I am a progressive minded person, a democrat, a liberal. (There I said it, the “L” word, which BTW is not a swear word.) I am proud of it. However, I also try very hard to be independent minded. In other words, I am not just  going to tow the party line just because. I’ll make up my own mind thank you very much.

Which brings me to the dreaded topic of abortion. My least favorite political football, (and it has been a football for decades). The democratic party line is for women to have the right to choose to terminate a pregnancy. But to risk losing my liberal card, I think that abortion is wrong except in cases of rape, incest and when the mother’s and baby’s life and health is in danger. I do believe however that it should remain a legal option because of the problems it would cause should it be made illegal. I also believe that the correct course of public action to reduce abortions is to enact polices that are proven to reduce the rate of unwanted pregnancies. I do not view abortion as murder, but as I said, I believe that in most cases it is wrong. It is a personal decision and moral issue making it very difficult to legislate.

So there I stated my position on abortion and you are welcome to debate me about that if you really want to. But the reason for my post is that I believe there is a third option to abortion that is not talked with the frequency it ought to be. It has the same amount of letters even – and that is adoption.

To me, there is a disconnect in this country considering the high number of unwanted pregnancies that result in abortion, (around 1.3 million a year depending on the report) and the number of couples who are trying to get pregnant and have not been able to; (7.3 million people according to this article http://www.allhealthmatter.com/infertility/what-do-infertility-statistics-mean.html ). Many of them desperate and heartbroken.

In contrast to these high numbers, every year there are around 125,000 adoptions in this country. Now maybe I am crazy, but it would seem to me that if more people were presented with this option from both sides, abortion would become rarer. Especially if steps were taken to lower the cost of adoption for those spending thousands on fertility treatments and if it were promoted more often as an alternative to abortion for scared single young women.

I can speak from personal experience that adoption is a blessing. A selfless act by both the adoptive and biological parents in the best interest of an innocent child. It is a third option; a wonderful option.

For more about my own experience with adoption and it’s associated spiritual virtues I have posted a sermon of mine based on scripture from Romans 8: 12 – 25. Adoption Sermon

Recently I went to a special showing of the latest superhero summer movie “Captain America”. The movie was really good, it was fast paced with good action and a good story.

However, I almost walked out on it. The reason why is that there were WAY too many young children there. Granted it was free and it was being shown a week before it was out for the rest of the public. It was also being shown on a military base where we live, so there is the whole patriotic theme that plays a role I suppose. Even with these factors, I really bothered me that so many parents would think nothing of taking their kids to see a PG-13 movie. We are talking about a lot of five and under kids here, not ten year olds.

Folks, there is a reason why it has the rating it does. It is a WAR movie that happens to have a guy with a mask and cool shield in it. The movie has guys being vaporized with ray guns, being thrown out of airplanes, blown-up and shot. You wouldn’t take your kids to see “Saving Private Ryan” would you? Putting a superhero as the main character does not make it kid friendly; (a perfect example is “Dark Knight”). Candy coated violence is still violence.

A few days ago, our son, who is 9 1/2, woke up with nightmares because at his friend’s house, his friend’s older brother was playing a game called “Naughty Bear”.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kNk5dvEVhI&feature=related So today, my wife calls their mother to ask them not to play that game if Douglas is over. Her reply included, “It is just a bear that goes around shooting other bears and bashing them on the head.” Oh well, in that case fire away!

Our tolerance level for violent entertainment needs to be seriously reevaluated. Parents, if you want to see Capt. America, please find a babysitter first. Thank you.

When I was around 12, I was obsessed with space in large part because the space shuttle program was new. After the first liftoff of Colombia in 5th grade, I soon had it’s images plastered all over the walls of my room. I wanted to be an astronaut so that I could fly on the shuttle.  And even though those plans for the future faded, I still had a great interest in all things shuttle related. I remember vividly the sadness and shock I felt after our band director announced that the Challenger had exploded in 10th grade. Over the years I often followed the news about the international space station and admired the pictures from the Hubble space telescope online that the space shuttle help make possible. I wrote a piece of music dedicated to the memories of the seven astronauts who lost their lives in the Columbia accident in 2003.

I am sure that I was not the only one whose imagination was captured by space exploration and was sad to see it grounded on July 21st. The space shuttle was something that represented what America was capable of and remained above political argument. No matter if you were a democrat or republican, it is hard to argue the scientific benefits the space shuttle program gave us over the years. http://news.yahoo.com/scientific-discoveries-space-shuttle-program-214900730.html.

I don’t argue that the shuttle program needs to be replaced, I am arguing with what we are replacing it with …….. nothing. Oh sure, private companies are developing the capabilities to supply the ISS but there is nothing in place or even nearing completion. NASA will still be around to focus on Mars and deep space exploration but just today thousands of NASA employees were laid off. (What company is in the market to hire rocket scientists ??)

What has happened to the shuttle and at NASA is systemic of what is happening in all levels of government; we are divesting in America and we will be diminished as a nation because of it.

For the past 10 years, republicans have insisted that tax cuts will stimulate the economy and help corporations that create jobs create them which will create revenue. So where are they? Well corporations have created jobs – overseas. And they sit on their profits while most people see their incomes stagnant and fall. Still they insist on their way saying that average Americans must deal with cuts in Medicare and Social Security while the rich don’t have to deal with any sacrifices. That is just wrong.

If the GOP stonewalls any budget deal I believe we will soon be living in an impotent America. An America that can no longer educate it’s kids, take care of it’s sick, respond to international crisis or police it’s streets. You can forget about putting a person on Mars.

The plan should be to avoid a catastrophe, raise the debt ceiling, cut spending by ending the wars and raise revenue by ending the Bush tax cuts on the wealthy. We should balance the budget, but allowing ourselves to borrow is not the real problem. It is true that real people are forced to balance their own budgets, but they are forced to borrow money as well. If they ever want a house, car or to go to college that is.

A healthy, secure and great America for the future depends on our sound financial decisions now. Memo to the GOP, allowing the country to default does not help your grandchildren. Make a deal !

It is my strong opinion that we live in a culture that is too stuck in it’s ways and too resistant to change.

Once someone is labeled it can be darn near impossible for them to break out of the classifications that they are placed under. Education systems used to be a prime culprit, although they are getting better. Still, how often are those with special needs still pigeon-holed into lower expectations? I was a poor reader, writer and speller in school; even in college. Now in middle-age, I believe I was an un-diagnosed dyslexic. I automatically adjusted and now writing is a huge part of what I do. Are we allowing for late bloomers like myself in the education system?

Business hiring practices are also culprits. A person with a certain background or education is thought to be ONLY suitable to work in that field. So education and experience can become limiting factors rather than increasing factors in the number of jobs people are eligible for. Because I had college degrees in music, many thought I couldn’t work in information technology. But I spent seven years in that field. Do we put too much emphasis in experience rather than potential when we hire someone?

You have heard it said that “people don’t change”, and science tells us that personalities are formed in the first three years of a person’s life. However, I believe that people can change when there is a will to do so and most importantly when they allow themselves to be changed. Many people doubted that I was called into the ministry because of my temperament and personality, but I was able to change and grow. Are we allowing for that to happen to people, even with our friends and family?

The early Christians adopted a symbol from ancient mythology called the Phoenix. The Phoenix was a bird who at the end of it’s life caught on fire and burnt up but was born again out of it’s own ashes. What a wonderful symbol of resurrection power that continues to renew and transform people, relationships and institutions today.

But we need to allow for it to happen! We need to allow for the fact that the Spirit of God works in people. And that realization calls us to a path that leads to forgiveness. Perhaps no other group of people collectively represents this example more than criminals. Is the system setup to allow these people a fair chance to rehabilitate?

We also need to allow for transformation to occur in our organizations. The church is obvious. If there is a place more ready to burn and let something new grow from it’s ashes it is the church; but it is also true in business. Organizations try stubbornly to hold onto 20th century ways of doing things and they use their resources, (money), to perpetuate the old. But we need to see the writing on the wall and go with the flow. The Spirit will take care of us.

Since we moved to California, I have been unemployed for over six months and many people have suggested to me that I “go back” to music or computers. But I believe that we don’t ever “go back” in life. Christian discipleship mirrors life, it moves FORWARD. Christianity is a MOVEMENT. If we allow ourselves,others, our situations and things around us to transform as the Spirit sees fit, good things will happen!

Socialization, (behavior, customs, values and expectations that are passed unto people), is a powerful thing. It combines with our “hard-wired” biological and genetic factors to determine who we are as individuals and ultimately what society is like.

With gender differences there are two basic schools of thought. One is that men and women are equal but different and our differences have to do more so with the fact that we are made different. The other is that men and women are equally capable in any role and that our differences have to do more with that fact that we are socialized differently. And by differences I am speaking of our perceived differences such as women are more emotional and nurturing and men are more ambitious and analytic. Obviously there are different views in between these two but these are the two ends of the spectrum.

As someone that is on the progressive side of things, I emphasis the later school of thought, that boys and girls are equally capable of fulfilling any role or job they wish to pursue. So boys can be nurses and primary school teachers when they grow up and girls can be CEOs and scientists. Why not right? In fact failure to think so is viewed as a sin against progressive thought.

But then I became a parent and I couldn’t help but treat my son differently than I treat my daughter. With my son I want to hang out, play sports, wrestle around, look into the stars with the telescope and have a secret cool hand shake with. With my daughter, I want to treat her like a princess and dance with her, I hug and kiss her more frequently, tickle her belly and cuddle with her more often. I am also harder on my son then I am on my daughter discipline wise.

The question I have is why is this? And from my observation, I am not alone. Many dads are guilty as well of treating their boys and girls differently while moms are less like this. What can I do to combat these natural tendencies? Or knowing that I am not the only influence on my kids, should I just go with my natural tendencies and not worry so much about it? I welcome your thoughts, please.

I was at a training session entitled “Cultural Competency” and in my small group we started to talk about what kind of “culture” I would bring from Ohio. Which I thought was a very good question and something I have never considered. Does Ohio have a “culture” and if it did what is it. The best thing that I could come up with is that SPORTS was our very unique in our culture, especially football. Well my small group mates thought that was not so unique because people in California have Super Bowl parties too.

But of course they don’t understand, having a super bowl party does not make you a sports fan. In Ohio we get so fanatical it boils over. We burn jerseys of players who decide to sign with other teams as a free agent and we hang an effigy of owners who move our beloved team away.

Which brings me to Ohio State fans who are as rabid and unrealistic as any in the country and I am one of them. Wins over inferior competition are expected and big wins over other big teams like Miami, Texas, Notre Dame and of course Michigan will send Ol’ Columbus town into a frenzy. Losses will ruin our week.

For the past 10 years us Buckeye fans have been happily riding the wave under our man Jim Tressel. Coach Tressel brought us unprecedented success over a ten year stretch that includes a national championship, Big Ten championships, BCS bowls and a 9-1 record against the team from up north. More than that, he was a man that we looked up to because he seemed like a man that was like us; down to earth, blue collar and someone that did things that right way. He endured himself to us by being a real Buckeye who had a high view of tradition.

We were taken in. Taken in by his Christian witness, and his talk of character in speeches and books. We placed him on a pedestal thinking that he ran a program cleaner than the rest of them, (because all big time college sports programs have their skeletons). We looked the other way when their were warning signs, (remember Maurice Clarett) pleased to drink the cool-aid of success.

No more. We need to be real and honest with ourselves and admit our beloved team and coach has made some bad mistakes. (Tattoos, seriously ??!! Really stupid guys !!) We also need to realize that this is partly our fault. That is right. It is not OK to have the attitude of “win at all costs” so that coaches and administrators feel pressure to cover up wrong doings. We need to have realistic expectations. That means that fans need to stop making death threats to guys who drop passes; (these guys are 20 year old kids for God sake). Fans that are local business owners shouldn’t give student athletes special favors; (if you want to support the team, buy tickets). We as fans should demand integrity and expect that the program will do everything it can to win the right way – by the rules.

I have thus far resisted talking about the supposed “end of the world” prediction by Family Radio leader Harold Camping which was supposed to happen five days ago on Saturday May 21st. I was going to wait until after it didn’t happen to say something about it so I could rub their face in it. But I didn’t think that would be a good Christian thing to do, so I wasn’t going to blog about this. There were certainly enough people saying things about it that it didn’t need my two cents worth.

Or so I thought, because this weekend while I was at our denomination’s annual gathering and talked with colleagues I realized that it would be wrong NOT to say something about this. The reason being is that we can never over-communicate the good news to people. What is the good news exactly you say? Well I can tell you it is NOT based on the teachings of fear and coercion that you better get right with God and “cry out for mercy” or burn. The good news is that God invites us to come share in the great feast to come.

We in the progressive Christian movement have always been adverse to criticize someone else’s religious beliefs. But when we see people throwing away their lives by giving away their savings, quiting their jobs and people profiting from it it is our responsibility to speak out on it. Why? Because people’s lives are at stake. Religion really does deal with life and death matters, it is serious business. Living a life always in fear of being left behind is like being dead, and those that promote this teaching are not spreading the “Good News”. Being alive is living the way God intends for us to live, in grace and love. THAT is the Good News.

Not everything that is labeled a religion is equal. Harold Camping is a false teacher, something that the Bible says plenty about and it is not good. Folks, if anyone tells you that they know how and when the end of the world will happen they are selling you something. Camping has sold fear and made millions. Contrary to their advertisements, you can not know and the Bible does not guarantee it. The Bible says in fact that NO ONE knows, only God does. Time and energy spent on it is wasted time; time that could be spent on doing the things God actually wants us to do.

I hoped that people had understood this, but since this got so much attention I am not as sure. No wonder Christianity has an image problem.  If you are out there and wondering about these things, do not be taken in by the Camping’s of the world. Read some of the links I have posted, ask questions and keep searching. Trust that there is another way out there, a better way. Religion does not have to be a bitter and poisonous pill. God is good and grace is true – this is the message that I choose to share. It is the true Gospel, you can know it and the Bible guarantees it. But I don’t have millions to spend to place it on billboards and broadcast it across the country, so could you help me out? Thanks!

I apologize in advance for this rant … but from people’s behavior I feel that many need to be educated on what is going on in the brain of a modern dad. (Speaking in general of course).

Things have changed ladies. Men like to be involved in their children’s lives. Not just there in the room like a piece of furniture but actually taking responsibility and caring for their kids. I never minded changing the diapers, rocking them to sleep, helping them with their homework, reading them stories at bedtime, giving them a bath or wiping their nose. Why is this, because men want a real relationship with their kids, they want to know what is going on in their lives and to be close to them. They want to be a parent. I do not know a dad who doesn’t.

This shouldn’t be treated as a surprise. If you see a dad who is shopping with his kids, he is not some sort of “super” dad, (like he is doing something out of the ordinary), he is just being a dad. This should also not be treated as a threat to women. We men enjoy the same thing women have claimed to want for years and that is an equal partnership. So even if you believe that you can do it better than your man, give him a chance to, for example, do the laundry. He may surprise you.

Moms, when you see a dad waiting with you to pick up his kids after school don’t be afraid to have a conversation with him. He is not going to bite you. Maybe even invite him and and his kids to the neighborhood play date.

If you are a hairdresser and a man comes in to have a hair cut at 10am, don’t begin the conversation in a certain tone of voice, “YOU AREN’T WORKING TODAY?” (Seriously, why is it that when a man is a stay-at-home parent he puts up with the lazy tag but when a women does it, she is being a mom?)

Everyone, when you meet a man for the first time, try asking a different question other than -”What do you do?”. (Meaning, “where do you work?”) As if that is the only thing that makes a guy who he is.

Media and TV. Please stop portraying us men as people who are “simple creatures”, (as in all we care about is beer, sports and sex), and completely incapable of taking care of a family let alone ourselves. Guess what, when our wives are out of town, somehow we do not starve and we have clean clothes to wear without our mothers coming to stay with us to help. Newsflash, we didn’t get married to have someone cook and clean for us.

Just a few things to consider out of respect. Thank you, I am done.

Recently in an interview I was asked what I envisioned myself doing in 20 – 30 years.

I laughed.

I laughed because I never pictured myself living in California. Why? Because more people live in California than any other state in this country and I like to be different! (I thought maybe someday I would live in some place interesting like Wyoming, New Mexico or Maine but not California). I laughed because I never thought I would become a minister. Why? Because I didn’t want to have to do weddings and funerals. (I still get nervous for these two things). I laughed because I once told my future wife when we were dating that I didn’t think I wanted to get married! (Lucky for me she changed my mind). Sounds silly now because of course I am all these things – married, a minister and living in California; (and that is just a short list of things I never thought I would do).

I of course, like most people, prepare and plan for my future. I went to school to prepare myself for certain careers with the intention of remaining in those fields for the rest of my working life. Twice, we bought a house with the intention of staying there longer than we did.  We have set aside money for our kid’s college education and for our retirement. I also have worked hard to pursue different career options since I had to leave my church in Ohio. But alas, the older I get the more I discover, as Robert Burns said, “The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew.” So I have learned that we are all at the mercy of circumstances and especially the will of God.

So I laugh when someone asks me what I will be doing in 20 – 30 years. I don’t know what I’ll be doing next year!

One Bible story that especially speaks to me is the story from the Gospel of Matthew when Joseph receives a dream to move his family to Egypt. If you recall, Herod goes nuts and orders that every little boy under the age of two who lived in Bethlehem must be killed. So God warns the family to flee.

Now first of all some people believe that God controls every single thing that happens on the earth. If there is a flood, hurricane, terrorist attack or rainy day God must be behind it. I however do not believe this. God did not cause Herod to flip his lid and go on a killing spree no more than God was behind Hitler’s or Bin Laden’s evil actions. Nor does God cause an earthquake or tsunami to wipe out thousands of people. Things happen and God is there to help pick up the pieces and move on.

You may ask, if God is powerful, merciful and good why does God allow bad things to happen? This is a legitimate question and people will answer it differently. If you were to ask me, I would say that it is important to understand that God’s power to effect change in this world is limited. God’s power should be understood as the power to create, transform, inspire and persuade and also that God’s power is not the only power active in the world. (cue Dana Carvey’s “Church Lady” from SNL).

Now to a lot of people this takes a lot of getting used to. It can even be scary to think that God is not in control of all things. But even under this belief system, which I argue is our reality, God is still the most powerful force in the universe and the evidence for this can be seen in our lives and in everything around us. Despite Herod’s actions, God had a plan for Jesus’ family. This shows that God can adjust for whatever crazy things happen on earth and that ultimately nothing gets in the way of God’s will for salvation. The book of Revelation primarily teaches us that in the end, things end up the way God intends.

When I look at my life, the best things that happened to me were things I did not plan for. That is God at work. God has our best interest in mind and despite whatever happens in life, we can have faith that God will be there for us, help us through it and even help discover the good that may be uncovered in spite of and even sometimes because of the bad.

Rob Bell, author, pastor and founder of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan has a new book called “Love Wins” in which he asks the question “What if hell does not exist?”.

Obviously this has caused a controversy in the evangelical community and Pastor Bell has taken a lot of public criticism about this view. After all, Jesus said that HE is the way, truth and the light, and Acts 4:12 says, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (speaking of Christ of course). So how can other religions grant salvation? How is it possible that evil people make it to heaven? What gives?

My issue to this is not in Bell’s thesis for his book, but in people’s reaction to it. Universalism, that is, the thought that everyone will make it to heaven, is not new in Christian thinking. This idea has its roots in early theological thinkers like Clement and Origin, especially in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. It is hinted at in the writing of C.S. Lewis, whose “Chronicles of Narnia” are championed by evangelicals. Books on the topic have been written before, such as “If Grace is True” by Philip Gulley and James Mulholland and their follow-up book “If God is Love”.

But somehow as time goes on, we forget that our Christian theological heritage is rich and diverse and when a popular Christian leader like Rob Bell says how he feels about the topic of heaven and hell, there is an outrage. I was a part of a church whose pastor of 19 years was going to retire and in his final Christmas there, he gave “If Grace is True” as a present to each member. I remember the reaction of one member of the church, who said, “We have never talked about this.” I thought it was a shame that after 19 years it had never come up in the congregation until the pastor was going to retire. Apparently, (based on people’s reaction to Rob Bell’s book),  it doesn’t come up often enough in many congregations.

So let’s talk about it now —

There are many Christians who believe in a more inclusive view of salvation, (that other religions contain many truths) and even Christians who believe in pluralism, (that all religions are more or less equal). (I belong to the inclusive group). These people are Christians because of personal choice or based on the fact that Christianity is their background. There are even Christians who believe that non-religions people and atheists will be saved as well. These people argue that Christian ideals, teachings and actions are mirrored in many ways throughout the world. There are many things to consider when we play God and separate the sheep from the goats. For example, there are people who have never heard of Jesus Christ. There are also people who rejected Christianity because they were presented with false teachings. There is of course, babies who died without receiving Christ, what do we do with them?

We can debate all of this if you want to but the question I have is why are we in such a hurry to throw people into hell? Isn’t it God’s role to do the judging? I mean pastors have been fired because they believe in universalism. Perhaps it makes us feel better to believe that we are going to heaven and all the other people who don’t go to church are going to hell. But what harm does it cause if someone believes that God’s grace and love trumps everything else ?

Consider what Christianity means if it isn’t all about getting into heaven and avoiding being burned. Suddenly it is a religion without coercion. Suddenly it is free to become more about transformation, eternal life and blessings that begin in THIS life. Suddenly it is more about becoming a disciple, spiritual development and relationship building. Suddenly it becomes more about community building, reconciliation and serving people. It is less about fear and guilt. Think about it, if someone comes to God because of the fear of burning in hell, is it real faith?

I challenge everyone to ask the same question that Rob Bell asked, “What if there is no hell?”. Just consider it and free yourself from the shackles.