When I first heard that President-elect Obama invited Rev. Warren to give the invocation for the Inauguration, I was saddened. There are so many other pastors to whom he could have turned, Rev. Jim Wallis, Rev. Jesse Jackson, a Catholic bishop, or a Rabbi. Why the pastor who rigged the debate between the two nominees for President? Why the pastor who supported California Prop 8 and verbally beats up on some folks he disagrees with? At least, the pastor giving the benediction, Rev. Joseph Lowrey, is going to get the last word.
Then I saw an article about Rev. Warren which explains some good things about the man. I was much impressed with how he gives 90% of his income to help the poor. Somehow he looks like he is doing very well on the 10% that's left but, still, he has few peers in the generosity department.
I sent the article to my liberal friends and got a response which reflected how I originally felt but quite a bit more angry.
So I tried to figure out why the choice of Rev. Warren might make sense.
The main reason, of course, is what the President-elect said, that Rev. Warren had invited him to speak at Saddleback Church early in his campaign, knowing they disagreed. Sen. Obama reaches out . . . . And he is willing to take the heat from constituents who disagree with him.
My friend said he really shot himself in the foot. Of course, the promises Sen. Obama has made about changing law and policy in ways supportive of the GLBT community are yet to be actualized, but we will be surprised if he does not follow through.
Then I realized that by giving the invocation on Jan, 20, Rev. Warren may not be as effective in furthering the anti-GLBT agenda he has led. Further, even all this negative publicity and controversy puts the subject on the front pages. As they say in the entertainment business, even negative publicity is better than no publicity.
But more moving to me is that Sen. Obama may be forgiving Rev. Warren for the stunts related to the Saddleback debate.
So how will the modern day Billy Graham respond? Will he even look at the forgiveness angle? Will he presume he deserves the attention? Will he actually begin listening to those he has condemned?
Cynics don't like to take a chance on giving an inch to their enemies, certain they will take a mile. Jesus was willing . . . and got crucified. But He changed things.
Who knows? Sen. Obama, a "sermon-soaked pew squatter" for twenty years, may actually be trying to do the Word, and not just be a hearer only.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The "War" on Christmas
The American version of Christmas is pretty complex. While it centers on the birth of Jesus, and while many of the icons and much of the music refers to Him, other figures like Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and presents have become very important.
As early as mid-summer, stores have sales based on the Christmas theme. Around Labor Day, sections in some stores are decked out in reds and greens in anticipation of Christmas, usually containing toys and home decorations for the holidays. Gradually, over the weeks between Hallowe’en and Thanksgiving, nearly all the stores get serious about displays and setting up their holiday merchandising. The day after Thanksgiving has traditionally been the biggest shopping day of the year.
That same day is often when lights and decorations put up between Hallowe’en and Thanksgiving in the business sections of town or on private homes are lit at night. In addition, some radio stations begin to play Christmas music 24/7.
Most churches join in with the pre-holiday festivities. Many add a life-size scene on their grounds including a barn-like setting, a feed trough for cattle, a mother and father, a baby, some farm animals, sometimes some shepherds, and sometimes some oriental wisemen, They may be plastic statues or they may be live.
Therefore, during the late fall and early winter, America prepares for the celebration of Christmas. For more than a month, folks have around them the sights and symbols and sounds of the season.
In the late 1950s, a movement started to counter the commercialism surrounding the holiday. The first thing challenged was the use of X in an abbreviated form of the word Christmas (Xmas). The X is the Greek Letter “Chi,” and was used in ancient manuscripts as shorthand for the word “Christ.” But since most people do not know that, the movement succeeded in eliminating that usage.
Now it is common this time of year to see “Put Christ back into Christmas.” The intent is to refocus people to be sure that “Jesus is the reason for the season.”
In the 1960s, satirists also took a shot at the practice of businesses using the music and icons of Christmas in advertising. Some of the more gross ads showing Santa smoking cigarettes have not appeared in magazines or on TV since then, though Americans tolerate nearly everything else.
The wedding of commerce and the celebration of the birth of Christ has not ended in divorce like it did in the Puritan eras in Massachusetts Bay Colony or in Cromwell’s England during the 1600s.
However, that does not mean that there haven’t been controversies related to the holidays in recent years.
With cable news channels running all day every day, some commentators have become famous for raising the specter that atheists are trying to eliminate the celebration of Christmas altogether. They point to situations where public schools are challenged for changing their annual seasonal music programs to drop direct references to Jesus. They are also angered when atheists are allowed to put up displays on public property along side Christian displays.
The personalities making the biggest fuss call such events “battlegrounds of the war on Christmas.”
And once in awhile it does appear that some of the decisions to change Christmas into a more generic “holiday” do not make sense. Removing absolutely everything related to the Christian religion from public buildings and schools seems like a little over much.
The problem public officials face is that America is not just Christian but is also Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and any number of other faiths. America has always had diverse religious groups. Many times, because the major religious tradition has been Christian, its celebration has been enforced to the extent that failure to participate in the Christmas music programs in school affected the grades of those who for reasons of religious conscience could not participate.
The Constitution of the United States calls for the free expression of religion with the state not being allowed to support any one faith. That was made fundamental law for America to prevent forcing non-Christians into performing Christian acts. The early leaders in America had seen how such disrespect for other traditions actually violated Christianity’s own teachings of “doing unto others what we would have them do unto us.”
But the struggle against disrespect of non-Christian traditions and people has been on-going and unevenly applied. Human beings have the tendency to want to think their own way is superior to others. So Americans will probably always have this problem.
But this is not a “war” against Christmas. It is the attempt of Christians to live respectfully with their neighbors.
There is at least one neat thing about Christmas as we celebrate it with all its secular commercialism and saturation of our life during the fall and early winter. No matter who fusses, big name radio or TV or political person, he or she is pretty much drowned out in the joy and excitement the color and light bring during these long nights and often dreary days.
As early as mid-summer, stores have sales based on the Christmas theme. Around Labor Day, sections in some stores are decked out in reds and greens in anticipation of Christmas, usually containing toys and home decorations for the holidays. Gradually, over the weeks between Hallowe’en and Thanksgiving, nearly all the stores get serious about displays and setting up their holiday merchandising. The day after Thanksgiving has traditionally been the biggest shopping day of the year.
That same day is often when lights and decorations put up between Hallowe’en and Thanksgiving in the business sections of town or on private homes are lit at night. In addition, some radio stations begin to play Christmas music 24/7.
Most churches join in with the pre-holiday festivities. Many add a life-size scene on their grounds including a barn-like setting, a feed trough for cattle, a mother and father, a baby, some farm animals, sometimes some shepherds, and sometimes some oriental wisemen, They may be plastic statues or they may be live.
Therefore, during the late fall and early winter, America prepares for the celebration of Christmas. For more than a month, folks have around them the sights and symbols and sounds of the season.
In the late 1950s, a movement started to counter the commercialism surrounding the holiday. The first thing challenged was the use of X in an abbreviated form of the word Christmas (Xmas). The X is the Greek Letter “Chi,” and was used in ancient manuscripts as shorthand for the word “Christ.” But since most people do not know that, the movement succeeded in eliminating that usage.
Now it is common this time of year to see “Put Christ back into Christmas.” The intent is to refocus people to be sure that “Jesus is the reason for the season.”
In the 1960s, satirists also took a shot at the practice of businesses using the music and icons of Christmas in advertising. Some of the more gross ads showing Santa smoking cigarettes have not appeared in magazines or on TV since then, though Americans tolerate nearly everything else.
The wedding of commerce and the celebration of the birth of Christ has not ended in divorce like it did in the Puritan eras in Massachusetts Bay Colony or in Cromwell’s England during the 1600s.
However, that does not mean that there haven’t been controversies related to the holidays in recent years.
With cable news channels running all day every day, some commentators have become famous for raising the specter that atheists are trying to eliminate the celebration of Christmas altogether. They point to situations where public schools are challenged for changing their annual seasonal music programs to drop direct references to Jesus. They are also angered when atheists are allowed to put up displays on public property along side Christian displays.
The personalities making the biggest fuss call such events “battlegrounds of the war on Christmas.”
And once in awhile it does appear that some of the decisions to change Christmas into a more generic “holiday” do not make sense. Removing absolutely everything related to the Christian religion from public buildings and schools seems like a little over much.
The problem public officials face is that America is not just Christian but is also Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and any number of other faiths. America has always had diverse religious groups. Many times, because the major religious tradition has been Christian, its celebration has been enforced to the extent that failure to participate in the Christmas music programs in school affected the grades of those who for reasons of religious conscience could not participate.
The Constitution of the United States calls for the free expression of religion with the state not being allowed to support any one faith. That was made fundamental law for America to prevent forcing non-Christians into performing Christian acts. The early leaders in America had seen how such disrespect for other traditions actually violated Christianity’s own teachings of “doing unto others what we would have them do unto us.”
But the struggle against disrespect of non-Christian traditions and people has been on-going and unevenly applied. Human beings have the tendency to want to think their own way is superior to others. So Americans will probably always have this problem.
But this is not a “war” against Christmas. It is the attempt of Christians to live respectfully with their neighbors.
There is at least one neat thing about Christmas as we celebrate it with all its secular commercialism and saturation of our life during the fall and early winter. No matter who fusses, big name radio or TV or political person, he or she is pretty much drowned out in the joy and excitement the color and light bring during these long nights and often dreary days.
Monday, December 8, 2008
The Green Bay Packers
When the Houston Texan field goal kicker, who had been terrible all day, kicked that 40 yard field goal in the closing seconds to beat the Packers, I felt awful.
Like many Packer backers who live out of state, away from the likelihood of getting to see our team on TV this year, following the scruffy play-by-play on NFL.com, I still was caught up in the ebb and flow of the game.
Collins injured? Oh no, that guy's a walking ambulance passenger. Tausch is out with a wrecked knee? There goes the right side of the offensive line. Hawk hasn't made a tackle all game? That groin injury really messed him up. Bigby can hardly move? No big hits from him for months.
And middle linebacker Barnett and DT Cullen Jenkins are on IR? Who's left to play defense?
But somehow, the Packers were still in it till the very end. . . for the fifth time to lose by less than four points.
There are many (including some of my favorite sportswriters) who are saying the Packers have lost it and aren't going anywhere because of this coach or that misplay or the general manager or even the club president.
But let's remind ourselves of a few things.
One, the Packers had one of the easiest schedules last year because they were playing teams with terrible records from the year before.
Two, they knew they lucked out in some of their games because they played some of the better teams when those teams were down because of injuries.
Three, they got some calls and breaks that helped keep them in the game.
Four, they won several games by less than four points.
Five, Brett Favre and Rob Davis's mature years were still not enough to keep the Pack from being one of the very youngest (and least experienced) teams in the league.
It was an incredible season topped off by playing even up into overtime with the team which went on the win the Super Bowl. That feat, though a losing effort, really validated their right to their record, even though it was obtained with no small amount of luck.
That the general manager and head coach were able to provide what the team needed in that sterling season cannot be overlooked.
Major league sports are games of inches and seconds, of speed and power, of injuries and luck.
This year, playing against a much tougher schedule which included many teams on the rise like Tennessee and Carolina who pulled out tight wins against this still immature team, it is amazing to realize that with a little bit of luck, maybe this bunch could have been 10 and 3 instead of 5 and 8.
We fans live and die emotionally with our team. We put a lot of ourselves into hoping and, well, physically pushing and squirming in our chairs as we watch.
Calling forth that kind of involvement from us takes its toll when our guys lose. It is a little harder to watch in that circumstance. But we come back next time and hope and squirm some more on the chance that we will see a victory.
That's entertainment!
As Jim Irwin, longtime sportscaster at WTMJ Milwaukee who called many Packer seasons, used to remind everyone: Hey, it's a game.
We get to watch grown men play a boy's game for entertainment. If we were not in it for the entertainment value, there would be no explanation for how come there are still Cub fans!
I look forward to Packer games. Win or lose, they give me a few hours of distraction. Having been a fan for over 65 years, I understand how sports franchises often survive recessions because they are so successful at giving us something else to think about.
I'm really feeling good about this year's team and its coaches and management. The games are entertaining, keeping me on edge and hopeful for a good result, right down to the end. Even the blow-out in New Orleans was a treat because I did get to see one of the finest exhibitions of passing I've ever seen, even if it was against my favorite team.
This is a good year, despite the losing record, for my Green Bay Packers. So, despite the negative press and comments from disgruntled fans, next Sunday can't come soon enough. I know the team will give its best effort. Maybe the breaks, the calls, the luck will go for us this time. And maybe all the rookie mistakes will be behind us. And maybe we'll finally get off the snide and our guys will come home with a victory.
Even if that doesn't happen this time, there are still two more games to anticipate.
Like many Packer backers who live out of state, away from the likelihood of getting to see our team on TV this year, following the scruffy play-by-play on NFL.com, I still was caught up in the ebb and flow of the game.
Collins injured? Oh no, that guy's a walking ambulance passenger. Tausch is out with a wrecked knee? There goes the right side of the offensive line. Hawk hasn't made a tackle all game? That groin injury really messed him up. Bigby can hardly move? No big hits from him for months.
And middle linebacker Barnett and DT Cullen Jenkins are on IR? Who's left to play defense?
But somehow, the Packers were still in it till the very end. . . for the fifth time to lose by less than four points.
There are many (including some of my favorite sportswriters) who are saying the Packers have lost it and aren't going anywhere because of this coach or that misplay or the general manager or even the club president.
But let's remind ourselves of a few things.
One, the Packers had one of the easiest schedules last year because they were playing teams with terrible records from the year before.
Two, they knew they lucked out in some of their games because they played some of the better teams when those teams were down because of injuries.
Three, they got some calls and breaks that helped keep them in the game.
Four, they won several games by less than four points.
Five, Brett Favre and Rob Davis's mature years were still not enough to keep the Pack from being one of the very youngest (and least experienced) teams in the league.
It was an incredible season topped off by playing even up into overtime with the team which went on the win the Super Bowl. That feat, though a losing effort, really validated their right to their record, even though it was obtained with no small amount of luck.
That the general manager and head coach were able to provide what the team needed in that sterling season cannot be overlooked.
Major league sports are games of inches and seconds, of speed and power, of injuries and luck.
This year, playing against a much tougher schedule which included many teams on the rise like Tennessee and Carolina who pulled out tight wins against this still immature team, it is amazing to realize that with a little bit of luck, maybe this bunch could have been 10 and 3 instead of 5 and 8.
We fans live and die emotionally with our team. We put a lot of ourselves into hoping and, well, physically pushing and squirming in our chairs as we watch.
Calling forth that kind of involvement from us takes its toll when our guys lose. It is a little harder to watch in that circumstance. But we come back next time and hope and squirm some more on the chance that we will see a victory.
That's entertainment!
As Jim Irwin, longtime sportscaster at WTMJ Milwaukee who called many Packer seasons, used to remind everyone: Hey, it's a game.
We get to watch grown men play a boy's game for entertainment. If we were not in it for the entertainment value, there would be no explanation for how come there are still Cub fans!
I look forward to Packer games. Win or lose, they give me a few hours of distraction. Having been a fan for over 65 years, I understand how sports franchises often survive recessions because they are so successful at giving us something else to think about.
I'm really feeling good about this year's team and its coaches and management. The games are entertaining, keeping me on edge and hopeful for a good result, right down to the end. Even the blow-out in New Orleans was a treat because I did get to see one of the finest exhibitions of passing I've ever seen, even if it was against my favorite team.
This is a good year, despite the losing record, for my Green Bay Packers. So, despite the negative press and comments from disgruntled fans, next Sunday can't come soon enough. I know the team will give its best effort. Maybe the breaks, the calls, the luck will go for us this time. And maybe all the rookie mistakes will be behind us. And maybe we'll finally get off the snide and our guys will come home with a victory.
Even if that doesn't happen this time, there are still two more games to anticipate.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
OJ's finally going to jail
The judge just couldn't insist enough that she was not punishing OJ to make up for what so many think should have happened to him years ago. How many times did she insist? Enough to think she maybe "doth protest too much."
Ann and I looked at each other when we heard the news and asked, "What do ordinary people get for doing something stupid like that?"
Yah right, they get hit with a fifteen to thirty three years sentence.
How about six months in jail with time already served counting against that total? And maybe a year of community service.
Good grief. No one was hurt. No property damage occurred.
A badly handled misunderstanding does not deserve such a sentence.
-----
Would someone please look into who is bankrolling Fred Goldman so he can devote full time to harassing OJ?
Ann and I looked at each other when we heard the news and asked, "What do ordinary people get for doing something stupid like that?"
Yah right, they get hit with a fifteen to thirty three years sentence.
How about six months in jail with time already served counting against that total? And maybe a year of community service.
Good grief. No one was hurt. No property damage occurred.
A badly handled misunderstanding does not deserve such a sentence.
-----
Would someone please look into who is bankrolling Fred Goldman so he can devote full time to harassing OJ?
Recession: Our Great Opportunity
Ann and I enjoyed a visit in Den Haag, Netherlands, where our son works and where his family recently took up residence.
I was struck by how few old cars and trucks there were. Despite being an "old" nation, Holland is sparkling and mostly fresh-faced. Same with Belgium where we visited Brugge over the week-end.
Our son works for one of the major banks there so we talked economics a lot.
One of the things he made clear is that there is a load of money on the sidelines. Trillions have been lost on the stock markets of the world but major stake holders pulled out their money early on and will jump back in when they see things headed up.
Another thing is that although millions of people are struggling, millions more are not. Everyone is being frugal right now until everything settles down.
So there is a lot of corporate money and a lot of personal money squirreled away waiting to be spent.
What will "settle everything down?" A vision of what changes can be made to improve everyone's lot.
In our country, our infrastructure desperately needs attention. Our cars need to be replaced with fuel-efficient ones and with mass transit systems. What a time for a renaissance!
Having mostly gone backwards over the past eight years because of inattention to so many problems, our country really has no place to go but up.
In ten years, I don't think anyone will be thanking President Bush for letting everything go to pot so bad that we almost had to start all over again. But now seems like a good time for freshening up our own face, not just with cosmetic changes, but with serious restructuring. Now is the time to let our creative juices flow so that the future that we dreamed of as kids can come closer to being a reality instead of just an extension of the way things used to be.
Rather than getting more specific, I'll let you begin to fill in the opportunities that lie ahead. We will inevitably drag along some old ways, because new things are not always better.
But we are on the verge of something that can renew us. Enjoy the ride! With your seat belt on. . . .
I was struck by how few old cars and trucks there were. Despite being an "old" nation, Holland is sparkling and mostly fresh-faced. Same with Belgium where we visited Brugge over the week-end.
Our son works for one of the major banks there so we talked economics a lot.
One of the things he made clear is that there is a load of money on the sidelines. Trillions have been lost on the stock markets of the world but major stake holders pulled out their money early on and will jump back in when they see things headed up.
Another thing is that although millions of people are struggling, millions more are not. Everyone is being frugal right now until everything settles down.
So there is a lot of corporate money and a lot of personal money squirreled away waiting to be spent.
What will "settle everything down?" A vision of what changes can be made to improve everyone's lot.
In our country, our infrastructure desperately needs attention. Our cars need to be replaced with fuel-efficient ones and with mass transit systems. What a time for a renaissance!
Having mostly gone backwards over the past eight years because of inattention to so many problems, our country really has no place to go but up.
In ten years, I don't think anyone will be thanking President Bush for letting everything go to pot so bad that we almost had to start all over again. But now seems like a good time for freshening up our own face, not just with cosmetic changes, but with serious restructuring. Now is the time to let our creative juices flow so that the future that we dreamed of as kids can come closer to being a reality instead of just an extension of the way things used to be.
Rather than getting more specific, I'll let you begin to fill in the opportunities that lie ahead. We will inevitably drag along some old ways, because new things are not always better.
But we are on the verge of something that can renew us. Enjoy the ride! With your seat belt on. . . .
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