Shame Is a Good Thing

December 21, 2011

They have treated My people’s brokenness superficially, claiming, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they acted so abhorrently? They weren’t at all ashamed. They can no longer feel humiliation. Therefore, they will fall among the fallen (Jeremiah 6:14-15, source Holman Christian Standard Bible 2003).

Our culture has disavowed shame as being always bad, and to be avoided. We seem to see shame as a false and invalid feeling. That weeping prophet Jeremiah describes our state more accurately.

Shame has been renounced. It has been forgotten. All feelings are equally valid in such thinking. The thinking is wrong. (Actually, it’s more accurately termed thinking avoidance.)

Shame can help us recognize our sin and need for a holy God.

That’s the problem. We don’t want that reminder.

Our lack of shame is probably a contributing reason Christ-Mass is more sentimental silliness (or brutal battles for meaningless merchandise) than reflection on the reason for the Incarnation: our relentless rebellion.

Full of Grace and Truth

(Small church building in north Idaho near where my maternal grandfather’s body was laid to rest years ago)

December 21, 2011

Each year at this season my love for the language and meaning of the first chapter of John is renewed. The Word (Christ the Messiah) is described as being “full of grace and truth”. That phrase has me captured.

When it comes to balancing grace and truth, humans have a hard time. We go to one side or the other.

On Moral Versus Economic Issues

October 1, 2011

Some Tea Party and Republican individuals have said we cannot afford the time now to deal with social issues. They say it is immediately imperative to deal with the economic illness first. Then we’ll get to the secondary (by implication) moral issues.

I think they have it backwards.

Spending Cuts. Sorta.

October 1, 2011

Earlier this year, we heard a lot of hoopla about the huge “spending cuts” our Congress and President were proposing. When I looked into it, my gizzard was stirred, and I wanted to write, but life intervenes, doesn’t it?

I have time now.

Extremists Are Everywhere. Aren’t They?

September 28, 2011

Extremism, along with its permutations, is a word tossed about with casual abandon and regularity today. It’s like all sides have read the memo dictating its use.

Muslim extremists

Right wing extremists

It’s a good word to minimize truth. It’s a good word to marginalize people and issues.

The State Church of America

September 28, 2011

There’s no need for me to multiply words here. The leaders and theologians of what’s quite possibly the most effective church in the land speak well enough.  Just believe what they themselves say. More eloquence and clarity would be hard to add. We right-wing round-the-bend rubes don’t need to foam at the mouth. Just take these clergy-types at their own word.

Go to Church or Be the Church?

July 24, 2010

My worldview places the fellowship of believers-in-Christ – the church – as essential to life. I made a comment once on my desire to see church “done” differently. Someone asked me to elaborate. The elaboration follows. The first phrase that came to my mind, and which I said out loud when asked to elaborate, was: “It would be less safe”.

Our Own Worst Enemy Is Us

April 23, 2010

We are handing over our future – our safety – our livelihoods – our very existence – to our enemies. They must be laughing up their sleeves.

How did we attain this level of insanity?

financial-jihad–how-radical-islam–through-wall-street–threatens-americas-families-and-freedom#

Germaine Quotes for Today’s Climate of Class Warfare (i.e. Washington Policy)

April 22, 2010

It always befuddles me. People who have risen to the top, and gained much personally in so many ways, want to diminish or destroy the near-genius system of government which enabled them to do so well. Is there no wisdom in the streets? Well, on reflection, yes. There’s a lot of wisdom in the streets. Where it seems to have disappeared is in the hallowed halls of Washington. We have people ensconced who seem to have no regard for history and no understanding of human nature. I find that these quotes, and there are many others out there, speak very clearly to the present day’s insanity.

Design is Stupid; Random is Smart

September 27, 2009

I sometimes read newspaper editorials. One by Mr. Leonard Pitts caught my “highly evolved” eye some time back; it’s been on a back burner ever since. In the article Mr. Pitts tried to make a case for allowing only science to speak in the broader culture on matters of our beginnings and how we got here. He stated that attempting to “undermine” the teaching of Darwin’s theory with any idea of intelligent design would be a step in a campaign to turn out “stupid kids”. In other words, kids taught to believe in origins of other than naturalistic evolution are stupid. We gotta keep things neutral; get that religion out of the classroom!