When it comes to the President, I am confused by decision this week in numerous ways. In the last campaign he famously said, at Saddleback Church, that marriage was only between a man and a woman. Since then he has talked about his stance evolving and how he was thinking through the issue. His stance was changed, he said in his interview, through the changing climate around same sex marriage in our country. The younger generation is far more accepting of this idea and doesn’t question whether or not same sex couples should have equal rights. This was evidently very influential on the President.

Obama’s story is probably a lot like many American’s story on this issue. As soon as it became personalized and became a question of people you know and their rights it became a different issue altogether. What is confusing about the President’s stance, however, is why he made it now and what has caused his evolution.My confusion isn’t about why he believes what he believes, I have many friends on both sides of this issue, my confusion is to the why and the how. Should the changing beliefs of a new generation shift your own beliefs? Should an idea gaining popularity make it more convincing? Well if you are a politician maybe so. But when we are talking about issues of morality and justice they should be bedrocks, foundational beliefs that we hold onto despite the ever shifting opinions of our culture. It will be interesting to see if the President makes his view on this matter one that is tied to a bedrock belief that he has now newly discovered or rather if it just seems practical and politically astute.

The timing of his announcement is also rather unusual. This will galvanize some of his supporters, is fuel for most of his critics and will probably cost him some supporters. Politically I am sure he was under immense pressure from a number of donors to come out with a pro same sex marriage stance. The effects of this announcement on his presidential reelection bid are far from clear, however. This could cost Obama the election, or it could be a minor ripple. What a gamble at a time when the economy, the war, and so many other issues are making the political waters rough sailing.

In NC a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage passed overwhelmingly on Tuesday. I still have a ton of friends in NC, almost all of them congregated in the Research Triangle (near Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) and almost to a person they were opposed to this amendment. Obviously the Triangle is not representative of the rest of the state. Opponents of this amendment cited that it could actually have effects on others beside same sex partners and that it was simply a poorly constructed law. Others in favor of it, including many church leaders and even Billy Graham, praised it as an action to protect the sanctity of marriage.

I didn’t have a vote in the state of NC, but if I did I would have voted against the amendment for no other reason than because it was poorly written and potentially very harmful. The issue wasn’t even about same sex marriage, it just seems like a unnecessary and harmful action. I am especially concerned about the harmful effect that these campaigns have against our brothers and sisters in the homosexual community. There are some very disturbing studies showing the effects a negative social environment has on this community, especially among teenagers. I seldom here Christians really talk about the effects of our campaigns and policies on the individual lives of those affected by them. This is a gross oversight on our part.

At the heart of this issue for us as the church is how we are to best go about our mission of making disciples of the nations. Included in this mission is the very community so many of us are campaigning against. Even if we don’t believe in same sex marriage, how are we supposed to build in roads into the lives of our friends, neighbors, family members and fellow human beings who have a homosexual orientation when we are contributing to such a hostile environment? Where is the balance between grace and truth?

If we are going to fulfill the mission of Christ we must follow the example of Christ. Jesus was able to at the same time hold onto God’s standards of truth and holiness while embracing those who were far from God. He shared his dinner table with them. He literally touched the untouchable. Jesus welcomed into his life those whom society had shunned and made laws to isolate and dehumanize. In the midst of all these debates on policies, laws and amendments we can’t lose sight of this being our primary action to make the truth of God known. We should care about the laws of our land. We should fight for justice. We should fight for morality. But, we should first and foremost love all people with the radical grace of God and allow our holy lives of welcoming hospitality and gracious acceptance shine the light of God into the darkness of this world.

In a season of great unrest and anger in our culture, may our lives of intentionally peaceful and gracious love of all people offer a compelling alternative to the broken discourse and pain of our culture.

To be more specific about the claim, Santorum has gone on the record saying that he does not doubt that the President is a Christian. What he is calling a phony theology is a worldview the Santorum feels is unBiblical. Specifically this shows up in the President’s view of creation itself and environmentalism. Any view that elevates the Earth over humanity is a false and unBiblical worldview. So what do we make of that claim.

Santorum is correct in that scripture makes it clear that Earth was created for humanity, not humanity for the Earth. God, when he made humanity in his image, created humanity to enjoy the earth and to act as his stewards over creation. God created us as caretakers over creation. So is Santorum on to something? That is probably a yes/no question. Do parts of radical environmentalism elevate creation over and above humanity? Absolutely, there have always been those who worship creation above the creator, who worship it in an idolatrous way and who minimize humanity’s role of steward. This is especially easy to come by these days because we have continually proven to be terrible stewards of creation. This is a mark of shame against the church for the past several centuries especially. It is one that is changing rapidly, but it is a legitimate complaint.

Santorum goes too far, however, in dismissing a worldview because a fellow Christian has a different view of what stewardship of the Earth and its resources means, however. This is especially an issue for a committed Catholic like Santorum. When it comes to skewed theology and poor hermeneutics leading to bad worldview the Roman Catholic Church leads the way.

Do Santorum’s claims in this regard have some merit. Yes they point to a real problem. Is it a genuine problem for our President, well that is up for debate. But the nature of politics as it is doesn’t recognize nuance, subtlety or the reality that we often point out the speck in our opponents eye without addressing the plank in our own. There is plenty of “phony theology” being bantered about in this election season, but the environmental views of the Obama administration don’t worry me very much. There are much bigger worldview issues at stake in this election.

The Presidents of the United States are one fascinating bunch of men. They offer such a rich variety of figures to study, learn from, and complain about. Of course they have just about the most impossible job in the world, but that has never stopped us from complaining that they are merely human. In honor of the ridiculousness of their work, here are some presidential ramblings.

As a kid I used to tell people that I was directly related to Chester A. Arthur our 21st president. Interestingly enough he had no vice president because there was no provision for establishing one back then. We now have an amendment that allows the president to do so. I have no evidence I am actually related to Chester Arthur.

Did you Richard Nixon was a Quaker? Somehow his Anabaptist background didn’t totally sink in I am guessing. Tricky Dick also helped me get into college as I wrote a college essay on why I would like to have dinner with him and Billy Graham.

John Adams is one of the most interesting presidents as far as life experiences go. The David McCullough book and HBO series on his life are really terrific. That man was a patriot who simply served wherever he was needed. One tough minded man.

Theodore Roosevelt is probably my favorite president just for the life he led. This was  a tough guy. As a matter of fact, in a caged death match of all of our presidents I am putting my money on Teddy. He not only led the Rough Riders around Cuba and boxed at Harvard, after serving as president he also went on safari in Africa and explored South America. Teddy Roosevelt was a man who could have thrived in any age.

Looking back on life as a Cold War kid growing up Ronald Reagan now seems like more of a caricature than a real person to me. He was almost so beloved and such a black and white figure in an age where we knew where the bad guys were that he hardly seems real. He seems like the character of a movie more than anything else. You could take some of the speeches he made, have Bill Pullman read them and stick them in an action movie. I love Reagan as a kid and have no idea what to think of him now.

Did you see the news about the book written by Mimi Alford about her time as an intern under John Kennedy and their affair? The details are pretty interesting in a wow JFK was really lucky he didn’t live in the age of social media and 24 hour news coverage kind of way. I think JFK is a very overrated president.

Jimmy Carter, terrible president, really fantastic former president. He has done more to impact the world in a positive way than he ever did as president. I dig Jimmy for the man he is.

I am more torn about George W. Bush as a president than anyone. There are things about the man I admire and tons of things that make me cringe. I simply think he was president in the wrong era. Put him as President in the 80′s or maybe 1880′s and I think he does a better job.

Those are some presidential ramblings. Who are your favorite presidents and why?

From a theological perspective I really love this protest. I agree with these companies that these bills are a bit limiting, even if the idea behind them isn’t bad. The urge to try and protect American jobs and intellectual property is a great thing. The way this bill goes about doing it may not be the best way in doing so. I understand the objections. I am not up in arms about the bills, but I get why people are so upset by them.

But what intrigues me much more is the way these companies have gone about their protests. Oh, I am sure they have spent a lot of money (because they have it) on lobbying Congress about this bill. But using the internet itself and their withdrawal from the system, even if for a day, is a great way of trying to promote change. Sometimes the only way to make the system stop and take notice is to withdraw from it’s support. Not every circumstance calls for that type of response, but more circumstances call for it than certainly we as American Christians want to acknowledge.

Sometimes not voting is the best vote. Sometimes not buying a product, or any product has a greater impact. Sometimes we have to use the system to do our work and sometimes we have to abandon the system to make change. A lot more people will be aware of these bills and their impact after today. Regardless of what the bills mean and whether or not we should protest them, I am very intrigued by the actions of these companies.

What do you think? Are there any lessons for us in the church that we can apply from this?

1) Sandwiches. Sandwiches can change America. A sandwich can be hearty, healthy, delicious, practical and economically responsible. We need to help people eat more and better sandwiches. Just like earlier promises for a chicken in every pot, I pledge there to be a sandwich in every lunch box. A tasty one at that. We need to guarantee people their right to sandwiches. We need to use the sandwich as a guide for fixing our budgetary problems. Just take the issue and think, now if I was making this problem into a sandwich how would I do that?

2) I am immediately quadrupling what we spend on education in this country. Teachers are getting big raises, and we are going to go out and recruit the brightest Americans to the classroom. None of this money will ever be wasted.

3) Candidates for president should be limited to campaigning via social media and free airspace on TV and Radio. No more purchased TV ads, TV specials, or ridiculous campaign contributions. If you can’t let everyone know who you are and what you are doing via social networking, a couple of debates and an interview then just forget it.

4) I am proposing giving every candidate a mandatory test on world geography, world leaders, world religions, American history, the political system and the 1991 Washington Redskins and then publishing the results.

5) We are going to get rid of the designated hitter, prohibit lockouts from ever occurring again, get rid of all sideline reporters, and give college football a playoff system and impose the same rules about leaving a school that players have to follow to their coaches.

6) Let’s add more states! 50 maybe nifty, but let’s add more. Why not add Guam or Puerto Rico or see if some of Canada might want to come on down. Wouldn’t Bermuda or having the city of Vancouver as part of our country be kind of cool? Maybe we can even have an application process!

7) DC is going back to PG County. Those of us who grew up in PG County, MD know that we donated the land for Washington, DC in the first place. We want it back, they want to be able to vote like a real state and the Redskins already play in PG County. Done, that is a settled issue.

8 ) Congress will be paid via an incentive based performance review. The idea of reviews determining pay for teachers seems so popular that we can apply it to congress. Congressmen will be paid based on whether they made the country a better or worse place during their term. Of course this means that many will be end up owing the government money by the time their term is up.

9) I promise to love and care for old people, poor people, immigrants, women and children as much as I care for rich people, white people, and sandwiches.

10) I pledge to find a way to get the following TV shows that ended too soon back on the air somehow: Firefly, The Dresden Files, Friday Night Lights, and Arrested Development.

Slovenian philosopher and adept cultural analyst Slavoj Zizek (you may remember me talking about him in my series on the End of Evangelicalism?) recently visited the Wall Street group and had some interesting comments. An avid Marxist and critic of capitalism and its effects on the globe Zizek had some interesting things to say. This struck me as particulalry poignant.

“Carnivals come cheap,” he admonished. “What matters is the day after, when we will have to return to normal life. Will there be any changes then? I don’t want you to remember these days, you know like, ‘Oh, we were young, it was beautiful.’ Remember that our basic message is: We are allowed to think about alternatives. The rule is broken. We do not live in the best possible way. But there is a long road ahead. There are truly difficult questions that confront us. We know what we do not want. But what do we want?”

Carnivals come cheap, wow that is an important idea. If people truly want social change in our country it must move beyond events and grand standing into changing day to day living. If Occupy Wall Street has any real effect on our country it will most likely not be because of crowded protests, but instead because of alternative living. If we really want to change the way our country works we have to stop feeding the system. You want to effect capitalism, it is pretty simple stop consuming. Our voices, our votes, our money, and most importantly our relationships are our means of influencing the way our country works. But using them takes intentional choices about how we live and who we support and what we want from our lives.

Where we are right now as a country is the natural ending spot for the most individualistic and selfish consumer culture the world has ever known. Is anyone truly surprised that the system hasn’t worked? I am not sure Occupy Wall Street will do much more than lend a voice and give an identity to those who are frustrated, but it at least has some potential to motivate change. I am wondering how much this movement is similar to the Peace Movement of the late 60s that helped a generation that was disillusioned find an identity and voice. Of course that generation eventually shaved their hair, got jobs and contributed quite a bit to this mess, so maybe not.

Any thoughts? What do you see this movement doing, if anything? Is it important? Will it disappear next month and we will forget it?

That is the question perplexing me today as I read about the candidates positioning themselves for a run at the presidency. Not only are there no candidates I have encountered who are anti-death penalty, but the most prominent Christian candidates seem to be so pro-death penalty that they wear it as a badge of honor. Does no one else feel a disconnect from this?

Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, has been outspoken about his faith, even hosting prayer rallies. Yet he promotes proudly his record in regard to executions and lack of clemency as the governor of Texas. This should be more of an issue for us as Christians and yet I almost never hear the Christians I interact with on a daily basis bring it up as a significant issue for them, especially in regards to voting practices.

We are far too comfortable with the idea of the death penalty as Christians in America. It is not as if we are ruled by OT notions of an eye for an eye. We don’t hold onto a flat reading of scripture. We first and foremost evaluate all of these issues through the person of Christ and his work on the cross. We are a people of grace and redemption. As Shane Claiborne eloquently wrote over at Out of Ur recently:

It is this dual conviction that no one is above reproach and that no one is beyond redemption that lies at the heart of our faith. Undoubtedly it’s why the early Christians were characterized by non-violence, even in the face of brutal evil, torture, and execution. Of all people, we who follow the executed and risen Christ should be people who are pro-life, pro-grace, anti-death.

Beyond the overall issue of the death penalty is the reality that in our country the system is really bad. You are executed in our country based on what color your skin is, who you killed, and where you killed them. The statistics on the inequity of the American death penalty system are staggering. Further more the cost of killing someone verses keeping them imprisoned for life are also greatly unequal. The trials, appeals, and investigations into death row cases have almost bankrupted some communities. There seems to be so little justice involved in this attempt at ultimate justice. Is it ignorance or bad theology that keeps this from being a huge political and justice issue for so many Christians?

The justice/prison system in this country isn’t just broken, it is immoral and destructive. We imprison an insane number of people in this country, mostly for non-violent crimes. We execute a really high number of people in this country. And most of all we as Christians for the most part feel really comfortable with the system we have. Today I am just left asking the question, “Why?”

46 million people is the combined populations of the following European countries

Czech Republic – 10.5 million

Hungary – 10 million

Sweden – 9.3 million

Austria – 8.3 million

Bulgaria 7.5 million

Or it is the same as the entire country of Spain – 47 million people.

That is an astounding amount of Americans who are living in poverty while being residents of the richest, most powerful country in the world during a time of unprecedented access to information, education, and connectivity.

There are also now 49 million Americans without health insurance.

Our country is broken. We must be on our knees in prayer for our politicians and law makers that we can set aside the ridiculous spirit of animosity in Washington and find ways to make some real changes. This study just really hit home today for me. I pray that it won’t just be a passing thought for you either. This doesn’t even begin to talk either about how much better off even those in poverty in our country are then those in poverty around the globe. We must wake up, There is so much work to do.

Keep your friends close and your worship pastor closer

In the kind of story that you just can’t make up, a pastor at, (wait as I set the stage for the mother of all ironic church names) New Welcome Baptist Church in Alabama was tasered by his worship pastor after the severance check he handed him was deemed a little too small. You can go here for the full story.

I have heard of unfortunate violence in church, but never a pastor on pastor brawl. There are so many comedic, ironic, and painful directions to go with this story that it makes my head hurt. Needless to say, my lesson has been learned. Next time I have to give someone s severance check I will make it big and I will mail it to them, so that I am well outside of tasering distance when they see it.

Warren Buffett wants more taxes for the Super Rich, awesome!

Great comments form billionaire Warren Buffett on the need for congress to stop coddling the super rich. Every time I hear one of these debates about whether or not we should increase taxes on the wealthiest of the wealthy in our country I just don’t get the objections. It is kind of like when celebrities show up at a restaurant and expect their meal to be comped. To take this issue to a spiritual realm, this is the conversation that has also been taking place within the Church of the Nazarene during the changing of our budgeting process.

For the first time all Nazarene churches worldwide are contributing to the burden of funding the global mission of the church. This is a good thing that reinforces our unity as a church. But the North American church funds the vast majority of the world mission, something like 90%. I never look at that and feel like somehow we are being taken advantage of or that we are going to stop giving towards world mission because of the percentages we pay to the denomination. We are so blessed and we bear an increased responsibility to give generously out of that blessing. I am down my man Warren B on this one.

Are You Ready for Some (Kinda lame, Pre-Season) Football?

Thanks to the wonders of the NFL Network and my DVR, I was able to watch a number of the preseason games this weekend. After the lockout and all the missed practices the question was whether or not the games would suffer. Preseason games are nothing very exciting to begin with, so the lockout could make them brutal. The results, however, were quite mixed. Several of the teams I watched, including the Eagles, Bucs, and my beloved Redskins, actually looked pretty sharp. (Even Sexy Rexy Grossman looked good. Insert necessary joke here…..) Other teams, however, especially ones with coaching changes, rookies in key spots, and even just some not really caring yet veterans, looked bad,.

The big effect from this lockout will come in the first half of the season. Some teams are not going to hit the ground running once the games start counting. In a league where the difference between 6-10 and 10-6 can be a couple of close plays, many seasons will be shaped by those first few weeks and how fast a team can start. For a team like the Redskins, a fast start could be a massive difference. We will see what the rest of the month of preseason games bring and how much of an impact they really have.

I am a big fan or prayer. I am a huge fan of the church coming together across denominational, ethnic, and socioeconomic boundaries and seeking God together. I am all for offering a different message during these days of turmoil and nasty discourse. But when a leading candidate (not official candidate, at least not yet) for president organizes an event like this in the days leading up to a presupposed or at least highly possible presidential bid I get skeptical and worried. I grow skeptical of the powers at work putting together such an event. This type of event screams “Christian Right” and “Jerry Falwell” to me, and that is no compliment. This seems like the kind of political maneuvering we saw during the campaigns for George W. Bush, when the evangelical church was mobilized as a powerful voting block behind a Christian candidate.

I am so willing to be wrong about this event. I am desperate for it to be a God honoring sign of the church at work in the midst of our countries struggles, but my skepticism is making that nearly impossible. What do you think? How should we perceive this event? How much does the evangelical nature of a candidate matter to you right now in such a pivotal moment of our countries history? I would love to hear some thoughts.