via Lincoln Nebraska proposed LGBT protection ordinance: Best In Show! – YouTube.
Relient K – “Down in Flames”
Relient K – “Down in Flames”
Christians– we’re all afraid of fire.
We prefer to suck on pacifiers.
Baby pacifists, we’re throwing fits.
We don’t shake hands, we shake our fists.
We’re cannibals.
We watch our brothers fall.
We eat our own, the bones and all.
Finally fell asleep on the plane
to wake to see we’re going down in flames.
We’re going down, down, down in flames.
We’re gonna drown, drown, drown insane.
We see the problem and the risk,
but nothing’s solved.
We just say, “Tisk, tisk, tisk,”
and, “Shame, shame, shame.”
Christians– we mourn, the thorn is stuck
in the side of the body watch it self-destruct.
The enemy is much ignored
when we fight this Christian civil war.
We’re cannibals.
We watch our brothers fall.
We eat our own, the bones and all.
Finally fell asleep on the plane
to wake to see we’re going down in flames.
We’re going down, down, down in flames.
We’re gonna drown, drown, drown insane.
Finally fell asleep on the plane
to wake to see we’re going down in flames…
Let’s extinguish the anguish
for which we’re to blame,
and save the world
from going down in flames.
Let me pause to clarify
(’cause I’m sure you’re asking, “Why?”).
I stand before you and proudly claim
to belong to what this song complains.
I’m part of the problem,
I confess,
But I gotta get this off my chest.
Let’s extinguish the anguish
for which we’re to blame,
and save the world
from going down in flames.
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews Demonstrates How To Handle Tony Perkins On Television | Media Matters for America
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews Demonstrates How To Handle Tony Perkins On Television
http://cloudfront.equalitymatters.org/static/flash/pl52.swf
via MSNBC’s Chris Matthews Demonstrates How To Handle Tony Perkins On Television | Media Matters for America.
10 Things 2 B Thankful 4
I’m going to resist the urge to write anything other than my TEN things to be thankful this morning. Here goes…
1. Life. As I stepped outside this morning and inhaled the uncharacteristically crisp, fall-like air, it reminded me of the beauty and wonder of life.
2. Kids. My kids are so amazing. Watching them grow and develop continues to be such a joy.
3. Old Friends. The coming out process has shown me who my true friends were. Friends are friends through thick and thin.
4. New Friends. One of the most amazing things the move to Atlanta has done is show me my old personality didn’t die — it just went dorment for a while. I have really enjoyed meeting and developing friendships with some GREAT people.
5. Challenges. Challenges force growth. While this growth isn’t always pleasant, it is always a necessity to keep moving forward.
6. Renewed Focus. I remember in late 2010 teaching a middle school class a church and having a hard time remembering what I had spent hours preparing. My mind is clear and focused again.
7. Pain. Yes, I am thankful for the pain that brought me to the place of accepting that I am a gay man.
8. Purpose. While it isn’t “laser-like” in focus yet, I know part of my purpose is to help other guys like me avoid having to live in years of repression and fear.
9. Jesus. I probably should have had this one first, but I’ll leave it where it came up. I know that if what I beleived all my life is true — if the messages I preached to others about Christ is true — then he has not and will not let me go. His love is greater and stronger than I can imagine. I am beginning to internalize that Christian Fundamentalists don’t own him, and that feels GOOD.
10. Intellect. It is so nice to be able to question again. I lived for some many years in fear of asking the tough questions because of the answers that those tough questions might produce.
Disputatious Christians and Selective Outrage Make Me Wanna Go All R.E.M.
The selective outrage that I’m witnessing from the Christian community is making me want to go all “REM” today — as in lose my religion. Not only does the mean bickering look ridiculous, it IS ridiculous. I’m so weary of the fighting about EVERY. little. issue.
Andy Stanley used the word disputatious to describe Christians. Perfect. He also had a good definition in the sermon before “THE” sermon. He said Christians had become defined to be “judgmental, homophobic moralists who think they are the only ones going to heaven”. No arguments from this soultwisted ragamuffin.
What makes me absolutely CRAZY is the way that very public Christian figures, especially my former Baptist brethren, seem to live in an alternate reality when it comes to the words that flow out of the mouths of pastors. Backasswards much? I have a unique perspective on this since I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church (SBC), went to a SBC seminary, worked for a SBC church and planted church with support from the SBC. Let’s just say I know how the SBC does business, and it is a bit more GCB than any of them would like to admit. It is interesting that GCB is the initials to the alternative name/tagline that Baptists recently adopted. I’m just sayin…
I blogged last week about Pastor Sean Harris and his rant telling the congregation of Berea Baptist Church to “crack” the limp wrists of effeminate boys and “punch” them. He claimed in his “non-apology” and his “retraction…kinda” that he was speaking in hyperbole and his congregation knew what he meant. THAT is precisely what scares me, because I think they did know exactly what he meant. It was language that was very personal to my experience and I waited for some prominent voices to come to the rescue. They never did. Actually, the Christian Post came to Sean Harris’ DEFENSE in their painfully mis-titled article “LGBT Groups Attack NC Pastor Before Gay Marriage Vote”.
I also blogged about my experience at Buckhead Church and being blown away at Andy Stanley’s message. His message sent a pretty clear message that he and Northpoint church were willing to live in the messy tension that surrounds homosexuality — that gay and Christian were not two mutually exclusive terms. True to form, the evangelical community caught wind of his message and have circled like wolves. Dr. Al Mohler seems to have started the whole thing with his blog post on mega-churches and liberalism. Rick Warren jumped in the fray by saying Dr. Mohler should apologize for accusing all mega-churches of being liberal because one pastor “messed up”.
Excuse me Pastor Warren, could you please explain how Andy Stanley “messed up?” Was it his kindness to LGBT people? Was it the fact that he didn’t use the opportunity to reinforce the old evangelical standard of “hating the sin, hating loving the sinner? Was it that he painted a picture of a messy and radical grace?
And what I really don’t get is how pastors like Rick Warren and leaders like Dr. Mohler can pounce on Andy Stanley like he is a piece of fresh red meat whilst IGNORING the crazy-speak coming from the mouths of Pastor Sean Harris and his ilk. Listen to both messages. From Andy you get a calm, rational and loving presentation. You may not agree with everything, but there is no doubt that his words came from a place of love. From Sean Harris you get a hate-filled rant about abusing gay-acting kids in the hopes of correcting them into the straight life. And in his latest “clarification” with CNN, it is even more obvious that Pastor Harris meant every word he said. I feel sorry for the kids in that church and fear for any kid that might be gay and sitting in the pews. Just imagine what the “subtle” messages are in a church that has moments as blatant as the one the world witnessed at Berea?
It is weeks like this that make me ashamed to have been associated with Baptists and evangelicals. I’ll only bang my head up against an immovable object for so long. I’m stubborn, but not a complete idiot. I think I have learned that you can’t teach an old, mean and rabid dog new tricks. Especially the ones that have been raised to attack, bite and devour their young.
I only take solace in the fact that though they claim Christ, they DO NOT own Christ. So for now, in the words of Michael Stipe, “that’s me in the corner, that’s me in the spotlight… losing my religion.” And that makes me sad.
Marriage Over the Years
Great Post from Scot McKnight – Andy Stanley, Right and Good
I have so much to do today. I can’t take a ton of time out to watch as the furor over Andy Stanley continues to grow. However, I did browse a bit and was pleasantly surprised to come across one of God’s gentle prophets. Scot McKnight always has thoughtful posts, and this one ranks up there. Enjoy.
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Andy Stanley, Right and Good
May 7, 2012 By scotmcknight 45 Comments
There was a dustup late last week stirred up by Al Mohler, who accused Andy Stanley for soft-pedaling when it came to homosexuality, and then Mohler ramped up the rhetoric by wondering if megachurches were the new liberalism. Denny Burk chirped up some support for Mohler. Then Rick Warren got into the act and told Mohler he was libeling thousands of megachurch pastors in his comment about liberalism.
continue reading… Andy Stanley, Right and Good.
And so it begins…
I was wondering how long this would take. I kept twitter open more often than usual the past few weeks, fully expecting Northpoint and Andy Stanley to become a trending topic. I wrote about my experience at Buckhead Church here and here. Honestly, I can’t believe it has taken this long for the evangelical wolves to circle. It appears that Dr. Al Mohler was the first to fire…
A shot now reverberating around the evangelical world was fired by Atlanta megachurch pastor Andy Stanley in recent days. Preaching at North Point Community Church, in a sermon series known as “Christian,” Stanley preached a message titled “When Gracie Met Truthy” on April 15, 2012.
On a quick glance it appears that Rick Warren has tweeted Dr. Mohler asking for an apology for the title of the new article. I can’t do it right now, but I’ll have to spend some more time looking as the responses to this grown. The Christian Post has picked it up as well – read here and here. I already know the venomous responses form forum participants that will follow.
via AlbertMohler.com – Is the Megachurch the New Liberalism?.
The Christian Post attempts to defend Pastor Sean Harris…
Just look at the title of this article…
“LGBT Groups Attack NC Pastor Before Gay Marriage Vote”
I’ve been over the the Christian Post several times because of Amendment One. I must say that I was really disappointed with what I saw, especially on the message boards. This title just makes it worse.
I’m just not sure how a Christian publication can defend someone that says these things and then tries to paint those that point it out as extreme. Just go back and listen to the sermon. It speaks for itself. Here is an excerpt from the article…
However, gay advocacy groups are still attempting to paint the influential pastor as a hateful person ahead of the imminent vote to decide the terms of traditional marriage in North Carolina.
There is no “painting” that needs to be done. He clearly articulates his position and then reinforces it with the pseudo apology and retraction.
soultwist 