Category: Uncategorized

Fiery Tongues in Public Discourse

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The Scriptures tell us in James 3:6 that “the tongue is a fire”.  Fire can be used for constructive or destructive purposes.  It can warm a person up or burn a house down.  We must take great care in the way we attend to fire.  In the same way, we must also take great care in the way we attend to the language we use on a daily basis.

When we use language, are we using it to heal or to hurt?  Do our words build others up or tear them down?  The tongue is a fire, indeed.  Like a fire, it can also burn quickly out of control and cause unspeakable damage.

This truth has been driven home for me in a fresh way as I sit here in these days following the brutality unleashed in Tucson, Arizona.  I listen as media reports pour in on a daily basis, containing not only information but also interpretation about the horrible things that have happened there.  I notice that voices on every end of the political spectrum are quick to paint their own version of events, each with its own cast of villains, victims, and heroes.

Each side implies that the other may have secretly hoped for this disaster or may be secretly trying to benefit from it.  As a result, the political language in this country has become increasingly polarized and inflammatory.  Each side wants to associate its enemies with the kind of violence and insanity we witnessed in Tucson.

I believe it is imperative for us to tend the tongue’s fire carefully in moments of crisis, not because some might use that language to incite violence, but because most will not.  Most of us are better than that.  Most of us will listen to others who want to make this world a better place.  Most of us can respect the intelligence and good intentions of those with whom we disagree.

Let’s allow our language to reflect the very best that is in each of us and draw out the very best that is in each other.  Let us tend to the fire of the tongue with grace.

God of compassion, you watch our ways, and weave out of terrible happenings wonders of goodness and grace. Surround those who have been shaken by tragedy with a sense of your present love, and hold them in faith. Though they are lost in grief, may they find you and be comforted; through Jesus Christ who was dead, but lives and rules this world with you.  Amen.

-from the Book of Common Worship

The Disaster of Compassion

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The Banner for the Barmen Declaration, a statement written by Christians opposed to Hitler's agenda in Germany

Like anyone else in this country, I have my own political opinions.  Those who know me personally or read this blog are probably aware of the directions in which I tend to lean.  However, I normally try to avoid a direct discussion of partisan politics on this blog.  I fervently believe that the kingdom of God cannot be reduced to the platform a political party (of whatever ideological stripe).

In that vein, I normally choose to not acknowledge the polarized “infotainment” of both right and left.  It is my opinion that neither Michael Moore nor Glenn Beck are worth my precious time.  However, a recent rant by Bill O’Reilly has captured my attention.

Click here to read Mr. O’Reilly’s column in its entirety.

Mr. O’Reilly is responding to the question, “What does a moral society owe to the have-nots?”

“There comes a time when compassion can cause disaster. If you open your home to scores of homeless folks, you will not have a home for long…

…Personal responsibility is usually the driving force behind success.

But there are millions of Americans who are not responsible, and the cold truth is that the rest of us cannot afford to support them.

Every fair-minded person should support government safety nets for people who need assistance through no fault of their own. But guys like [U.S. Rep. Jim] McDermott don’t make distinctions like that. For them, the baby Jesus wants us to provide no matter what the circumstance. Being a Christian, I know that while Jesus promoted charity at the highest level, he was not self-destructive.

The Lord helps those who help themselves. Does he not?”

What strikes me is the similarity between Mr. O’Reilly’s comments and the following passage:

“We know something of Christian duty and love toward the helpless, but we demand the protection of the nation from the incapable and inferior… We want an Evangelical Church which roots in the national character, and we repudiate the spirit of a Christian cosmopolitanism.”

This sentence appears as part of the platform for the so-called “German Christians” who were ardent supporters of Hitler’s Nazi agenda during the Third Reich.  Pastors such as Paul Tillich, Karl Barth, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer vehemently opposed this agenda (some of them paid for their opposition with their lives).  I found the above passage in chapter 2 of Shirley Guthrie’s classic: Christian Doctrine, Rev.Ed. (WJK: 1994).

There are many things one could say in response to this, but I think I will let the passages from O’Reilly’s column and the “German Christian” platform simply stand side-by-side.

In his typical tongue-in-cheek manner, Stephen Colbert had this to say in response to Mr. O’Reilly:

“If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we have to acknowledge that he commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition (and then admit that we just don’t want to do it).”

I highly recommend hearing Colbert in his own voice.  A link to the video is posted below:

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/368914/december-16-2010/jesus-is-a-liberal-democrat

Hopping Over Hadrian’s Wall

On By J. Barrett LeeIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Today I descend into the world of self-absorbed bloggerhood and obscure historical references.

Hadrian’s Wall is a structure built by the Romans in the second century AD.  It marks the boundary between England and Scotland.  I am using it as a metaphor for what’s going on in my life right now.  I am currently transferring my ordination credentials from an historically English denomination (Free Episcopal) to an historically Scottish denomination (Presbyterian).  Hence, I am “hopping over Hadrian’s Wall”.

My reasons for making this journey are highly personal and I’d rather not discuss them publicly.  I am grateful to the people of the Free Episcopal Church for their friendship, nurture, and support over the past four years.  I hope to continue those friendships for many years to come.  Theirs is an incredible vision for ministry among the most marginalized members of society.  Free Episcopal clergy and lay ministers can be found in jails, drug rehabs, hospice care, and nursing homes.  Mainline churches would be wise to take note of the Free Episcopal model of ministry, as it may provide more creative and sustainable options for the future.

As my attention turns toward making a new home for myself in the Presbyterian Church (USA), I am preparing to take a battery of ordination exams in late January/early February.  Please pray for me as I hone my skills in Reformed theology, Presbyterian polity, and biblical exegesis.

I am also branching into congregational ministry for the first time at First Presbyterian Church of Boonville, NY.  I work there part-time, while I continue my ministry on the street and my teaching at Utica College.  Until I pass the ordination exams, I am officially “Temporary Supply” at Boonville.  This means that I preach three times a month and am on-call for pastoral emergencies.  I can’t do weddings, baptisms, or communion for now.

St. James Mission is in the process of reorganizing itself as an ecumenical outreach ministry in downtown Utica.  Our work will continue, although its form may change somewhat.  For now, we’re continuing to meet every Thursday evening for Bible study in the chapel at First Presbyterian Church of Utica.  Worship starts at 6pm.  Everyone’s welcome!

So that’s the news from me.  See you on the other side of Hadrian’s Wall!

“Worse Than An Unbeliever”

On By J. Barrett LeeIn Uncategorized10 Comments

According to the Driscolls, your favorite street pastor is officially “not a man” and “worse than an unbeliever”.  I spent the first year of my daughter’s life at home with her.  In a recent Facebook discussion, one friend of mine pointed to this video as a reason why he cannot consider himself an evangelical.  His comment got me thinking about the meaning of that word.

I tend to distinguish between “evangelical” and “fundamentalist”.  Classically, the evangelicals are a subset of Protestants who emphasize personal piety and the study of Scripture.  In other words, we love Jesus and we love the Bible.  Fundamentalists, on the other hand, are a group of reactionaries emerging in the last century (or so) in opposition to the influence of “modernity” (e.g. Darwinian evolution, Freudian psychoanalysis, & historical criticism of biblical texts) on the Christian churches.  It was only in the last half of the 20th century that people realized “fundamentalist” was becoming a bad word, so they co-opted “evangelical” from the rest of us.

The (post)modern world is a scary place.  We are inundated with a glut of information and choice, but we are not told how we ought to sort all of it out.  I sympathize with the perceived need for guidance, but if we let that need lead us toward the abdication of our own moral and intellectual responsibility, we leave ourselves open to all kinds of unsavory characters who would use our cry for help as an opportunity to garner personal power and increase their profit margins.

I still consider myself an evangelical in the classical sense, although I am a gender-egalitarian, I accept the theory of evolution, I don’t believe in eternal damnation, and I support LGBT equality in church and society.  All of these criteria disqualify me from identifying as a fundamentalist.

I refuse to let my love of Jesus and the Bible excuse me from doing the mental work required to be a mature Christian and a responsible citizen in this society.

The Protestant reformers risked everything on their belief that common people have the right (and the responsibility) to read the Bible for themselves.  They stood up against an oppressive institution that preferred to spoon-feed people with easy (if somewhat arcane) answers.  It seems to me that fundamentalism is quick to return Christians to the same state of thinking from which Luther, Calvin, and Simons tried to liberate us.

As an evangelical Christian and an inheritor of the Reformation, I cannot in good conscience allow someone else to do my mental and moral homework for me.  This is why I am inclined to disagree with the Driscolls’ basic cultural and biblical hermeneutic.

The Person Behind the ‘Ground Zero Mosque’

On By J. Barrett LeeIn Uncategorized2 Comments

Much fuss is being made in the media about Cordoba House, the proposed Islamic Center in Manhattan that is sometimes referred to as the ‘Ground Zero Mosque’.  The cleric spearheading this project has been compared to extremists, fanatics, and terrorists like Osama bin Laden.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.  The truth is that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf represents the kind of much-needed civility that is unfortunately lacking in contemporary American public discourse.  Opponents who hear him are more likely to be offended by Imam Feisal’s liberal open-mindedness than his Islamic extremism.  I encourage you to let the man speak for himself, as he did in this TED talk:

Imam Feisal’s talk centered around the Charter for Compassion.  Learn more about this important document from the following video:

If what you just heard is making waves in your heart, please visit their website and consider signing the charter:

As a Christian, I fear for where we are heading as a country.  If we block the construction of Cordoba House, we will be taking our first small steps down a road that leads to holocaust.  We will be holding an entire religious group responsible for the actions of one small sect.  If there should not be a mosque near Ground Zero because of atrocities the committed there by Muslims, then neither should there be churches on Native American Reservations because of the atrocities committed there by Christians.

When we fight for the freedom of all faiths, we fight for our own freedom.

A Welcome & A Blessing

On By J. Barrett LeeIn Uncategorized1 Comment
Photo taken by the Bosnian Islamic Association of Utica

I have attached an article from the Utica Observer-Dispatch that gives us something to celebrate in our community.  The new Islamic Center sits right next door to my office (in fact, this photo was taken in our parking lot).  I am thankful for their presence and pray a blessing for their new ministry.

I think the rest of the country could learn something from Utica this week…

Here is the link to the article in the Observer-Dispatch:

Local Muslims find acceptance missing elsewhere

Incoming!

On By J. Barrett LeeIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Hey everybody,

Tonight’s Bible study really got me rethinking the sermon I’ve been preparing for next Sunday at First Presbyterian Church, Rome.

Rather than summing up this week’s discussion, my thoughts will be included in the sermon (which I will post on Sunday).

The text is Luke 12:49-56, in case anyone else wants to offer their two cents on it.

Until then, you’ll just have to read the text and listen for the voice of the Spirit in your own lives!