Christianity Today asks rather than tells

Last week I got a heads-up from Mart Green that Christianity Today had interviewed him, Steve Saint, and Chad Allen re: the controversy surrounding “End of the Spear.” Mart said they seemed to be honestly seeking the truth of the situation and not out to push an agenda. He told me that the article slated to be in the next issue would be posted on the website by Friday. Sure enough, you can read the whole thing here. It seems they indeed even-handedly reported information directly from the sources. It’s too bad other Christians don’t seem to comprehend Matthew 18. For your convenience, I quote a chunk of the article below:

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"This is one of the most extraordinary stories of love and forgiveness that I've ever known," Allen said. "But I also realized the incredible responsibility of playing these two men, especially as I learned more about how important Nate Saint and Steve Saint are to people around the world. I really felt the weight of that."

Allen didn't meet Steve Saint until about three months after he was hired, when shooting began in January 2004 in Panama. When they finally met, Allen says he told Saint, "If you don't want me to do this movie, because I respect you and your family so much and I respect this story so much, I will walk away from this—contract or no contract, even if that means I'm liable for breaking the contract."

But Saint had already decided to keep Allen on board. He said he had been praying about it, and that God clearly revealed the answer in a dream.

In the dream, Saint says he was "being chased by a mob of Christians who were angry with me for having desecrated 'their story.' The answer to their hostility was easy: Just ask Chad to remove himself. But as quickly as this thought came to me, I found myself standing before God. His look was not as compassionate as I had expected. God said, 'Steve, you of all people should know that I love all of my children. With regard to Chad Allen, I went to great lengths to orchestrate an opportunity for him to see what it would be like for him to walk the trail that I marked for him. Why did you mess with my plans for him?'

"I was fully awake by the end of this sleepy mind play. I knew that there would be a price to pay for any position I would take on this issue, regardless of the fact that I had not wanted to be involved. I knew one thing for sure: I would rather face the anger and even hatred of people who feel I have let them down, than to take any chance of having to stand before my Savior and have to answer for messing up his plans for Chad."
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Reference what I wrote previously about “Risk.” Maybe someday you will be put in the position of having to make such a difficult call. When the day comes, may God help you to have the courage of Steve Saint and Mart Green.

A Tale of Two Missionaries

Back in 1981 I made a trip to Taiwan and China to shoot a couple of films. The guys I was working with and the client we were working for were Christians and arrangements had been made for a couple of missionaries to help us with some of the logistics. One I will name and one I will not.

In Taipei, David Harrison helped us with numerous details and spent a couple of days driving us around in his van. David was there with an evangelical agency. He and his family lived in what was considered there a middle-class apartment building. We would consider it much lower in class by the look and feel of the place. This family had become extremely acculturated. They ate Chinese, they lived Chinese. Their teenage children spoke the language so well they worked as professional translators making scads of contacts for their parents. One of the daughters got us into the film studio there where we shot a crew making a movie. This was made possible by the fact that the kids had made friends with a guy who was a camera operator. The Harrison apartment was a place where Chinese friends came and went constantly. After a day of driving us around in his van, pointing out landmarks and telling us tidbits of history, politics, and culture, Nan Yang “David” Lee, our Taiwan born and raised, USA educated host and guide provided by the Government Information Office, told us that David Harrison knew more about his hometown than he did. I came away thinking that this family was the epitome of what missionaries should be like.

In order to get from Taiwan into China we had to spend a couple of days in Hong Kong. A missionary with a Fundamentalist agency had been asked to get train tickets for the short trip up to Shanghai. We stayed in his apartment for a night or two there. The contrast between what we observed there and the Harrison family could hardly have been more dramatic. The Hong Kong apartment was very nice. From inside it, one could easily have felt like one was back home in the states in a very nice residence. At some point we were left alone in the apartment and I happened to notice a typed piece of paper under a clear covering of the desk. It was a list of dates and events in the future. It laid out the plan of the rest of this man’s life; such things as the dates his various children would enter and subsequently graduate from Bob Jones University, and the date years in the future when he would leave Hong Kong and retire. There were also a few issues of the family prayer letter report to their donors. I read them to get a feel for what they were about. They were a good sell painting them all in glowing prose.

We kept finding out things from these folks that had our eyes opening wider and wider. We learned that they never had any Chinese people in their home. In fact, they had virtually no Chinese friends. This missionary had a small church that met on the top floor of a tall apartment building. He had been there for a number of years at this point. We attended a Sunday morning service. The congregation consisted of less than ten people. We inquired as to why the sermon was presented in English and then translated. The missionary’s answer was that he found Chinese to be too hard and had given up on learning it years earlier.

We needed to get around Hong Kong to accomplish various tasks and our host was to be our guide. Every time we set out he would get lost and it soon became apparent that he could not find his way around this city he had lived in for years. The fellow hadn’t gotten the train tickets he had agreed to get for us and by the time we got there it was too late, they were sold out. We ended up getting airplane tickets up to Guilin which proved to be much better for our purposes, but I came away with the sense that this guy was basically incompetent at most things except maintaining a really nice apartment and writing prayer letters.

I’ve often wondered why on one of the first of many international trips I would meet and spend time with one of the finest missionaries I would ever run into and the absolute worst. I suppose one could read this and say my experience was just chance. Since that trip I have had opportunity to travel to over thirty countries. I’ve met many missionaries and observed things about what they were doing and how they related to each other and the people they were reaching out to. I also ran into a few Fundamentalist missionaries or would hear about them on the occasion that the fact I was a graduate of Bob Jones University would come up in conversation.

In just about any area you go in the world and run into evangelical missionaries, you will find that they usually consider other missionaries in the area as colleagues and dear friends. More often than not you can observe them to be working as a team and the agency they happen to be there under is a footnote. The disturbing thing I heard on more than one occasion was that if there was a Fundamentalist missionary in the area, their primary task seemed to be to attack what the evangelicals were doing. One missionary family very close to my own spent many years in Finland, a difficult, post-Christian culture. After they had been there many years one of these Fundamentalist folks I speak of came over and proceeded to expend all efforts to discredit and tear down the efforts of the other missionaries in the area. After one term and no converts they left never to return declaring Finland to be “an unfruitful field.” This seems to be a Fundamentalist strategy for approaching the Great Commission: one term, shake the dust off your sandals, and be free of the guilt of the blood of that people group.

So, there you go. That’s what I’ve observed in a couple of decades of traveling. Maybe you’ve observed something different. If so, you are welcome to comment here.

Come, Let Us Reason…

Okay, this revisiting the Fundamentalist/Evangelical tension is getting a bit old. I think I’ll stop visiting the blogs of folks who make up their minds in advance, then consider it discussion to allow and respond only to comments that agree while disallowing any that differ. I’m going to post one more rejected comment I left on a thread about commenting and discussion on one such site after being censored repeatedly:
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I have been making cool headed comments mainly asking questions and am being repeatedly censored. My Bible says “come, and let us reason together saith the Lord…” (Isaiah 1:18). It also says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” (I John 4:18). So what are you afraid of?

Hershey

We came home from New York last Saturday via a different route than we’d gone up. My brother in law suggested we avoid the traffic through D.C, Baltimore, and Philadelphia by heading west through Pennsylvania and then south through West Virginia and Virginia, etc. That seemed like a great plan. As we crossed into PA we stopped at the visitor’s center and I grabbed a map. Pulling out of there I was riding shotgun and took a look at the map to see where we’d be going. I saw to my surprise that we’d be going right past Hershey. It happens that one of my favorite former students is living there with his new bride so I immediately decided we had lunch plans and got out my cell phone.

After a delightful lunch at the Hershey Pantry, a favorite of the locals and a spin on Keith’s like new, ten year old 750 Nighthawk which I hadn’t seen before, we took a few pictures of the brick, industrial revolution landmark where Hershey bars still come from. I had used my short test ride on the Honda to do some recon for good angles on the factory. With the scent of chocolate in the air we bagged a few shots before heading out of town. There is a small stream that runs past the factory. I assume that it is used, or was at one time, as cooling for some part of the process of making all those kisses. When one views the factory while driving along Chocolate Avenue, at least at the time of day we were there, the stream looks like a river of chocolate coming from the factory. I found myself wishing I had a golden ticket to allow me to get inside.

I had been to the town of Hershey Kiss streetlamps once before for the wedding of our lunch hosts. I learned then that one can no longer tour the inside of the plant as was possible for many years. Bummer. They have a fake factory set up for the purpose of demonstrating how the product is made, but it could never be as cool as seeing the inside of a real chocolate factory. On the bike I had discovered Milton Hershey’s former residence on a little hill across the golf course from the brick complex. It has a brown roof assumedly of some tin/chocolate alloy. One could not help but think of Willy Wonka. A few short minutes later we were back on the freeway with another great memory receding in the rear view mirror.

Friday I was in the car at an odd time running an errand and caught a bit of NPR’s “On Point” radio show. Michael D’Antonio was being interviewed about his new book about Milton Hershey and his enterprises. It was just a little spooky having just been to the place he was talking about. Willy Wonka-like mystery was swirling around my head as I listened and I found myself fascinated by something I never thought I would care a thing about. I just love the draw of curiosity. Now I have yet another book I’m looking forward to reading.

See Spot run...

Here is something that reminded me of the Dick and Jane books we were first taught to read back in the first grade or so. That is, in terms of literacy level. This time it's about Narnia. I was incredulous that folks were writing about the evils of "Aslan worship." One of the commentors said "...the local CCM DJ came on and began praising the Narnia movie in a way that would nearly make one think this was on par with the Savior of the world." I'm not making this up! Check the link yourself! I posted a response, but once again, the capital "F" is not interested in discussing anything and my comment was censored. So, I post it here for your consideration:
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You've got to be kidding, right? Have you folks ever read C.S. Lewis? Besides the Chronicles of Narnia? Have you ever taken a literature class? Even in high school? If this is the way you interpret literature then how can one think you take the Bible seriously?
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On the same site I later saw a discussion revealing that someone had read Lewis' Mere Christianity and came away with the understanding that Lewis believed there are multiple paths to heaven apart from Jesus Christ. Whoa! I guess the discussion IS over if that's going to pass for reading comprehension.

Risk

… but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant… Philippians 2:7

I have always been struck by this passage about Jesus’ claim of right to be considered equal with God the Father but at the same time giving up all rights to his own reputation. Jesus, by almost every account we have of almost everything he did, was very reckless with his own reputation. And yet, it seems to me, that in every tradition of those who have organized into groups of his followers, the reputation of the group and the individuals making it up is almost always of paramount importance. This extends to God himself. It’s as if it is our job to protect the reputation of the omnipotent, creator God. As if he needs our help with that.

Taking a big step back and looking at how the Bible instructs me to live, and the examples of many of our heroes of the faith chronicled therein, a great deal has to do with risk. Of doing the right thing no matter what. Of laying down life in order to gain it.

Last week on the website www.sliceoflaodicea.com in re: to the flap over Chad Allen playing the parts of Nate Saint and Steve Saint in the movie “End of the Spear,” a commenter put something into perspective for me. I tried to find it again to link to it for you but wasn’t able to dig it out. She said something like, “it’s terrible that for the sake of one gay activist this movie was ruined for me and people like me.” I commented back asking this person to listen to herself. She was saying that her movie going enjoyment was more important than the eternal soul of one gay activist. The irony bowled me over. She was talking about a movie involving five men who thought their own lives were not more important than a few hateful, murdering, bottom-of-the-barrel, low-life jungle savages nobody cared about. But it’s a shame a movie was ruined for her. BTW, my comment was censored out.

Think about the risk here. The son of one of those martyrs risked his own reputation to go with the decision to use Chad based on the relationship that had developed along with the fact that he had the best look and abilities to play the part. Steve literally wrote the book about taking risks with one’s life and waiting until God writes the final chapter to judge results. Read “End of the Spear,” the book, and learn what risking everything you have for the sake of eternity is all about.

Some will counter that one should never take the risk of "watering down the gospel" or using anything but a full-on frontal approach to sharing God's redemptive plan for humanity. Well, here is a take on another burr-under-the-saddle risk taker who uttered those "compromising" words, "I am made all things to all men that I might by all means save some."

Daddy & Daughter Road Trip

Last week my one week shy of 20 year old daughter and I made a father/daughter trip of a lifetime. I got a call Saturday before last from Steve Saint asking if there was any way I could come up to New York City and do some video documentation of Mincaye in the Big Apple. The two of them were up there doing promotional work for the opening of the “End of the Spear” movie. I decided I should take one of my students with me and got to thinking that I really should take someone who could do some good still photography. Then I thought about my own daughter and thought this is really going to be fun! We had a blast together the whole time. I realized that this was the first time we would be working together on a real media project. She did a great job getting some great images.

Steve and Ginny Saint are absolutely delightful people to be with. And Mincaye, well he’s just amazing to be around. People fall in love with the guy almost instantly. We saw hard core network news people just fall under his spell. He only knows about eight English words, but can charm the socks off anybody. He just smiles and exudes this wonderful spirit and you can’t help but love him. I was watching him and thought that I couldn’t imagine him having a bad thought about anybody ever. And this man was once a ferocious murderer. It’s the most amazing flesh and blood example of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit one can ever imagine.

The trip came up so suddenly and the preparation was so hurried that we really didn’t have any time to make plans to take advantage of where we would be on the trip. With zero planning we still ended up spending some time in D.C. on the way up seeing some of the monuments and spending a few hours in the Air and Space museum. We also got to walk around Ground Zero and see the Hershey factory in PA after we were done shooting. Crazy fun stuff! And we spent some time with my sister and her family in their “new” house they’ve lived in for years but we’d never seen.

We listened to lots of music in the car. I don’t think I’ll ever forget cruising down the road with my daughter that I’m crazy in love with, singing Beach Boys and James Taylor songs together. She even put in one of my King’s X CD’s and we belted out “Dog Man” at the top of our lungs. It was heaven.

I heard some great things from my girl that I’d never heard before. Some were about things she was thinking at various times growing up. She made one comment about music that really surprised me. The context was talking about all the music spanning a wide spectrum of styles that we have constantly had playing in our house as she grew up. As a result, her taste is wildly eclectic and she amazes her friends with all the kinds of music she likes. She said one of her friends had told her, “Your parents listen to great oldies. My parents listen to really crummy old music.” That was all interesting, but the thing that surprised me was this: She said that she thought that years from now, the music of her current generation would just sound silly. She said she likes a lot of it, but she recognized that a lot of the guitar strumming probably wouldn’t stand the test of time.

Well, I’ve been wanting to write about this especially after all the thinking and stressing over the “End of the Spear” controversies and the attacks on Steve. Nice to have something so wonderful and bursting with love to write about.

“End of the Spear,” the book

I’m about 1/3 of the way through Steve Saint’s latest book, End of the Spear and am enjoying it immensely. The book was written as a companion to the movie. It has lots more detail than the movie and is a delightful read. There is a good review here. Ironically, this review that gushes about how great the story is, how much it has touched the reviewer’s life, and speaks very admiringly of Steve, is an official review of the SharperIron site that has been attacking Steve. Go figure.

Recognizing the Gospel

There is one thing that astounds me in the controversy surrounding “End of the Spear.” It is the accusation that the film doesn’t contain the gospel. While it is true that there is no invitation at the end and no strains of “Just As I Am” in the soundtrack, that is by design to hopefully, by the literate use of symbol, reference, subtlety, and the perspective of an exotic non-American people group using their own language and unique syntax, engage our culture at large and give them a reason to care about the gospel we want them to come to accept. For those who think a flat-out, in-your-face gospel message is the only legitimate presentation, consider that Jesus spoke differently to the multitudes than to his disciples and often used parables and veiled meanings. The astounding thing is that far on the other end of the spectrum, several pagan, God-hating movie critics have stated in their reviews that something they do not like about the film is that it is all about the gospel and God and Jesus! I have to ask, if a pagan can recognize the gospel when he sees it, why can’t some Christians?

The script makes statements along these lines:

"Waengongi left us carvings to mark his good trail. He doesn't want us to kill but to follow His carvings and live happily and in peace. Waengongi had a son, Itota, who having been speared, didn’t spear back. He did this so the coming after ones should live well and go to live with Him after they jump the great boa.”

Nate Saint tells young Stevie:

“We can’t ever shoot the Waodani. They aren’t ready for heaven. We are.”

If this isn’t viewed as the gospel, I have to wonder, is this a matter of arrogance that the name “Jesus” must be spoken in English to count? Does “preaching” have to be done by a guy in a suit standing in a pulpit to count? Or do these folks miss the gospel references out of stupidity? I really have a hard time believing it could be any of these things since they seem to have enough intelligence to write on a blog. But what else can it be? Somebody please help me figure it out.

Something You Don’t Know

I posted the following as a comment on a blog site that has, along with it’s commentors, been spewing vitriol regarding Steve Saint. The comments are moderated, and while at least one of mine has been allowed to be posted, it seems some have been censored. I just posted the following which I have little hope of seeing there, so I’m going to go ahead and put it here:

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A very wise person once said, "In any given situation, there is always something you don't know." I heard first hand from Steve about the casting decision. This was absolutely not a case of hand picking Chad Allen because he was gay. The decision to go ahead with him after they found out was made with much consideration of the inevitable firestorm it would generate from some quarters. But, as you can read elsewhere, they went ahead because they believed it to be the right thing to do. (BTW, the purveyor of the website I posted this to insists that Steve and the filmmakers knew about Chad before they got involved with him because it was public information. The assumption that because the information was public they had to know it is just that, an assumption, and I happen to know it is a false one.)

Also, Steve has been a consultant and volunteer on the film project. The filmmakers came to him seeking support. It is not his personal project and he is not getting rich off of it. Steve has earned a lot of money in his life but has not spent it on himself. I've been in his home in Florida on several occasions. It's comfortable, but humble. Steve has become a dear friend of mine over the last five years and I am deeply offended by the way he has been trashed by many on this site and other similar ones. If you knew a small fraction of what this man and his family have been through, the sacrifices made, the strength of character, their astounding compassion, and what they have through it accomplished all because of their deep love for the Lord, you would be ashamed of the conclusions you are jumping too.

The Capital “F”

This week I was again confronted with the capital “F,” this time in regard to the mudslinging re: the fact that Chad Allen, the actor who plays Nate Saint in the movie “End of the Spear” is gay. As usual, the criticism was raised in the public arena before ever approaching the brothers in Christ who are involved to find out what was going on. The crystal clear Biblical principal from Matthew 18 was violated once again. My capital “F” rant started boiling inside my head once again and I woke up a few mornings ago with the overwhelming need to purge. So, here goes.

I am a fundamentalist. That is, a fundamentalist with a lower case “f.” The “little f” version of fundamentalist refers to me and to most evangelicals. Another flavor of Fundamentalist has a capital “F.” We are remarkably different in the way our faith plays out in our lives. The fact is that our theology (what one understands of God and what one believes to be true about Him) is virtually the same on every actual fundamental point of doctrine (ie: makes a difference to one’s eternal destiny). In the five years I spent at Bob Jones University earning two degrees, I recited the following creed at every chapel along with all present. I believed every word of it then and I do so to this day:

“I believe in the inspiration of the Bible (both the Old and the New Testaments); the creation of man by the direct act of God; the incarnation and virgin birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; His identification as the Son of God; His vicarious atonement for the sins of mankind by the shedding of His blood on the cross; the resurrection of His body from the tomb; His power to save men from sin; the new birth through the regeneration by the Holy Spirit; and the gift of eternal life by the grace of God.”

All of us, lower case “f’s” and capital “F’s,” believe the Bible to be true, the final authority over all of life, and base our belief system on this starting point. The capital “F” Fundamentalists, however, add one synthesized doctrine they call the doctrine of separation. It is based on a peculiar interpretation of a few proof texts. They seem to camp on this “doctrine.” It has become my belief that the reason for this is that it is the one thing that defines them. It is the only thing that differentiates them from evangelicals against whom they fairly seethe.

The proof texts are these:

“come out from among them and be ye separate… touch not the unclean thing” II Cor. 6:17

“Ye are a… peculiar people” Titus 2:14, I Peter 2:9

I am not a theologian or Bible scholar, but my study of the context of these scriptures has led me to the opinion that they have been stretched to cover the position of the capital “F.” I won’t go into all of that at this juncture, but I will say this: The problem with clinging to a proof text is that it can help a person maintain a position he or she is positive is based on scripture, but one that flies in the face of the thrust and scope of the overall record we have of the person of Jesus Christ.

I have some impressions from living in the midst of the Fundamentalist movement, in the very “Fortress of Faith” within the literal fence and gates of Bob Jones University. These are based on how things were in the late ‘70s. It may have changed some since then, but from what I hear coming from that direction from time to time, it seems not much. We were told as students, “Come and talk to us if you have any issues.” But the unspoken subtext was, “we’ll get you right with God and then you will agree with us.”

The first thing is the most indicting of the movement. I call it the white glove attitude. Of course, there are exceptions and there are some wonderful, truly godly people in this group, but most seem to live their lives with this white glove mentality. What is it? I would rather you go to hell than risk getting myself soiled by you. But not Jesus! Everything we know of Him tells us just the opposite!

My observation of Fundamentalists is that one’s associations are all-important. One is okay or not okay by one’s associations. The content of one’s life is also stated to be important, but in practice it is infinitely less so than one’s associations. The watershed is relationship, not reality, appearance, not content of heart. Guilt is by association. The predicating idea is that if I associate with you, then I must agree with you. If I am seen with you, “people will think” that I endorse you. Why this assumption? I haven’t been able to figure it out. It seems like a mental pathology. No other group of people I can think of thinks this way.

Jesus associated with people of ill repute, the absolute worst of the worst, not just on one proof-text occasion, but time after time. (I have learned enough about Biblical interpretation to know that when something is repeated, one should pay attention.) Jesus was soundly criticized by the religious establishment for it. He even made his own disciples uncomfortable. I have heard Fundamentalists respond to this by saying, “Yes, but you’re not Jesus!” Jesus says He lives in me. He tells me to go. I am to show them Jesus in me. Yes, it’s a risk. Yes, I am tempted. Yes, I could fall. But the only argument to leave that poor soul to die is one that says I am more valuable than that person. God have mercy on anyone who ends up before the Great White Throne trying to explain that one.

Another observation I made is that the capital “F” is full of internal inconsistency. One may “take a stand” (a phrase that is part of the essential lexicon) about a gay actor playing a part in a movie, but what if your Chevy was built by a gay man? Closer to home, what if a pagan published your KJV Bible? (Which is almost certainly the case.) Does that make these items untouchable? No good? Somewhere the principal of breaking association breaks down. If association is the main issue, then one must completely withdraw from society. Some have tried this but the Amish still connect with society selling us their fine Amana Radar ranges and refrigerators that they won’t use themselves. The point is that it is virtually impossible to be completely consistent with the separation/association principal.

Some have said that it would be okay for a gay actor to play a minor role or operate a camera, just not play a major part. If that is the position, then it’s not a matter of principal, but a matter of comfort – guilt by association once again; as long as it’s far enough away from me, I’m okay with it.

I also noticed that appearance and conformity is very important to these folks. But the veneer often peels back revealing a peek of something entirely different underneath. As long as things look and sound the right way, though, what is underneath is seldom questioned. It’s pretty easy to play the game and fit in. I noticed that it can become quite fertile ground for leading a double life. Ironically it seems to attract gay people. When I was a student there were at least two gay guys on the staff of BJU and a number of students I knew of. Of course, when one was eventually found out, he would be gone overnight. The surface of the ocean closed over him and it was as if he had never existed – no discussion, no information, certainly no reconciliation or redemption. The human refuse had been disposed of nice and tidy-like.

Association is the major issue, not only against but also for – the association is all-important. As a student, I was in attendance at a Bob Jones University chapel when Bob Jones, Jr. called Betty Ford, then the first lady of the United States, a slut. This was recorded and broadcast on the university’s radio station. In those days he said all kinds of ridiculous and grossly un-Christ like things from that platform, constantly attacking other Christian leaders, some of whom I happened to know personally so knew first hand that what he said was at best ignorance or at worst lies, but nobody ever called him on it. The association was more important than the content of the man’s words. We are for this guy, he represents our movement, so we will never speak against him even if he violates what we all agree we believe in.

But, hey, it’s hard to go to someone one-on-one and confront them. I mentioned the Matthew 18 principal above. This clearly spelled out, progressive method of dealing with an offense or a fellow believer in sin starts with dealing privately with the person. If that doesn’t work, go back with another person. When all else fails, then you bring the issue publicly before the church with multiple witnesses. Never does the method involve trying a brother in the secular, public square. Unfortunately, this scripture is not taught or modeled at BJU. Students are commanded to turn in others they see in violation of rules or hear saying something disloyal to the institution directly to the administration. The Fundamentalists learn well as the first knee jerk to whatever is bothering them is vitriol from pulpit, magazine, airwave, or blog. In the case of the Chad Allen controversy, Mart Green, executive producer of “End of the Spear,” a wonderful, godly, and ironically, extremely conservative Christian man, got an email from Jason Janz on Wednesday of last week. I happened to talk to Mart right after he had received it. It was the first contact he had received and came after this man had been trashing him publicly on his “SharperIron” blog for weeks. So much for Matthew 18.

This sounds harsh, but I have come to believe that this system is a lazy man’s method of faith and practice. You get your ticket punched at the right stations and you’re in the club. Enjoy the ride. There is no struggling, no grey, no wasted effort, no love loss for those who aren’t in your camp, no need to wrestle with a friend with whom one does not agree. If they don’t agree, they’re not your friend.

Last year, because of a family situation, I was compelled to attend the funeral of someone who had died of aids. I had to travel to get there and my wife and I ended up staying in the home of a lesbian couple. Now, never in action, but in my heart at one time I was a gay basher. I do not compromise my belief that homosexuality is a sin one bit. But those two women became true friends. They were far more gracious and generous to us than many Christians we have known. We developed a warm relationship with them and true friendship. Did they know where we stood on right and wrong? Yes. Was there a tension? Yes. My heart grieved over the sin at the same time I was moved with compassion and affection for these beautiful human beings. Talk about troubling one’s soul over the welfare of the lost. Jesus wept over Jerusalem “that killed the prophets.” It’s not fun to struggle this way. It’s not easy to get one’s head around hating the sin and loving the sinner and even harder to actually do it with real people. I submit that the “F” doesn’t do this very well. If at all. And, by the way, would I hire the one of our lesbian friends to do some of the uniquely creative work her company does if I had the need? Absolutely, without any hesitation. It would be the right thing to do; an opportunity for her to see Jesus when she may never have another.

For those struggling with the Chad Allen controversy, I urge you to go to Chad’s website and read what he has to say about Steve Saint. Then consider this: Will Chad ever turn from his sinful lifestyle and accept Jesus as his Savior? I don’t know. But if he does, it will be hugely influenced by the way he was treated, respected, and loved by Steve, Mart, and the others he worked for exercising his craft as an actor. If the capital “F” would have had its way, the influence would have been pure condemnation and grease on the tracks leading to hell.

Life is not completely black and white. As much as all of us who believe the Bible is true want to base our lives on its precepts, not everything in life is specifically addressed. We must infer principals and take the overall thrust of God’s message to us to gain guidance in areas that appear grey. I’m not referring to the clear sin of homosexuality. I’m talking about dealing with precious souls that Jesus gave his life for. God has left us with the need to think and wrestle with ideas and grapple with the tension of paradox. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come, let us reason together says the Lord…” I used to joke about it, but it’s not funny: this page must be torn from the Fundamentalist Bible.

A footnote:

A few years ago, in a BJU publication, then President Bob Jones III forsook the name “Fundamentalist” stating it had been co-opted by the popular press to refer to radical Islam. The new term he chose was “Preservationist.” I came close to writing a letter to him commending him for changing to a name with an accurate meaning. The system seems to teach that old things are holier than new things as age has a sanctifying affect on things like hair and clothing styles and music. But it didn’t seem to be a constructive thing to do so I never did.

Tags: Fundamentalist, End of the Spear, Steve Saint, Chad Allen

Patience

Being positive requires another "p" word: patience. Setting goals and getting enthused is all great until one comes upon a roadblock or just the press of everyone else trying to get to the same place on an otherwise perfectly fine road. Patience for me requires having a margin in place - some wiggle room to deal with the unexpected. It's inevitable, but my habit has always been to make my plans based on the best-case scenario. This seems odd from a self-professed negative person. But the best-case rarely happens and so out of positive intent, negativity explodes as frustration reigns. Others base their plans on the worst-case. In the case of folks like Danny Divito ("What's the worst that could happen?") it can be freeing. For others it's a non-starting quagmire. I'm thinking the best course is to plan for the best case, expect the best and often you'll achieve it. But build in margins. Back off from maximum expectation. Have a plan B in place. Take something to read in case you have to wait. Leave some hours and some days in your schedule with nothing planned. If they end up being truly empty times, which will rarely happen, then fill them with something spontaneous and fun. Look to your list of things you've been waiting to do until things calm down and do one of them. This sounds like preaching, but it's to myself. I'm trying to learn to live this way. And quell that nasty feeling in my gut when I come around the bend to see a long string of bright brake lights ahead.

Cynicism

Lily Tomlin or one of her characters once said, “No matter how cynical you get, it’s never enough to keep up.” I thought this was hilarious when I heard it and have quoted it occasionally. But the mirth in it has become less and I’ve come to take it far too seriously. Today I spent some time reading the current “Persons of the Year” issue of Time magazine (Dec. 26, 2005/Jan. 2, 2006). The cover stories are about Bono of U2 fame and Bill and Melinda Gates and their efforts to do something about world poverty and disease. The richest couple in the world and the biggest rock star in the world would seem to have promise of great fodder for cynicism. But what they are doing with what are arguably the greatest instances of wealth and fame that the world has ever seen quenches my cynical heart. Another story in the issue is about the unlikely pairing of former presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton in efforts to garner aid for tsunami victims and for hurricane Katrina relief. The story tells of the sincere friendship that has developed between these two former political arch enemies. Again, the story took the wind right out of my cynical sails and gave me a little warm feeling deep inside to see the picture of these two smiling men sitting on Bush’s boat enjoying the day and each other’s company. The picture is not one of a powerful democrat and a powerful republican, but of two Americans. This is a picture the rest of the world needs to see. That there are things we hold dear in this country that transcend our politics.

My personal cynicism has been festering. I have always struggled with being on the negative side – a half-empty glass kind of person. It is onerous to those close enough to me to see it (I can be good at hiding it in public when I put my mind to it.) Now it is becoming really onerous to me as well. I’m sick of it. There is too much beauty and wonder in this world God has given us to live in and life is too short to waste it on complaining and bitterness. I have never been one to make New Year’s resolutions to be promptly forgotten. I hadn’t given it a thought this year either. But I have one now. I’m attempting to keep my mouth shut when my knee jerk reaction is negativity and to make a conscious effort to say positive words instead. Maybe there is hope that my mouth can help reprogram my heart. Norman Vincent Peale, maybe you had it right.

The effect is to affect

“Usage Note: Affect and effect have no senses in common. As a verb affect is most commonly used in the sense of “to influence” (how smoking affects health). Effect means “to bring about or execute”: layoffs designed to effect savings. Thus the sentence These measures may affect savings could imply that the measures may reduce savings that have already been realized, whereas These measures may effect savings implies that the measures will cause new savings to come about.”

I’ve always been a little confused about this.

Day and Night

Perspective

I drove over this along with thousands of others every working day for over five years and never saw it.

Heading Home

Cotton fields back home

They certainly weren't rotten, but you still couldn't pick you very much cotton. At least not without an airplane. Nice winter crop though, don't you think?

The heavens declare...

Last night my pal showed me the telescope he got for Christmas. First we looked at the moon and though his camera adapter hadn't shown up yet we tried holding our cameras up to the eyepiece with a modicum of success. We also looked at Mars and the Orion Nebula (wooo!) and Saturn, rings and all! (Zoweeee!). The nebula and Saturn were amazing. The first time I've really seen those things. No artist conception, no film, no pixels - just some powerful, high precision lenses and mirrors and my eyeball. Mind blowing stuff. Unfortunately without the proper camera mount and the tracking computer hooked up, it's impossible to get a photo of just about anything but the moon.