Years ago, one of my seminary classmates excitedly told me he discovered an insight regarding prayer.  He said, “If my grandmother is driving her car and notices that another car has run a red light and is about to collide with her, all she has to do is pray, ‘God, I thank you for keeping that other car from hitting me,’ and the accident will be avoided!  She thanked God in advance, so God will stop the accident!” 

Where he got this idea, I’ll never know. I just hope Grandma can think fast enough to pray when the other car is careening toward her.  My guess is she’ll be a little distracted.

Someone named Rocky Twyman is organizing people to pray at gas stations to keep the price of gas from exceeding $5.00 per gallon.  I certainly am not in favor of such high gas prices, but it never would occur to me to pray about it.  Twyman is a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and a public relations professional.  His “Pray at the Pump” efforts began when gas was still less than $4.00, but I guess God decided $4.00 was within the purview of God’s will.  It likely has seemed so to Europeans for a long time, since they are used to paying much more for gas than those of us in the U.S. have paid over the years.

In writing about Twyman’s crusade, Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite suggests that “while some Americans are praying for lower gas prices, others, let’s presume oil company executives, for example, are most likely praying for higher gas prices.  For other Americans, the higher prices are seen as a God-send, since it is forcing people to make more environmentally responsible choices such as walking, biking, taking public transportation or getting rid of the SUV and buying a hybrid.  And yet for others, the higher gas prices are a curse.  These Americans have to choose whether to feed their families, pay the mortgage or put $100 more a week into the gas tank to get to the low-paying job that is not accessible by public transportation.  $5 a gallon gas for them is a sin and an offense to a just God.”

I appears to me that higher prices gas result from some pretty deep issues and concerns, such as greed among oil producers and market speculators, international relations and politics, war, and chosen lifestyles. I’m not sure whether our pal Rocky has taken those into account. 

Expecting God to magically prevent prices from rising without the other factors changing is just plain foolishness.

The Church of England is wrestling with the issue of appointing women bishops in the church.  Arguments, debates, threats of leaving the fellowship, proposals of qualified or “less-than” status for female bishops, ponderous processes and timetables, righteous indignation, and handwringing all are involved.   Women have been ordained as priests only since 1992, and a growing number of Church of England parishes have female priests.  Assuming everything moves forward and enlightenment is embraced, it still likely will be at least another four years before the first female bishop takes office.

Come on, people, let’s get on with it.  The Episcopal Church in the United States, a branch of the Anglican church is further ahead, and in fact has a female bishop as the head of the church.

But wait.  Word from the Vatican is that if indeed the Church of England follows through with the notion of women as bishops, the Roman Catholic Church will be extremely put out.  Such a move will endanger progress in the “advancing” dialogue between the two churches.   Because, after all, Jesus only selected men as disciples!  What do you say to that?

I’m not sure where the dialogue supposedly is heading, but the whole idea brings to mind the image of a roomful of glowering old men sitting around a conference table (after a lengthy negotiation regarding the shape of the table, the arrangement of the chairs, and the order of seating and speaking) presenting papers with extensive footnotes and appendices, the air thick with self-assumed spiritual superiority.

I might be wrong about that, but with the world gasping and heaving under the weight of bitterness, division, suspicion, hatred, poverty, and violence, is there really time for delicate negotiations between religious elites about how they will think of one another, and whether they actually might be able to worship (the same God) together, pray (to the same God) together, or share the bread and cup (given by the one Savior) after centuries of estrangement?  Good luck working all that out, guys.  It’s not surprising people are running from the church and its representatives.

A year or two ago I phoned the pastor of a church a few blocks away and invited him to attend our local ministerial association.  He was somewhat amused that I would extend such an invitation.  After all, doesn’t the scripture say something about the effects of associating with people who don’t share one’s own doctrinal insight and purity?  He explained he really could not join in fellowship with others who had differing views on matters of faith, the Bible, and who knows what else.  (I checked to see whether my fly was open.) He asked, “Does that make sense?”  I replied, “It does to you.”

I sure am glad Jesus realized he didn’t have time for all of this nonsense.

Some years ago at a different church in a different state, I had the misfortune of being part of a group discussion about whether to allow folks who attended a mosque, located down the street and undergoing renovations, to use our church parking lot until the work was finished on their building.  This was well prior to the 911 hysteria surrounding Muslims, but still some in the group feared what they didn’t understand.

In fact, the wife of the pastor unequivocally stated, “Why should we let them use our parking lot?  Their religion is the exact opposite of ours!”  Exact opposite?  I have no idea what that meant, but I’m certain it doesn’t accurately describe Islam.

Yes, there are fanatical, extremist fundamentalists in Islam.  Christianity has our share.  There are violent hateful Muslims.  Some Christians fit the same description.  In fact, anything negative that is said about Muslims could apply to many Christians, as well, and probably already has been said about us.

When I worked at William Penn House in Washington, I would on occasion take student groups to visit the city’s Islamic Center.   Visitors always were warmly welcomed, briefed on Islam, and given a tour of the mosque.  While the guides were clear they did not consider Jesus to be the Messiah, they expressed high regard for him as a teacher and prophet. 

But, Islam is associated with violence, terror and anti-US sentiments in the minds of many people.  This perception is providing difficulty for Barack Obama as he campaigns for president.  Opponents are linking Obama to Islam through his Kenyan father.  Some emphasize his middle name, Hussein.  Others purposely mispronounce his name as “Osama.”

The senator is trying so hard to prove he isn’t a Muslim that not only is he continually expressing his Christian convictions and commitments, he also has declared that his father actually was an atheist.  Better even to be an atheist than a Muslim, it would seem, according to this strategy. 

Obama may be fighting an uphill battle with ignorance (and losing a lot of potential Muslim votes).  A person named Jim Peterson from Ohio, a critical state in the campaign, actually went on record as saying, “I’ll admit that I probably don’t follow all the election news as probably I should.  I haven’t read his books or studied up more than a little bit.  But it’s hard to ignore what you hear when everyone you know is saying it.  These are good people, smart people, so can they really all be wrong?”

It is entirely possible, my friend.

Every now and then a funeral takes on a bit of a different look, with the idea of being a personal expression of the life and outlook of the deceased.  I had one case where the person who died previously made plans not only to be buried in his pajamas, but to have a fork placed in his right hand for all to see.  This was the result of his hearing that tired old story about “keep your fork” because even as the dinner dishes are being cleared from the table, the best part of the meal is on its way – the dessert. 

Some have used this image to suggest being ready for the fulfillment of the promise of heavenly bliss.  Throughout time many people have been buried with such items and other mementos from their lives, which someday may provide quite a mystery to archeologists.  (One can imagine a scene in which a major dig is underway, and the interns shout over to their professor, “I can’t believe it!  Another fork!  What’s going on?”)

Funeral music is changing these days, with a trend toward nonreligious songs.  With today’s technology, folks easily can make CD’s or tapes of music they feel is meaningful or appropriate to the life and memory of the deceased.  I recall one service in which the family played Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird.  Others like sentimental songs, or that special favorite number that meant so much to their loved one.

An item on the website of DisciplesWorld notes this trend as it occurs in Australia, but I would guess it is very widespread.  While the hymns Amazing Grace and Abide With Me still remain among the most popular songs for funerals at a cemetery in the town of Adelaide, other pieces are becoming more frequently requested. 

There is obviously Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin, along with AC/DC’s Highway To Hell.  Check out some of the other songs they mentioned:  Another One Bites The Dust; Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead; and, Hit The Road, Jack. 

It appears in some cases family members may be trying to have the last word.

Our congregation sent mission teams the last two years in response to the call of Disciples Home Missions, the Office of Disciples Volunteering, and Week of Compassion to go to the gulf coast region devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  The goal was for 750 Disciples groups to help in the rebuilding and recovery of the area.  The goal has been exceeded, and we are pleased to have played a role.

The mission station where our first group was headquartered was Grace Disciples of Christ Church in Covington, Louisiana.  A letter from the church arrived recently and reported on the groups hosted there.  Pastor Laura Fitt-Baird and her husband, Volunteer Coordinator Rev. Josh Baird wrote:

“Grace has hosted more than 180 mission groups bringing over 1,300 volunteers.  Your volunteers have contributed 41,000 hours of labor in the rebuilding of homes and lives.  It takes 2,500 volunteer hours to rebuild a home, which means volunteers staying at Grace have done the work equivalent to rebuilding 16.5 homes in 33 months – or, 1 home every 2 months.  Put another way, a leading charity forum holds the average volunteer hour to be worth $19.51, which means you have contributed $800,000 worth of labor to families in need!

In partnership with more than 80 organizations through Northshore Disaster Recovery, we Disciples have assisted in the rebuilding of nearly 700 homes and met the needs of several thousand people looking for help with food, clothing, furnishings, medicine, transportation, and counseling.  Thanks to the hard work and generous spirit of thousands of volunteers, our communities are in the final stages of recovery.”

Other communities in the region still suffer tremendously, and while Grace Church soon will conclude its ministry as a mission station, other stations remain open.  Other homes remain destroyed.  Other families still are in desperate need – almost three years after the storms.

And, of course, as this is written, wildfires are causing horrible damage in California.  Flood waters have destroyed homes, businesses and lives throughout a significant portion of the country, and hurricane season still has five months to go.

One could put on a blindfold and throw a dart at a wall map of the United States, and locate a place where folks are in need of help from compassionate people.

At our church, we soon will be making plans for our next mission trip, and we know our volunteers will encounter other people of faith and good will there, as well, wherever it may be.  

And once again, I think we will discover that we will receive as much as, or more than, we give.

A couple of Disciples congregations not far from here are having serious difficulties.  One is miniscule in terms of Sunday worshipers, and there is division and rancor within the group.  The pastor is struggling with how to give leadership.  The other congregation recently decided to sell its historic building, which has become a financial albatross, and is planning to relocate.  Meanwhile, some power-grabbers began a process of undermining the pastor, who learned of it and abruptly resigned.  The outlook is poor for both congregations.

A congregation in Charlotte, North Carolina put its ministry to rest and sold its building after a period of decline.  The chair of the elders admitted, “We were struggling to pay the bills, so we were inwardly focused. We weren’t reaching out to the community.”  That is a dangerous situation for any church.  Existing only to satisfy remaining church members marks the end of a church’s usefulness to God.  The end is never far behind.

There was light that shone into the darkness in this case, however.  Coinciding with the demise of the Charlotte church was the arrival of a minister called to plant a new church in the area.  Dara Cobb showed up in town a few months before the end, and as connections were made she was able to help the closing church through its passing away.

She also established a new worshipping community in an assisted-living facility, so when the Charlotte church concluded its ministry and disposed of the building, folks found their way to the other worship service.

The group doesn’t have its own building.  They aren’t bogged down with a lot of administrative procedures.  There isn’t a ponderous organizational structure or a calcified program.  Rev. Cobb has called the faithful to service.  “We want to be a congregation that’s invested in our community, doing good work on behalf of God,” she said.

Children are rounding up jars of peanut butter for the local food pantry; birthday parties are held for children who otherwise would have none; foster parents are offered help and relief; receiving blankets are made for premature babies.  The people who just recently were self-absorbed and afraid now are sharing the love of Christ with others.

Alzheimer’s patients are welcomed to the Sunday worship services, and Rev. Cobb observes, “while many have forgotten family and friends, during worship all of them start praying the Lord’s Prayer and sing some old hymns.”  The roots of faith run deep.

There recently was a baby dedication during a worship service, a sign of God’s confidence in the future – even among a group of Christians whose church went away; who now have no congregationally-owned property, by-laws, or committees; who never would have guessed even a year ago that they would be where they now find themselves; and who are discovering that Christ is experienced by acting in his name rather than by holding onto the past.

Resurrection power never fails.

The recent dust-up between James Dobson, head of the ultra-conservative Focus on the Family, and Barack Obama, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, didn’t surprise me, given the perspectives of both men.  What did surprise me, at least a little bit, was the way each characterized the other.  Dobson said Obama was promoting a “fruitcake interpretation of the Constitution.”  Fruitcake?  Is that a technical legal term?  Is it an attempt to plant in the minds of Dobson’s followers the notion that Obama is gay?

In his dismissal of Dobson’s comments, Obama said Dobson was “making stuff up.”  To me, that sounds like what someone might say when engaged in an argument on the playground.  Surely, the more grammatically correct response would be “making up stuff.”  (Just a little joke.)   Perhaps Obama simply was stooping down to the level of discourse established by Dobson in the hopes of making his response understandable.  At least he didn’t say, “Your mama!”

In any case, if you’re interested in delving more deeply into this meeting of the minds on matters of Biblical understanding and social/political debate, someone has done us all the favor of setting up a website to clarify the issues under consideration.  Click here to access it.

Me, I’m gonna think about other junk for now.

The Old Testament reading for this Sunday is a doozy.  It’s the story from Genesis 22 of Abraham being told to sacrifice his heir, Isaac.  Sure, the world was different in those days, and the culture out there in the desert was different from our sophisticated 21^st Century way of life (sarcasm must be noted here).

But, this was Isaac!  All the laughter had died down following the assertions by God that Abraham (aged 99) and Sarah (90) would have a son as the first step toward the fulfillment of God’s promises of descendents more numerous than the stars in the night sky.  Isaac, indeed, was born, and it looked as if God’s word actually could be depended upon.

Now this – take Isaac “to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering.”  Just as he did back in Chapter 12, when God told Abram to go to a new place and do a new thing, he collected what he needed and headed out as God instructed him.

Who hasn’t been confounded by this story?  As I write this, many of my colleagues are looking for a way to skip over this story as they prepare their sermons for Sunday.  The temptation is strong.

I read an entry in Theolog, the blog of the Christian Century that deals with this story in light of the upcoming lectionary readings, and couldn’t resist responding to a comment made by “Julie.”  Her words follow, then mine.  See what you think!

I have read two interesting suggestions about this text:
One is that Abraham did not hear the voice of God telling him to sacrifice Isaac, but it must have been another voice and that God's voice was the voice that intervened.
The second is that Isaac might have had a handicap of some sort that made sacrificing him a not unheard of thing.
Both comments are pure isogesis and have nothing factual on which to base them. It's a tough text.

Posted by: Julie | Jun 24, 2008 11:10:45 PM

Julie's comment reflects to me the notion that people often try to justify the mysterious and unjustifiable (in earthly terms) ways of God.

It seems to me that Abraham, in this story, contrasts favorably with the so-called Rich Young Ruler of the New Testament. The RYR was a good person, but wasn't willing to entertain the call to ultimate sacrifice that Abraham entertained.

He didn't completely trust Jesus, where it seems Abraham completely trusted God.

That trust, I would think, goes a long way in providing impetus for faithfulness, because faithfulness can lead one into some tight spots where God's presence is needed.

Is God reliable, or not? Abraham appeared to think so.

Those pesky folks at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life are at it again.  Yesterday, they publicized the results of yet another survey on the religious life of Americans.  Thirty-five thousand adults participated in the survey, so there was a substantial sampling of opinions and outlooks.

Seven of ten people with religious connections believe God is not limited to only one approach.  Salvation can happen in a variety of ways, and through different faiths, they maintain.  Even a small majority of evangelical Christians expressed this notion in the survey.   Perhaps there is more tolerance of others and their religious expression than is generally perceived.

Not everyone, of course, was happy with the results.  “If by tolerance we mean we’re willing to engage or embrace a multitude of ways to salvation, that’s no longer evangelical belief,” commented Roger Oldham, a Southern Baptist executive committee vice-president.  “The word ‘evangelical’ has been stretched so broadly, it’s almost an elastic term.”

Catholic leaders responded that the survey reveals there are many self-indentified Catholics that don’t “know or understand” their faith or church.  Roman Catholic Archbishop, Charles Caput of Denver, suggests that his church has some work to do in bringing its own members up to speed on doctrine and thought.  “Being Catholic means believing what the Catholic Church teaches.  It is a communion of faith, not simply of ancestry and tradition,” he stated.

Personally, I’m not sure why churches have to close ranks against others who see God and faith from a differently-nuanced point of view.  Maybe we all can learn from one another.  God is pretty large, as far as I can tell, and a bit more complex than the human mind.

Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, head of the Interfaith Alliance, and a Baptist himself, remarked that the survey results display “a level of humility about religion that would be of great benefit to everyone.”

I have to side with Welton on this one.  I love his use of the word “humility” in this context.  According to the Gospels, Jesus had little patience with a rigid, intolerant practice of religion.  It appears he felt that faith in God was to be not only a relationship, but also a blessing that brought freedom and life to people, especially those who were looked down-upon, unloved, and cast out by the “good” folks.

While so many scroll-thumpers were saying, “No,” Jesus had a way of saying, “Yes.”  Despite the efforts of many today, it looks as if this message is getting through.

I thought I saw something similar already on the streets in Indiana when I made a fast visit there last October, but the “I Believe” automobile license plates supposedly would be the first in the United States if South Carolina’s plans come to fruition.  A similar idea failed to pass in Florida.

But, there is the inevitable threat of legal action by church and state separation watchdogs.

According to the Speaker of the House of the South Carolina legislature, Republican Bobby Harrell, state residents asked for a way by which to express their faith, and lawmakers were only too happy to comply.  I’m not sure why it was necessary for citizens to petition the state government for such a means of expression.  I would think that time spent with other Christians in Bible study and prayer might inspire faith expression by believers through some form of ministry in their local community.  It would never occur to me to appeal to elected officials for ideas.

Anyway, South Carolina law provides for the creation of specialty, or as they are known in some circles, “vanity,” license plates by private groups “for any cause.”  All that is required is either 400 prepaid orders or $4,000 cash.  Apparently, this condition was overlooked, and some are concerned that the measure to create the “I Believe” plates is pandering to certain constituencies during an election year.  The DMV stands ready to start cranking out the plates, and Lt. Governor Andre Bauer volunteered to front the four grand.

I see no spiritual value in “I Believe” license plates, and don’t find it too much of a stretch to imagine they might be seen by non-Christians as hostile and “in your face.”  Perhaps, even bellicose.   I am willing to wager that there will be no faith conversions as a result of someone following a vehicle adorned with such a license plate.

Not all Christians in South Carolina are in favor of the plates, I might add.  In fact, self-described evangelical Rev. Robert Knight of Charleston had me saying, “Amen” to his comment.  Rev. Knight observed, “I don’t think civil religion enhances the Christian religion.  It compromises it.  That’s the fundamental irony.  It’s very shallow from a Christian standpoint.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.