Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

–Reinhold Niebuhr

Soul Searching

Soul Searching is a film for anyone wanting to know more about the spiritual lives of teenagers. The book – of the same title and well worth the read – is robust in its examinations and shows the complexities and sometimes shallowness of teenage spirituality.

This DVD does the same. The DVD gives images and audible voices to the stories of teenage spirituality and helps the watcher connect with the student’s spiritual life through wonderful statistical commentary. Ideally, this film is not one to watch and set aside as a good documentary. It is one that is meant to challenge the way we do “youth ministry” and view our teenagers as they develop spiritually.

Here is a the review from Amazon.

In 2005, Oxford University Press released a very important book. Sociologists from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill had just released their findings of a comprehensive study of the religious views of American teenagers. And what they found was nothing less than shocking. According to Christian Smith, the primary author of the book Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American teenagers, the actual professed religion of most young adults, whether they’re being raised in Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, or Jewish homes, is what he called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. What this means is that although many teens believe in God and go to church regularly, they end up defining belief in very vague and subjective terms, such as, God exists, He’s there when we need him, He wants us to be happy, The purpose of life is to feel good, Good people go to heaven, and so forth. Now, in 2007, a documentary film version of Soul Searching was just released by Revelation Studios. And on this edition of the White Horse Inn webcast, Michael Horton talks with Michael Eaton, the co-director of the film, as well as Christian Smith himself, the primary researcher behind the project, about their new documentary Soul Searching: A Movie About Teenagers & God. Based on a seven year study of the religious views of American teens, this film presents some troubling findings about the content and quality of the faith being passed on to the next generation. –Whitehorse Inn

The Future

The Denver Channel

A Denver third-grader will be front and center at the Colorado State Capitol Saturday pushing for same sex marriage in the state. Ethan McNamee arranged the rally as an independent class project.He was concerned about the issue after hearing about anti-gay remarks on the playground and then learning about a same sex couple in his neighborhood that couldn’t get married.

“Everybody is different in a good way,” he said.Ethan believes that if two people love each other that is the only issue to be considered. Ethan took it upon himself to arrange the rally and line up the guest speakers. He admitted it was more work then he thought it would be, but adds it was fun. Administrators at Montclair Elementary have been sensitive to the controversial issue. Parents were notified about Ethan’s project and only students who wanted to get involved participated. A handful of kids helped Ethan make signs on Friday afternoon.Ethan’s teacher, Kyle Kimmal, said he was careful to not impose his views on Ethan. He also told Ethan that his stand could anger some classmates and parents and that he should be prepared for protestors at the state capitol.

Like this or not, this is the future of America.

I still struggle with the idea of Gay Marriage – I personally define marriage as between a man and a women, so does President Obama -,  but I also believe that there is a marked difference between a marriage before God and a marriage before the state. I don’t believe God honors the marriage of two men or two women, however that doesn’t mean the state – which is not an extension of Christian ideology or theology – should have the same reservations. I know that statement opens up a can of worms, but it is what I hold to.

The reality is divorce over anything but infidelity is just as sinful and I don’t know if it matters if you live  a life within the sin of being  homosexually married or if  you live unrepentant of previous sin – divorce.

Although I have the same view – legally – as this child, I am a little uncomfortable with a boy making a speech and leading a rally- just as I would be with a third grade Christian boy preaching a sermon to the nation. Having a child as a public spokesperson seems a little manipulative.  One additional – and fundamental – thing that bugs me is Ethan’s comment

Everybody is different in a good way.

I understand where he is coming from, but this is a scary thing to be teaching our children. This is relativism at the core. And honestly, relativism doesn’t benefit anyone, it undercuts arguments made by same-sex marriage supports and “traditional” marriage advocates. We need to debate and disagree and come to conclusions, it doesn’t to any good to just give into the every ideology out there. If everyone is different in a good way, then those who believe in “traditional marriage” are different in a good way the same as those who are same-sex marriage advocates. There is no conclusion there, no balance just an amorphous existence which will exacerbate frustrations rather than address them.

I am not trying to break the logic of this kid; thus relativism it is the under girding philosophy behind his words and behind our post-modern (although we distort what that means) American culture. That is dangerous. That view is being praised by some of those supporting the LGBTQ community, but I am not sure they are thinking about the negative ramifications it has on them.

We need – and cannot escape – belief, it drives all of us. This young boy’s views on the LGBTQ community are going to become more and more commonplace. And though I disagree with the LGBTQ lifestyle, the primary issue is the suggestion that everyone can be right. This does work for any belief system “religious”, social or otherwise.  Lets work out are differences and not put on masquerades of tolerance.

Equity Vs. Equality

Equity

- Fairness: actions, treatment of others, or a general condition characterized by justice, fairness, and impartiality

Equality

- State of being equal: rights, treatment, quantity, or value equal to all others in a specific group

Which value should we promote?

Polygamy case may test limits of Canadian same-sex marriage

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (RNS) A landmark court case will test whether Canada’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage also justifies the practice of polygamy.

The defense lawyer for a British Columbia man who openly admits to having multiple wives will argue that Canada’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage broadens the definition of marriage to include multiple spouses.

Blair Suffredine, lawyer for Winston Blackmore, who prosecutors claim has 19 wives, said this week he will argue in court that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects polygamy under the principles of equality and religious freedom.

When the Canadian parliament made same-sex marriage legal in 2005, members of the Conservative Party of Canada argued that changing the definition of marriage would open the door to court challenges from people who wanted polygamous unions.

Canadian evangelical Christians also opposed making same-sex marriage legal on the grounds that it could permit immigrants from countries where polygamy is legal to maintain multiple spouses in Canada. Some Muslim countries allow polygamy.

Legal specialists say it would be hard to cite same-sex marriage laws to defend polygamy in the U.S., in part because same-sex unions are not constitutionally approved across the country.

In the U.S., polygamists who belong to fundamentalist breakaway Mormon sects have been prosecuted for sexual crimes involving minors — not polygamy in itself.

Daphne Gilbert, a law professor at the University of Toronto, told Canadian Press the argument proposed by Blackmore’s lawyer is predictable, but without merit.

Same-sex relationships maintain Canada’s traditional view of marriage, she said, because they only involve two people. Polygamous marriages, she added, raise questions about whether the often-young wives are truly consenting to being married.

Even if a lawyer could prove that a ban on polygamous marriage is a violation of the Charter, Gilbert said the Canadian government would be allowed to ban polygamy by arguing the value of protecting the greater public good.

The two British Columbia men charged with polygamy by government prosecutors — the first case of its kind in Canada — are leaders of rival polygamous factions of roughly 400 members each.

They reside in a community called Bountiful in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains near the U.S. border.

High-profile businessman Winston Blackmore, 52, has more than 100 children from as many as 19 wives. The other man on trial is James Oler, 44, who is charged with having two wives.

Both Blackmore and Oler have long been affiliated with the Utah-based Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

How to we as Christians deal with this? Same sex-marriage? etc?

In one sense, we can say that we aren’t dealing with the polygamy issue, but it is imperative that we acknowledge that this is possible in our country. I am not an advocate of same-sex marriage (though LGBT civil rights are important to me), but our country is most likely moving – in our lifetime – to legalizing same-sex marriage. With that, there is the potential that we must more widely deal with the issue of polygamy and additional lifestyles incongruent with the Christian faith.

The idea of a “Christian” nation is perhaps detrimental to the cause of Christ. What we must do is maintain Christian morality and ideology despite a nation that may not exalt Christians ideals. The danger in issues of polygamy, same-sex marriage, divorce – absent of abuse/adultery -, abortion, etc. is two fold. We can either respond by pulling out of society, leaving no impact. In effect, not loving our neighbors because they are “sinners” and we are not. Or we can soften our theology by accepting sinful actions as true and Biblical. In effect, making Christianity a social club of spiritually people.

In this complexity, we must find the third way of Christ: living in Grace and in Truth. Regardless of our exterior society, Christianity must earnestly seek after God. We should not be swayed to separatism or acceptance of the world.