RE:think

Conservative Evangelical Christians: YOU Dropped the Ball

Before the election and after we heard plenty about "big government" and "socialism". These are things that concern a good number of people, me included. For many who worry about these things, it's their own fault we are even talking about it. I am going to take a moment to tell you why I think that is so. I will be as kind as possible, but some who read this will be angry.

I was out and about with my Dad today. We went to Johnson City to check out all the cool toys at the music store up there. I drooled a little, wished a little, and the end, walked out with nothing. On the way back we passed one of the larger churches in our area. There was some major construction going on. It looked like a big project with lots of money spent. It wasn't out of place at all though. All the big churches in our area, and even some smaller ones, have done the same thing. They have spent millions to build huge buildings and "family life centers" for their members, I mean communities. ;)

When he pointed it out, I was immediately angry. Which is my normal response in these situations. I was thinking of all the poor, disadvantaged, and forgotten people in our area that could be helped with the millions of dollars that pour into these huge monuments. Monuments to how great we are and how hot our music, programs, and small groups are. OK, that wasn't very kind, sorry. But in many cases, it's all too true.

So what does this have to do with evangelicals, big government, and socialism? Well, let me tell you.

One of the biggest and loudest groups (and their leaders) heading the charge against all things big government are, you guessed it, white, conservative, evangelicals. The same people pouring millions into brick and mortar while the communities they serve (or are suppose to) are left with needs. In all fairness, many do some good things for their communities. However, with all the money they spend on other things, while many still have needs, opportunities are being missed on a large scale. Enter big government.

We have failed in our mission. We have forgotten the sermon on the mount and put our treasure into things that make us comfortable. While others toil in need, we have nice comfy buildings with all the amenities. We have fortresses of solitude we can retreat to and get away from the world. We send our youth groups out to food banks and we take mission trips every summer to make ourselves feel better about how much we have while others do not. But in the end, we stop short of REALLY doing something to help with the problems in our world.

In doing this, we have given control to the government with our inaction and wasteful spending. We emboldened those in the government who crave power and they have scooped up our fumble and are running with it. Nothing helps a power grab more than giving people what they need or think they need. While we are busy with our basketball leagues in gymnasiums some schools wish they had while the government does our job with programs funded by taxpayer dollars.

Imagine if all these huge churches took the millions they spend on "stuff" and put it back into our communities. Would healthcare be an issue? Housing? Hunger? Things wouldn't be perfect, but they'd be much better. And the government wouldn't have to pick up our slack. If the taxes you pay functionally serve as a piece of your tithes and offerings, then just be quiet. You are telling us you want the government to do your job. You are telling us you are fine with a welfare state.

In 2005 Americans gave nearly $100 Billion dollars to religious organizations. Most of that would be given by Christians, and a large chunk of that would be from evangelicals. Imagine if we spent less on buildings and staffs and instead poured the money back into our communities the way the first century church did. If we choose to keep doing what we are doing, then it's time to shut up and watch the government go into a direction we may not want.

They Even Have Obama Believing that Email Now

It's a little funny. If he were going to have a slip of the tongue, this wasn't the way to do it.

TV Observations With a Fever of 103

I've been suffering with the flu as you all know from my last post. Today I am feeling a bit better and the temp dropped below 100 for the first time since late Tuesday night. Since then, I have been laying in the bed watching (sort of) a lot of TV. I purposely tried watching stuff I wouldn't normally watch so that my weird feverish flu-ridden dreams might be a little more interesting. (that didn't really work) So I thought while I am still a tad loopy, it would be fun to make some observations.

Reality Show I Want to See

"I Love Hilary"

Based on shows like "Rock of Love" and "I Love New York". This show star Hilary Clinton and instead of finding her a romantic interest, it would pit 16 news media personalities against one another to find out who the biggest groupie is. My money is on Alan Combs, or that scary scratchy voiced lawyer lady who is on FOX News all the time being a far left freakazoid. Ann Coulter should be the host.

Commercials

That Hardees commercial with the dude entranced by the hula girl bobble doll while eating the Hawaiian chicken sandwich makes me sick. I think it's mostly because the Hawaiian words they use just register in my head weird. Or it could be that the thought of any food while I have been sick makes my stomach turn. So, it stands to reason a chicken sandwich with pineapple on it from a fast food chain is not very appetizing at 103.

Wastes of Time on 24 Hour News Channels

This Peterson case of the missing wife and the exhuming of a prior wife dominates these channels? With all that is going on in the world we have to hear night after night about this? Sensationalizing these stories is not good for anyone, especially the victims and the victim's loved ones. I can't figure out for the life of me how, when kids disappear everyday, this story dominates 24 hour news. Can anyone explain? Are we the viewer that messed up?

Tags: Hardees, Flu, Hilary Clinton, 24 Hour News, TV

War with Iran?

We need to be praying that another way is made. The last thing we need is to be fighting Iran in the wake of the debacle that has been Iraq. War is never the best way no matter which side you are on. So it can't hurt for all of us to pray for peace.

Does the thought of nukes in Iran scare me? You betcha. Do I trust our government and their intelligence after the WMD situation in Iraq. No. The intelligence may be good, but could this be another case of using anything and everything to attack another country?

Former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski said this:

"When the president flatly asserts they are seeking nuclear weapons, he's overstating the facts," he said. "We are suspicious, we have strong suspicions, but we don't have facts that they are."

It's all very scary no matter how you look at it. But something tells me, the more nations we attack without being attacked by them first, and on weak evidence at that, the worse we will have it with the rest of the world.

Pray for peace.

Link: Brzezinski: U.S. in danger of 'stampeding' to war with Iran - CNN.com.

Thousands rally to support 'Jena 6'

I wish I could have been there. The only thing I hate about this event is that is being headlined by Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

I pray that justice is served in this case and that racism and prejudice take a huge hit. I encourage you to pray for peaceful march and for these young men and their families.

Link: Thousands rally to support 'Jena 6' - CNN.com.

Simpson? Seriously?

I can not believe we are going to go through this again with O.J. Simpson. Stupid media. I can't take another story full of Ito's, Dardens, Clark's, and VanSusterens. Maybe this is his tax evasion thing a la Al Capone, but good grief I hate that it will dominate every version of media there is.

I wonder who is playing Mark Fuhrman this time around? Johnnie Cochran is no longer with us so who will come up with the Jesse Jackson rhyming one liners? Will another analyst be pushed into the limelight like Roger Cossack was?

Ya know what? I don't give rats nasty rear end.

Link: Simpson released from jail - CNN.com.

Peace Protests

Interesting that a peace protests almost always turn into this:

Many of the protesters were arrested without a struggle after they jumped over the waist-high barricade. But some grew angry as police attempted to push them back using large shields. At least two people were showered with chemical spray. Protesters responded by throwing signs and chanting: "Shame on you."

The arrests came after protesters initially decided to lie down on the Capitol lawn with signs on top of their bodies to represent soldiers killed in Iraq. When police took no action, some of the protesters climbed the barricade.

Before arriving at the Capitol lawn, the demonstrators marched on Pennsylvania Avenue holding banners and signs and saying, "What do we want? Troops out. When do we want it? Now."

Counterprotesters lined the sidewalks behind metal barricades. There were some heated shouting matches between the two sides.

I think  protesting for peace is admirable, but the process almost always gets ugly with both sides to blame.

What angers me most is the accusation (or at least insinuation) that those of us who  oppose this war oppose our troops. I'm sure there are some kooks who do just that, but by and large it's not about that.

Link: 160 arrested as thousands march against Iraq war in Washington - CNN.com.

A Bit of Good News Out of Jena

Louisiana judge tosses conviction against teen tried as adult - CNN.com

However, I am cringing a bit because Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are about to get involved according to this article. In my opinion they usually do more harm than good these and I am always left wondering if it's just a grandstanding opportunity.

I told Evette that I really wish I could drive down to the rally on September 20th, but it's just not in the realm of possibilities.

Continue to pray for a just and peaceful settlement to this ordeal.

Jena 6: Help See Justice Served

You'll see this all over the Internet right now. We need to see justice served in this case.

 

What you need to do:

1. Watch the video and visit the website.
2. Sign the online petition. It doesn't matter if you are American or not, it will help.
3. Send this information to everyone you know. If you have a blog or a website, please post the video and these three simply options. (click here for the YouTube source)

This is a way that we can all be involved in seeking justice for 6 young men who are now in a spot they shouldn't have been placed in and are accused of more than they did simply based on the color of their skin. A black eye and some bruising does not equal attempted murder. An all white jury was selected in the case. The local barber shop in this town still does not allow black customers. The odds are stacked against them.

This should make us very very angry. Please do the above and encourage others to as well.

Technorati Tags: Jena 6, Justice, Racism

Maybe the Saddest Part of All

This commentary is spot on. Forget the hate crime charges for now, they aren't even going after them. What about the coverage compared to Michael Vick? Or even the last few days during this horrible episode when all we heard was how bad Britney was at the VMA's and that she was fat. Here's a quote from the commentary: 

This is when the media gets slammed. We've determined that Vick, Paris Hilton and the shenanigans of Lindsey Lohan are far more important than the viciousness of what took place in West Virginia and Tennessee.

We got to do better. We need to be outraged when fellow human beings are mistreated. Our appetite for celebrity news has made us less compassionate and caused the news organizations to troll for trash.

I won't bother you with this stuff for a little while. Tomorrow, good news! There has to be some out there.

Commentary: Where is the outrage when humans are abused? - CNN.com

Technorati Tags: Celebrity, Michael Vick, Paris Hilton, Bad Reporting, Britney Spears