Religious Freedom is in Deep Doo-doo

Okay, here's the story: In Nicktown, PA, an Amish community is in deep doo-doo over local sanitation ordinances. Seems that the Amish elders have decided that state laws are ". . . enforcing stuff that's against our religion . . ." by requiring them to upgrade their outhouse waste storage capabilities.

I won't go into details about what the Cambria County Sewage Enforcement Agency found at the Amish school house (you can read the story by clicking here), but they laid down the law and required the community to make substantial improvements.

The Amish elders complied with some of the regulations, but felt other requirements (such as installing a 5,000-gallon precast concrete tank and allowing someone certified by the state to use an electronic meter to test the waste’s chemical content) were way too modern. Meanwhile, people are compaining (and rightly so) that not handling sewage properly can have a seriously bad affect on the entire county's health.

The case is still pending - there've been meetings and jail sentences - and neither side is willing to budge, but it does bring up the thorny issue of how far religious freedom should be allowed to go.

What if an elected official wants to be sworn in on something other than the Bible? What if a Rastafarian is elected and he wants to smoke a little ganja at his inaugral ceremony? Sounds extreme, but we've seen parents let their children die because their religion wouldn't allow them to see a doctor . . .

Many would like to see prayer taught again in the schools, but what if the official at your child's school is a Muslim, a Buddhist, or (gasp!) a liberal?

That's when the poop would hit the fan . . .

Debaptism: the latest trend in Atheism

So, you realize that you made a rash decision years ago and you want to take it back . Or maybe you were baptized as an infant and you want to officially undo that bit of nastiness. What do you do? You can download a Debaptism Certificate from the National Secular Society! According to this article, they claim that over 100,000 people have already taken this step to purge themselves from the eternal waters of holy immersion . . .

A few thoughts:

• Baptism is an outward indication of an inward consecration. That being the case, if your heart wasn't in it at the time, the only thing your baptism did was get you wet. A "debaptism", then, is nothing more than a public renouncement of church affiliation, which I guess is the point.
• I've never been a big fan of infant baptism. I think it's okay as a ceremony where the parents commit themsevles to training the child up in the faith, but not as an indication of saving faith. I mean, come on . . . experience has proven that a baby's brain is nothing more than one big drool-and-poop gland - can we really assert that the child has weighed the course of his life and decided to accept Jesus as his Savior?
• If a person "gets saved" at one point in his life and later wishes to recant, was he ever really saved to begin with? This is the classic "once saved always saved" issue that has divided Christians for centuries. For passages supporting both sides of the issue see John 10:27-29 and Hebrews 6:4-6.

Memorize the 10 Commandments and Win $20K?

Here's an interesting take on learning the 10 Commandments I read over at Todd Rhoades' blog Monday Morning Insights:

Darrel Rundus is distressed that Americans readily can tick off a list of 10 stores, 10 sports teams – even 10 beers, but there's a collective "Uhmmm" when those same people are asked to cite the Ten Commandments. To change that, he said, he and his wife decided to do "something a little crazy." They are taking $20,000 of their own money and posting it as a prize that either will be dispatched via casher's check or wire transfer to the first person who, on Monday, Oct. 26, answers his random telephone calls and can recite the Ten Commandments in order in 20 seconds or less.

Here's the promo video - then a couple of questions:




First off, I like the idea and I think the video is well done and makes a good point. But, if we live under grace, what is the value in learning the Law? (Hint: Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:24)

Secondly, do ploys like this serve the cause of Christ well? Or does it cheapen the gospel?

BTW, I've registered and I hope he calls me 'cause I'm READY!

Can Twitter Help Worship? Does Twitter Hinder Worship?

Unless you've been hermetically sealed in a chamber for the past few years, you're aware of the social networking tool Twitter. What you might not be aware of is how people are using the twitter phenomenon to inform the world about every aspect of their lives. Even the rich and famous are getting into the act.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was fined $25k for his Twitter comments criticising NBA officials, and some members of congress were "tweeting" during Obama's prime time speech back in February.

The question has arisen about the etiquette of churches allowing and promoting tweeting during worship services, and there are several compelling arguments both for and against the idea. Reverend Taylor Burton-Edwards - director of worship resources with the United Methodist Board of Discipleship - has written a thorough article exploring both sides. You can read the article here, but I'll give you a quick synopsis:

Pro: Twitter can allow for a genuine sense of interactivity between the congregation and the ministry staff at appropriate times during the worship service - i.e. prayer requests, Q & A sessions.

Also a person could tweet the service making the experience available vicariously to the world at large (think especially how this could benefit shut-ins and other home-bound people).

Con: Using Twitter might privilege the "haves" over the "have nots," and the "techies" over the "non-techies."

Switching focus from one thing to another . . . creates a gap in our primary attention . . . This means that for parts of worship where continuous primary attention is appropriate, the physical act of Twittering actually reduces attention to whatever is going on at the moment and causes a total loss of primary attention between the time you start Twittering and the time you return your focus to whatever is going on in worship.

There's lots more at the actual article, but I'd love to get your thoughts on the subject . . .

Cornerstone and me . . .

Due to budgetary changes, it was decided at the last Board and Council meeting (after much painful deliberation) that my position would be eliminated. I was encouraged to start looking for full-time employment elsewhere and I started making calls to people I knew in the beverage industry. After over 8 years with Coca-Cola, I had some pretty good contacts.

Long story short, I got the call from Blue Ridge Beverage this past Tuesday (they want me to start next Tuesday) and I turned in my resignation to the pastor on Wednesday night. I met with the pastor and two other church leaders after the Bible study and went over the various ministries I had been overseeing.

I see this as a real blessing – to be offered a stable job with a stable company in this economy is no small thing. It's good, honest work that I'm thrilled to be doing again.

Although Sunday, May 10th was my last Sunday as Associate Pastor, we will continue to attend Cornerstone for now, but I am pulling out of all ministry activities - the new job is going to be physically and mentally challenging and I will need to focus on it.

I thank you for your friendship and prayers throughout this difficult time.

National Day of Prayer is in doubt . . .

It's true! This article in the Washington Post has the story. Here are a few quotes:

"Obama Has Yet to Announce Whether He Will Continue Tradition of Hosting Conservative Evangelicals, Who Now Have Made Other Plans"

"The White House . . . declined to comment on whether it would even hold an event this year, much less who would be invited. "

"[Some speculate] that if the White House does mark the day, it would probably include "lots of different types of religious leaders," akin to the interfaith feel of last year's Democratic National Convention."

I'm wondering, though . . . do we really want a day of prayer hosted by a President who's just not that into it? Do we really want to play politics with prayer?

Finally, if Obama had a taste for the ironic he'd go ahead full steam with the event - and invite the Reverend Jeremiah Wright to lead it . . . .

The Hell Yeah Church of Love and Miracles

No, that's not crass profanity. That's this church's real name.

Now, to be honest, this is not a Christian church. It's a New Age Unitarian church as evidenced by the following quotes:

The foundation of the Hell Yeah Church is connectedness through consciousness.

It's a vibrational thing. We are all comprised of energy; we harmonize with it. We can't help but be moved by it.

I think that it helps you stay aligned with your vision and stay in touch with who you are -- your basic goodness and connection with the whole . . .

You can read the whole story here, but let me say this:

I'm all for a little spunk and even a certain amount of bucking against the establishment (hey, Jesus was quite the rebel, too), but this is what happens when you throw out the Bible and start "doing church" any ol' way you feel like it. God Himself has ordained how He will be worshipped - He didn't leave it up to us to just do as we please. This is the ultimate end of a church that is man-centered and not God-centered - and Evangelical Christianity is in danger of heading down that path.

This highlights the need for us to return to the Scriptures and discern what "church" is really all about . . .