Blog Thoughts for Friday, March 7, 2014

"Russia threatens to abandon the dollar as its reserve currency"

http://dailycaller.com/2014/03/04/russia-threatens-to-abandon-the-dollar-as-its-reserve-currency/#ixzz2v3V5WJdr

Obama threatened Russia's financial standing, but with China already attempting to trade the Yen for the dollar, it could all blow up in the American President's face.

From the Daily Caller story: "The Kremlin’s chief economic adviser, Sergei Glazyev, suggested the plan, which would call for Russia to either entirely abandon the dollar or to use a system that wouldn’t require the U.S. dollar to conduct international transactions.  'If sanctions are applied against state structures, we will be forced to recognize the impossibility of repayment of the loans that the US banks gave to the Russian structures.'

But Why.....

"Seth Pickens, LA Pastor Who Penned '10 Reasons I Love LGBTQ Folk,' Addresses 'Spin' Over Zion Hill Baptist Church 'Tribunal'"

http://www.christianpost.com/news/seth-pickens-la-pastor-who-penned-10-reasons-i-love-lgbtq-folk-addresses-spin-over-zion-hill-baptist-church-tribunal-115613/

The Christian Post apparently wants to be an online newspaper that deals in news of the Christian church and family.  However, reputable news reporters usually adhere to the eight elements of news -- .

The story linked above becomes a news story because the subject of that story, Rev. Seth Pickens, is acting outside the norm.  But we don't know if the reporter is claiming the norm is to affirm homosexuals or hold them to scripture.  Pickens seems to affirm them, so it would seem that's the way the reporter leans, but that would make this a piece of advocacy journalism.  That kind of journalism tells you only what the reporter wants you to know, not necessarily the whole story.

In fact, there's an entire side of this story missing.  For example, the reporter quotes Rev. Pickens repeated talking about how he "feels", but no specific justification, no root cause of those feelings.  He speaks out against Christian orthodoxy, with no explanation of what he means by "orthodoxy."  He indicates "the church" disapproves of homosexuality without  explaining why the Christian church would do that.  From Genesis to Jude, scripture is replete with how God deals with sexual perversion.

In truth, Rev. Pickens walks a very fine line where homosexuality is concerned, and it would be good to know how he discerns that line in light of scripture.

The reporter touches on the disagreements between Pickens, his church Board, and the church membership.  Indications are that there are lessons to be shared from Christian behavioral and organizational management points of view, but they are lacking.  As is the depth of this story.  As published it tantalizes and titillates just enough to draw readership, in the same way as the National Enquirer and other market scandal sheets.

It's not enough for a follower of Jesus Christ to do the right thing, those who observe need to understand why.

Thank God it Still Happens, by Pastor Ed Evans

In another online venue (www.LinkedIn.com) I'm involved with, there is a great conversation underway about Christian faith, works, and America as empire.

   

I suppose you could put alternative motives to nearly everything anyone does, as a farmer, a plumber, businessman or politician.  But our Jesus pointed out that it's by their works that we should know them, not by looking over their shoulder every minute to demand justification for each moment of work.

One of the posters in that venue, ended a very thoughtful post with this sentence:  "We witness in large and small ways and in the end the world will be transformed."

My own response immediately was "Amen, amen and amen. And to the end that belief and faith, like politics, is local, often the only way it will happen."  Then I began to think, if asked, what had I seen and heard that would speak to that opinion?
   
That thought put me in mind of some people I want to bear witness to in this arena. James has pointed out that if you "love" the naked and hungry and say nice things to them without feeding or clothing them, that isn't Christ's kind of love. For 17 years I worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, so that I was often in the midst of disasters, the results of flooding, tornadoes, all sorts. Other than the presence of Red Cross and FEMA, sometimes helpful sometimes not, the one presence we could count on were the trucks and buses of the Southern Baptist and the Church of Christ. While the Red Cross and FEMA were holding press conferences promising help that sometimes never quite measured up, these other good people rolled in unbound by regulations insofar as they were allowed access, distributing hot meals, water, blankets and shoulders to cry on. There was no proselytizing just human hands to help however they could. It took money and chunks of time out of volunteers' lives to do that, but thank God it still goes on.

Now, the Corps of Engineer people with whom I worked are "just folks", but because of their vocation, they are nearly all people of educational degrees, intelligent, creative, compassionate. But we were hidebound by regulations and FEMA interference. So we were always pleased in the days after, when the cameras and press conference leaders had all gone home, to see individual churches from across the nation arriving with work crews, the elderly, teenagers, middle aged, with hammers and nails and lumber. While the victims made do and waited on promises, the followers of Jesus Christ cleaned up unbelievable messes, in homes and in lives, and just helped wherever they could. Thank God it still happens. Nobody said are you a fundamentalist, a millennialist, old school, new school. They just worked together and prayed together.

During my life of growing up through the Free Methodist Church, the Baptist -- Southern and otherwise -- the United Methodists and the Disciples of Christ, those are the Christian works, in faith, that I know. That is what led Christians through our short history as a nation to build hospitals and schools and colleges, and just take care of people, whatever tag they're wearing. Thank God it still happens.

Where We Christians Are From Where We've Been

by Pastor Ed Evans

Today, boys and girls, I share with you the thoughts and writings of a fellow pastor, John Sellers. John is the Pastor at a Community Congregational Church.  He and I are also part of a Disciples of Christ Christian Church discussion group on LinkedIn.com.  John, several others and myself have been discussing the topic: "Judgment Day: The Religion of Empire and the Second Coming."  Of his writings that follow, John says, "It has taken many years for my own theology to develop to the point where I have realized how important it is to call out those elements of the self-styled Christian community whose teachings are in fact in direct contravention of the Gospel."

As part of the discussion, John Sellers writes:

"I think there are many misconceptions about Jesus' relationship with the Roman Empire and also with the Jewish authorities.

"He was not so much against them, as he was apart from them and held them to a higher standard. This was especially the case with the Jewish leaders. When one uses the law as a means of imposing their own views on others, hypocrisy is the necessary outcome. Thus the law, for Christ, was a tool to be used to better oneself and one's own relationship with God and others. It was not a tool with which to abuse, criticize or judge others.

"The issue with the Roman Empire arose after Jesus' death when the greeting "Jesus is Lord" could be seen as sedition in a society where the general affirmation was "Caesar is Lord." Christ's lordship, however was not in conflict with Caesar's authority.

"The irony has been the embrace of empire by supposed followers of Christ. The American empire is in fact the largest and most successful in the history of the world. Never has so much of the world's produce flowed from so far into one country. The Pax Americana is not so unlike the pax Romana... be at peace or we will kill you.

"Jesus of Nazareth and followers of Christ may well love their countries, and should. We should all be proud, loyal, hard working citizens of whatever nation we are in. That loyalty though is second to our loyalty to all people, all around the world whom we know to be children of God, just as we are.

"The eschatology dominated by the idea of the 2nd coming usually ends up being truly anti-Christian in that it divides the world into "us" and "them" and marginalizes those with whom we have differences. It is a dangerous theology, especially given the numbers and types of weapons possessed by the states of the world today.

"Never has the gospel of the Prince of Peace been so essential as today. (recognizing that it will be yet more true tomorrow.)"

The end of what I wished to share with you, with John's permission.  Any thoughts?