duin
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published June 26, 2005

NEW YORK CITY -- The curious and the committed arrived by the thousands last night, the second day of New York's three-day Billy Graham crusade, to hear the 86-year-old evangelist preach one of his last sermons to the world.

The event, in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, drew about 80,000 people, more than the revised official estimate of 60,000 for Friday night.

New York's top Democratic leaders, former President Bill Clinton, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles E. Schumer, and New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a Republican, appeared on the platform with Mr. Graham.

"I told [Mr. Clinton] he should be an evangelist," Mr. Graham joked. "He has all the gifts, and he could leave his wife to run the country."

Mr. Clinton informed the crowd he had attended several Graham crusades, starting 46 years ago.

"I want to tell you what an honor it is to be here as a person of faith with a man I love," he said.

The crowd gave the Clintons a stronger ovation than they did for Mr. Graham, who, because of Parkinson's disease and other ailments, is closing down his evangelistic career this year. Last night, his speech was barely 15 minutes long.

The evangelist geared the evening to young people, intertwining mentions of the rock group U2, St. Augustine and MTV. U2's lead vocalist, Bono, visited him and his wife at their Montreat, N.C., home, he said, and composed a song for Ruth Graham.

"In his song, he said we are 'estranged by sin and bones,' " he said. Young people are sidetracked by many distractions, he added, including loneliness and sex.

"Yes, there is pleasure in sex," he said. "Sex is given to us. There is no harm in sex as long as it's according to the Word of God, but you will not find answers in sex."

High-voltage performances from the South African rock 'n' roll group Tree63, hip-hop vocalist Nicole C. Mullin and the pop group Jars of Clay also were geared toward the young.

Mr. Graham's eldest son, Franklin Graham, now president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, told the crowd of his wayward teenage days.

"I didn't want God in my life," he said. "I wanted to party. I wanted to have fun. I wanted to enjoy life. I wanted to experience it to the fullest."

He was 22, he said, "when I asked Jesus Christ to come into my life. I went to church, but being religious is not going to save you." Gesturing with a thin, black Bible in one hand, he added, "If you're not sure where you're going to spend eternity, be sure tonight."

The thousands seated and standing in several overflow areas ringing the stage appeared to be from every ethnic and racial group imaginable. Rice University sociologist Bill Martin, Billy Graham's official biographer, said this weekend appeared to be Mr. Graham's "most diverse, polyglot gathering ever."

Event organizers have presented the three-day revival as a last chance to hear in person a man who has preached to more people in live audiences (210 million in 185 countries) than anyone else in history. Event organizers said they counted 2,249 "faith commitments" Friday night.

"We're here to hear one of God's generals close out 60-plus years of ministry," the Rev. A.R. Bernard, local crusade chairman, told thousands of listeners. "What better place than New York?"

"It's truly an honor for our city to host this historic gathering," Mr. Bloomberg said. "Every nation on Earth is truly represented on the sidewalks of New York City, and they are also represented here on this lawn tonight."

Steven Curtis Chapman, one of the musicians picked to lead the worship Friday night, exhorted the throng to look ahead instead of to the past: "There's a lot of talk about tonight being the end of an incredible era," he said, "but God's doing amazing new things."

Still, the event had the trappings of a last great hurrah, which Mr. Graham referred to Friday night when he talked about a photograph for which he had just posed with about two dozen grandchildren. Mr. Graham's second-eldest daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, said about 70 members of the Graham family, including spouses, had come to New York for the event.

"We are quite a mob," she said. "We just wanted to be here to support him."

A variety of other groups were drawn to the event, many of them passing out literature advertising various Christian ministries. Several groups of anti-Graham demonstrators -- mostly Christian groups that disagree with his ecumenical stances -- posted picket signs near the park entrance, which prompted shouting matches with others.

"That's not right," observed Greg Parker, who identified himself as a Jewish resident of Huntington, Long Island, who had come out of curiosity. "Billy Graham is a man of peace."

For the love of God?

Bill, Hillary Clinton Use Billy Graham to Gain Political Ground

Some disappointed that Graham too friendly with the morally bankrupt

National Clergy Council president Rev. Rob Schenck (pronounced SHANK) walked out on his role model Billy Graham after the evangelist surrendered his microphone to Bill Clinton on the third night of his New York City crusade, then gave a veiled endorsement to Senator Hillary Clinton who was sitting nearby on stage.

According to the Associated Press, when Bill Clinton joined him on stage, Graham "quipping that the former president should become an evangelist and allow 'his wife to run the country.'"

Rev. Schenck has considered Billy Graham his role model for over 25 years. That's why the Capitol Hill minister traveled from Washington, DC, to New York City this weekend to witness what may be the ailing evangelist's last crusade. But after he saw the Clintons exploit the aging Graham, he couldn't bear to stay and hear him preach.

"I was stunned and appalled," said Schenck, who left the Flushing Meadows Park as Graham was still complimenting the Clintons.

"This was a deliberate, cunning, purely political move by the Clintons to divide the Evangelical vote and assure Hillary of a victory in '08," said Schenck, a minister with the Evangelical Church Alliance and a missionary to elected officials.

Schenck is a longtime admirer of Billy Graham. But when the soon to retire evangelist announced to NBC's Katie Couric in a recent interview that he is a life-long Democrat, it took a few points away from that admiration.

Mr. Schenck has met Dr. Graham personally and has attended his schools of evangelism and conferences for itinerant evangelists.

"I'm disappointed that my role model of 25 years retained his membership in a party that promotes the expansion of abortion and homosexual marriage," said Mr. Schenck, who will attend Graham's last crusade this weekend. "Whoever replaces him will need to hold unequivocal stands on these two paramount moral issues."

-- The Dakota Voice

Following in W's footsteps.

Young Republicans support Iraq war, but not all are willing to join the fight

By Adam Smeltz

Knight Ridder Newspapers

NEW YORK - Young Republicans gathered here for their party's national convention are united in applauding the war in Iraq, supporting the U.S. troops there and calling the U.S. mission a noble cause.

But there's no such unanimity when they're asked a more personal question: Would you be willing to put on the uniform and go to fight in Iraq?

In more than a dozen interviews, Republicans in their teens and 20s offered a range of answers. Some have friends in the military in Iraq and are considering enlisting; others said they can better support the war by working politically in the United States; and still others said they think the military doesn't need them because the U.S. presence in Iraq is sufficient.

"Frankly, I want to be a politician. I'd like to survive to see that," said Vivian Lee, 17, a war supporter visiting the convention from Los Angeles,

Lee said she supports the war but would volunteer only if the United States faced a dire troop shortage or "if there's another Sept. 11."

"As long as there's a steady stream of volunteers, I don't see why I necessarily should volunteer," said Lee, who has a cousin deployed in the Middle East.

In an election season overwhelmed by memories of the Vietnam War, the U.S. military's newest war ranks supreme among the worries confronting much of Generation Y'ers. Iraq is their war.

"If there was a need presented, I would go," said Chris Cusmano, a 21-year-old member of the College Republicans organization from Rocky Point, N.Y. But he said he hasn't really considered volunteering.

At age 16, Chase Carpenter has.

"It's always in the back of my mind - to enlist," Carpenter, a self-described moderate Republican visiting Manhattan this week from Santa Monica, Calif., said Wednesday on the convention floor. He said he's torn over whether he'd join the military if he were 18.

Others said they could contribute on the home front.

"I physically probably couldn't do a whole lot" in Iraq, said Tiffanee Hokel, 18, of Webster City, Iowa, who called the war a moral imperative. She knows people posted in Iraq, but she didn't flinch when asked why she wouldn't go.

"I think I could do more here," Hokel said, adding that she's focusing on political action that supports the war and the troops.

"We don't have to be there physically to fight it," she said.

Similarly, 20-year-old Jeff Shafer, a University of Pennsylvania student, said vital work needs to be done in the United States. There are Republican policies to maintain and protect and an economy to sustain, Shafer said.

Then there's Paula Villescaz, a 15-year-old from Carmichael, Calif. who supports Bush and was all ears Wednesday afternoon at the GOP's Youth Convention in Madison Square Garden. She doesn't support the war, but she supports the troops and thinks the United States "needs to stay the course" now that it's immersed.

If Iraq is still a U.S. issue when she's 18, Villescaz added, she'll give serious thought to volunteering.

"I'm in college right now, but who knows?" said Matthew Vail, a 25-year-old from Huntsville, Ala., who works with Students for Bush. He said he might consider enlisting after he finishes his degree at the University of North Carolina, but not until then.

"The bug may get me after college," he said.

Jesus is a bleeding heart revolutionary.

Not a bleeding heart liberal, and not a heart of stone conservative.

Jesus was not a liberal.

But he wasn't (isn't) a conservative, either. A considerable part of his earthly ministry was to point out the hypocrisy of both the liberals' accommodation of the culture (the Sadducees) and the conservatives' (the Pharisees) hypocritical insistence that the Law be maintained... at least in public, and as it applied for others.

The Episcopal Church (which was just pitched out of the worldwide Anglican Communion for all practical intents and purposes) clearly exhibits the danger these two groups can do to the Church. The liberal Episcopalians don't seem to stand for anything except niceness, and they hate people who aren't "nice". Throw out most of the teaching about how we are to live our lives, but be nice.

The conservatives take what's left, and turn it into an orgy of mammon. I remember as a teenager in a very conservative Episcopal church the plans that were made to lock the doors to the church on a Sunday morning because there were rumors that some blacks were going to try and break up our all-white God party. It's sobering to realize that as Jesus/God hung on that cross, he could see what we were doing in his name.

On the Dean's List.

I don't care much for Howard Dean. Even when he's right, he's usually wrong. He left the Episcopal Church (right), he likes to promote bicycling (right), but he left the Episcopal Church (the Church of the Blessed Convenience) because they wouldn't allow a bike path to be built on their lakefront property (wrong).

What he said.

During his earthly ministry, Jesus spent a lot of time warning us about the "love of money" and criticizing the Religious Right of his day. He didn't cut the Secular Left any slack, either, but he wanted the people to understand the twin dangers of money and law.

The Pharisees of today are clearly the GOP, and they have made their god Mammon into an idol disguised as Yahweh. If the Sermon on the Mount were delivered in Congress today, it would be denounced as an "un-American and unpatriotic appeasement of terrorism". The Democrats are happily playing the part of the Sadducees to the Republicans Pharisees, so there's not much comfort to be found in that camp.

But why did Jesus single out the Pharisees and money for special warnings? The Pharisees greatest fault was their hypocrisy. They used the Law to point out (and punish) the faults and shortcomings of others, while touting their own "obedience". But of course, they weren't obedient. They only tried to make it appear as such. All the more reason to sanction public stonings and crucifixions, as that underscored their own "lawfulness", while distracting attention from their "unlawfulness".

The danger lies in their sincerely felt, but false, piety. The Pharisees had created a new god to take the place of Yahweh. This was clear to Jesus. It was also clear to Jesus that by wrapping oneself in the self-righteousness, the Law, and money, one could safely insulate themselves from the demands of Yahweh. The early Church exploded among the Gentiles because the Jews weren't convinced they needed Jesus. They had their reward. The radically good news of Jesus was the last thing the self-righteous Pharisees wanted to hear. The Gospel threatened their position, their power, and their wealth.

As it did then, the Religious Right stands against the Gospel of Jesus Christ; promoting a self-filtered "Law" that applies to the public sins of others, while conveniently ignoring our own "private" sins. The chief threat to the Gospel comes not from the Sadducees, those outside the Law, because they are the open mission field (well, most of them... I don't hold out much hope for Dr. Dean). The chief threat to the Good news of Christ comes from the Pharisees, those claiming to obey the Law.

By proclaiming the Law over Grace, they thus claim that they have no need for the Gospel. They then lay an unbearable burden upon others for whom they are unwilling to lift a finger, while engaging in a blatant and destructive "Christian" hypocrisy invisible only to themselves (see Dr. Ron Sider's, "The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience").

By the Religious Right's hypocrisy, many of those outside the Church who are in need of Jesus Christ are turned off from enquiring about him, while many of their own followers are deceived into thinking that their brand of Law-governed and "Mormonized" Christianity somehow is salvific. Self-satisfied as "Christians", they lead pious lives that are pristine on the outside, but full of all manner of filth and decay on the inside (greed, hatred, violence).

White-washed tombs.

More from the late Douglas Adams.

• "Mozart tells us what it's like to be human, Beethoven tells us what it's like to be Beethoven and Bach tells us what it's like to be the universe."

• "I wrote an ad for Apple Computer: 'Macintosh - We might not get everything right, but at least we knew the century was going to end.'"
• "The Macintosh may only have 10% of the market, but it is clearly the top 10%."
• "First we thought the PC was a calculator. Then we found out how to turn numbers into letters with ASCII — and we thought it was a typewriter. Then we discovered graphics, and we thought it was a television. With the World Wide Web, we've realized it's a brochure."
• "I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies. Anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary and is just part of the way the world works. Anything that's invented between when you're fifteen and thirty five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things."
• "A nerd is someone who uses a telephone to talk to other people about telephones."
• "Technology is a word that describes something that doesn't work yet"
  
• "The idea that Bill Gates has appeared like a knight in shining armour to lead all customers out of a mire of technological chaos neatly ignores the fact that it was he who, by peddling second-rate technology, led them into it in the first place."

He's right and VERY wrong, at the same time. I'm sorry his time ran out.

The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.


-- Douglas Adams

Rube's Cube.

In Houston: Poltical Icon or Religious Relic?

Kerrying on

Earlier in the day, Sen. Kerry met in a "town hall"-style meeting with about 75 seniors, where he assailed the recently passed Medicare prescription drug benefit, the GOP's tax cuts for wealthy Americans and the attempts to privatize Social Security.
He said to the largely supportive group, "The next time one of those conservative senators or congressmen comes to you and starts talking to you about American values, I want you to look him in the eye and say, what is the value that is represented in providing the wealthiest people in America with a great big tax cut at the expense of the poorest people in the country?"
"I went back and reread the New Testament the other day, and I've got news for you. Nowhere in the three-year ministry of Jesus Christ is there any suggestion at all that you ought to take from the poor and give to the rich and leave children at risk," he said to a loud round of applause.

-- STEVE URBON, Standard-Times (Conneticut) senior correspondent

Memorial Day

Over the course of our nation's history, millions have sacrificed so much that we remain free. They do so today, as well.

Increasingly, there is a gap between those who serve in the military and the leadership class. Without a draft, this gap likely to continue for many years to come.

And it is striking how virtually the entire Republican boomer leadership class avoided serving in a war they supported. The Moose experienced an ironic moment several years ago at a conservative tribute to Reagan where all the speakers celebrated the defeat of Communism. However, the only speaker on the podium who had actually fought commies was McCain, and he was the object of the conservative leaders' ire.

-- The Bull Moose

Waste not, want not.

The grand reason why the miraculous gifts were so soon
withdrawn was not only that faith and holiness were well-nigh
lost, but that dry, formal, orthodox men began then to
ridicule whatever gifts they had not themselves and to cry
them all [down] as evil madness or imposture.
-- John Wesley (1703-1791)

Doing and Obeying

Humanly speaking, it is possible to understand the Sermon on the Mount in a thousand different ways. But Jesus knows only one possibility: simple surrender and obedience - not intrepreting or applying it, but doing and obeying it. That is the only way to hear his words. He does not mean for us to discuss it as an ideal. He really means for us to get on with it.

- Dietrich Bonehoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

The Six Marks of Discipleship for the Changing Church

1. Pray daily.
2. Worship weekly.
3. Read the Bible.
4. Serve at and beyond your local church.
5. Be in relationship with others to encourage spiritual growth.
6. Give of my time, talent, and resources.

- Michael W. Foss

Give a shit.

Dr. Tony Campolo once said to a nationwide gathering of Evangelical Christians (paraphrased): "In the time it takes me to speak this sentence, another child will die of malnutrition... and the Church just doesn't give a shit. What's worse, more of you are outraged that I just said 'shit' than that another child has just died."

Click the headline.

Anselm believed, so that he might understand. I am believed, that I might exist.

Before I became a committed Christian, I believed in God, but I can’t say I believed in the same god that Jesus called his father. I believed in this vague, “god-thing” that was quite flexible on my end, and unknowable on its end. I was a Christian only because I was raised an Episcopalian (baptized at three months, confirmed at twelve years).

I believed in God, but I had no sense that God believed in me.

When I came convinced of that… that God believed in me, knew me, cared about me and took an active interest in my life… then I became a real Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. God believed in me first.

Guilty as charged.

The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament.

-- Soren Kierkegaard

Woe to you Pharisees.

You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

Matthew 12:34-36 NIV

But after all, he's just a guy.

I CHOSE to become a Lutheran (that's not an oxymoronic statement, is it?) in part because of my growing disgust with a sarcedotal understanding of the clergy's role in the Church in the more "catholic" denominations. Recent news that there is a move to "fast track" his beatification to Sainthood simply reminds me that we don't really want obedient servants as leaders, but people whom we think are somehow more "god-like" than we are.

In the words of Leo Tolstoy:

But Christ could certainly not have established the Church. That is, the institution we now call by that name, for nothing resembling our present conception of the Church - with its sacraments, its hierarchy, and especially its claim to infallibility - is to be found in Christ's words...

1663602

Funny the things you remember. Chassis and block number (matched) of my old BMW 2002.

The pope, Terri Schiavo, and moral consistency

-- Jim Wallis, Sojourners

It's sadly rare for a church leader, or for the leaders of most of our dominant institutions, to demonstrate a spirituality that attracts millions of people around the world - particularly so many young people. But the scene of millions lining up to simply pass by the body of John Paul II in Rome this week is remarkable indeed. The enormous attraction to this pope goes far beyond agreement with all the positions of the Catholic Church or even all of the decisions of his papacy. Indeed the "ecumenical" and even "interfaith" attraction to John Paul II reflects his own practice of reaching out to more people in more faith traditions than any other pope ever has.

One of the great attractions of Pope John Paul II's spirituality was his consistency. At the core of Catholic social teaching is the idea of a "consistent ethic of life," an ethic that seeks to protect and defend human life and dignity wherever and whenever they are threatened, and which challenges the selective moralities of both the political left and right.

As I've been watching the non-stop coverage of the pope's death, I have been struck by how many people - especially political leaders - would like to claim the pontiff as their own, as someone who affirmed their causes and commitments. At the same time, they tend to ignore the other things this pope said and did that directly challenge their own political decisions.

Many conservatives are pointing to the pope's clear teachings on abortion, euthanasia, and sexual morality, which are often contrary to the positions of many liberals. But they seem to forget the strong and passionate opposition of this pope to the war in Iraq, capital punishment, and the operations of a global economy that neglect the poor and deny human rights for millions. This pope helped bring down communism, but also was no capitalist and constantly lifted up a vision of economic justice. Promoting a "culture of life" was the language of John Paul's papacy before it became the rhetoric of President Bush, and its meaning goes far beyond the narrow interpretations of the Republican Party. Yes, Pope John Paul II certainly opposed John Kerry's views on abortion, but the White House did not get the photo op they wanted when the president visited the Vatican and the pope shook his finger disapprovingly at George W. Bush over the American war in Iraq.

Consistency is deeply attractive to people who long for public integrity - particularly to a new generation. The same lack of consistency in the politically selective eulogies of the pope also characterized the highly politicized responses to the sad story and death of Terri Schiavo.

Personally, I cannot understand why parents willing to take care of their disabled daughter were not allowed to by a husband who had moved on to another life and family. Terri Schiavo was severely mentally disabled but was not dying, and we don't decide to end the lives of many similarly disabled people, even children, whose mental capacities greatly diminish their quality of life. As my wife, Joy Carroll, put it, "the issue is not their quality of life, but the ethical quality of our society." And in situations of medical, scientific, or legal complexity, the morally safer course is always to err on the side of life. However, it became painfully clear that for many political partisans the issue wasn't so much the life of this young woman but other related political issues and agendas. And a leaked Republican memo about firing up the conservative base of the party and even defeating Democratic opponents in Florida were way out of line.

Again, the issue is consistency. Will Schiavo's defenders now also care more about the loss of civilian lives in Iraq or prisoners (even innocent ones) put to death on death row? Will they refuse to accept the silent tsunami that takes the lives of 30,000 children every day due to hunger and disease, or even support the Medicaid funding for vulnerable people that helped sustain Schiavo's life for many years? Somehow I doubt it.

Consistency is spiritually and morally attractive. We didn't see much of it in the tragic drama of Schiavo. But the life of John Paul II is a lesson of its truth and power for all of us.

I'm a fool for Christ...

...who's fool are you?

The Dogwood

While growing up, I was told about the dogwood tree, and how it was the wood the Jesus' cross was made out of (not true). As the story went, the dogwood tree would blossom for Easter with white flowers that had red centers... like the wounds on Christ's hands and feet. Of course, being in Texas with our early springs, the dogwood trees always blossomed closer to Ash Wednesday than to Easter.

But this year, we had an early Easter, and the dogwood in our backyard bloomed. I thought I'd share it with you.

The tomb is empty!
The Christ is risen!

At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow.

	All			At the name of Jesus
					every knee shall bow.
			1		Christ Jesus was in the form of God, •
					but he did not cling to equality with God.
			2		He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, •
					and was born in our human likeness.
			3		Being found in human form he humbled himself, •
					and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
			4		Therefore God has highly exalted him, •
					and bestowed on him the name above every name.
			5		That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, •
					in heaven and on earth and under the earth;
			6		And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, •
					to the glory of God the Father.
					Philippians 2.5–11
					At the name of Jesus
					every knee shall bow.

Holy Saturday: Jesus' Descent into Hell.

"One of the most veiled events surrounding the triumph of Christ is His Descent into Hell. The tantalizing Scriptural references leave us to ponder its theological significance. One aspect of the Descent is that the victorious Savior went to Hell, as if to stand behind enemy lines, proclaiming the defeat of the devil.

More sobering is that Jesus’ Descent somehow seals the fate of the damned. Their agony is forever multiplied by the clear knowledge that they could have been saved by the same hand of justice that must also condemn."

Another explanaton, one put forward by the Orthodox Churches, is that Jesus went into Hell to proclaim the Good News to all who have died. To ALL who have died.

A personal reflection of my own is just to remember how Jesus came to me with the Good News while I was trapped in a hell of my own making, and how he set me free.

More Terri, less Terri.

Last night at Good Friday's Tennebrae service, we read Psalm 22 (a meditation on which by Wm. Stringfellow I had read earlier in the day). I couldn't help but think of Terri Schiavo as we read these lines in the darkening church:

12 Many bulls surround me;

strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

13 Roaring lions tearing their prey

open their mouths wide against me.

14 I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint.

My heart has turned to wax;

it has melted away within me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;

you lay me in the dust of death.

16 Dogs have surrounded me;

a band of evil men has encircled me,

they have pierced my hands and my feet.

17 I can count all my bones;

people stare and gloat over me.

18 They divide my garments among them

and cast lots for my clothing.


I thought and prayed about her dehydration, cracking lips, and Terri's body as broken potsherds. I thought and prayer about the needles and I.V.s that have pierced her hands. If you've followed my comments on this, then you know that I do not see any heros here, with the possible exception of Terri.

The Seven Last Words of Christ

Father forgive them

"Father forgive them for they know not what they do," (Luke 23:34). This is Jesus re-stating the message of forgiveness as He was nailed to the cross. The Old Testament "eye for eye and tooth for tooth" (which was a huge step forward for its time based on an even retribution) was surpassed with the concept of Christian forgiveness. It was practiced to the end by Christ. Forgiveness is what distinguishes Christianity from any other ‘religion.’ It is said that religion is man’s search for God, Christianity is God’s search for man.

Paradise today

"Today you will be with me in Paradise," (Luke 23:43). These are Jesus’ words to the good thief, who, even as a condemned man, recognises the kingship of Jesus. He is saved by his faith and present for the re-opening of Paradise, which was ‘closed’ at the expulsion of Adam and Eve. Paradise regained. The passage is used by Luke to denote the Kingship of Jesus, whose kingdom is not of this world. Those who espouse salvation by faith alone like this passage. The good thief had no chance to do ‘good works’. He was saved by faith alone.

Motherhood and the home

"Woman, this is your son." Then he said to the disciple, "This is your mother," (John 19:26-27). Some traditions link Mary at the foot of the Cross to the new Eve, mother of all believers in a new creation. She is present when creation was ‘restored’ at the crucifixion. Without spouse and family Mary would be alone after the death of Jesus and considered ‘cursed’ in Judaism. Jesus entrusted her to John and also entrusted John to Mary. The Christian Community Bible states: "Through this last deed of Jesus, the church discovered something about the mystery of the Christian life. The believer is a member of the spiritual family…" Many Catholics are criticised for allowing Mary too central a role in their belief system. The reality is that a true understanding of Mariology does not, in any way, attempt to make the creature equal with the Creator. Mary always points us towards Jesus.

Abandonment

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matt 27:46). These are words of abandonment but not of despair. They are the opening words of Psalm 22:1, a lament which turns into a prayer of praise. Jesus, like all devout Jews would have known the Psalms (150 of them) by heart. Reciting the Psalms was an everyday occurrence for Jews. Here at the point of complete and utter human desolation a prayer is uttered amidst the brokenness. It is a plaintive cry but it is a prayer. It is, perhaps, the greatest declaration of faith. The darkest hour is right before the dawn. Death is not the end.

Thirtsting for what is right

"I thirst," (John 19:28). Crucifixion is gruelling. Thirst is obvious. But Christ also thirsts for the will of the Father, not just for Himself, but also that it will be done in the world. The words also echo Psalm 22:15 and Psalm 69:21. For some believers the offering of vinegar on a hyssop stick is seen as a hostile act. Others see it as a ‘fulfilment’ of Exodus 12:22 when hyssop was used in the Passover feast. The blood of the Passover lambs ‘saved’ the chosen people, the blood of Christ saves all mankind. Jesus is the new Passover Lamb of God.

Beginning of the end

"It is accomplished," (John 19:30). No one has ‘taken’ the life of Jesus, He has handed it over Himself. Jesus has fulfilled all that He set out to do – the will of His Father. He dictated the time of His death. Traditionally when people were crucified their legs would be broken to hasten death. To breathe on the cross one had to drag his body up using pressure on his hands and legs which were nailed to the wood. The pain is unimaginable. With their legs broken they would be unable to raise themselves up to breathe. Not one of Jesus’ bones was broken, thus fulfilling Scripture, "Not one of his bones will be broken," Psalm 34:20 and Exodus 12:46.

The new beginning

"Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit," (Luke 23:46). This is an echo of Psalm 31:5 and is a prayer of serene confidence. Redemption is rampant, salvation is secured. History enters a new phase. What seemed lost is won. The depths of abandonment mask the core of love.

Death gives way to the resurrection. That is why we declare in the present tense "The Lord IS risen." It is only through the resurrection that the death can be understood. Death has lost its power. It will come knocking for each of us, when is unimportant. The only time that matters is now – the eternal present.

- written by Liamy MacNally
liamymacnally@mayonews.ie

Create in me a clean heart, O God.

Psalm 51 (ESV)

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

¹Have mercy on me,^[a] O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!

³For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
⁴Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
⁵Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
⁶Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
⁹Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right^[b] spirit within me.
¹¹Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
¹⁴Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
¹⁵O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

¹⁸Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
¹⁹then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

A Chance to Explore the Meaning of Life.

Whose will be done?

A statement issued Feb. 25 by Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod President Gerald B. Kieschnick.

"Judging from various news reports, it does not appear that Ms. Schiavo has entered irretrievably into the dying process," Kieschnick's statement reads. "Therefore, administering food and hydration would belong in the realm of ordinary care and should not be withdrawn. Removing Terri's feeding tube will not allow her to die, since she is not dying. Removing her tube will, in fact, cause her to die."

The court struggle, Kieschnick says, "has the potential effectively to legalize and set a dangerous precedent for this type of killing in our country -- a precedent that would have profound effects on our culture as a whole. Our society is shaped by the value we place on human life. If we believe that the life of every human being is of special worth, we will choose to treat each person with care and respect. As we face often-difficult end-of-life issues, our aim must always be to care, never to kill."

A statement from Johann Christoph Arnold: Spiritual Leader of the Bruderhof Christian Community.

As a culture, we have become too reliant on science and technology. We have also become dangerously dependent on the State to make decisions for us. Shouldn't we rather try to discern what God would have us do? In Terri’s case it should not be the end of the world to remove a feeding tube. Where medical knowledge and capability end, there God can begin to work. And if it is God’s will for Terri to recover, she will: for Jesus is truly the only physician who can heal the sick and raise the dead. If Terri should die, it will be painful, but no cause for despair: we all have to die one day.

We are too afraid of death and dying. We forget that those who are dying are stretched out between earth and heaven, between the physical and the spiritual, between the finiteness of life on earth and the eternity of life beyond. Every dying person has a message to the living. Even in her current condition, Terri’s living is not in vain; all who come in contact with her have an opportunity to be taught love and compassion to others.

That an intensified struggle over Terri’s life is occurring right at Easter highlights the message of Good Friday, when we think of the death of Jesus, who longed to reconcile everything in the universe. His crucifixion remains the supreme example of suffering that was not in vain.

-- I respect the opinions and guidance of both these men, and I agree with them both... even in contradiction. I have signed two DNR orders for dying relatives: my father and my god-mother. In my god-mother's case, I also had her feeding tube removed, as she was being kept in a state of agony by artificial means. I've seen both of my parents quit eating as they prepared to die, not by their own "choice", but by their body's design and readiness for the end.

Based upon my own experiences, I fear that Terri Schiavo's body is being denied the ability to implement its own transition to death.

A Christian friend recently remarked to me that he views death as a "graduation" to new-life. He's not afraid of death, but he also said that he just doesn't want a long "graduation ceremony".

A River in Egypt

What the e-mail from a Republican asked:

1) The Dixiecrat party was made up of Southern
a) Democrats
b) Republicans

2) Jim Crow laws were passed by legislatures controlled by:
a) Democrats
b) Republicans

3) When the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. led the civil rights efforts in the South, the governing powers that opposed him were of which party?
a) Democrat
b) Republican

4) In Arkansas, the governor who stood in the door of a schoolhouse to block integration was a:
a) Democrat
b) Republican

5) The president who ordered in the National Guard to dislodge the above-mentioned governor from the above-mentioned door was a:
a) Democrat
b) Republican

6) George Wallace was a:
a) Democrat
b) Republican

7) Lester Maddox was a:
a) Democrat
b) Republican

The correct answer, in all cases, is "a) Democrat".


What a person who was serious and truthful about US History might ask (don't take my word for it, you're sensible people, look it up):

1) When LBJ got the Voting Rights Act of 1964 passed, the members of the Dixiecrat party joined the
a) Democrats
b) Republicans

2) The people who passed Jim Crow laws now belong to which party?
a) Democratic
b) Republican

3) Which party do those who opposed Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights efforts in the South now belong to?
a) Democratic
b) Republican

4) If a governor were to stand in the door of a schoolhouse to block integration today, he/she would be a:
a) Democrat
b) Republican

5) If today a president were to order in the National Guard to dislodge the above-mentioned governor from the above-mentioned door, he/she would be a:
a) Democrat
b) Republican
c) Either

6) If he were starting in politics today, George Wallace would be a:
a) Democrat
b) Republican

7) If he were starting in politics today, Lester Maddox would be a:
a) Democrat
b) Republican

The correct answer in all cases, except for #5, is "b) Republican". The correct answer to 5 would be "c".

Bear Baiting

Bear-baiting is a blood sport that was a popular entertainment from at least the 11th century in which a bear is secured to a post and then attacked by a number of dogs.

In the most well known form there were purpose built arenas for the entertainment, called in England bear-gardens, consisting of a circular high fenced area, the pit, and raised seating for spectators. A post would be set in the ground towards the edge of the pit and the bear chained to it, either by the leg or neck. The dogs would then be set on it, being replaced as they tired or were wounded or killed. For a long time the main bear-garden in London was the Paris Garden at Southwark.

In England, from the 16th century, many "herds" of bears were maintained for baiting. Henry VIII was a fan and had a pit constructed at Whitehall. Elizabeth I was also fond of the entertainment; it featured regularly in her tours. In 1575 a baiting display for her had thirteen bears, and when an attempt was made to ban baiting on Sundays she over-ruled Parliament. A variation was "the whipping of a blinded bear" and certain other animals were also baited, especially bulls but also on one curious occasion a pony with an ape tied to its back was baited and a spectator described that "...with the screaming of the ape, beholding the curs hanging from the ears and neck of the pony, is very laughable". With bulls, the animal's nose was usually blown full of pepper to enrage the animal before the baiting. The bull was often allowed a hole in the ground, into which to thrust his vulnerable nose and lips. A variant of bull-baiting was "pinning the bull"; specially-trained dogs would be set upon the bull one at a time, a successful attack resulting in the dog fastening his teeth strongly in the bull's snout.

Attempts to end the entertainment were first made in England by the Puritans, with little effect. But by the late 17th century "the conscience of cultivated people seems to have been touched", but it was not until 1835 that baiting were prohibited by Parliament, a ruling that was soon extended across the Empire. Baiting is banned worldwide but can still be found in parts of the Middle East and Pakistan.

Compare Bull-baiting, cock-fighting, dog fighting

The term is also used for the hunting practice of luring a bear with food, bait, to an arranged killing spot.

-- This describes what I feel politicians have done to Terri Schiavo. It is simply evil to compound this tragedy and suffering for political gain. But then, from a group that has asked for (and received) legal opinions allowing torture, why would I be surprised that they would extend tragedy and suffering just for political gain?

God will not be mocked, and there will be Hell to pay.

The Switch Pitcher

I believe YWH throws as well from His right as from His left.

The Donkey

When fishes flew and forests walked,
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood
Then surely I was born;

With monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil’s walking parody
On all four-footed things;

The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me--I am dumb,
I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;
One far fierce hour and sweet--
There was a shout about my ears
And palms before my feet.

G. K. Chesterton

Tragedy and Statistics

A feeding tube has been removed in Florida, a baby in Houston was removed from a respirator by the State, and a friend of my daughter had her mother removed from life support yesterday here in Dallas.

I am Pro-Life, and all three of these events effect me. Terri Schiavo's case certainly, but also the 5 month old infant in Houston who suffered birth defects. Against the mother's wishes, the hospital decided to terminate life support, as a law passed by the Texas State Legislature and signed into law by then Gov. George Bush, allowed (the law basically allows hospitals to "pull the plug" when the insurance money runs out). The infant could not live without a respirator, but might live indefinitely on one. The Corporate/State partnership pulled the plug. There were no protests.

My daughter's friend's mother was brain dead following a car accident. Does the soul escape the body when brain functions cease?

In all three cases, only medical technology was able to keep the heart beating and the lungs breathing. In Florida, that technology was fairly basic: a feeding tube. But in all three cases, remove the technology (artifice), and the individual dies (quickly in the case of the infant and the mother, slowly in the case of Mrs. Schiavo). As we used to say, "Nature has run her course."

100,000 innocent Iraqi civilians (presuming anyone is innocent) have died in our war to bring freedom to Iraq (remember, we've changed our rational for going to war. "No WMD's? Let Freedom march!").

100,000 dead, and no protests from the Religious Right. One severely brain-damaged woman in Florida, and thousands march, but not for an infant in Houston. But then, Texas isn't a "swing" state.

It was Joseph Stalin (The "Liberator" of Eastern Europe) who remarked, "The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of thousands is a statistic."

And for a baby dying in his mother's arms, gasping for breath? Silence.

The Trickleship Down Society

With great anticipation, I volunteered to work as a counselor at Dr. Billy Graham's Metroplex Mission rally in Dallas in 2002.

The first night, with 75,000 people in attendance (most of them young people), I heard and saw an event that broke my heart.

Dr. Graham had his good friend former President George H.W. Bush on stage to give his personal witness. Mr. Bush never once mentioned Jesus. He mentioned speed boats, and power, and praying with Dr. Graham before invading Iraq (the first time)... but he never mentioned Jesus. Not once. No witness, just chuminess. That was bad, but it wasn't the worst.

Dr. Graham preached on the story of the Wealthy Young Man who wanted salvation. As you know, Jesus told him to give away all he had, and to follow Him.

Then Dr. Graham said something that I couldn't believe. He said (paraphrase), "The Rich Young Man turned away, saddened, because he couldn't part with his riches. Now, those were probably ILL-GOTTEN riches, and that was why he couldn’t part with them."

My wife turned to me and asked, "Did Graham just say the young man couldn't part with his riches because they were ill-gotten?" I told her I wasn't sure.

But TWICE more in his address to these thousands of young people, Dr. Graham stated that the reason the Young Man couldn't part with his wealth was because they were "ill-gotten".

I was, and am, stunned. That's not in the Text anywhere, nor is it even hinted at. The all too clear meaning is that "the love of money is the root of all evil", not the love of illegal proceeds, and not just money, but the "love" of money. But I fear that Dr. Graham, by associating himself almost exclusively in the last few years with those who would rather rain down fire than see mercy reign, with those who's primary concern in all things is that their taxes be reduced, has been seduced into worshipping the god Mammon, and serves in his court as yet another Pharisee.

I pray that Dr. Graham and BGEA will repent of this error, stand back from the trappings of wealth and power in this country, and turn back to the Cross of Christ. May God open the eyes of His faithful servant, and restore him.

(This entry has been reposted from another blog, Beware the Leaven.)

St. Harry's Day

10/21/1918 - 3/17/1994
Previously known as St. Patrick's Day.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgement of Doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of the Cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of the resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In prediction of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendour of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak to me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me,

From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From every one who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in a multitude.
I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,

Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body
and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poising, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So there come to me abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye of every one who sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

The Lorica, Saint Patrick (translation by by Kuno Meyer)

• A comment by James Kiefer: An aspect of Patrick's thought that shows very clearly through his writings is his awareness of himself as an unlearned exile, a former slave and a fugitive, who has learned the hard way to put his sole trust in God.
  

And I would say much the same about my father, Harry Summer.

Yeah, he's cute.

Hosea Foster Downing (a.k.a.: The Grandson) at five months.

The Dubya Cross.

The original title of this post was "The Cult of the W", which has a sort-of Arthur Conan Doyle-ish ring to it. But the new title better represents what I think is going on here, a kind of "double-cross", where People think they are voting as Christians, but in reality, they are participating in a clearly "Anti-Christian" movement. And no, you can't wave the bloody flag of abortion or pictures of homosexual couples kissing on the court house steps as a justification. Pointing to the Sadducees in outrage only solidifies your position as a Pharisee.

A couple of books I'm reading have an interesting crossing point. "Hitler's Cross: The Revealing Story of How the Cross of Christ Was Used As a Symbol of the Nazi Agenda" by Erwin W. Lutzer , and "A Private and Public Faith" by William Stringfellow. The crossing point (Intended pun? You decide) is the public misuse of religion for political gain. Lutzer points out how Hitler bent the church to his will, even as he bent the Cross into the Nazi Swastika. Hitler grabbed the appeal of the Law, combined with exploiting the economic insecurity of the middle class, to subvert the Gospel. Stringfellow faults John F. Kennedy for responding to Republican claims that the Pope would run America (if Kennedy were to become President) by stressing the "Seperation of Church and State" principal as understood to be in the US constitution. In both cases, "christian" religion was used as a political weapon against Christianity.

If the opening paragraph in Lutzer's book (where he describes Rudolph Hess' plan and search for a new German Leader) doesn't make you think of Karl Rove, then you aren't paying attention. And if the realization that the Democratic Party's over-secularization is a direct result of the GOP's anti-Catholic attacks on John Kennedy, then you are clearly irony deficient.

I make bumper stickers, and have been doing so for a number of years, in varying quantities (from one to one hundred thousand). I noticed several years ago how many members of my denomination at the time (since repented) would line up on Ash Wednesday for a pious show of ashes, but whose cars would seldom have any identifier as to who was their Lord (picky point, I know). Oh, they might have an Episcopal Shield on their rear window, but that's not quite the same as an icthus (little silver fishy), or some clear statement of faith. The Episcopal Shield was more like a parking permit at the Dallas Country Club.

I have a dear Christian friend who just so happens to be a highly partisan Republican. But he has a strick "no stickers" rule for his car. He broke that rule for a small, subtle, and tasteful "Jesus Prayer" bumper sticker strip (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me a Sinner). When he got his new car, he didn't want to put a sticker on it. Understandable. But he put a "W: the President" sticker on his car. No Jesus Prayer, no icthus, so outside indication or witness as to who his Lord is. Or is there indeed a unintended witness to an unintentional lord?

"Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can't go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being."
-- Luke 12:33-34 The Message

The worship of Mammon.

The Cult of the W.

Texas Independence Day

Today is also Texas Interdependence Day, the 19th anniversary of my marriage to the lovely, sweet, exciting Lura Linden Baker, a true gift from God for a wayfaring stranger.