Another Washington “insider” has come out with an expose’.  Scott McClellan, formerly the press secretary for the current president, writes about the “culture of deception” in the administration.  The president and his staff have been in perpetual campaign mode rather than governing mode.  The war in Iraq was foisted on the people through the use of propaganda.  Untruths surrounded the revelation of the name of a CIA operative.

So, what else is new?

The White House dismisses McClellan as being a “disgruntled” former employee.  The president doesn’t have time to comment on books written by people who have left the administration. 

Yeah?  Is anyone surprised?

Maybe Scott McClellan will sell some books.  No doubt administration critics will say, “We told you so.”  Nothing will change in the West Wing over the remaining days of “Dub-yah.”

And that’s my point.

I sat at a dinner once and listened to a colleague describe how he “railed against Bush” in a sermon (or more likely, sermons).  It seemed he was trying to show that he was “prophetic” in his preaching.  Perhaps he was, but I’m not convinced.  Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to endure the “sermon.”

It seems to me that it’s one thing to criticize and mock, but that’s easy.  There is no insight or challenge in saying that war and its related destruction are evil, or that poverty in the midst of affluence is sinful, or that denying healthcare to children is antithetical to a just society.  Anyone can recognize and say these sorts of things, but it’s kind of like throwing a dart at a huge target that is all bulls-eye – very easy and exceedingly pointless.

What is needed is a word that brings life – new life.  Rather than courageously and boldly recounting everything that obviously is wrong, how about looking for light and truth that sets free peoples’ hearts and minds?

That’s much more difficult.  It also requires us to set ourselves aside.  Check your bags.

I don’t care whether the rats who have left the ship write books.  I’m not a defender of the current or any other administration.

What I want is a word that will capture our collective imagination and inspire all of us to reach for greater heights of justice, peace, and human understanding.

In my sermon last Sunday I mentioned the passion and importance in their lives assigned to the Washington Redskins by many folks from back home.  For generations, the home games have been sold out; season tickets are the source of serious family squabbles when the estate is divided, or there is a divorce; the winning percentage of the team dictates the extent to which one sees logo-festooned hats, shirts, pants, and jackets shielding the locals from the elements.  I used to see a car from time to time that was completely covered with Redskins bumper stickers.  I mean every inch, except for the windows, lights and signals.

Folks really can get wrapped up in things sometimes.

This all was intended to serve as an example of what Jesus was talking about when he said that people tend to become preoccupied with distracting notions (Matthew 6:24-34). 

Another one I mentioned was the church’s hang-ups on money.  How many meetings in how many churches across the nation are focused on money?  How many church fights have money as the issue?  How many people find salvation in money?  How many churches discern their mission and ministry through money? (Lots and lots.  Too many to count.  None.  Zero.)

For churches, money is an ever-present issue.  If they don’t have it, they obsess on how to get it.  If they have it, then they focus on how to hold onto it.  So many of us can quote the latest interest rates, investment and money market opportunities, but can't locate the Beatitudes in the Bible.  Jesus advised, “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

We would rather be in control, I suppose.  We would rather make sure we get what we need, instead of taking a chance on God, despite the promises and assurances of scripture (See especially Genesis through Revelation).

But in the making sure, we lose sight of what is important and essential to begin with:  getting to know God and, as a result, being a blessing to others.  So, we lash ourselves to our obsessions.

Several years ago, I stopped in the grocery store on a Sunday afternoon – during a Redskins game.  The cashier asked me how the game was going.  I replied, “I don’t know.  I’m not watching it.”  And in a way that was half-facetious and half not, I added, “I feel so free!”

Alan Cooperman refers to John’s Story, “a 2006 novelistic re-telling of the Gospel of John by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.”  The pair also wrote Mark’s Story.  They are the co-authors of the Left Behind series of books, sharing their take on The Rapture.

Cooperman suggests LaHaye and Jenkins didn’t write the books “for the money,” but perhaps that was a tongue-in-cheek comment, given that their Left Behind books generated millions upon millions of dollars in sales.  Not to mention the movie rights.  Cooperman also points out that the authors are biblical literalists who add to the canon in their latest works.

For instance, the water-turned-into-wine by Jesus at the wedding at Cana was “aged not only to the perfect season, but also to the perfect day, yea, to the perfect hour.”  More interesting was the newly-mentioned miracle of Jesus giving life back to an insect he had swatted when it bit him on the neck.  One wonders precisely what is the lesson or revelation about God in this “sign,” as the authentic Gospel of John would call it.  Scholars will have to sort out that one, I suppose.

People can choose to read this stuff if they want, of course.  I just hope they don’t take it too seriously.  When fundamentalists start monkeying around with scripture, it can get pretty darn confusing.

But, apparently, it brings in a hefty profit.

As I try to get back on my feet following an illness, I refer you to an article by Rev. Dr. W. Chris Hobgood, former General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Check it out here.

Who does the following statement describe?  “He is rather quirky about religion, and not always consistent from one period to another.”  

Is it John Hagee, who spent decades calling the Roman Catholic Church, “the great whore,” and who now is sorry if something he said may have offended some Catholics, especially those who would vote Republican?  Jeremiah Wright, whose inflammatory sermon sound clips seem at odds with his church’s record of ministry?  Billy Graham, who was cozy with a number of U.S. presidents?  Al Sharpton, who, as far as I can tell, has absolutely no credentials to be considered a “civil rights leader,” and who burst on the scene through a hoax intended to embarrass city officials in New York?  Is it George W. Bush?  Your preacher?  Every member of every church?

No; the statement above refers to Albert Einstein.

Someone paid $404,000 for a handwritten letter from Einstein, in which he refers to “the word of God” as a “product of human weakness,” and asserts that the Bible is a “collection of honorable but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.”  He apparently found organized religion to be wrapped up in superstition and wishful thinking.  “My God,” he said at some point in his life, “created laws that take care of” sorting out good and evil, but was personally disengaged from the process.

Einstein was Jewish by family origins, but had no particular affinity for the Jewish people, nor did he ascribe any special status to them in the eyes of God.  That is, the Jews were no more a “Chosen People,” than anyone else, in his judgment.

The professor also is known for stating, “Science without religion is lame, and religion without science is blind.”

It seems we all have our quirks and inconsistencies about religion.  Many religious people would protect unborn fetuses at all costs, but are eager to throw the switch for the electric chair.  Some weep and carry on at the thought of Jesus’ sacrifice for all of us, but don’t hesitate to live in wasteful extravagance while a major portion of the rest of God’s children try to survive on the equivalent of a dollar or two a day.  Adultery, divorce, and sexual misconduct are not unusual among regular church folks, but still many assign every gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or transgendered person, even those in long-standing, monogamous, and committed relationships, to an especially torturous place in hell.  We say God is love, and that the love of Christ saves us and makes us whole beings, yet it somehow doesn’t apply to how we relate to those who differ from us, be it race, ethnicity, nationality, political outlook, or gender.

I guess my point is that I’m not especially worried about or interested in Einstein’s views on religion.  They certainly don’t threaten or affect my outlook.  It’s when people hold themselves up as faithful and God-fearing, yet reflect the worst of our culture and human behavior, no matter how respectable they might seem, that I worry.

But, then again, no one said we should take literally every word of the scriptures.

Well, actually some DO say that.  But they don’t do it.

There are some online articles worthy of your consideration:

Hillary Clinton's campaign exposes an accepted hatred of women in our culture.

The effects of an endorsement by a televangelist on John McCain.

A chaplain struggles with his death row ministry.

A man named Jim Carson died recently, cancer claiming him at age 56.  And while he was not cured of his disease, it seems to me he found healing.

Carson was a musician, a trumpet player who was in a number of bands over the years.  When he was diagnosed with Stage 3 tonsil cancer five years ago he endured painful treatments, but showed little, if any, improvement.  Finally, the pastor of his church proposed faith healing, which for Presbyterians, generally is not practiced.   Members of the church placed oil on Carson’s head and prayed as they laid hands on him.  For a period of time, signs of the cancer vanished.

Unfortunately, more related difficulties occurred, and after a close call following surgery, Carson, whose “faith wasn’t always strong,” according to his wife, asked his wife to pray with him.  They established a new discipline of prayer together, and experienced a growing relationship with God.

Jim Carson lived long enough to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding, and to attend his son’s high school graduation.  These were important milestones he wanted to share with his children.

When Carson passed away, his death was described as peaceful.

Terminal illness has a variety of effects on people and their families.  I think people can choose how they will face up to it.  When faith is present, and a relationship with God is nurtured in a person’s life healing can occur – a healing of the soul; peace of mind; the assurance of God’s presence and ultimate victory over death.

Human beings are less than God in every aspect of our existence.  To imagine or pretend otherwise makes no sense.  We are completely dependent upon God for all things, and even when the body fails, we can count on God to bless us in ways that we never could imagine.

Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, president of the Chicago Theological Seminary laments what she calls the “Sermon Chop Shop.”  Her reference is to an effort apparently now underway by right-wing pot-stirrers to find offensive nuggets from the sermons of Rev. Otis Moss, successor of Rev. Jeremiah Wright at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.

Their purpose, states Thistlethwaite, is to “generate new controversy.”  Trinity is the church where presidential candidate Barack Obama attends worship, and is a source of tension for him since Rev. Wright’s “chops” were broadcast on YouTube and television, and because Rev. Wright has found the spotlight irresistible.

Some of the statements attributed to Rev. Moss can be found here.  Thistlethwaite suggests that the “hip hop” sound of Moss’ remarks are attributable largely to the attempt by Moss and Trinity church to make the faith relevant to young folks who speak a different language from that of their elders.

Thistlethwaite vouches for Moss’ integrity, faithfulness, and loving spirit, pointing to the personal relationship she has with him, and her observation of him as a doctoral student at the seminary.

The right-wingers who are trying to fan the flames of the Wright controversy by dragging Otis Moss into it know that “ain’t it awful” attracts viewers and sells newspapers.  They also know that religion is a hot button easy to push, and that race is a subject certain to raise the blood pressure of those who listen to them.

Personally, I find this kind of provocative manipulation to be calculated, cynical, profit-driven, counter-productive, and vain. 

While I don’t take seriously the Rush Limbaughs and Sean Hannitys of the world, I know plenty of people do, and that is pretty frightening.

I just wish folks would do a little thinking for themselves.

John Buchanan, editor of The Christian Century offers up some thoughts on the difference between the constitutional concept of separation of church and state, and people of faith addressing social and political issues.  He also comments on religion as an issue in the current presidential campaigns.

You may read "Faith Forums" here.

I first became aware of him in the movie Paper Lion, based on the book of the same name.  He rocketed to fame as a star of the television hit M*A*S*H.  That led to more movies and a bit of a platform on liberal political causes.  More recently, he portrayed a U.S. Senator -- Republican, no less -- who was a candidate for President when alternative-universe President Jeb Bartlett (Martin Sheen) ran out of time on West Wing.

You know him, of course, as Alphonzo D’Abruzzo.  Huh?  Wait, that’s his real name.  Most of the world calls him Alan Alda.  (By the way, Bartlett/Sheen really is Ramon Estevez.)

Rock and roll fans of a certain vintage and taste still clamor for CD’s and concert tickets for Vincent Furnier.  Never heard of him?  This son of a preacher man goes by the stage name Alice Cooper.

Can you guess who these folks are:  Carlos Ray, Doris von Kappelhoff, Jay Greenspan, and local celebrity Terry Gene Bollea?  How about Joseph Levitch?  Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr.?  Dana Elaine Owens?  They are Chuck Norris, Doris Day, Jason Alexander, Hulk Hogan, Jerry Lewis, John Denver, and Queen Latifah.

Loud-mouth sports broadcaster Howard Cosell’s catch phrase was, “telling it like it is.”  As someone pointed out, a person who wears a toupee’ and changes his name, isn’t doing that.   He was born Howard Cohen.

One of my favorite name changes actually was made by a pro basketball player.  Lloyd Free changed his name to World B. Free.  I wonder what ever became of him and his sentiment.  I hope he’s living up to his chosen name.

The Bible includes name changes:  Abram and Sarai; Simon; Saul, and other people; as well as places where God was experienced, or the people behaved a certain way.

DisciplesWorld reports that Steve Kreuscher, a 57 year-old artist and school bus driver is trying to legally change his name to “In God We Trust.”  He’s worried that the phrase will be relegated to antiquity if atheists move to have the familiar words deleted from U.S. currency. 

Kreuscher lives in Zion, Illinois, a town whose official seal was altered in 1992 by the removal of “God Reigns.”  (According to the article, Zion was established by some faithful folks who held onto the belief that the world was flat, and they installed their version of a theocratic government.  I guess when that finally changed some felt that God ceded political power to others.)

What would Marion Morrison say about all this?  You know.  The Duke.  John Wayne.

(By the way, Caryn Johnson became Whoopi Goldberg.)