December 2006 Archives

A fundamentalist pastor, Vincent Fields, was invited to give the opening-day invocation before the New Jersey Senate on December 14.

But instead of giving a standard nondenominational blessing he belched forth invective about lawmakers who would dare to show support for same-sex marriage: "We curse the spirit that would come to bring about same-sex marriage. We ask you to just look over this place today, cause them to be shaken in their very heart in uprightness, Lord, to do what is right before you."

Fields said that he did not intend to speak of “gay-marriage” in his invocation.  Initially he started out praying for wisdom and understanding for the lawmakers.  Then, he says, “The Holy Spirit took over, and I had to pray what he said.”  Fields’ wife said to him afterwards, “You were being nice and tiptoeing and all of a sudden, Boom!”

Fields’ invocation caused quite a stir around the Senate.  Invocations are not supposed to be political or divisive according to Senate President Richard Codey.

Codey said that Fields had overstepped boundaries in his invocation and would not be invited back to offer an invocation in the future.

The right-wing Christian Post, whose motto is (interestingly and somewhat ironically) “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32) jumps to Fields’ defense by comparing him to a long line of ‘godly ministers’ extending all the way back to John the Baptist and the Hebrew prophets.

In his article, Mark Creech draws a connection between Fields and historic religious leaders who ‘made a cultural and religious impact’ by improving the plight of women and slaves, protecting defenseless children and providing humane treatment for prisoners and the poor (early Christian martyrs); by opposing indentured servitude, slavery, prisoner abuse and inequity in healthcare and education (John Wesley); and by working to raise the age of consent for women (William Booth).

Well, knock me down! The mean spirited attempts by Fields, Creech and co. to block equal civil protections for GLBT families seems a far cry from the progressive political engagement they claim as their supposed spiritual heritage. If they are the spiritual heirs of Wesley then I'm Barbara Streisand's love-child. Liberal mainstream Christianity, not the religious right, is the heir to the progressive spiritual tradition of the early evangelicals. Where do you see conservative evangelicals working today for universal healthcare, prison reform or women's rights?

Gay-obsessed right-wing activist Peter LaBarbera also jumped in with lavish praise for Fields. (You know you have arrived at a very special place indeed when you have LaBarbera's support.)

Many of us are intimidated against speaking out on God’s behalf, but the “gay” lobby is quite willing to fill the void — “preaching” at us with its slick but morally bankrupt message that “being gay” is naturally “who they are,” and demonizing Christians as “haters.” They can redefine words all they want, but homosexual behavior will always be wrong, and “gay pride” is direct rebellion against God.

In New Jersey, it’s easy to despair as homosexual activists claim yet another court-assisted victory, and all we have for inspiration is Rev. Fields’ Holy Spirit-led prayer. But the faithful pastor actually points the way back for our nation. Secular studies and catchy sound-bites will not bring a return of God’s blessing, but spiritual revival and repentance will — by bringing about godly humility and a desire to obey His moral laws, and creating a newfound wonder at His marvelous creation, including marriage and the family.

There he goes, pointing out the speck of pride in another’s eye while ignoring the veritable lumberyard in his own. And all in the name of ‘godly humility’.

Thus we bask in the self-congratulatory glow of a right wing media that mistakenly equates ignorance and discrimination with godliness and arrogance with humility.

In Camino Real, Tennessee Williams said “Life is an unanswered question, but lets still believe in the dignity and importance of the question.” Dignity is found in the pursuit of the important questions, not in the possession of all the answers. As a corollary, it’s possible (in fact essential) to have faith without relying on certainty as a crutch.

Jim Wallis was recently asked by the Washington Post whether he believed Jesus was the Son of God, and if so, what that means. Here is part of his response:

I believe the things that Jesus says about himself in the New Testament, and affirm what the later Scriptures and church creeds say about Jesus being the Son of God. But, that doesn't mean many of the things that Christians have too often concluded, or how we have acted on the basis of our belief.

Jesus being the Son of God does NOT mean that Christians are better, more right, more righteous, more moral, more blessed, more destined to win battles, or more suited to govern and decide political matters than non-Christians. Instead, believing that Jesus was the Son of God would better mean that people who claim to believe it ought to then live the way Jesus did and taught. And on that one, many of us Christians (who believe the right way) are in serious trouble when it comes to the way we live. Those who believe that Jesus was the Son of God should be the most loving, compassionate, forgiving, welcoming, peaceful, and hungry for justice people around—just like Jesus, right? Well, it's not always exactly so.

What a timely reminder as we enter a new year. Can we have the courage to affirm our faith without damning the beliefs (and souls) of others? Can we have a little less shrill rhetoric in 2007? I’m so tired of Christian arrogance, whether it be from the right or the left.

Jim notes that the famous evangelist Billy Graham exhibited great humility when asked about the fate of non-Christians.

One young believer stood up and asked Dr. Graham, "Since Jesus said 'I am the way, the truth and the life, and no man cometh to the Father but by me,' doesn't that mean people from other religions—Jews and the rest—are going to hell?" Billy replied, "I'm sure glad that God is the judge of people's hearts and not me! And I trust God to decide those questions justly and mercifully." The student was disappointed and pressed further, "Well, what do you think God will decide?" Graham demurred, "Well, God doesn't really ask my advice on those matters."

Maybe we could all apply that maxim. And remember to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).

As my friend Matt points out, if the sin of Sodom was pride (Isaiah 3:9, Ezekiel 16:49-50), then many Christians are indeed Sodomites and should be truly ashamed.

Apocalypse now. Just in time for the holidays. Take your pick of the following:

• Mel Gibson's latest movie, where America's conquered are fodder for Gibson's latest historically inaccurate depiction of evil,
• Left Behind: Eternal Forces, a so-called 'Christian' video game where you engage in apocalyptic warfare and win points by converting or killing atheists, Catholics, Muslims and Jews, or
• This report on where Western civilization is heading under the enlightened ethical leadership of Chairman Bush and co.
  

There's no place like Rome, toto...

I'd heard plenty of stories about Ratzinger being gay. I once had an interesting discussion with a (former) Catholic theologian on the very subject. But I didn't know Papa wore pretty red shoes from Prada.

Hat tips to Pam Spaulding and my friend Brenda.

It’s always tempting to characterize religious leaders like James Dobson and Pat Robertson as wingnuts, mere fruitcakes who aren’t meant to be taken seriously. To do so would not only be dangerous but would ignore the facts that (a) millions take their every word quite seriously and (b) they have a lot of influence in the corridors of power, much of it behind the scenes.

They don’t care if their opponents mock them. For them it is par for the course to be ridiculed repeatedly in the public square by ‘Godless liberals’. This is a sign of their supposed righteousness and the justice of their cause. And it removes the need to engage in serious dialogue with their opponents based on empirical evidence and established standards of truth telling.

In Religion Gone Bad, Soulforce founder Mel White makes a strong argument that powerful religious right leaders are not at all stupid. They know that a lot of what they say (about homosexuals, for instance) is utter crap and flies in the face of accepted truth. They keep on saying it regardless because their word makes it true for their countless followers. Telling lies in the name of Jesus galvanizes the troops and greases the fundraising coffers.

The latest such example is Dobson's shameless attack on Mary Cheney and Heather Po in the December 18 issue of TIME Magazine. In an article entitled 'Two Mommies Is One Too Many', Dobson makes the blatantly false claim (which he must know to be a complete sham) that “the majority of more than 30 years of social-science evidence indicates that children do best on every measure of well-being when raised by their married mother and father.” He goes on to say that same-sex parent families are “another untested and far-reaching social experiment”.

The social science evidence, far from corroborating Dobson’s views, completely disproves them. Years of research data have overwhelmingly demonstrated that the gender of parents has no bearing whatsoever on the developmental wellbeing of children.

Soulforce is mounting a petition drive to ask TIME Magazine to check Dobson’s facts on gay and lesbian parenthood. They quote Dr. Christopher Martell, President of the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues at the American Psychological Association (APA):

Over and again the data show that a loving and safe home environment is important, not the gender of the parents. The mainstream research is so clear on this matter that the American Psychological Association's resolution on Sexual Orientation, Parents, and Children, which was adopted by the APA Council of Representatives in July, 2004, states: "the APA supports the protection of parent-child relationships through the legalization of joint adoptions and second parent adoptions of children being reared by same-sex couples."

The American Psychological Association, one of the world's largest mental health organizations, would not have supported the protection of legalized adoption by gay and lesbian parents if the data had suggested that children were at risk in such households.

TIME Magazine should require that contributors such as Dobson refrain from making misleading statements, or they should contextualize such statements by printing them alongside evidence from credible, peer reviewed research.

Sign the petition here.

An article concerning the religious right by Alexander Zaitchik on AlterNet got me thinking about biblical literacy. And about the religious right’s ongoing efforts to substitute a form of studied ignorance variously referred to as ‘absolute values’ or a ‘Christian worldview’ in place of a genuine program of biblical literacy.

Zaitchik points to the growing acknowledgment among luminaries of the right concerning the ‘systemic crisis’ of ‘functional Biblical illiteracy among the flock.’ He quotes recent research by the evangelical polling outfit, the Barna Group:

In August of 2005, Barna reported that less than ten percent of born-again Christians held what he termed a "Biblical worldview." Based on his survey, very few grasped the nuances of scripture or believed in "Absolute Truth" any more than their secular counterparts; the "Body of Christ" had been infected with the virus of relativism, a wasting disease.

"Although most people own a Bible and know some of its content," reported Barna, "our research found that most [professed evangelicals] have little idea how to integrate core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to the challenges and opportunities of life."

This is not particularly startling, in that it confirms my own experiences as a youth in various evangelical and pentecostal churches, as well as my current experience in a liberal church. Not a lot of people actually read the Bible in any depth, let alone study it or develop an ability to engage in critical conversation about its contents.

The latter ability is what I would define as genuine biblical literacy. Knowledge of proof texts and so-called ‘biblical values’ (i.e. dogma) does not, in my mind, constitute literacy, any more than the ability to memorize multiplication tables or recite prime numbers constitutes numeracy.

Of course, conservative Christian leaders mostly want their flock to be fluent in carefully prescribed ‘values’ and ‘worldview’, dogmatic assertions which are taken by faith (and by aid of proof-texting) to rest on a ‘biblical’ foundation. Anything that suggests the use of critical method or non-circular hermeneutics is seriously frowned upon. The vast majority of evangelicals don’t know their Bible largely because they’re brought up to read it not as sacred literature but as a source of proof texts and magical formulas for spiritual success. Little wonder ignorance abounds.

I think another reason for the lack of interest is that under such dogmatic oversight, faith becomes largely cultural for so many people. In an environment where every question is already decided, where the Bible is the source of all authoritative dogma and not a living conversation with and about God, really reading the Bible becomes a chore, like high school poetry.

Hear the air of desperation in the following comments by James Dobson, who has now invented a Bible ‘boot camp’ to try to anchor conservative Christians into a more dogmatic approach to their faith:

"Only by understanding the immutable truth claims of Christ," says Dobson in The Truth Project's promotional video, can Christians successfully defend against the "postmodern worldview" in which "God does not exist," "the family is defined as any circle of love," and "homosexuality is the moral equivalent of heterosexuality."

"If we capture and embrace more of God's worldview and trust it with unwavering faith," says Dobson, "then we begin to ... form the appropriate responses to questions on abortion, same-sex marriage, cloning, stem-cell research and even media choices." But the real prize is bigger than any one issue. By fully embracing Truth, religious conservatives can "recapture Western Civilization," which they "invented but have lost."

Hmm… God doesn’t have a ‘worldview’, Dr Dobson. It’s just your view of the world superimposed upon God.

A lot of ink has been spilled over the story of Ted Haggard’s resignation amid revelations of sexual impropriety.

There is much chatter about abuse of power, the vulnerability of religious leaders in general, whether mega-church ministries set themselves up to fall in such spectacular ways, what are the warning signs, and so on. The center of gravity for these speculations is The Haggard Story, a supposedly sordid drama of lust and betrayal played out in four acts: Act I ‘The Pedestal’, Act II ‘The Scandal’, Act III ‘The Fall’ and in closing, Act IV ‘The Recovery’.

Liberal magazine The Christian Century covers the story in its November 28 issue with an editorial and accompanying news piece that more or less follow this boilerplate. The ‘scandal’ is framed as a fall from grace, a turn toward ‘sexual or chemical addictions’ accompanied by power-fueled hypocrisy.

But why is it that Haggard’s sexual liaisons with a male prostitute are framed in this manner? Forget for a moment that this is how Haggard himself and his charismatic cohorts have characterized it. Why should we view his situation as a personal ‘fall’ rather than as emblematic of a greater struggle going on within the church today – the struggle for equality, acceptance and ministry for all GLBT Christians?

Forget for a moment the sordid hype. Isn’t the real scandal here the way in which Haggard, even now, is still unable to come to terms with his sexual identity and accept himself as a beloved child of God, just as he is? That such a respected and surely learned man of God, who must have ministered grace to thousands of others, can not find within himself that same free gift of grace?

It’s a scandal that un-biblical sex-negative dogma has such a sway over much of the church that even liberal journals like The Christian Century can’t call a spade a spade. The lies that forced Ted Haggard to live a double life and pushed him toward dangerous and self destructive activity are the same lies that threaten the sanity, safety and wellbeing of millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people every single day.

The real scandal is that people are still forced to live this way in the twenty first century. The same lies are pushing Ted Haggard and thousands of others into so-called reparative therapy, which itself is a Great Lie and serves only to deepen the scandal and worsen the pain.

What we need is a non-scandalous response to a scandalous situation. Gay spiritual leaders have, as far as I can tell, reached out to Ted with grace and sincerity.

The Colorado Springs Gazette quoted Rev. Nori Rost, MCC clergy and founder of spiritual justice advocacy group Just Spirit, as saying “I feel a lot of sympathy for Ted. Having been a pastor, you live in a fishbowl anyway. It must be very painful for Ted and his family.”

In a November 6 press release, Soulforce urged “compassion for Haggard and accountability for the National Association of Evangelicals.” Executive Director Jeff Lutes said

Rev. Haggard is just one more tragic example of how lives are destroyed by the lies about gay and lesbian people perpetuated by the NAE, the Religious Right, and both the Protestant and Roman Catholic Church. Taught by the church to hate himself, the only option from his point of view was to lead a psychologically and spiritually damaging double life marked by denial and self-destructive behavior. Rev. Haggard is a victim of religion-based bigotry that regularly demeans and demoralizes gay and lesbian people and refuses to acknowledge that we are part of the American fabric, and that many of us form loving families and practice a deep faith in God.

Our community's anger at Rev. Haggard's hypocrisy is completely understandable. However, my hope is that our community will take the high road and extend an olive branch of friendship and support when he is ready to fully come out as a gay man. Dobson and the others will counsel him to bury, deny, and repress his sexuality even deeper than before. They will wound his spirit, and he is going to need our prayers and our compassionate message that God loves him, affirms him, and calls him to live his life openly with honesty and integrity.

Soulforce subsequently launched a campaign for LGBT and allied people to write letters of concern and compassion to Haggard. Apparently over three hundred people from different walks of life have written to him, many addressing themselves as people of faith coming from a conservative Christian background having once struggled with denial and being in bondage to anti-gay misinformation.

Some on the right might no doubt characterize such words and acts as part of some ‘homosexual agenda’ to exploit Ted Haggard’s sad circumstances for political ends. To accept such a viewpoint would be to fail to see the heartfelt concern of ordinary people who genuinely care about what the man and his family are going through. Unlike the fear-and-power mongers on the religious right, many of us know all too well what it is like to be on the receiving end of judgment and condemnation.