A Clear Vision

"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It's got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet." This quote is attributed to Theodore Hesburgh, an American Catholic priest who was president of Notre Dame, 1952-1987.

I believe the loudest noise in our nation is the dissonance of leaders who are uncertain trumpet players. In government, in certain segments of the church, once great visions have faded away to be replaced by fuzzy politics and shaky theology.

Politically, we see those who complain about paying taxes, but still want, for example, no potholes in the highways, demand adequate law enforcement protection and hope for better education and safety for our kids. Not to be outdone, there are others who use vague math to promise to pay for more and more programs while basic services are suffering. It seems  reasonable citizens everywhere realize a balance must be struck between the two ideologies and yet our leaders aren't getting the message. 

All we hear is more noise, including lots of trumpet-blasting about issues to keep us distracted and divided. Gun control, abortion and gay marriage...do we really believe these are the most important issues facing our country? I know some readers will say yes, but my contention is: If our national debt is not brought under control, if reasonable compromises cannot be reached, none of the distractions are going to matter much at all.

Let's bring this back to Christianity and how followers of Jesus should be behaving, which has always been the point of this blog. 

Many religious leaders have been worse offenders in this whole mess than the government. The same distractions within the government are roiling the world of the church. About half of all marriages end in divorce and yet, we claim to have the moral high ground in telling others who they can or cannot marry. It would seem, this being the case, the only "reasonable" course of action is for the church to lobby for divorce to become illegal (except perhaps in the case of spousal abuse) alongside demanding no gay marriage. The hypocrisy surrounding this issue is more than a little astounding.

If the idea is that every child conceived must be allowed to be born, regardless of what kind of hell on earth that child will be living in, then the Church better darn well get busy setting up a network of families to adopt unwanted children, figure out a way to provide healthcare for those born into poverty and make sure every child in America is properly fed and clothed and has access to a good education. If one's definition of pro-life means only the right of every child to be born, then the entire point is being missed. 

Christians, I would ask if you agree with the following assessment: The spirits of the unborn (whether they have not come into the world because of abortion or natural miscarriage) are safe with God. Do you agree? Based on the tenets of fundamental Christianity you MUST agree, and doesn't that seem like a good place for those spirits to be? I don't know anyone who thinks abortion is a good idea, as I do not, most especially after the first trimester of pregnancy. But if you say I don't care about the unborn when I try to at least start a conversation about abortion, then you are flat-out wrong and you don't know me at all. Because I do care so much for children is why I despise abortion being kicked around as a political football. 

(Whether or not we agree on this issue is beside the point I'm getting ready to make: If you think I don't care about the health and well-being of children, please let me know and we can stop being friends immediately. I'm taking a stand here; I invite you to take a stand as well.)

And as for gun control, Christians have your personal opinions about what is being discussed on a national level about this matter, but stop perpetuating the hysteria that the government is trying to take your guns away and stop trying to bring Jesus in on your side of the issue. That's another distraction from the real issues and frankly, for religious leaders to try to say God is not in favor of certain restrictions in gun ownership is offensive. 

If I have not clearly articulated my position on these few issues, please ask me to clarify. I invite everyone else, especially those who are followers of Jesus, to also think through why you have the opinions you do. Frame them in the context of scripture, not from what outside sources tell you should be your opinion, myself included. The noise from these current trumpets must be quieted before we can find harmony in the soul of our country.

 "Where there is no vision, the people perish." (Proverbs 29:18)

A Lesson from Javert

I finally made it to the movie theater to see the most recent version of "Les Miserables." Most readers will know it is based on the stage musical of the same name which is based on a book by Victor Hugo. For those who are not fans of singing dialogue, I would recommend the book. (The 1998 non-musical movie with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush was pretty good, too, and far less of a time commitment than reading the book.) Regardless of the presentation format, I recommend the story.

In it there are dozens of messages relevant to a Christian worldview, including the importance of charity, repentance, honor and forgiveness. While there are many wonderful characters in the story, one who has always stood out to me is the tragic antagonist, police inspector Javert.

During the course of many years, Javert relentlessly pursues a man named Jean Valjean over matters related to Valjean's initial crime of stealing bread for his nephew who is starving. Javert seeks justice which is blind. He makes no provision for repentance or forgiveness. He has no shred of compassion. In his mind, even the most minor offense must be punished to the fullest extent. In the name of God, he is cruel and merciless. In the end, nearly unexplainable mercy is extended to him by Valjean who should have every reason the hate him and see him dead. Javert convinces himself he cannot live in a world where there is such unconditional forgiveness.

For those who have a relationship with Jesus it should never be forgotten that such a relationship is based on grace and forgiveness of our transgressions. We must always extend that same grace and forgiveness to everyone we meet. For many, it seems everywhere they look all they see are sinners, people who are not on the right path, people who need to be reformed. And not only that, the Javerts of the world feel it is their job to point out the mistakes of others, to humiliate them and punish them for their alleged wrongdoing.

Such a view is not healthy, as Javert discovers. His life contains no joy, he is consumed with rage. When one's view of God becomes so narrow all that can be seen is how wrong everyone else is, the point of the teachings of Jesus is missed. Judgment is not our job. Anger at injustice can change the world for the better. However, constant anger at those around us destroys the best we have to offer. Let us all be consumed with mercy, not bitterness.

The Role of God in Public Schools

Rev. Adam Hamilton is the founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.  He has written a thoughtful piece on the role of God in public schools. It's a topic I mentioned two weeks ago, and I would encourage all who are interested to check out the link below to read it.

http://www.adamhamilton.org/blog/view/86/put-god-back-in-public-schools#.UOmgcnfzG1S