HOMELESS

There are “Jesus was Homeless” ministries, organizations, t-shirts, and of course, endless “Jesus was Homeless” homilies and sermons. Why do we like to say that the Lord Jesus was homeless? Do we really think that Jesus was homeless in the same sense as what real homeless people are today? Jesus grew up as the son of a carpenter; we can presume that He was not homeless then. When Jesus began His ministry, He was not some poor victim of helplessness. In a sense, Jesus had everything that He wanted. Is that how you’d describe the truly homeless today? To the extent that our Lord was “homeless,” He chose to be. While there are still some today who choose either directly or indirectly to be homeless, people who choose to be homeless shouldn’t be in the same category as those who are unable to fend for themselves… Jesus included!! Did you catch that? To the extent that Jesus was homeless, He chose to be. He shouldn’t be lumped together with those who are unable to fend for themselves; it’s an injustice to those who are truly homeless to call Jesus homeless!!

The Lord Jesus proclaimed, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head." Yet Jesus was no vagabond or bum. He had a time-critical ministry that carried Him all across the land. In a sense, it would have been silly for Him to have a home. He and His disciples stayed in people’s homes and I imagine they slept outside plenty of times too. Even so, when people of that time made their pilgrimages to Jerusalem or traveled to other places, they commonly slept under the stars. Since the beginnings of our faith with Abraham, our people lived in tents, out in the open, and in all kinds of accommodations. Many of them we could say were homeless. In fact, we could say that the whole exiled Jewish people were homeless.

To me, this whole “Jesus was Homeless” thing is an insult and often an emotional scam. Jesus’ first ministry words were “Repent” and that was the focus of His life. That should be our focus too, not that He was somehow homeless. Well okay, Jesus was also car-less, microwave-less, TV-less, and air conditioner-less. Maybe I should have a ministry like that. Would you donate money?! Just kidding, but I hope you get my point. Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.” Although Jesus was “poor,” He evidently didn’t consider Himself poor; He was talking about other people. I doubt He considered Himself homeless either.

Finally, what about the verse, “For when I was hungry, you gave me food; when I was thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was homeless, you gave me a welcome”? In every early translation I can find “homeless” is not in there. It says, “…I was a stranger and you took me in.” Maybe homeless is more politically correct…perhaps stranger and homeless is the same thing. But then the Disciples asked Jesus when He was ever one of the above? Evidently the Disciples never saw Him hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, in prison, or a stranger/homeless. The Disciples didn’t understand until Jesus said that when you minister to the least of these you minister unto Him.

So, let’s have an end to trying to say that Jesus was some poor homeless drifter. How about instead of putting Him in the victim status we put Him in the victor status?!

LESSON LEARNED

As odd as it may seem, this is the first blog post I’ve written in a couple of weeks. The ones you’ve been reading daily in this span were written in two days. Whether it is because of my stomach or arm, I often spend some time in a semi-conscious state while trying to get to sleep. It is in this state that blog ideas sometimes come to me. I’ll ruminate on the thoughts for a little while before writing their main ideas down on a notepad I keep next to the bed. If I don’t force myself to fully wake up and write them down, I usually forget the concept by morning or I lie there and process the thought so much that it makes it harder to get to sleep. Once I write it down, then I can let it go. I may do this process three or more times on a given night, not every night, but whenever the topics are flowing. Although I currently have a few new blog concepts on my notepad, I thought this might be a good time to update you on my personal happenings.

I still tire quiet easily. It’s nothing for me to sleep twelve to fifteen hours on a given day. That’s not every day but if I push myself very much then I’ll have a lengthy down time. It makes me wonder just how anemic I am these days; I’ll find out soon enough I suppose. Anyway, I feel like that much sleep is such a waste of good productive hours. I’d rather watch grass grow than to sleep that much!!

We’re going to a wedding next weekend. I very much dislike the thought of being in a room filled with coughing, hacking, and sneezing people, considering my immunity concerns, but some things a person needs to do. Maybe everyone at the wedding will be in good health!!

I made a big Gleevec mistake last Wednesday evening. I didn’t drink as much fluid with my Gleevec as is prescribed and it set my muscles into a mighty cramp. My muscles, especially in my legs, are in a constant state of mild contraction anyway. The cramps that hit me Wednesday night were unbelievable. The worst of it was centered in my hip, well okay, in my right buttock. I couldn’t walk, sit, lie down, or anything without it screaming at me. It stayed cramped for a little over a day. Eileen worked on the muscle and helped me stretch it out as much as possible. Now, it’s just quite sore but I can deal with that. Muscle cramping is a significant problem with people on Gleevec even if they drink enough fluids. It can get so bad that patients have to take a break from the Gleevec. Anyway, lesson learned!!

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

God likes to bless us. Obviously, not all blessings are materialistic but all through the Scriptures God offers to abundantly bless us in material ways too. Inherent to our blessings though is responsibility. If we are blessed with material blessings, we are to tend to the truly needy. There’s someone else that we need to tend to that we never hear about. That is us. We are to tend to financially responsible ways.

We all know people who live from paycheck to paycheck but are also world travelers, or people who go on exquisite cruises, expensive vacations, live in more house then they can afford, drive a more expensive car they should, eat out all the time, and etc. Then, they come up to retirement time and complain that social security doesn’t pay them enough to live. They become one of the destitute senior citizens that politicians pander to as they become a financial burden to society. Now they are one of the needy and financially destitute. There’s just something wrong with that.

Before I go farther, let me recognize that there are those who are truly needy. Who are the truly needy? For now we’ll just say they are the ones who are unable to provide for themselves. That is different from those who choose not to provide for themselves.

Anyway, we also know people who spend everything they make, have “mall habits,” have the latest fashions, and always seem to afford things beyond their income. They have insurmountable credit card debt. Thus, when it comes time for their kids to enter college, they are in the front of the line for government programs because they have no assets. Meanwhile parents who have been sacrificially saving for retirement and to aid their children with college don’t qualify for these government programs, because they have assets and most financial aid is “needs based.” One family has spent its money living it up. As a result, they get college paid for. The other family saves their money and ends up spending most of it on college. The weird thing is that not only does the one who saved have to pay for his own kids’ college and/or loans, but his taxes also help pay for the one who was irresponsible with his money!! Something seems wrong with that too.

Now let’s talk about the nursing home. If you sacrificially saved up for retirement and need to go to the nursing home, you’ll spend it all on the nursing home. If you lived it up and spent all your blessings, then Medicaid will pay for your nursing home care.

Government programs have their purpose but they seem to reverse the natural order of everything they touch. The programs oddly reward the care-free while being laborious to the productive. It is rearward of natural order. In truth, we have a responsibility to be good stewards of our blessings and to not unnecessarily become a burden to others/society.

Proverbs 21:20 “Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man's dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.”

LAZINESS

Through the Bible, the Lord has a lot to say about laziness and it is not good. Not only does the Bible say that being lazy leads to poverty, but being lazy is not good for the soul. Furthermore, the lazy are referred to as being wicked. I searched the Bible for the words lazy, sluggard, and slothful. The laziness problem of then is still a problem today. The problem is perhaps made worse today in that there are so many government programs which essentially reward, enable, and empower laziness.

The truly needy are supposed to be helped by the church through charity. As a consequence, the needy learn the goodness of the church, the purpose of the church, and are accountable to get back on their feet as quickly as possible. It’s supposed to be church community helping its people. Those who might ever need help, or have been helped, tend to join or affiliate with the church. However, as we’ve discussed, the church has surrendered this Biblically ordained role of the church to the government. Rather than charity going to the needy, it’s taxes going to the needy and the lazy. Taking care of the needy is no longer a primary role of the church and charity is no longer the primary reason to give to the church. Programs which man has deemed more important have taken its place. Now, we have a system of taxation as the primary mode of helping the needy.

While the government gives all kinds of money to the needy, wanting, and lazy, there is an important feature missing. There’s little to no real accountability. Generation after generation of the lazy and wanting raid the government coffers to the point in which this blessed nation, with all its opportunities, programs, and freedoms, has a high poverty rate. The demand for more money for these programs is incessant.

With the whole charity and taxing dynamic being turned upside down, it’s no wonder that the government programs are out of control. Although the Bible says that “lazy hands make a man poor” and that the “sluggard craves and gets nothing,” the government is working hard to make that not be a reality. While the Bible warns the lazy that “poverty will come on like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man,” the government makes no distinction between the lazy and the needy. Although the government doesn’t care, the church should care that Scriptures say that the “one who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.” Laziness is not a trait we should empower, and we all know that the demand is endless: “The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ They cry.”

Similar to many of those who panhandle at street corners, some people are very willing to take advantage of the generous nature of Americans. It would be good if the Parable of the Talents in which God expects us to do the best of our ability was impressed on every mind. Help should be for those who do their best and still can’t make it, not for those who bury their talents and are too lazy to try.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”

THE FORBIDDEN TOPIC

I know it’s taboo to talk about homosexuality but I can’t write about speaking up and then remain silent in my blog on one of the most defining topics of our time. Why is it taboo? It’s because families are being affected by it with increased incidence. No one wants to make our own kids or a friend’s kids wrong, so we slowly accept it and move on. Even in spiritual circles, people choke on saying that homosexuality is wrong.

A friend who has been married over fifty years had the courage to tell an Episcopal priest that she disagreed with his affirmative view of homosexuality. In the course of their discussion, he asked her when it was that she became a heterosexual. He obviously wanted her to say she didn’t choose it to which he would say that homosexuals don’t choose it either. However, she had an inspired answer. She responded that she became a heterosexual when she decided to lie down with her husband. The extension is that a homosexual decides to be homosexual when he/she decides to lie down with someone of the same sex.

Let’s be clear; homosexuality is no worse of a sin than many others. The problem is that God calls it a sin and we are saying it is not. In other words, we are overruling God; we are acting as the god above God. That’s the problem with the homosexual agenda. It takes what has always been wrong and has now transformed it into something which is not only accepted but regarded as normal. In many states it is mandated to be taught in schools as normal human behavior. Christians should rebuke this notion and call it what it is: Sin.

That brings us to the typical saying, “God loves the homosexual as much as the heterosexual.” That’s to say God loves the adulterer as much as the faithful person, and the murderer, etc. That’s to say that God always loves the sinner just not the sin, therefore, there is never really judgment or consequences. That is to say we can do anything we want because God will love us the same no matter how we disregard Him. I say… don’t bet on it. If you spend any time in the Bible at all, you’ll see that God not only dislikes but hates willful and wanton disobedience regardless of what the sin is. Willful disobedience shows that man chooses his ways over God’s. That never has a good outcome. Far better is it to be living any sinful lifestyle seeking to get one’s life straightened out than it is to be the person countermanding God by saying it is no longer a sin. Further, simply put…as any parent, God always love us but God also says, “He who loves me obeys me.” Here’s the deal: Our eternity isn’t based on whether God loves us; that’s a given. Our eternity is based on whether we obediently love Him!! Purposely disobeying God is to deny God, to not love Him. That is the problem.

In all of our casualness and political correctness, we’ve lost what holiness really is. We’ve lost that we are called to live holy, contrite, and pious lives. We seem to think that we can live however we want and God will just have to suck it up. We might want to remember that God’s holiness is a natural consuming fire to those who willfully disobey and a refining fire for those who are obedient.

Will an unrepentant homosexual go to hell? No more than an unrepentant sinner of any kind will, and no less. That’s not our call. That which is our call is to seek to live obedient lives while rejecting sin. Besides, if Osama bin Laden isn’t going to hell, how can any of the rest of us possibly be so condemned?!!

If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable. (Proverbs 28:9)

A NATIONALISTIC VIEW

After being taken to task for mentioning our nation so much in my blog posts, I thought it might be a good idea to address the topic.

I view a nation to be a group of people with similar beliefs; our nation is not some inanimate object. It’s people. These people got their start in this nation rallying behind a set of core beliefs which were founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Perhaps for that reason or another, God has blessed us to be a great nation. If we study the Old Testament, we learn that God’s nations were very important to Him. He blessed them, protected them, chastised them, and punished them. Since God is the same yesterday, today, and always, we can expect the same thing for this nation based on our faithfulness and obedience…as a nation. Therefore, when our military fights to protect our freedoms, our freedoms are not just some random articles of American preference. They are liberties and blessings granted to us by God. Our military doesn’t just fight for and our country doesn’t just stand for a series of stars and stripes on a piece of cloth. Our country itself is a testament to the blessings of a Godly nation.

The problem is that little by little our country is becoming less Godly. We are becoming less of a representative of God to newer generations and to the world. Instead, we are becoming a politically correct nation which wants to stand for anything even if it is wrong, bad, or unGodly. Thus, we are losing our identity…our identity as a Godly nation. This is important because if God withdraws His hand from us, we will see a chaotic and calamitous end to a once great and blessed nation.

Then there is the famous third chapter of the Book of Joel in the Bible where God says that in the end times He will gather all nations and judge them. Among the famous items we will be judged for is dividing Israel and scattering the Jews.

A person also said to me that they believe that if Jesus was in America today that a majority of us would scream, “Crucify Him; crucify Him!” That may be true about some but I’m more concerned about the rest of us who would just sit back, close our eyes, and let it happen. These are the same ones who sit back and watch kids get molested by pastors, watch the Church turn a blind eye to homosexuality and cohabitation, watch the churches become politically correct to the detriment of Scriptural truth, watch our public officials strip prayer and Christian representations from public places, etc… and never say a word.

As far as I’m concerned, you can measure some of God’s patience with the whole world by what happens in this nation and Israel. If any two modern nations have had the blessings and protections of God it is these two. What happens in America is important because it’s an important gauge as to what’s happening with the nations around the world. Nations which will one day be judged.

NO OTHER NAME

Suppose our Lord was in disguise and He came up to you and asked you a question: “How do you get to heaven?” I hope we would have an answer because it’s hard to get somewhere when we don’t know the way. I suppose there would be a great assortment of answers to the question depending on our backgrounds, religions and church, and such. However, as Christians, we should be clear that there is nothing other than a true heartfelt love of God that will save us: The Greatest Commandment. Acts 4:12 says “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” It doesn’t matter how many times we go to church, pray, help little old ladies across the street, or rub our lucky penny if we don’t love God. On the other hand, if we do love God we will perform Godly acts as natural by-products of that love. God’s love compels us to acts of faith.

I don’t know what you think it takes to get to heaven but I hope it centers on the love of God. Christians often find themselves busy doing all sorts of things that churches and others compel us to do. As a result, we often miss out on the work and ministries that God would have us do if we ever sat still enough or quiet enough to take notice. Remember, there is no other name or thing under heaven, other than to love the Lord Jesus, which we can do to gain heaven. So, I hope we all take a little more time to get to know and love this Jesus that we are so busy serving. By the way, are we really serving God if we are doing something that He didn’t lead us to do? Or, are we serving a religious perception?

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

DELIVER US FROM EVIL

The Lord’s Prayer has a part which says, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” What is this evil that the Lord speaks of? Was evil just in Jesus’ time and is no longer pertinent today? After all, in today’s world we just seek to all get along with everyone and everything. Wherever evil might be, we just try to get along and not upset it.

It’s hard to avoid the insidious evils of this world if we are hesitant to even use the word. Indeed, the word shouldn’t be overused, and no, the rude lady at the checkout is not evil. Evil has to do with that which actively opposes good and God. There is a lot of evil in this world. So much so, that the Lord has us pray to be delivered from it. There is evil wherever man opposes God’s Word. It’s throughout this world; it’s in this nation; it’s in our churches; it’s in our towns; and it’s in our families. We need to recognize it for what it is and stand against it. As the saying goes, evil prevails where good men do nothing.

The proud and Godly America that we once knew is slipping away from us. Bit by bit evil is eroding the foundations of this nation and our faith. Christians must stop electing people to public office who promise them handouts but facilitate this erosion. We need people of honor and integrity. We “cannot serve both God and mammon” (money). This nation needs Christians to wake up and speak up that we may pray with our words and our deeds, “Deliver us from evil.”

A VOICE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS

What does it mean that John the Baptist was a voice crying in the wilderness? Does it mean he went into the wilderness where there were no people, preaching to the animals and vegetation? Of course not. He was preaching to people; the wilderness was the world barren of God’s truth. How could that be? There were synagogues and all kinds of strict religious Jewish sects and leaders. Yet, to God it was still a spiritual wilderness. People were just going along with the status quo of the Jewish Church. Regardless of the atrocities and injustices of the Church, people feared speaking out. Those who opposed the Church were ostracized and even put to death, as Jesus was. So, John the Baptist cried out to a world that was blind and deaf to God’s truth.

The silence of those in the pews is just as striking today. Although there are a few voices crying in today’s wilderness, too many just go with the flow, maintaining the status quo. How else do we explain the deafening silence on the continued sexual abusers in the clergy? How else do we explain the deafening silence on gay marriage, gay rights, and abortions? How else do we explain the deafening silence on the many politically correct decisions eroding the foundations of the Church? Indeed power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely…in the church too.

If you were alive in the time of John the Baptist, would you have been a voice crying in the wilderness too or would you have been one of the deaf and blind? What are you today? Who can you cry out to? If no one else… you can cry out to your family, friends, and people in your spheres of influence. The Church and this country are in an entanglement; don’t let your family and friends be deaf and blind to it. A voice once again cries out in the wilderness, a wilderness becoming more and more barren of God’s truth in this nation. Do you hear the voice?

CELEBRATE OTHERS

First of all, if you are reading this then the world didn’t end yesterday!! [See May 17^th post.] So, I’ll blog on. I’m going to change the pace for a moment by telling you something that I said to Eileen. I told her that I don’t know how she could be a better wife. How can I truly mean that? Is Eileen perfect? No, but I cannot tell you in which way(s) she is not. Why can’t I? First of all, I don’t look for perfection and so I don’t make the comparative analysis. Secondly, I take special notice of the wonderful person that she is and I celebrate that. Have you ever tried to have a bad attitude, bad perspective, find fault, or complain when you are celebrating something wonderful? It’s hard to do isn’t it? The greatest determinant of our happiness is the way we choose to view life. I choose to view my marriage through the eyes of gratitude, thankfulness, and celebration.

I must admit that there is another component in all of this: Eileen’s role. Eileen takes great pride in being a terrific wife and mother. It delights her. She doesn’t look to what others in the family can do to make her life more meaningful. Eileen finds meaning, purpose, and great satisfaction by being the wife and mother she feels called to be.

So, what about you? Do you seek to be the spouse or person you are called to be? Or, are you in constant search for someone or some situation to make you happy and give you meaning? Do you celebrate the wonderful things in others or are you in the emotional habit of being in a perpetual complaining mode, dwelling on people’s or your spouse’s imperfections? Much of happiness is a choice; what is yours?

Proverbs 31:28 “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.”

THE WORD

There are so many miserable people in this most blessed nation. I blame a lot of our misery on secular humanism. That is, we use our reason, philosophies, and psychologies to govern our lives rather than the word of God. Even as Christians, we often have our own church theologies, traditions, and dogmas which serve as guides instead of adhering to the word of God. As a result, we have problems that we wouldn’t have and shouldn’t have. Many of our problems are self-inflicted as we are captives of our own way of thinking, resulting in all kinds of human dramas and emotional disturbances from general anxiety and depression to behavioral disorders. Meanwhile, the Word of God as reflected in the Bible grows dusty.

The initial chapter of the Book of John is one of the most important chapters of the Bible to grasp. It describes a part of the Trinity by saying that Jesus is the Word of God. Okay then, stay with me. We have God the Father. His Word is personified as Jesus the Christ. The Father’s spirit (love) is personified as the Holy Spirit. Thus the three are in one: The Triune God. For our purposes today, we are going to focus on the Father’s Word made flesh: Jesus.

Putting the two preceding paragraphs together, there is not a philosophy, psychology, theology, or Christian tradition which can supersede or replace God’s Word. Remember, God’s Word is Jesus. Therefore, if we have a way of happiness and success that opposes Scripture, it is not of God. If we have a theology or Christian tradition that opposes or replaces Scripture, it is a blasphemy. Why? To oppose the Word (Scriptures) is to oppose Jesus. Hmmm.

So when God forgives us and sets us free, to stay bound is our own doing and our own folly. When God tells us one thing and we live another, it is our own disobedience. When God says something is a sin or an abomination, to say otherwise is to oppose Him and His Word: Jesus. When God outlines His way to heaven, there is no other philosophy, theology, tradition, sacrament, or anything else that can be substituted. Why not? To change God’s Word is to change Jesus. I don’t think we have that ability or power. How do we get more blessing and less misery? Live the Word of God: Jesus. How do we do that? Learn the Scriptures and be who it says to be.

BIN LADEN IN HELL?

Perhaps you heard reported throughout the news the poll taken by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Religion News Service which says that 65% of Americans believe that Osama bin Laden is in hell. Well, here’s the rest of the story: 80% of Evangelical Christians believe he’s in hell while 66% of Catholics and Protestants hold the same belief. Of those who are religiously unaffiliated, less than half feel bin Laden is in hell. Here’s one more statistic: 62% think it is wrong to celebrate the death of another human being.

The Bible clearly states “small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to eternal life; only a few will find it,” while the “gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to eternal destruction.” The Bible also says that "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and expel demons in your name and perform many miracles in your name? And then I will say to them, 'I never knew you, away from me you workers of inequity.'" It seems that getting to heaven is not such an easy thing to do. It would also seem that if anyone missed the “small gate and narrow road” that it is Osama bin Laden.

Here’s what rubs me wrong though. If Christians don’t believe that bin Laden is bound for hell, how is there anything that they are doing or not doing going to condemn themselves? Do you see what I’m getting at? If a third of Catholics and Protestants don’t believe bin Laden is in hell, then what does it take to get there? For them, contrary to the Bible, the gate to heaven must be wide and its road must be broad. Furthermore, if you don’t believe bin Laden is in hell how could you ever think that hell is in your own destiny, regardless of the life you live? Do you believe Hitler is not in hell too?

We are not to judge people’s souls but we are supposed to discern right and wrong, good and evil. Too many Christians today are afraid to call true evil by its name. They have been made weak-kneed by political correctness and selective righteousness. My friends, sorry to break it to you…but Osama bin Laden was evil. If Scriptures mean anything, evil does not ultimately triumph; evil loses big time.

While I’m at it, we should know that there is a difference between celebrating the demise of a human soul and celebrating the demise of evil. We aren’t to celebrate or wish someone suffers in hell. However, all through the Bible, God’s people celebrate victory over evil. Psalms and songs were written commemorating such victories. We are to pray for and be thankful for the victories God grants us over evil. Furthermore, we are commanded to hate evil. That may shock some readers so I’ll reference a few verses: Romans 12:9, Amos 5:15 & Psalm 8:13.

It baffles me to think that only two-thirds of Catholics and Protestants can bring themselves to say that bin Laden is in hell. If he is not destined for hell, who is? Is anyone? If no-one is headed for hell, then let’s close up the Bible, churches, and do away with morals, ethics, and laws. Then we’ll have another thing to celebrate: Life without rules or consequences!!

BEATINGS AND FIGHTS

I watched the news clip of another beating. The video was taken by a bystander. We’ve all seen them whether the beating is by police, an angry person, or a bully. They are commonplace. The thing that continually strikes me is that rather than bystanders helping to stop the beating, they all pull out their phones and start filming!! Just last week a teacher was roundly criticized for not stepping in to stop two girls who were fighting. I watched that video too.

I understand that it is dangerous to step into a fight. Who knows, one of them might be high on drugs, armed, or a lot stronger than you. Besides, I think there is a difference between a beating and a fight. A beating implies that an overmatched person is almost defenseless and being beaten beyond submission. If the person’s life or serious injury is at issue, rather than ten people pulling out their cell phones, perhaps they ought to drag the guy off the other. In the case of a fight, perhaps the best thing to do is pull out the cell phones!!

MORAL HIGH GROUND

Two weeks ago, a Catholic bishop from Australia was fired by the pope for “suggesting that the Church consider ordaining women and married men.” On the other hand, in the face of sex abuse scandals in Belgium and the Netherlands, the Vatican just issued a statement saying that the bishops should cooperate with police investigating sexual abuse but it does not require them to report such cases. Therefore, it’s still at the bishops’ discretion as to whether report sexual abuse cases or not.

“Without fear of punishment themselves, bishops frequently move pedophile priests from parish to parish rather than reporting them to police or punishing them under church law.” Barbara Dorris, outreach director for the main U.S. victims group Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests said, "There's nothing that will make a child safer today or tomorrow or next month or next year." David Clohessy also of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests responded, "Bishops ignore and conceal child sex crimes because they can. So any 'reform' that doesn't diminish bishops' power and discretion is virtually meaningless." Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi conceded that there was little new in Monday's letter.

At the same time, the Vienna Presbyterian Church has been sued over claims of sex abuse by a youth ministries director. The lawyer for the church’s insurance company sent a warning to the church: “Do not make any statements, orally, in writing or in any manner, to acknowledge, admit to or apologize for anything that may be evidence of or interpreted as (a suggestion that) the actions of Vienna Presbyterian Church ... caused or contributed to any damages arising from the intentional acts/abuse/misconduct by the youth director.” The church’s governing board took a different view. Since the youth director already admitted his actions to the board, the church said, “We won’t hide behind lawyers.” The church publicly admitted the crime and apologized.

Churches worldwide have struggled with outright sex abuse. In the United States, sex abuse cases have caused eight Catholic dioceses and one Jesuit order to file for bankruptcy protection. Billions of dollars in damages have been paid across the nation as a result of not only the abuse, but because bishops essentially hid and reassigned abusive priests. The latest scandal in the United States involves allegations that Philadelphia's archbishop left accused priests in ministry despite purportedly tough U.S. guidelines, but these guidelines are non-binding. In Ireland, Irish bishops aren't cooperating with an independent board overseeing compliance with the guidelines of the Church. The Church is in a tenuous position. The Church, through its lawyers, has vilified, maligned, and denigrated known victims in defense of the Church’s name and coffers. The “unscriptural” approach has backfired. It has made juries angry; thus they have awarded large judgments.

The Presbyterian Church in Vienna was admonished by its insurance company and threatened with loss of future coverage. All churches facing sex abuse cases find themselves in a legal and spiritual dilemma. On one hand, the Church wants to limit its financial exposure as much as possible. On the other hand, it is a church after all, and therefore has higher moral and ethical behaviors it supposedly ascribes to. At least to the Presbyterian Church in Vienna, we should extend our congratulations for taking the moral high ground thus sparing the victims, congregation, and the righteous conduct of the Lord’s church.

END OF THE WORLD

The New York Post reported that a New York man spent his entire life savings of $140,000 advertising his prediction that the world will end May 21^st. The man, Robert Fitzpatrick, spent his savings on car placards and ads on bus kiosks and subway cars. They say, "Global Earthquake: The Greatest Ever! Judgment Day May 21, 2011." Using his “Doomsday Code” upon the Bible, he said that a giant earthquake will render the earth uninhabitable just before 6pm on the above day.

Even in my relatively short life span, I’ve lived through many people’s “end of the world” prognostications. Although the Lord said that we will be able to tell the season of the end times, He also said “you know neither the day nor the hour.” I doubt Mr. Fitzpatrick has an inside line. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t just laugh it off without looking around in this world. Again, the Lord said we will know the season of the end times by evidence of world events. In addition, Jesus said: “…be ready for in such an hour as you think not, the Son of man comes." By the way, did you know that the Bible is 27% Prophecy? A portion of that is “End Times Prophecy.”

Anyway, I don’t know when the world will end but I have a fairly good idea of when it won’t end: When someone says it will!! Therefore, I’m reasonably certain it won’t end this Saturday just before 6pm. If I’m wrong, feel free to email me and admonish me!!

HAVING A SAY

Since I am a Catholic, some wonder why I make periodic blog comments which are less than complimentary to the Catholic Church. Well, it seems to me that it is more appropriate to say something about my own religion rather than about someone else’s. Nevertheless, much of what I say about Catholicism is applicable to other religions too. Besides, the Catholic Church can take care of itself. My chief concern is with ordinary people and what they think. I can discuss topics and issues with regular folks where I can’t with the institutional Church. Too many of us sit idly by while our churches remain quiet on some important issues and take contrary liberal stands on others. As a result, among other things, a very conservative church like the Catholic Church overwhelmingly elected a president who opposes so much of what the Church espouses that it stands for and against, and it stands to do it again. Meanwhile, the tide in the Catholic pew continues to change on everything from abortion to homosexuality. For example, the LA Times just detailed the results of a new study from the Public Religion Research Institute. The findings are:

· Catholics are more supportive of legal recognition of same-sex relationships than members of any other Christian tradition and Americans overall. Nearly three-quarters of Catholics favor either allowing gay and lesbian people to marry (43%) or allowing them to form civil unions (31%). Only 22% of Catholics say there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple's relationship.

· When same-sex marriage is defined explicitly as a civil marriage, support is dramatically higher among Catholics. If marriage for gay couples is defined as a civil marriage "like you get at city hall," Catholic support for allowing gay couples to marry increases by 28 points, from 43% to 71%.

· Catholics overwhelmingly reject the idea that sexual orientation can be changed. Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) disagree that homosexual orientation can be changed. Fewer than 1 in 4 (23%) believe that it can be changed.

· A majority of Catholics (56%) believe that sexual relations between two adults of the same gender [are] not a sin. Among the general population, less than half (46%) believe it is not a sin.

With numbers like the above, I suppose I feel like I shouldn’t be asked why I question the Church and what’s happening with its members as much as I question why more Catholics aren’t speaking up. We may be accountable to do more than take refuge behind stained glass windows, catechism, and the mystique of a religion.

IN FAITH

It would seem that religion and faith are one and the same, but they are not. I’m not sure that the father of our faith, Abraham, ever thought there would be a difference but certainly there is. As the Jewish church incorporated more and more religious practices, something was lost in the intimate relationship aspect. In a way, the church and its leaders became the religion, with communal worship practices slowly replacing the simple faith. In the time of Jesus Christ, the church was very religious as it strictly observed all the religious traditions, practices, and ceremonies. Even so, despite its fervent religiosity, the church and its leaders didn’t recognize God (Jesus) walking among them. In fact, the church was so religious that the church persecuted Jesus. The truth is religion and faith are not necessarily the same.

Religion is the practice of one’s faith but it is not a relationship with God. Religion teaches us all about God but our souls will never be content to just know about Him; our soul seeks to have a relationship with our Lord. Likewise, the church is not God. The church is technically merely the body of believers. The hierarchy of the church was never meant to be as religious and powerful as the church was in Christ’s time. The hierarchy of the church was never meant to be as religious and powerful as it is in our time.

In too many ways, the church and God stands separate. As Jesus could in His time, we could give many examples of where the church has turned a blind eye to the Scriptures so it can be socially expedient and politically correct. More and more it seems that we are repeating our faith history. The end-times church will do exactly that. The church is very religious, has all kinds of traditions, practices, programs, and ceremonies but is often disconnected from the essence of God and true piety. Whereas man thought the Church in Jesus time was holy, God did not. That should be a warning to us as it begs the question: Are we mostly religious or are we mostly spiritual? It’s good to remember that we will all stand in judgment of our loving faith in God, not our faith in the church or religion.

BLOG STATS

I want to take a moment to thank all of you for reading my blog. I also want to thank you for recommending it to others. I checked the blog stats on these past two days. Both days were over a hundred visitors with yesterday being 136 people. I don’t know what the highest count is for me since I rarely check the stats. Other than those from the U.S., you might be interested to know that these past days have had visitors from U.K. (18), India (5), Iran (3), Malasia (3), Belgium (2), Germany (2), France (2), Singapore (2), and China (2). So, wherever you may be in the world I thank you for reading the blog; I hope to keep your interest. If you know someone you think might enjoy reading the blog, please pass the website on.

CARING FOR THE POOR

The Fox news article said that dozens of Catholic professors are pressuring House Speaker John Boehner to back off proposed cuts to programs for the poor and elderly, accusing the Catholic lawmaker of diverging from the tenets of his faith. The professors sent a scathing letter to the speaker ahead of his scheduled address Saturday at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Citing changes to Medicare and Medicaid, as well as cuts to food stamps and programs for pregnant women, the professors from Catholic University and other schools accused Boehner of imperiling programs for the poor. They wrote that it is his "moral duty" to prioritize those programs and said they hope his visit to CUA will "reawaken" his familiarity with Catholic teachings. They wrote: "From the apostles to the present, the magisterium of the church has insisted that those in power are morally obliged to preference the needs of the poor. Your record in support of legislation to address the desperate needs of the poor is among the worst in Congress." 

Let me inject here. It is not the “government’s” job to take care of the poor, widows, and orphans. That is the church’s job!! It has been the church’s job since its inception. Over time though, the church defaulted its Divine Charge to the government. It took God’s ordained ministry and handed it over to government programs. The church surrendered its chief evangelistic tool, helping those in need, to the government. Jesus never preached about the government doing more; He preached about His people doing more. The apostles magnified the responsibility of the church not the government. The church magisterium may have always “insisted that those in power are morally obliged to preference the needs of the poor,” but those “in power” are the leaders of the church!! It’s not the church’s job to sit back and tell governments how to take care of the indigent. It’s the church’s job to take care of the indigent. I don’t believe for one minute that God thinks it is the government’s job. Instead, I believe God intends for the church to do as He commissioned it to do. As believers, it is our job to aid those in need.

I should also say that there are plenty of needy in this country who are needy because they are what the Bible calls sluggard’s or slothful. We have an individual responsibility to not be a burden to others and to take care of ourselves. There are government programs for everything and a great number of people are recipients of these entitlements. Apparently society thinks it is entitled to the fruits of other people’s labors. This is not charity; this is madness. By the way, taxation to help the down trodden is not charity either. The church is supposed to help others by charitable, heart-filled, and loving giving, not taxation. But what do most churches do? They send charity cases to government programs.

To the professors at Catholic University I say there is a little Bible lesson you might want to refresh yourself on: Remove the plank from your own eye before attempting to remove a speck from another.

NEW POSTS

The Blog website is back up and now accepting new blog posts. Today’s post is below. Well, now it isn't working again; the website is still having problems. Right now I can't post tomorrow's blog yet. I can edit this post but can't do much else on the site. I see that yesterday's post was lost too. Hopefully, it will all get resolved before morning!!

UPDATE: They seem to have it working normally for now. 2:35 pm