Holy Fool

Some short thoughts. After reading this.

It strikes me that those who want to extrapolate Paul’s admonition of women in preaching or teaching roles have taken the presumptuous thought that he is writing as a theologian rather than writing as a pastor and missionary.

A theologian will often make a statement which they believe to be universally true about God, and for a specific reason.  However Paul is not speaking as a theologian (he is addressing a specific group in a specific context.)  It doesn’t mean that Paul isn’t utilizing some prior theological thoughts to arrive at his choice of words; however an argument would have to be made that Paul was approaching this from a complimentarian theological vantage as opposed to a peacemaking theological vantage.

A pastor will often manage conflict within the church by admonishing those who have acted outside of the bounds of Jesus’ example (i.e. being rude and defiant), and then suggesting a way forward that will return peace. (i.e. the return of respectful dialogue by all genders.)

What do you think?

When the world trade center fell on 9/11 it happened in New York (lower Manhattan specifically); yet it was a symbolic attack on the entirety of our nation, on our way of life.  The whole nation was affected deeply.

The argument thrown out against the building of the Islamic center near (not right on) the world trade center site, is that it is ‘too close’ and will cause division and pain.

My thoughts are these:

If the 9/11 attacks were indeed an attack against not just these specific buildings or even New York City (and lower Manhattan) but an attack on the whole of America then how do we define too close?  There are some people in Idaho, or Ohio perhaps that were affected just as dramatically by the attack; what is to keep an Islamic center from being built in their neighborhood?  The answer is nothing, because we have a ‘civil’ not a religious government that can make no determination on building permits based on the religion of the inhabitants no matter where that is.  If it is permissible to build the center, the government can’t and shouldn’t stop it.

This type of ‘too close to home’ argument simply doesn’t hold water when you take into account the breadth of effect the attacks had on the nation.  To argue on one hand that the entirety of our nation needs take offense while arguing that this is a specific and local issue to the trade center area is incongruous and presents us with an inconsistency in their position.

Also, what is too close to home?  The building, or the inhabitants, or the inhabitant‘s religion?  There is nothing these particular Muslims had to do with the 9/11 attacks, and as Americans they are just as much victims of the attack as a white, Christian man in Kansas like myself.  There were over 50 Muslim victims (not terrorists) on 9/11, by what right do we deny their families access to a memorial space within their own tradition?  With what right do we deny them a building permit then, or pressure them to move?  The only answer is to ask the state and our culture as a whole to institutionalize religious discrimination against Muslims (which is wrong by the way).

What I find ultimately ironic is that the fringe conservatives are utilizing the same tactics as fringe liberals.

Example: Town A has a park.  Each year they put up a nativity set and a star at Christmas.  ACLU sues the city because some atheist or non-christian might be offended as they drive by the public space.

All of a sudden we have a whole lot of fringe conservatives that embrace political correctness like it is a three for one Glenn Beck book sale.  And not only are they embracing political correctness, it is a campaign against their holy grail of ‘private land ownership rights’.  They don’t want a private Islamic center built on private land because they might be offended?  They might as well just be saying, “we don’t mind if people get offended, as long as it’s not us.“  Give me a break!

I don’t often just sit and dump my mind out here.  Mainly because, I just don’t do that period, but secondly because I often don’t want to get too touchy feely out on the internet.  It’s a bit like trying to cozy up to a bear trap (at least in my paranoid thinking) because you never know when something you have shared (or over shared) (I wonder how many parentheses are grammatically correct) will come back to bite you.

Perhaps though today I will be a bit vulnerable.

Life is hard.

I know, profound right?  “Wake me up when life isn’t hard,” is perhaps the response I would sarcastically give.

But I think they are three words that we all need to be a little bit more honest about.

When you have been hospitalized twice in a year.  That’s hard.

When you have two, or three, or more kids (and sometimes even one).  That’s hard.

When you get laid off, and either you can’t get rehired because your not qualified enough, or too qualified.  That’s hard.

When you loose a loved one, no matter how ‘good’ it is that they are at peace.  That’s hard.

When you hit 2:30 in the afternoon and you just can’t do anymore.  That’s hard.

So I want you to do something with me.  Put on your big boy (or girl) pants and repeat after me.  “Life is hard; but I am not alone.”

Next time you meet with your friends and they ask how it’s going, take a brave chance and say, “It’s been hard lately.” It may take them aback a bit, but they are going to know what you mean.  Any friend who is real with you will let you know it’s okay to say it and even might say those most comforting of words, “me too.”

So, call a spade a spade.  If it’s been a crapper of a year it’s okay to admit it.  And if you believe in God, it’s definitely okay to talk to him about it.  God’s work is healing the sick.

In closing, If I know you in any capacity, and you are interested in knowing, my life has been hard these last few months.  However, even in admitting that to you, I find the peace that comes with being honest.  It is that peace (that comes from the Lord) that I know will carry me through to the other side.

If you don’t have that assurance of peace today in your life, if it’s too hard right now, know that no matter how much you might reject even the notion of a God who deeply loves you or that you are deserving of that love, know that I firmly believe he loves you, and so do I.