Bob's Blog

I’m an inclusivist.  I’m an ecumenist.   I’m a universalist.  I’m a globalist.  I’m a panentheist.

But before anything else, I regard myself as a member of the great human family — created, loved, nurtured, and sustained by that which many of us call “God.”  My various labels give testimony to my desire to embrace all, and to strive to find unity even in the midst of the world’s diversity; and the Scriptures that guide my life tell me that because God is love, my call is to love everyone, just as Jesus did.  As “the fullest and most complete expression of God in human form,” I seek to model my life after the Christ: who taught me that everyone is my neighbor and that I am to love them as I love myself.  The holy book of my Muslim sisters and brothers pushes me further, challenging me to only want for others, what I want for myself.

Now over the years I’ve met countless other Americans who are seeking to live this same kind of life; but, I’ve also met countless Europeans (I actually live with one!) who are similarly seeking to live this way.  Their lives are just as reflective of the life of Jesus as my own.  I’ve met Mormons and Muslims who love God as much as I do, AND who follow God better than I do.  I have friends in the LGBTQ community who do a far better job than I when it comes to “seeking justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly”; and I’ve met Black women who have not had any of the white privileges that have followed me all my life, and yet the love exhibited in their lives is making more of a difference in this world than mine ever will!

All of this is to say that I desire to do more that merely ‘tolerate’ those who are not like me; rather I long to embrace and enter into community with them.  We can learn from one another, and together work to make the world a better place to live.

This is the liberal mindset.  Liberals are, by very definition, liberal in our willingness to accept others, regardless of the nation we call home, the language we speak, the religion we practice, the worldview we adopt, the people we choose to love, or the color of our skin.  In the words of Mr. Webster, we have . . . “generous hearts; appropriate for a broad and enlightened mind; free from narrowness, bigotry, or bondage; and advocating liberty of thought, speech, and action.”  And while I know this makes us all sound way too saintly, overall it’s a pretty accurate description of who we seek to be and that for which most of us strive.

Thrity Umrigar, in her new book “Everybody’s Son”, writes that “even a broken clock is right two times a day!”  And I like that.  It reminds me that everyone has something to contribute to this world we call home, and it challenges me to see the good in everyone. Since I do not believe humanity’s primary identity is that of a sinner in the hands of an angry God, I believe people are called to see the image of God in everyone, and firmly believe that all people are worthy of my love.

However, and I think I speak for most of of the liberals I know when I say this, our acceptance and our tolerance DO have boundaries!

In spite of the many freedoms that we enjoy in this country, when your rights start to infringe upon mine, or upon the marginalized and oppressed, we WILL resist.  Your words will be rejected and your actions will be challenged; for while you may have the right to do or say anything and everything you want, your actions and words may not always be acceptable.  Freedom has restrictions.  Liberalism has boundaries.  And tolerance has limits!

This past spring, much was written about Milo Yioannopoulos, the British media personality associated with the political alt-right and a former senior editor for Breitbart News; as well as Ann Coulter, a conservative American social and political commentator, lawyer, and syndicated columnist.  Both were invited to speak at UC Berkeley; but student outrage over the invitations resulted in neither of them making a visit to the prestigious university.  An outspoken critic of what he calls ‘political correctness’, Milo is quick to condemn feminism, Islam, and has stated that “gay rights are detrimental to humanity.”   He believes that child abuse is “really not that big of deal,” and has made others statements that have led some to believe he condones pedophilia.  And Ann Coulter is little more than a media hound: a social and political conservative who will do and say almost anything as long as it will get peoples’ attention.

Last month, Harvard University graduate and Google employee James Damore became yet another hero of right wing extremists when he published a memo challenging the role of women in the tech industry.  He was eventually fired, and is now fighting back by claiming that the “left” is only concerned about free speech when it agrees with the liberal causes, and complaining that the Silicon Valley is intolerant of those with differing political perspectives.

And then there’s Richard Spencer, and the countless other racist, Nazi-sympathizing, White Supremacists who have made the spotlight in recent weeks.  They too argue that the first amendment gives them the right to say and do whatever they want, however they want — a freedom they believe is granted to them by the Constitution.

But freedom and tolerance do not mean that “anything goes!”  And there is nothing inconsistent about this position in the so-called ‘liberal agenda.’  Liberals weigh very carefully the responsibility to listen to others, AND TO PROTECT OTHERS.  We want to and will engage those with whom we disagree; but we will also resist people who say things that invite violence, incite fear, or in any way threaten other because of the color of their skin, their religious preference, their sexual preference, or any other aspect of their life that is different from the white, American perspective on what is ‘normal!’

Is this a “slippery slope?”  Of course it is.  And we don’t always get it right. But in the long run, liberals are committed to navigating this precarious slope.  We will listen to those with whom we disagree, and we will work to guarantee everyone’s right to speak their mind and to freely express themselves.  But when people claim the right to behave militantly, with guns and torches, we will draw a line.  When people seek to exercise their ‘rights’ with so much hate that people become fearful for their very lives, we will draw a line. When people express views and ideas that are void of truth and lacking in intellectual integrity we will draw a line.  And when people act in ways that violate that which is just, and right, and good, we will draw a line.  For as subjective as drawing lines might be, boundaries are sometimes necessary because yes, tolerance has limits.

Being tolerant does not mean tolerating intolerance.  It doesn’t mean accommodating hatred, accepting lies, condoning violence, or closing our eyes to injustice.  And while we all might have very different definitions of hatred, lies, violence, and injustice, in the end, it’s all about treating one another with love and respect.  The whole “I-may-disagree-with-what-you-say-but-will-defend-your-right-to-say-it” has it’s limits!  For when personal views, opinions, and perspectives, harm others, drawing lines is not being intolerant: it’s simply being civil.  It’s being courteous, and respectful, and considerate.

If you don’t believe in gay marriage, then don’t marry someone of the same gender.  If you believe God wants you to avoid Margaritas on Sunday, then stay away from your local Mexican restaurant on your Sabbath.  If you believe that God wants you to cover your body, head to toe, when you’re in public, then feel free to buy that burka and wear it with as much pride as your faith permits.  But don’t try and make me walk in your footsteps!  And when your footsteps start to trample on mine, or on those with no voice, know that we liberals will not stand by and be quiet.  And this is especially true of those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus.  For in my case, these position actually have little to do with any kind of liberal political agenda.  Rather, they are Gospel!  Plain and simple.

In America, we respect our diversity.  We liberals celebrate it, and we progressive Christ-followers even honor it.  I am well aware that we all see things differently, and that my perspective on things may not always be accurate.  But sometimes opinions are just wrong – scientifically, morally, ethically, and spiritually.  And when we liberals see that wrongness, we will carefully, discerningly, lovingly, and non- violently, draw a line.  We will protest and preach, write and resist, challenge and chastise.  We will publish blog after blog and Facebook post after Facebook post, that push, poke, and prod; and we will not be silenced because of some distorted idea so-called ‘liberal inconsistency’!

No!  Tolerance does NOT mean tolerating intolerance.  And these days, everyone better get used to tolerating that!

I only met him a few years ago.  He was the first person I contacted when I moved into town; selfishly, because I wanted to pick his brain and learn about all that was going on in his church.  I had read an article he had written for some denominational publication, and gracious doesn’t do justice to the way he received my call.  He didn’t know me from Adam, but never the less invited me out for a tour of his church’s facility.  The day I visited we spent a couple hours together; and over steaming bowls of Pho we talked about ministry and all that was going on in the Presbyterian portion of Christ’s body in our nation’s capital.

Jeff Krehbiel was one of those people you aspired to be like!  He was only a year older than me, thus making it odd in the eyes of some to consider him a mentor.  But Jeff’s life, ministry, and personality were so quietly inspiring and contagious, that admiration couldn’t help but bubble up within you when you were with him.

I certainly didn’t know him as well as many who may read this; but the mere fact that he’s been popping into my head every day since I heard of his diagnosis, and that I now find myself bearing a heaviness of heart over his passing,  evidences the kind of Christ-follower that Jeff was.  I only met his wife Cheryl once, and didn’t know the rest of his family; so I cannot comment the personal side of Jeff’s life.  I say that because I don’t want anyone to think that a man’s life is solely defined by his ministry.  But I have only known Jeff in his capacity as a pastor and colleague, and so I will not presume to be able to write about anything else.

Jeff loved ministry; and that is rare today.  The Church is full of pastors who have become cynical and resentful, with hearts that can’t seem to wait for retirement.  But my encounters with Jeff revealed a man who loved what he did; and that was inspiring to see.  Whether preaching or ringing his singing bowl, reading Scripture or providing pastoral care, leading committee meetings or rethinking what a faith community is to be about, Jeff’s enthusiasm for what he did gave me  glimpses of a Jesus who was alive and active in his risen Body, the Church.

Jeff also loved and appreciated the world – the creative work of the holy hand of God.  He loved creation, and he loved all who inhabited creation.  Whether seeking to maintain and simply enjoy . . . ‘the beauty of the earth’, or courageously pursuing the justice of God’ in . . . ‘the living of these days’, Jeff bore witness to ‘kin’dom living.  His life was a testimony to the work and movement of the Spirit — a Spirit far less like demure dove, and much more like a gregarious goose.  And witnessing his way of being in the world motivated me to do what I do with renewed energy and vigor.

But the thing I think I appreciated most about Jeff was his commitment to the ‘renewing of his mind!’  His faith was all about the transformation that is at the heart of the Gospel, and he showed me what it means to actually live out the motto . . . life is not about the destination, but the journey.  What I witnessed in Jeff Krehbiel was man who embraced the continuing education of his mind, and who sought out adventures and experiences, and people and places, that would lead him into those ‘thin spaces’ where his walk with God might be deepened.

As my own journey continues to grow and develop I become more and more certain of what heaven is NOT, and less and less certain of what I think it is!  Never the less, in spite of that mystery, I DO believe it has something to do with an ongoing and eternal presence of all that is right and good and kind and faithful.  And because there was so much in Jeff that was indeed . . . right and good and kind and faithful . . . I am confident that he can and does live on: in me, and in many who knew and loved him.    So well done good and faithful servant!  And thanks for the many ways you pastored this pastor!

More and more I am becoming convinced that I have a choice to make.  Every day it seems as though I am being asked to decide between the ’empire theology’ that is so prevalent in our nation, or to truly walk in the way of the Christ.

The way of Jesus is the way of peace; never violence.  I am reminded of that on this Good Friday, 2017.  While it was not part of the plan for Jesus to resist the Roman cross, he certainly could have chosen to do so.  But at the heart of the Gospel is love — and so he pushed, challenged, forgave, and even resisted, but he did so peacefully, until the very end.  Even though it would cost him his life, he would never compromise the message that violence is never solved by more violence.  And that conviction would ultimately nail him to a wooden beam.

Yet the nation that I call home is once again taking itself to the brink of war: sending Tomahawk missiles into Syria, dropping the MOAB on Afghanistan; and now beating it’s chest and threatening North Korea with military action if they do not do as we say.  Our elected leaders, from the President on down – and ‘on both sides of the aisle’ – seem to believe that violence is best met with violence, and that the best defense is an aggressive and bombastic offense.

So I have a decision to make.

The way of Jesus is the way of generosity; never selfishness.  This too comes to mind on this holy day, for it is the day that Jesus generously gave his all to the will and way of God — even when that meant losing his life to the powers and principalities of the world. His life modeled a generosity of love, mercy, grace, and peace; all in an attempt to display that all creation exists in the very heart of God, and that we are all one.  Life, and living, are simply not merely about what is best for me, what profits me, or what benefits me!  In fact it’s not about me at all.  It’s about us.  And generosity with all that we have and all that we are, is what our followership is ultimately about.

Yet I live in a nation that, as of late, seems to think that being great is about a return to the days when people thought only of themselves — the good ‘ol days, when we didn’t worry about the poor not being able to afford going to the doctor, when we didn’t need to think about the rights of our Muslim neighbors, or when we didn’t need to think about our gay friends’ freedom to choose who to love.  The selfish, ‘me generation’ mentality, seems to have returned with a fury; and today it’s all about what I can get, what I deserve, and what I am owed.

So I have a decision to make.

The way of Jesus is the way of truth; never fear.   When Pilate asks Jesus ‘What is truth?” — it is as though he is throwing up his arms in frustration, confused by a world where everyone seems to think their opinion is fact.  But for Jesus, there is only one truth!  Jesus!  He — his way, his love, his goodness, and kindness, and compassion, God’s way — is the only truth there is.  And anything else claiming to be is an impostor, an evil masquerading as something that it will never be, that it CAN never be, regardless of how many people may embrace it.  And for anyone claiming to be a follower of Jesus, his way is the ONLY way.

Yet I live in a nation where fear is running rampant.  And people don’t even know it! Someone once said that FEAR is “false evidence appearing real”, and that certainly applies to the America we see today.  People are wont to embrace all kinds of theories and ideas, many of which have no grounding in reality, but rather are simply fed by a fear of those who look different, who believe different, and who behave different.  And that fear has led, and will continue to lead, away from greatness; not towards it!

So I have a decision to make.

Will I give in to the violence, selfishness, and fear that abound this Good Friday.  Or will I instead choose the way of Jesus — the way of peace, generosity, and truth?

The answer is actually an easy one for me; for my ability to choose the later comes from the privilege that has been granted to me by the ’empire’ that I am so quick to critique.   I know this.  But Jesus says that “to whom much as been given, much will be required.”  So I will continue to resist, and challenge, and call to account those who would worship another god.  And so too must we all — at least if we really are going to allow Jesus to be Lord.

And if we’re not, well then let’s just throw out the whole “Jesus thing.” Because it means nothing.

His way is very simple; and there is no way for us to weasel out of his commands to be peacemakers, to give extravagantly, and to embrace the truth of his holy way.  We have no choice but to love, unconditionally, all creation; and if we’re not going to do it, then let’s just throw Jesus out with the religious bathwater called American Christianity.

Let’s certainly not show up in worship this coming Easter Sunday; because it would be hypocritical for us to proclaim that he’s alive.  Because he’s not.  If he’s not living in us; then he’s not alive at all.  So our cries of  “He is risen indeed” are empty and hallow proclamations, that mean nothing, and accomplish nothing.  Easter becomes nothing more than a reason for brunch.   And to be honest, who really needs another slice of ham or jello salad?

Growing up, in addition to plugging in our outdoor Christmas lights and Frosty the Snowman each evening during the month of December, one of my other ‘jobs’ was making sure that the American flag was put out on our front lamppost on Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.  When no one was looking, before setting the pole in its holder where it would fly in the breezes blowing off the nearby Niagara River, I would parade it from the garage and down the driveway like I was marching in a parade.  Just as our holiday lights were a display of our Christian faith, flying the American flag was a display of my family’s love for our country.  My immigrant grandfather came to the United States from Italy, as did several of my great-grand parents, and so at an early age my siblings and I learned about the immense opportunities that had been given to so many of our relatives.  Living in America was understood to be a great blessing; and  patriotism, while never flaunted, was a value instilled at an early age.

I have fond memories of family vacations to our nation’s capital: one in 1976, when bi-centennial celebrations were taking place across the nation; and others that also included stops in Gettysburg and Williamsburg.  Again and again I fell in love with Washington, and so it was no surprise to anyone that I decided to attend The American University in Northwest DC when I graduated from high school.  The university colors were, naturally, red, white and blue; and I was often seen proudly wearing a football jersey that simply said “American” across the chest.  I didn’t matter to me whether people thought I was proudly proclaiming the name of the university I attended, or my nationality: I was proud of both!

I always vote.  I love singing “America the Beautiful.”  And the American flag can be frequently seen flying from the deck of my home.  I have officiated at several funerals at Arlington Cemetery and am always moved by the sacrifices that so many women and men have made for this nation I call home. And my wife and regularly walk the Tidal Basin, the National Mall, and around the Capitol; never failing to give thanks for privilege of living where we do.

All of this is to say that my citizenship is not something that I take for granted.  Our nation is far from perfect, but there is no place on the face of the earth that I’d rather call home. And that is reflected in the way I seek to live my life each and every day.  So it’s very hard for me to imagine having citizenship in any other . . . kin’dom.

But I do!

In fact, I don’t hesitate for a moment to say that I have citizenship in an even better kin’dom than America; and it demands an allegiance that is even greater than my allegiance to the country of my birth!

As a follower of Jesus, while a citizen  of the United States, I am also a citizen of the kin’dom of God!  And that citizenship demands my primary allegiance.  It is a citizenship that calls me toward obedience to the laws of God, revealed in the way of Jesus, and nothing can ever take precedence over that obedience.  Every position I take, every decision I make, every vote I cast, must be made out of an obedience to the ways of Christ. I simply do not have the option to put what it best for America ahead of what it best for the kin’dom of God; and no choice can ever be made to put my allegiance to America ahead of my allegiance to the Body of Christ and the great human family of which I am a part.

When Paul writes in Romans that all governing and ruling authorities are OF God, he is not saying that God has set up the nations or kingdom of the world; and in light of the evil nature of so many dictatorships that exist, he is certainly not implying that such systems are God-ordained.  In fact, any thorough and reasonable study of the Hebrew Scriptures make it clear that kings and kingdoms were never God’s desire for God’s people.  Rather, such practices were born in the Hebrew desire to be like all the other nations around them. If anything, the message of Scripture is that we are all part of one, extended human family, and in Christ worldly distinctions and national boundaries are completely irrelevant.

Further, when Jesus said to render into Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s, his point was not that some things in life are owed to the government, and other things are owed to God.  Not at all.  As one commentary puts it, Jesus is warning us against giving to Caesar that which is God’s!

And what IS God’s?  Everything . . . including our allegiance!

One of my greatest fears these days is that we have forgotten this.  We seem to have bought into a notion that the separation between church and state is only relevant when it is convenient to an individual’s brand of partisan politics.  But in reality, while there must always be a very clear and distinct line between religion and politics, there is no way for us to separate our faith from our politics; for religion and faith are two very different things.

My religion, the outward expression of of my faith — worshipping on Sunday, regularly reading the Bible, and praying and meditating on a daily basis — these practices have little, if anything, to do with my politics.  Nor should they!  That is what the establishment clause in our Constitution, as well as Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists, are all about.  Religion is not faith, and it is not the job of the state to set up laws based upon the the religious beliefs of one group of people over and above another.

However my faith — loving others, caring for widows and orphans, and breaking the bonds of injustice — such activities MUST be at the heart of my politics, for they are at the heart of my citizenship in the kin’dom of God.  And when they are not, I cannot escape the judgement of the Biblical prophets who condemn such negligence over and over again.   In fact, putting anything else ahead of such activities, particularly activities that reveal a greater allegiance any of the world’s kingdoms rather than to God’s kin’dom, is nothing less than a denial of my faith!

My passport indicates that I am a citizen of the United States of America.  And, most of the time, I am proud to carry that passport around the world.  I say MOST of the time, because there are many times when I am NOT proud of my nation’s behavior – times when we seem to be more concerned with what is best for us, at the expense of everyone else. Sometimes we seem to behave as if our citizens — American citizens — are the only people who matter.  We want trade deals that benefit us, even if they come at the expense of others.  We want our boarders to be secure, regardless of the fact that doing so may mean that other children of God are left in places of poverty, hopelessness, and great danger. We value life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but only for we who are white and Christian; and far too often we don’t appear to be the least bit interested in bringing these fruits of God’s justice to the rest of the world.

I can’t speak for all Americans, and certainly not for all Asians, Africans, or South Americans.  But for we who claim to be followers of Jesus, our primary citizenship is NOT in the country of our birth, nor the country that we now call home.  Our primary citizenship is in the kin’dom of God.  And nothing can ever take precedence over that citizenship.  Acknowledging our membership in one world-wide human family is not being politically correct, but rather is simply embracing a globalization that is a direct movement of God’s Spirit.

Today, perhaps more than at any other point in my lifetime, this needs to be remembered. “American First” may be the battle cry of our politicians and the mantra of our business leaders; but for citizens of God’s kin’dom, our call is to seek first God’s kin’dom.  And nothing can ever come before that!

I must confess that I put it on with a bit of trepidation.  As my wife and daughter and I prepared for the Women’s March on Washington several weeks ago, stuffing our pockets with granola bars and trail mix, and donning our pussyhats, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  But after spending eight hours with half a million people, most of whom were women, I found myself filled with a hope and encouragement that had been absent since the November election.

Speaker after speaker offered the truth of the Gospel, perhaps without even knowing it: and while at times their language was a little more colorful than that which comes from the pulpits of American churches, Christ-followers could learn a great deal about the teachings of Jesus from activists like those recruited to address what would become the largest march ever to hit the streets of our nation’s capital.

Two weeks later, as I waited for the doors to open on Sister Giant 2017, I felt some of the same trepidation.  Once again I was in the minority; and this time, the estrogen was all under one roof – the ballroom of a Northern Virginia hotel!  Of the 18o0 people gathered for the conference, there were not more than a couple hundred men; and at first glance, even they didn’t look very much like me.  Most were younger, and ‘edgier’, and I felt like I was intruding into someone else’s sacred, tribal space.  But fortunately that feeling didn’t last long, and before I knew it I was clapping and hollering like . . . well, a cheerleader at a high school pep rally!

The event’s hosts – author and spiritualist Marianne Williamson, and Vice-President of NYC’s Union Seminary Derrick Harkins – welcomed us into a time of learning, introspection, and coming together around an agenda of compassionate spiritual and political engagement.  And once again, speaker after speaker challenged me not to follow the pattern of hatred that appears to have been normalized in the November election, but to rather chart a new course: one grounded in a Divine love that embraces everyone, but that never acquiesces to attitudes and behaviors that denigrate or disregard community.   Williamson reminded us that ‘hatred has a perverse kind of courage’, and that any faith that gives us a path around caring for others is nothing more than ‘faux spirituality.’  She pushed us to see that standing FOR justice also means fighting AGAINST injustice; and that the practice of good citizenship is always about ‘we’ not ‘me’, and that it must grow our solidarity with a commitment to the common good.

Washington state Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal challenged us to avoid thinking that we were living in ‘normal times’; and writer and ordained Zen Priest Angel Kyodo Williams indicated that what America is experiencing today is not a political crisis but a spiritual one.  Harvard educated comparative religion scholar Vera de Chalambert quoted Bonhoeffer as she sought to help us see that peace is never safe; and author and spiritual life coach Mary Morrissey helped us to understanding that if we think religion has nothing to do with politics then we don’t understand either.  Author Jean Houston asked us to consider personal values over personal profit; and author and attorney Lisa Bloom proclaimed that action is the only antidote to anguish.  I was reminded that, in the words of Bill Moyer, “Faith-based charity gives crumbs from the table, but faith based justice offers a place at the table”; and that, in the words of Emerson, “only to the degree that we are unsettled is there any hope for the world.”

I share all of these names with you in the hopes that you will look them up, and discover what these ‘sisters’ have to say to us about our individual lives, our nation, and our world.  Their voices have been silenced, marginalized, and ignored for way too long, and we all need to hear the wisdom they have been given to share.

For millennia, wisdom has been discussed and understood in feminine terms, and yet for millennia such wisdom has been pushed to the sidelines of American life so that the male voice could be heard.  To think that women were not allowed to vote until 1920; that they weren’t allowed to lead churches in my own denomination until 1956, and that the Roman Church still denies them the right to act upon that calling even today; and that less that 20% of Congress is made up of women — friends, this should be not just an embarrassment, but an outrage.  And every one of us needs to be about the task of working to change this absurd and tragic reality.

Women have always played an important role in my life, and they have nurtured me in ways that I can not even begin to enumerate here.  Grandmothers and aunts, teachers and professors, and members of the four congregations I’ve had the privilege of pastoring; not to mention my own mother, sisters by birth, a mother, sister and daughters by marriage, and countless colleagues — many of whom I labor with today in National Capital Presbytery; and most importantly my wife and my daughter: you have all had a profound impact on my life and my spiritual journey.

So, if by chance you are one of those women reading this blog, please know how thankful I am for you!  You have ‘bettered me’, and I am grateful for the countless ways you have pushed me intellectually, spiritually, and relationally.  And that’s the reason I will treasure my pink pussyhat: it reminds that you did not come from my rib . . . but that I came from you!  And for that reason I will march for causes that matter to you.  I will learn from your experiences and be informed by your witness.  I will be quiet when your voice need to be heard, and I will submit to your leadership when you need to be the one calling the shots.  Then, not only will I continue to become a better man; but you will become a better woman, and this world will become a better in which to live.

“By this, all will know that you are my disciples – by your love for one another!”

There aren’t many Bible verses that I’ve committed to memory: but John 13:35 is at the top of my list. And lately, it seems to be at the very least, the sub-theme of just about every sermon I preach. Somehow I always seem to find my way to what I have come to believe to be the heart of the Gospel: love for God, incarnate in our love for others.

But on November 8th, 2016, the look of this love began to change; and today, in an America under the leadership of Donald Trump, it must continue to change.  It needs to look very different than it has at any other point in my lifetime.  And sadly, in too many instances, it is turning out to be nothing even close to looking like the love that Dusty Springfield sang about back in 1967.

One of the vows that I took when I was ordained to ministry in the Presbyterian Church was “to further the peace, unity and purity of the church.”  Several years ago, when our denomination was struggling over the issue of gay ordination, we created a task force on “Peace, Unity and Purity” to guide us through the difficult discussions that were being had across the Church!  And these three, often competing, values – peace, unity, and purity – are critical for any faith community dealing with concepts and ideas as abstract as God and faith.  But the values are also essential for nations, particularly when those nations are as divided as America is today.

In short, how do we pursue peace and unity, what is essentially our love for one another, when we believe the ‘purity’ of our democracy is being challenged like never before? How do we maintain relationships with people who appear to be living in not just different realities, but in realities that are diametrically opposed to the ones we believe to be at the heart of what it means to be American, and more importantly, Godly?  For most of my life this has been relatively easy.  Church life, and even national life, have routinely involved all kinds of issues upon which we just agree, to disagree.

But not today.  Not now.

As one who embraces the separation of Church and state as a vital to the desires of our Founders, and a critical dimension to our form of government, I also recognize that my faith cannot be compartmentalized.  In other words how I vote, and the policies and laws that I support, are grounded in the foundations of Christianity – again, loving God and loving others.  I’m not interested in legislating any specific beliefs or practices of my ‘religion’, but instead I simply embrace a common morality that can and has walked side by side with the history of America.  And while that history may indeed be marred by sin, we have always been a nation struggling and striving to live into the words of the Declaration of Independence – that everyone is created equal, and that the unalienable rights of ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ must be secured and maintained for all people, regardless of the costs.

These concepts, and the worldview that grows out of them, are WHO I am.  They are WHO many I know and love are!  And so to deny these values, or to in any way be asked to disregard them, is to deny our very selves.  It is to live distorted, disingenuous, and disconnected  lives, and many of us are simply  not willing to do that.

So in spite of the many calls today for people like me to ‘unite’ behind our nation’s new president – that is simply not going to happen. We don’t wish him ill, or harm, nor will we model our actions after the obstructionist right of the Obama years. But we will never ‘unite’ behind one who is as morally, ethically, and intellectually un-American, and unGodly, as Donald Trump.  We will speak up and show up whenever and wherever peaceful and constructive protest occurs, and we will seek truth and honesty regardless of his contempt for them.  This election of this president simply cannot and will not be treated as if it were no different than the election of the previous 44.

Further, we cannot and will not be silent in confronting and challenging those we love who continue to support his misguided agenda!  We will not stop loving you; for you are our family, our friends, and in so many instances people for whom we have had a great deal of respect and admiration.  And that will never change.  We will never stop loving you, but  the look of our love for you can’t help but change.

We’re sorry if you’re offended by our lamenting.  We’re sorry that you wish we’d just stop all the complaining.  We’re sorry that we don’t see this as a matter of growing up and not being a sore looser.

For us, this election was deeply personal.  And we’re not bitter; we’re angry.  We’re angry that so many closed their eyes to our new president’s lies and lack of integrity; his disgraceful treatment of women; and his inconsistent and often hypocritical stance on marriage equality, an institution which his own life reveals he has never respected.  We are angry that so many ignored the reality that America is a nation of immigrants; that walls are for fascist regimes, like those history has seen in China and Berlin; and that our constitution guarantees the right of the people to exercise whatever religion they so choose.  We’re angry that so many  appeared to selfishly think only of themselves when they voted – their paycheck and their economic future, their beliefs and their practices, their values and their morals, their hopes and their dreams for America — without regard for anyone else’s . . .the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed, those on the fringes of the privileged life so many of us take for granted.  And we’re angry that so many of the people we love – friends and family, neighbors and colleagues – have embraced the blindness to fact, truth, science, education, and expertise, as virtue.

Yes, the look of love is changing; and unfortunately, I have not yet figured out it’s new look!  It will still involve my caring for you: my interest in your life, and my concern for your well-being.  But beyond that, I have no idea what this love is going to look like.  I DO know that it is not going to include any of the unAmerican and unGodly ways of our President.  So if his ways happen to be your own, know while you will continue to be loved, that love is going to look very different today, than it did yesterday. And my goal now, is to learn to accept and adjust to those changes.  I hope we can all commit to doing the same.

The election was over a week ago, and I think I’m finally ready to begin to move on! Am I still sad? Of course! But have I lost faith in this country, or the Church of Jesus Christ here in America – the Church to which I have given my life? Not a chance! And so as my anger subsides, my purpose in writing shifts from being a vehicle wherein I give vent to my frustrations, to an instrument that perhaps all of us can use to respond to the presidential election of 2016 in a manner that might allow God to bring light out of this frightening darkness.

The questions that I’ve been asking for seven days now are important for all of us to consider, but particularly those of us who claim to follow Jesus. What are we going to do in the coming days, weeks, months, and years, in response to the blatant misogyny, xenophobia, and bigotry of President-elect Trump? And should his followers continue to spout hatred for Blacks, the LGBTQ community, and Muslim refugees, how are we going to stand with those being marginalized? What is the appropriate response to a president whose careless political rhetoric has led immigrants to feel unsafe in their homes, children to worry about the fate of their parents, and women to feel objectified and disrespected? How will we resist one who threatens to undue the rights of the gay and lesbian community, who speaks (and tweets) from a place of anger and insecurity, and who displays a showmanship reserved for celebrities, not statesmen?

Fortunately, there ARE all kinds of answers to these questions; and here are just a few to consider!

1) We no longer allow the voice of the “Evangelical Christian” to be the loudest voice in the Christian community. For too long they have believed they have the corner on the market of Christian orthodoxy. But here’s the thing. Jesus doesn’t give a rip about our version of doctrinal faithfulness! He made that very clear when he said that we will be known by our fruits. And the rejection of the alien refugee or immigrant, the judgment of the gay man and the prejudice against the lesbian woman, the denial of America’s bias against Black teenage boys, or the Indigenous-American grandmother: none of that is fruit! It’s certainly not the fruit of the Spirit! But such attitudes abound today, and all because of misguided views about God, and a blind allegiance to a nation believed to be ‘exceptional!’ So we need to stand beside those who preach such lies, and speak just as loudly and passionately, in order to make it clear to all the world that this is not the Gospel of the Jesus that we know, nor the Gospel to which the Bible gives testimony.

2) We continue to care for the lost and least, but with greater vigilance and passion than ever. We let the world know that Jesus’ love was and is for all people; and that what makes God’s grace so amazing is that no boundaries can be placed upon it. The ‘way’ of Jesus – the way of goodness, and kindness, and compassion, and mercy – is the way of life to which we are all called. And as long as you are living that ‘way’, then it doesn’t matter whether you are a lesbian or a Muslim, a communist or a hippie, a church-goer or a church-avoider! We will unite with minority communities, people of color and those with differing abilities, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, or social standing, and together we will continue to build the ‘kin’dom of God in our world. Jesus makes it clear in Luke that those who are not against us, are with us. And so we will unite with anyone and everyone who seeks the ways of Christ, and together, arm in arm and hand in hand, we will change the world for the glory of God.

3) We boldly challenge patterns in American life that simply contradict the ways of God. We love this country as much as the flag-carrying evangelical and their calling us un-American for simply not being afraid to point out national sin must never silence us. We must always stand with any President who acts in ways that honor and glorify God; and we must always challenge any President whose leadership violates the law and the love of God. Every one of us needs to work harder in moving our world to that place where “God’s will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven!’ Our hearts need to be broken by the very same things that break the heart of God: poverty, mass incarceration, hunger, war, gun violence, and yes . . . climate change. God gave us a mind and it’s not a sin to use it, Jesus’ very life was all about the ongoing renewal of those minds.

4) And lastly, we must stop being afraid to talk politics in our churches. The Gospel is social, and so it will always be political; and “political correctness” is little more than avoiding language and actions that demean, marginalized, or disrespect others. This is precisely what it means to follow in the footsteps of Jesus; and so we must no longer be afraid to tackle the difficult political issues of our day. All Americans should, and all Christ-followers must: stand on the side of anyone whose life is being threatened, judged, demeaned, or debased! And we do this NOT because we are seeking to bolster one political party over another, but because this is the life and the ministry to which Jesus calls us. It’s what Christ and Christianity are to be about; and the Christ and the Christianity to which so many evangelicals hold America captive, is one that Jesus himself would never recognize.

To many reading this, my words have been harsh – I know that! But I cannot edit my feelings any more than I already have. My emotions are strong and real, and buried within are truths that I believe need to be shared. So to my Republican friends, please know that I greatly respect your opinions and perspectives on a variety of issues. As I’ve communicated in other posts, I believe that “iron sharpens iron” and that the strength of a Democracy can be determined by the presence and the intensity of good, healthy, and intelligent dialogue. So if I have offended you during this election season, please forgive me. My intent has never been to in anyway criticize ALL Republicans, but to simply challenge the words and the agenda of a branch of the GOP that I believe to be extremely dangerous, destructive, and deceitful; as well as the leader of that branch of the party for his hateful, dishonest, disrespectful, and arrogant behavior.

I am also well aware that evangelicals are not a monolith! I have many faithful Christian friends with whom I disagree on matters like abortion, war, capital punishment, the death with dignity movement, and other important, controversial, and morally complex matters facing us in this 21st century. But there are far too many evangelicals – many of whom are quick to tell me that I have left the faith – who themselves have abandoned the truth of the Gospel. And so all of us have a responsibility to hold one another accountable to Christ! Mission is so much more than just preparing a casserole for the shelter, or collecting food for the local food pantry. Such “mercy ministries” are indeed important, but they can never excuse us from the equally important task of seeking justice. And that means putting aside our ‘white savior’ complex, moving beyond mercy, and working to transform any and all systems that continue to create a need for shelters and food pantries.

Finally, someone asked me recently ‘who I thought I was,’ arrogantly ‘pontificating’ to people in my blogs, making it sound as though I had all the wisdom and knowledge needed to solve all the problems of the world. It was not asked in that exact way, but that was the gist of it. So just in case any of you who have been following my posts over the past week have found yourself asking that same question, let me close with this. I think my witness over the last 10-15 years has been a testimony to NOT thinking that I had all the answers. There are many paths in this life, and more than one of them takes us up the mountain. There are a variety of ways to think and believe, and many of them can and do lead to life, health, wholeness, peace, and justice, and yes, even into the very heart of what I believe to be God. But I am also passionate about the message of Jesus; and my faith in him is one that demands that I be willing to speak the truth as I know it to power, and that I seek to listen to voices that have been for too long silenced. It demands that I advocate for the poor and the marginalized, that I not be afraid to challenge the status quo when ‘what is’ falls short of all that it ‘might be’, and most importantly, that I do it all in love.

So if I’ve failed in that, forgive me. In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, I am merely attempting to do what I believe we should all be doing, and that is: whatever we can, with whatever we have, wherever we are! And I would add: “always and only, to the honor and glory of God.”

Peace!

It doesn’t feel like Friday. Usually on Fridays I have a sense of relief; like I can stop and breathe again! But that’s not what I’m feeling today, three days after the election. Rather, it feels like someone is sitting on my chest; like I can’t get enough air into my lungs to sustain the life that is within me. And if I sit still too long, and allow myself to think about what has happened, I want to vomit. And I am still . . . oh, so, sad!

I’m also remain very angry; and because my primary identity is that of a follower of Jesus, as well as a pastor, I’m finding that a good bit of my anger is being directed toward my own brothers and sisters – those who say they claim the same faith as I do, but whose version of Christianity I simply do not recognize. You see this election has forced me to finally acknowledge and publically admit that the ‘oneness’ Jesus preached is not about a oneness in belief, but a oneness in behavior.

God has placed us all in the human family – one great race, the human race – and the Spirit of Christ exists in each and every one of us. And that ‘divine spark’ makes each and every human being a brother or a sister. This is where Jesus meant us to find our unity and our oneness; and I never want to deny that.

But as far as the unity of the Church goes, that oneness we’re told is uniquely found in the person of Jesus? . . . well, if it exists at all, it can no longer be attributed to all those who merely profess their faith in Him . . . at least not in the same way we have traditionally understood that profession of faith!

What I have discovered is that I often have far more in common with some of my Muslim and ‘NONE’ friends than I do with members of my own Christian denomination! For I know too many people who tritely claim to have ‘invited Jesus into their hearts’, and who with benign roteness repeated the words of the ‘sinners prayer’, but who have absolutely no real understanding of what it means to be ‘born again.’ Consequently, they remain unaware of how their attitudes and actions deny the very faith that their lips profess. They believe what they’re told to believe; and they belittle and belie knowledge and education, particularly in matters of faith, as if using the minds that God has given them is akin to some kind of religious idolatry or heresy.

You see, I know these people. In fact I used to be one of these people. And so when I hear them having their quaint Bible studies at Starbucks, while impressed by their passion and enthusiasm, I cringe at the nonsense they feed the lost and lonely souls they’ve targeted, offering trite and simplistic answers to every complex question that comes their way. How many of us have to listen to these people wrap the Gospel in the American flag, and distort it so that it might better fit a version of America that is akin to the very myths of power and empire that Jesus railed against every day of his life? We sit with these people every day, and everywhere – at lunch, in class, at work – and we make pathetic small talk, avoiding issues that really matter, because to talk about anything of substance would only make them look more spiritually bankrupt and relationally bigoted than we all already know them to be!

We sit, and we listen, and we hear . . . all the time; and for the sake of peace, we keep our mouths shut, and allow the naiveté of their faith to go unchecked and their spiritual ignorance to go unchallenged. And in so doing, we forget that there will never be any peace, where there is no justice.

So today, and from now on, the words and actions of these people need to be called out for what they are – disrespectful, abusive, mean-spirited, and yes, even deplorable. And lest there be any misunderstanding about what that last word actually means, let me define it. Deplorable means “deserving of condemnation.” And that is the only way to describe the faith that so many evangelicals are shoving into the face of the America I love.

After Tuesday’s election I am more convinced than ever that the Church of Jesus Christ must stand up and boldly say that deplorable words and actions have no place in the community of faith. And telling us to ‘unite’ behind those whose actions and behavior are in direct opposition to the ways of Jesus is simply not helpful. For if that had indeed been the practice of the church for the past 2000 years, Apartheid would never have fallen in South Africa, Nazism would have spread throughout Europe, and slavery would not have been abolished here in America. we can and will accept the reminders that even those who voted differently that we did are part of the human family. And we will work hard to try and work and live together in peace. But we WILL never . . . we CAN never . . . embrace that which is not of God.

The Church has always been willing and able to work with elected officials that we have not supported in the past; but this year, it is different. We are unwilling to do what you have done; namely, excuse and overlook that which is not of God, in order to win an election. We know full well that not all of you are . . . sexist xenophobes; but you have embraced and normalized someone who is! And that is the source of our grief and sadness. It’s not that our candidate lost, or even that yours won. The source of our grief and sadness is that you embraced clear and obvious racism, Islamophobia, misogyny, and so much more of what we all know to be nothing short of unGodliness, all for the sake of your political agenda. And the sadness of that reality is far more devastating for the Church, than Donald Trump will ever be for America.

On day two of this national tragedy, my anger has become very real! I have felt it bubbling up inside of me over night! And as it does, I remember that a pastor’s job goes way beyond caring for and provide comfort to those who hurt and fear.

It was in seminary where I first heard the saying “The Gospel comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable!” Which is perhaps why, today, yesterday’s thoughts and feelings – many of which were too deep for words – are now exploding in lines and phrases that are not very comforting. Rather, they are sharp and prickly, painful to write. They are words that afflict, and so they will no doubt be painful for some to read!

A friend recently shared a Tony Morrison quote with me, about times like these being the times when artists get to work. Morrison says, “There is no time for despair. No place for self-pity. No need for silence. No room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

I smiled when I read it, because that’s all I’ve wanted to do for the past two days – write . . . to let the anger out, and allow the Light in! So that’s what I’ve been doing; and on day two, affliction has taken a seat beside comfort.

As a ‘liberal’, listening to others and attempting to understand different perspectives is what I do. So to those in this country and in my church who are fearful and resisting change, know this: I, and many like me, will listen to your story, we will try to see your perspective; and we will comfort you when we can. But we are also going to allow the Gospel to afflict you a little bit. Because God is God, and this God’s world. And the changes that you are fighting, and resisting, are changes coming about as a direct movement of God’s Spirit. And friends . . . dear friends . . . we are not going back! So the sooner you accept that, the healthier you, and our nation, will be!

Whether we like it or not, white men no longer get to make all the rules! Women can and will do more than clean our toilets and cook our dinners! Brown and Black people DO have lives that matter, and LGBTQ people have marriages that are just as valid as any other marriage! Muslim Americans have the same religious rights as Christian Americans, and pro-choice people can be just as moral as anti-abortion people.

But of all the changing realizations taking place in our world today, the most important one for me, by far, is this: American Evangelicalism no longer speaks for American Christianity! We have finally come to the point where it should be apparent to all, that white, conservative Christians no longer speak for the majority of Christ-followers in this country; and therefore they will no longer be permitted to inflict their malevolent and malicious brand of Christianity upon the American people unchallenged!

So without being trite, or simplistic, or offensive, I say to you who are so terribly fearful, of everything – from transgender people using your restrooms, to vaccines, to Black people wearing hoodies, to someone trying to take away your guns – do yourself a favor. Please! Get some help! Talk to someone! Find a good therapist, address all the irrational fears that are terrifying your soul, and stop forcing the rest of us to deal with all of your ‘issues’!

And to all of you supposed ‘Christians’ out there – you 82+% of white evangelicals who voted for Donald Trump because you believe that was “God’s desire” – you who somehow managed to twist the Gospel in a manner that enabled you to rationalize electing Donald Trump to highest office in our land – you who clearly appear to have put your own political agendas before God’s agendas – to you I say find a new church, reread the Gospels, and stop forcing the rest of us to have to endure your misguided understanding of God, faith, mission, and spirituality.

Finally, if you do not fall into either of the above categories, then hear again these powerful words from Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Let the words of Ellen (who was actually quoting Eleanor Roosevelt!), seep into your soul: “You can either curse the darkness, or light a candle!”

Friends, we cannot remain silent, and we should never stop lighting candles. So go ahead and be angry, but only for a while. There’s too much work yet to be done!

What is there to say?

On this morning after Trump’s surprising ascent to the Presidency of the United States of America, my grief has left me with far more tears than words. I hurt; for all the children who have watched the behavior of our new president-elect, and then said to their mothers and fathers, “Why is he so mean?” I hurt for all the women who are left thinking that this election means locker-room talk is acceptable as long as it isn’t actually lived out; and that when it is, we just need to look the other way because, well, misogynistic boys will be misogynistic boys. I hurt for the Muslim man I met at the polls yesterday who was so very excited and grateful for the privilege of having been able to vote for the very first time – no doubt wondering today if he was wrong about America, and if everyone in ‘the land of the free and home of the brave’ is xenophobic. I hurt for my Brown and Black sisters and brothers who are once again being forced to deal with racism ignored, bias disregarded, and bigotry denied. And I hurt for all my LGBTQ friends who still have to deal with leaders who question their right to do nothing more than love whoever they want to love!

But surprisingly, I also hurt for all the people who look like me: white people, evangelical Christians, heterosexual, and more privileged than they realize. And I hurt for these people because it is apparent that they are living their lives with a fear that has clearly become tragically irrational, irresponsible, and all-consuming. It is a fear that has to be an incredible burden to wake up to, every day; and then carry around, week, after week, after week.

You see I think I’m finally beginning to get it! I think I’m beginning to understand what is going on! Volunteering at the polls yesterday, in my ethnically diverse neighborhood, I was struck by the fact that more than more 95% of the people voting didn’t look very much like me. They didn’t dress like me, or talk like me. And the thought that they were making decisions FOR me, for MY country and MY future, could have easily become extremely frightening. It didn’t, for me; but in that moment I realized that it has for countless others. They’re frightened. They see their nation changing before their very eyes, and they don’t understand it. They can’t relate to people who wear head scarves and pray to Allah; to families who speak English with a Spanish accent and who have different traditions than we do; to men who hold the hands of other men and women who have hopes and dreams that are not like the hopes and dreams of women 50 years ago!

Now these fearful people say that this election was all about change. And I agree. But the election of Donald Trump was not about a mere change in leadership, it was about the change in the nature and character of this nation we all love. Trumpers SAY they want changes in the three branches of government: in the White House, in Congress, and on the Supreme Court. But if these people were honest with themselves they would admit to us all that the real change they want involves our country going backwards, rather than forward; it is a change that takes us back to the “good ‘ol days”, which in fact were not really all that good, at least not for everyone. The changes they seek are ones that would take our nation back to the 1950s, when men were men, women knew their place, and anyone not like “us” hid in a closet.

But that is simply not going to happen! You see the change these people seek, is a change intended to stop another change, a greater change, a more blessed and beautiful change. And that change . . . that acknowledges the interdependence that results from our global economy, and that celebrates the larger and greater human family . . . that change is here to stay. And people can resist it, and perhaps even slow it down, but that change is not going anywhere.

The young Pilipino man I at the polls; who with a big smile and contagious excitement asked me if he could have a ‘sample ballot’ because while he couldn’t vote this year, he was watching and learning what he needed to do next year when he would finally be given that privilege – he is my brother. The middle-aged Latino man I met as I was preparing to leave my precinct at the end of the night; who asked if he could stand where I was standing and wait for his wife to join him so they could vote together . . . with whom I spoke awkwardly for a few minutes . . . and who said to me in his broken English “I’m glad I can vote, but I know God is in control!” – he is my friend! Neither of these men is to be feared, and the changes that have paved the way for them to call America home are good changes, that cannot and should not be stopped, or reversed.

So I hurt with those who hurt. And I also get the FEAR of change that is behind Trumpers’ PLEA for change. For this is what we pastors do.

But on this day of national tragedy, as I begin to work through the stages of my grief, and deal with the denial and depression in my soul, I know myself well enough to know that such pastoral concerns will eventually give way to something more painful, something deeper and more unsettling, an anger, that even now, I feel brewing within.