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Sports 10 comments

Wide Receiver Stephen Hill will be a steal for the team that drafts him

By on April 24th, 2012

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Stephen Hill played college football at a school that doesn’t have much of a passing offense and it’s the belief here that he will be a steal for any team that drafts him in this year’s NFL draft.

It’s true that Hill only had 28 receptions in his last year of college ball, but look at his physical measurements and the combine score he has. He stands 6 feet, 4 inches and weighs 215 pounds. At the combine, he moved his large frame to an excellent 4.36 40 yard dash while posting a vertical leap of 39 inches. He’s just the type of receiver that many teams salivate over. In his college career, he had 49 receptions for 1,248 yards, averaging 25.5 yards per catch.

While Justin Blackmon and others are getting all the hype, Hill has inched his way into conversations among teams looking to fill their WR needs. He will be a first round pick. But where will he go?

Some say Cincinnati, and wouldn’t that be a pairing to watch, with A.J. Green lined up opposite him? It’s purely speculation at this point but that pair would be electrifying to the Bengal fans.

Looking at more stats that support Hill’s emergence into the first round, is his YPA or Yards per Attempt. It stands at 12, the highest of this WR class going into the draft. His VYPA or Vertical Yards per Attempt is also first in this class, at 15.5. He is the tallest of this class and clocked the best 40 time of all WR’s at the combine.

The only thing that is keeping him from being a top 10 pick is that he is a raw talent. The team that takes him will have to coach him up to play at the NFL level. But that shouldn’t be a hindrance to many teams. The Patriots and Forty-Niner’s would love to have him in their stable, but my belief is that he will be gone by the time they get their chance to draft him.

Hill will be more explosive than Demaryius Thomas, who is also a Tech product. He just doesn’t have the injury issues that Thomas has.

He attended Miller Grove High School in Lithonia, Georgia. Miller Grove is a good school with a reputation for turning out good football players. In high school, he earned a three star ranking from Scouts and was ranked number 99 at his position.

Sports 10 comments

NFL cracking down on rowdy behavior in 2012

By on April 19th, 2012

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Evidently, the NFL has heard rowdy fans loud and clear enough to determine that they don’t want to hear their rambunctious and obnoxious behavior anymore.

It’s true that stadium drunks are annoying but really this new rule is going a bit too far. Part of the atmosphere at football games is tailgating and drinking. Are we really ready for a rule that states if you are removed from a stadium for rowdy behavior that you have to take and pass an online code-of-conduct test that costs $75 or else be banned from future NFL games? Further, if you are discovered at a game after banishment and you haven’t passed the test, you will be arrested for trespassing.

This seems a bit extreme, but it’s true. My imagination is that somehow the religious right has infiltrated the NFL front office, but that can’t be, because Commissioner Goodell is a level-headed and reasonable person, isn’t he?

Almost everybody has encountered a drunk at a stadium at some point in their lives. We all know they can be annoying and truly capable of making an ass of themselves. But surely we all know how to handle these people, don’t we? Are we going to ruin NFL events because of a few drunks?

Stadiums report that they remove between 25 and 40 people per game for unruly behavior. Fine, let them be removed, arrested, whatever. But to take it to the extreme and require an online visit to take a test on conduct or risk being arrested for trespassing is beyond the pale.

Dr. Ari Novick, a California psychotherapist, is the author of the test and in fact, developed this idea himself. He gets to pocket $55 of the $75, and sends the rest to MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the HERO campaign for Designated Drivers.  If you are removed from a game, and later do not take the test, then stadium security will look for you, using video monitors, because they will have your picture, name and seat number. Once found, they will have you arrested.

So, what kinds of questions are on the test? Here are some examples:

1)      Behaving badly toward other fans, such as fighting, swearing or threatening them, is OK as long as they deserve it. Answer: False

2)      According to MetLife Stadium’s alcohol policies, four drinks is the maximum a person may purchase at a time. Answer: False, it’s two.

3)      Every fan has a right to like any team they wish. Using abusive language towards fans that support teams you don’t like will not be tolerated. Answer: True

The website that hosts the test is here. At MetLife stadium, fans that are removed must also write a letter of apology to security Chief Daniel Delorenzi.

The NFL has the right intention but is being too heavy-handed with this policy. If you want to limit rowdy behavior, there are other ways of doing it than this.

 

Politics 7 comments

The political discourse in this country is alarming

By on April 11th, 2012

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Politics is a big endeavor. It involves a lot of closed-door deal brokering, compromising of long-held beliefs, raising lots of money and winning the votes of the electorate. There is much more involved, of course, but you get the idea, it’s a full-time and difficult job. Many people get into politics for the right reason, a chance to make a difference and an opportunity to provide leadership at all levels of our society. And many of them do, and they are successful at their craft. Some, however, are lacking the skills required for the position and often times are voted from office, much to the delight of their respective communities.

One of the biggest items on any politician’s agenda is leadership and how to lead their constituents on a regular basis. The leader must be consistent, both in response to query’s and in their stated goals for the duration of their term in office. The leader must also present idea’s that will sustain a viable future for his constituency and work to make sure the passage of those idea’s into laws that govern our land so that future generations will benefit from not only his vision but also his ability to get things done in proper fashion and order to sustain our civilization.

The problems that our country faces now are large and big and we need big ideas to get us through the swift moving currents of change that grip our country. The middle class is shrinking at an alarming rate, and without a middle class there will be no democracy for our children to grow up under. Manufacturing jobs have evaporated due to globalization and technological advances, and these jobs will never return. We have to invent new jobs, green jobs, to take their place and we desperately need these new jobs, and we need government intervention to help in retraining our workers on a massive scale to prepare us for our future.

The Middle East is a powder keg ready to explode at any minute with Iran pursuing nuclear arms and Syria murdering its own citizens. It seems likely that our intervention is only days or weeks away. And we need leadership badly. We need cooperation between Republicans and Democrats like never before. Our President can only do so much; he needs congress to help him.

While it is true that we are on the road to economic recovery, it is doubtful that we are on the road to emotional recovery in this nation. There is just too much hatred and vitriol among us that is left to be resolved. Both parties are involved, but the Republicans are the instigators of the national mood. They are ones who started the birther movement, then questioned President Obama’s religion, they just seem to nitpick everything he does and try to block all legislation he proposes. Mitch McConnell, a senate Republican leader, said at the outset of Obama’s presidency that his number one goal in life was to make Obama a one term president. Imagine that for leadership!

As a nation, we beg for leadership. Look at what Ronald Reagan was able to do in the 1980s! He took the stage by storm and galvanized this nation. President Obama is a leader, a visionary. He has a vision for our country, and it’s big and great. And all the Republican’s want to talk about is birth control.

Politics, Spiritual 12 comments

The role of faith in the 2012 Presidential election

By on April 11th, 2012

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Nearly all of us follow or adhere to some sort of faith or belief system. It’s what sustains us in times like 9/11 and provides us with joy during our respective holidays. It’s reflected in our values as a nation; in how we live our daily lives, how we worship, how we choose our close friends and business partners, and how we vote. We like to feel comfortable with our choices and our choices usually are reflections of who we are and what we stand for.

There are a few of us who are still skeptical of President Obama’s faith. In fact, 25% of us still believe he is Muslim. There are also a number of us who have questions and wonder about Mitt Romney’s faith, Mormonism.

Over the next several days, broken up in several parts, this writer will look at the faith of the Republican frontrunner, Mitt Romney, and that of the President, Barack Obama, and discuss the role of faith in the 2012 Presidential election. We will look into Romney’s background with his faith; compare Christianity with Mormonism doctrinally; and look at President Obama’s faith and how he has used it to guide him as he has governed our nation.

Mitt Romney is a devout and committed Mormon. He has devoted his entire life to the teachings of Mormonism and indeed, has never left or strayed from the faith. In fact, if you listen closely and carefully to him in his campaign speeches he alludes to his faith by saying things like, “Look at my life and how I have lived it” or “Look at my family.” This is about as close as we will come this year to hearing what Romney has to say about his faith. Faith, to Romney, is less theology than it is lifestyle. Yes, Mormonism has doctrines and we will cover them later but the centrality of its belief system is how well you live your life as opposed to the Christian standard of living by faith not works.

Romney was born into a family of faithful followers; the Romney’s form a long line of Mormons or Latter Day Saints, as they are also known as. In fact, one of his great-grandfathers fled to Mexico about 125 years ago, amid a government crackdown of polygamous marriages. It should be noted that many multi-generational Mormon families have polygamists in their family tree. Polygamy, by the way, is the practice of having more than one wife at the same time. Polygamy was introduced by Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith but was later banned by the church in 1890. Today, some 38,000 people aligned with the more fundamentalist fringe of the Mormon Church still practice polygamy.

Romney’s father, George, was born in Mexico but fled the when he was 5 due to the Mexican Revolution. George later became the CEO and Chairman of American Motors, Governor of Michigan, and a Presidential candidate himself in 1968. George was also very active in the Mormon Church, serving as Michigan’s first stake president. A stake president is comparable to a diocese in that it has multiple congregations.

As devout as he was, Mitt married outside the church. He found Ann, an Episcopalian, in high school. After high school, he left her behind and went off to college and on his Mormon mission trip, which was to France. While he was gone, Ann converted to Mormonism and they were wedded upon his return.

As Jessica Ravitz points out in her excellent article, The shaping of Mitt Romney, a look at his faith journey, Romney served as ‘A ward Bishop—or part-time pastor—and stake president for the Boston area in the 1980s and early 1990s.’

The question that many of us have is why Romney is so unwilling to discuss his Mormon faith while on the campaign trail? Could it be that the Mormons make unusual claims or have outrageous beliefs that many Americans would consider too extreme to accept?

One example of an outrageous belief is that Mormons believe there are 3 levels of Heaven. The first level is called Telestial for the bad people of the world. Yes, the Mormons believe they will be saved and go to Heaven. The second, or middle level, is for the good people. It’s called Terrestrial. Right, the Baptists, Hindus, Muslims, doesn’t matter what your religion is, if you’re a good moral person, then you go here. But the Mormon’s aim is the Celestial Kingdom. In order to have the Mormon concept of eternal life – which to them is different from being saved – to have eternal life means you can progress to be a god over your world someday. So all of this temple ritual they go through, this work for the dead, it’s all with the hope that this will add up to qualify them to have the reward of eternal life, where the Christian looks to Christ for eternal life through the grace of Christ that’s given to us – not because of any merit of our own, but because of the merit of Christ. Mormonism says “Well, yes, Christ’s atonement was necessary to get us into Heaven, but to get to that top-level and become a god, we have to achieve that. That is our reward for our faithfulness as a Mormon.” And only Mormons receive eternal life; the rest of us get some sort of sub-heaven and are never in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

Perhaps it is that but it could also be the Mormon belief that Jesus will rule, after the second coming, during the millennium in two places: Jerusalem and Independence, Missouri. Attached to this article, in the sidebar, is an interview in which Mitt Romney states that very fact.

These two examples alone are outside of mainstream Biblical thought. It really is no wonder that Romney remains silent about the one thing he cares most deeply about, his faith.

To be continued…

Politics, Spiritual 6 comments

The role of faith in the 2012 Presidential election, part 2

By on April 11th, 2012

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) was birthed in 1820 by an alleged vision in which two celestial personages appeared to Joseph Smith, claiming all existing churches were wrong, all their creeds were an abomination, and all their professors were corrupt. According to those personages, Smith had been chosen to restore (not reform, but restore) a church that had disappeared from the face of the earth. The Mormon doctrines that have evolved from that vision compromise, confuse, or contradict the nature of God, the authority of scripture, and the way of salvation.

The question arises for us, is Mormonism a Christian belief system or is it a cult? For this, we turn to Sandra Tanner, Co-Founder of Utah Lighthouse Ministry. She is the great-great-granddaughter of Brigham Young and a leading expert on the Mormon religion.

Tanner: “Well, certainly, it represents a great heresy. If we’re going to say we’re Christian, we’ve got to adhere to some sort of standard; otherwise Buddhists could say they’re Christians. If the true test of Christianity is morality and good living and being a nice neighbor, I’m sure people in all kinds of religions would qualify under that kind of definition. But Christianity has always embodied a certain set of doctrines, and one of those doctrines is the absoluteness of the one eternal God, and that Jesus has eternally been God. Mormonism rejects both those concepts. Christianity has traditionally said God has spoken through the Bible, and that the New Testament is the standard for Christian beliefs. Mormonism rejects that and takes additional books of scripture that they believe supersede the Bible. The Bible is only secondary in their chain of authority; their other scriptures are paramount. So they get to redefine all the terms. But we also have to keep in mind that Joseph Smith himself was claiming that Christianity was in a total state of apostasy when he started Mormonism in 1830, and that what he started was the “only true church.” So when people become excited because we want to say Mormonism doesn’t fit under the Christian umbrella, you have to understand that Joseph Smith didn’t claim to fit under the Christian umbrella. He said he was doing something totally different than the Christian churches.”

Romney delivered an important speech on faith on December 6, 2007. In the speech, it’s obvious he wants to distance his public campaign for President away from his Mormon faith, to shield it from pressing questions. We can only speculate why but it leads us to question his ability to reason and to think logically, given the claims and history of the faith he adores. He claims that he will live by his faith as a Mormon while president, yet he refuses to answer questions about that very faith on the campaign trail. He addresses that in the speech by ducking behind the Constitution, saying, “There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church’s distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the religious test the founders prohibited in the Constitution.” Later in the speech, he makes it very clear that he will not put any church above the Constitution or the sovereign authority of the law. That is reassuring, of course, but it still does not satisfy those that have questions about his faith or his heartfelt personal beliefs on important issues that face the nation.

To be continued…

Politics, Spiritual 16 comments

The role of faith in the 2012 Presidential election, part 3

By on April 11th, 2012

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The differences in doctrine between historic Christianity and Mormonism are distinct and radical. The doctrine of God is a good place to start. In historic Christianity, the one God is a spirit who is the personal, eternal, infinite creator of all that exists. He is the only God and necessary for all other things to exist. He exists eternally as a trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (See Deuteronomy 6:4; Isa. 43:10; 44:6-8; Matt. 28:19; John 4:24; 17:3)

As for Mormonism, God (Heavenly Father) is an exalted man with a physical body of flesh and bone. LDS Founder Joseph Smith said, “If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible – I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345). The trinity is denied with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost seen as three separate entities. “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.” (Doctrine and Covenants [D&C] 130:22)

The Doctrine of Jesus Christ

Historic Christianity believes that Jesus Christ was the virgin born God incarnate who existed in all time with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the eternal Trinity. As a man He possessed two natures – human and divine. He lived a sinless life and willingly died on the cross as a sacrifice for the sin of all humanity. (See John 1:1-18; 8:56-59; Phil. 2:6-11; Col. 1:13-22; Heb. 1-3;13:8)

In Mormonism, Jesus was the spiritual “first born” Son of God in the pre-existence. “Every person who was ever born on earth was our spirit brother or sister in heaven. The first spirit born to our heavenly parents was Jesus Christ, so he is literally our elder brother” (Gospel Principles [GP]’ p.11).”And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn” (D&C 93:21). He is also the “only begotten” physical offspring of God by procreation on earth. “Jesus is the only person on earth to be born of a mortal mother and an immortal father. That is why he is called the Only Begotten Son” (GP, p.64). His atonement (death and resurrection) provides immortality for all people regardless of their faith. “Christ thus overcame physical death. Because of his atonement, everyone born on this earth will be resurrected… This condition is called immortality. All people who ever lived will be resurrected, ‘both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous’ (The Book of Mormon [BOM], Alma 11:44)” (GP, p.74). (See GP, pp.11, 17-19, and 61-77.)

The Doctrine of Scriptures and Authority

The Bible (Old and New Testaments) is the unique, revealed, and inspired Word of God. It is the sole authority for faith and practice for Christians. (See 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21)

Mormonism recognizes the LDS Four Standard Works as authoritative. These include the Bible “as far as it is translated correctly” (Articles of Faith 1:8). It also includes the Book of Mormon (BOM) which Joseph Smith declared is “the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 194)

The Mormon Church also regards The Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) as Scripture. It “is a collection of modern revelations…regarding The Church of Jesus Christ as it has been restored in these last days” (GP, p.54).

The Pearl of the Great Price (PGP) is the fourth book believed to be inspired. “It clarifies doctrines and teachings that were lost from the Bible and gives added information concerning the creation of the earth” (GP, p. 54).

The Mormon Church’s president is regarded as “a seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet” (D&C 107:91-92).

The Doctrine of Sin

In historic Christianity, human beings have chosen to sin against God, rejecting His nature and pursuing life opposed to His essential character and revealed law. (See Rom. 3:23; 7:14-25; 1 John 1:8-10)

Mormonism holds that people sin by disobedience to God’s laws. Adam’s fall, a part of Heavenly Father’s plan, caused a loss of immortality, which was necessary for mankind to advance, (See GP, pp. 31-34). As Eve declared according to LDS scripture, “ Were it not for our transgression we never should have…known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient” (PGP, Moses 5:11; see also BOM, 2 Nephi 2:22-25). Each person is responsible for his or her own sin.

The Doctrine of Salvation

In historic Christianity, Salvation is release from the guilt and power of sin through God’s gift of grace. It is provided through Christ’s atonement and received by personal faith in Christ as Savior and Lord. (See Rom. 3:20; 10:9-10; Eph. 2:8-10)

Mormonism states that Jesus’ atonement provided immortality for all people. Exaltation (godhood) is available only to Mormons through obedience to LDS teachings: faith, baptism, endowments, celestial marriage, and tithing. “Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God – Wherefore, all things are theirs” (D&C, 76:58-59)

These are some of the blessings given to exalted people:

  1. They will live eternally in the presence of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (See D&C, 76).
  2. They will become gods.
  3. They will have their righteous family members with them and will be able to have spirit children also. These spirit children will have the same relationship to them as we do to our Heavenly Father. They will be an eternal family.
  4. They will receive a fullness of joy.
  5. They will have everything our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have – all power, glory, dominion, and knowledge (See GP, p. 302).

Baptism for the dead provides post-mortem salvation for non-Mormons, and is “by immersion performed by a living person for one who is dead. This ordinance is performed in temples” (GP, p. 375).

The Doctrine of Life after Death

With historic Christianity, there is eternal life in heaven with God for those who have trusted in Jesus Christ. Eternal separation from God’s presence in hell is for the unsaved. (See Matt. 512-30; 25:41; Rev. 20-22)

Mormonism has three levels of glory (heaven):

  1. Exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom for faithful Mormons where people may become gods or angels; “Then shall they be gods” (D&C 132:20)
  2. Terrestrial Kingdom for righteous non-Mormons; “These are they who are honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men. These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fullness” (D&C 76:75-76)
  3. Telestial Kingdom for the wicked and ungodly (not hell); “These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers…who suffer the wrath of God on earth” (D&C 76:103-104). (See also D&C 76:57-119; 131:1-4).

An important note to add here is that Mormons believe that only they will be in the presence of God when in heaven. The rest of us…those in the Terrestrial and Telestial Kingdoms, will be in some form of sub-heaven, not in the presence of God.

The Doctrine of the Church

Christians congregate in local bodies and along denominational lines sharing distinctive doctrinal and ecclesiastical concepts. There is no organization or denomination that can claim exclusive designation as the “one true church.” The universal church consists of all the redeemed in Jesus Christ in all the ages. (See Matt. 16:15-19; 1 Cor. 1:12-14; Eph. 2:19; 3:11-12)

Mormonism asserts that the LDS is the one true church on the face of the earth. Joseph Smith claimed Jesus Christ told him to join none of the existing denominations because “they were all wrong…that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt” (PGP: Joseph Smith – History 1:19-20). Mormons claim only the LDS possesses the divine authority of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood as restored by God to Joseph Smith in 1829. (D&C 13; 27:8-13; 107:1-20; PGP: Joseph Smith – History 1:68-73)

As you can see, there are real and substantive differences between Christianity and Mormon beliefs. It is clear that the Mormon faith is not Christian and that, in and of itself, is fine. But Mormons, by and large, insist that their faith fits under the Christian umbrella. Clearly, it does not and we must be vigilant in seeing that the voters know exactly what Mormonism is and what it stands for. The role of faith in the 2012 Presidential election might be pivotal if we speak honestly and clearly about the distinct differences in the two faiths.

Next in the series, we will look at President Obama’s faith and his journey as a Christian.

Politics, Spiritual 20 comments

The role of faith in the 2012 Presidential election, part 4

By on April 11th, 2012

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President Obama’s faith journey is an artful tapestry that only God could have woven. He was born in Hawaii where there are a lot of eastern influences attributed to religion. He then lived in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, between the ages of six and 10. His dad, who left the family when he was 2, was once Muslim but later turned atheist. His mom was a spiritual seeker who apparently never found a religious home. She would give him books on the different religions of the world and would spend quite a bit of time talking about values. She felt there was a commonality among the varying beliefs about how you treat people and how those beliefs inspired you to act, not just for yourself, but for others. When the family lived in Indonesia, his mom would, on occasion, take the children to Catholic mass; after returning to Hawaii, they would celebrate Easter and Christmas at United Church of Christ congregations.

During his years in Indonesia, Obama went first to a Catholic school – and then to a public elementary school with a weekly class of religious education that reflected the dominant Muslim culture. During this time, he was raised in part by his stepfather, a man named Lolo, who like many Indonesians followed a brand of Islam that could make room for the remnants of more ancient Animist and Hindu faiths. Lolo felt that a man took on the powers of whatever he ate and he introduced Obama to the taste of dog meat, snake meat, and roasted grasshopper. It was in Indonesia that Obama saw Christians living next to Muslims and that showed him that Islam could be compatible with the modern world.

It was while in college at Columbia that Obama felt the desire for a community that he could call home – a sense of rootedness and belonging he missed from his childhood. The visits to black churches helped fulfill that desire. He felt something very powerful was working on him when he visited the black churches – the exuberant worship, the family atmosphere and the prophetic preaching all contributed to his experience. It was during this time that he also became obsessed with the civil-rights movement. Obama had become convinced of the transforming power of social activism, especially when paired with religion. Obama was later recruited to go to Chicago as a community organizer, which was a perfect role for him at the time.

In Chicago, Obama found that organizers and activists were employing a progressive theology to motivate faith groups to action. Using the writings of Paul Tillich and Reinhold Niebuhr – and Martin Luther King, Jr., African-American and Roman Catholic liberation theologians, and Christian fathers like Saint Augustine – local religious leaders’ emphasized original sin and human imperfection. Christ’s gift of salvation was to the community of believers, not to individual people in isolation. It was therefore the responsibility of the faithful to help each other – through deeds – to respond to the call of perfection that will be fully realized only at the end of time. Adherents of this particular theology often refer to Matthew 25: “Whatever you neglected to do unto the least of these, you neglected to do unto me.”

Liberation theology clearly is not a part of biblical Christian theology. For example, noted liberation theologian James Cone, who heavily influenced Obama’s former Pastor Dr. Jeremiah Wright, defined sin thusly: “It’s the social, political and economic oppression of the poor. It’s the denial of humanity as a neighbor through unjust political and economic arrangements.” Further, there is the notion within liberation theology belief that the Bible is not an infallible witness but only a source pointing to the reality of God, particularly within the social context of the experience of God liberating blacks. Certainly black people have been oppressed. But rather than redefining sin and redemption in terms of socioeconomic class struggle, as Christians we should concentrate on spiritual reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ, because when that happens we have reconciliation with one another as well. So if we want to have class reunification as opposed to class struggle it comes by the change that takes place in the human heart, because when your heart is changed you do not see people as black or white or as superior or inferior. You see people as people. At the foot of the cross there is no distinction and in Christian theology there is no black or white, there is no Jew or Greek, there is no slave or free, there is no male or female. We are one in Christ. We are plain old human beings and we have complete equality in a biblical worldview.

James Cone is the most prolific and sophisticated writer of what is called “Black Theology.” Since President Obama’s beliefs are tied to his teachings we will briefly look at his theology and its roots.

Between 1517 and 1840 it is estimated that twenty million blacks were captured in Africa, transported to America, and brutally enslaved. The experience of these blacks – and their descendants – serves as the backdrop for understanding black liberation theology.

In assessing the theology of James Cone, it is critical to understand that he sees ‘black experience’ as the fundamental starting point for ascertaining theological truth. And his own writings are a reflection of his own ‘black experience’ – that is, the discrimination he suffered while growing up in Bearden, Arkansas.

What was it like in Bearden? “It meant attending separate but equal schools, going to the balcony when attending a movie, and drinking water from a ‘colored’ fountain. It meant refusing to retaliate when called the N word. You had no name except for your first name of ‘boy.’ Cone concedes that “my theological reflections are inseparable from the Bearden experience…What I write is urged out of my blood,” Cone writes in God of the Oppressed. Cone says in his book Black Theology and Black Power that “It is this common experience among black people in America that Black Theology elevates as the supreme test of truth. To put it simply, Black Theology knows no authority more binding than the experience of oppression itself. This alone must be the ultimate authority in religious matters.”

One immediately suspects that Cone has a deficient view of the authority of Scripture. Indeed, he writes in his book, A Black Theology of Liberation, “It is true that the Bible is not the revelation of God, only Christ is. But it is an indispensable witness to God’s revelation.” Moreover, “we should not conclude that the Bible is an infallible witness.” Cone believes the meaning of Scripture is not to be found in the words of Scripture as such, but only in its power to point beyond itself to the reality of God’s “revelation,” which – in America – takes place experientially in God’s liberating work among blacks.

Cone believes that black power is a phrase that represents both black freedom and black self-determination. He believes that theology is the religious counterpart of black power. By contrast, “whiteness” in Cone’s thought symbolizes the ethnocentric activity of “madmen sick with their own self-concept” and thus blind to that which ails and oppresses others. Whiteness symbolizes sickness and oppression. White theology is therefore viewed as a theological extension of that sickness and oppression,” he writes in A Black Theology of Liberation.

To Cone, God and Jesus Christ are both black. Salvation for Cone primarily has to do with earthly reality, not heavenly hopes. In other words, to see black people rise up against their oppressors, demanding justice. Hence, Cone often speaks of Jesus as the Liberator, not the Savior.

This is the theology that Barack Obama came up under the authority of in Chicago in his days as a community organizer and later, after Harvard Law School, as a promising young lawyer as well as an Illinois and United States Senator.

The cross under which Obama went to Jesus was at the controversial Trinity United Church of Christ. It was a good fit. “That community of faith suited me,” Obama says. For one thing, Trinity insisted on social activism as part of Christian life. It was also a family place. Members refer to the sections in the massive sanctuary as neighborhoods; churchgoers go to the same neighborhood each Sunday and they get to know the people that sit near them. They know when someone is sick or got a promotion at work. Jeremiah Wright became a friend; after he married, Obama says, the two men would sometimes get together “after church to have chicken with the family – and we would have talked stories about our families.”

President Obama cut his ties to Jeremiah Wright and Trinity after Wright’s sermons came to light and caused Obama some embarrassment in 2008. He does not attend regular church service in Washington, preferring to rely on his spiritual team for daily readings and prayer. We can only look at how Obama has governed to learn what character and values the man has.

Obama has grown in his role as President and he has accomplished much despite Republican entrenchment and dogma. He is, after all these years as a Christian, still a ‘baby’ Christian, in that he needs to overcome the theology he was weaned on and open himself up to the true biblical theology that all believers share – that, regardless of the tint of your skin, we serve one God, the same God that created all of people.

Next, the conclusion to this series…

Politics, Spiritual 18 comments

The role of faith in the 2012 Presidential election, part 5

By on April 11th, 2012

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Despite a strong pull from some that would tear us away from the faith of our fathers, that faith still plays a strong role in our politics. Although we are decidedly and thankfully not a theocracy, we are people who rely on our faith to sustain and guide us. And much to the chagrin of some Republicans, it seems that Mitt Romney is still the front-runner for the nomination of President of the United States for his party.

The differences in Obama and Romney insofar as faith matters are distinct and radical. Romney is not a Christian and Obama is. But really that will not be enough for some Americans, for 25% of us still believe that Obama is a Muslim. No matter what, if you’ve read this series, you know that he was brought up under an abstract tapestry and he found Jesus Christ in adulthood, which is wonderful and meaningful and perhaps he is still, in some ways, despite his keen intellect, a baby Christian, learning his way through what God has taught in the Bible. He often quotes scripture, and that is reassuring. He has a strong team of ministers who supply him with daily Bible lessons and scripture. He is learning and has a teachable spirit.

Romney, however, is a devout Mormon, a faith that is radically different from Christianity, as described in this series. He doesn’t connect well with us as a people because he is not one of us, meaning a man after God’s own heart. He has trouble understanding what the daily grind is like for most American’s because he is so detached from reality by his wealth that he has no need and patience for that sort of thing. It’s a shame, really, and sad, that a man like Romney, who is so smart and successful can’t connect with the everyday Joe, that it begs for an explanation. And the explanation revolves around what guides us and what are values are.

Faith is extremely important to us, even for those that pretend to have none. Our country was founded on religious freedom and so far we have managed to escape the tyranny of theocracy. The Republican Right wants to shove their form of Godliness down our throats, but I can assure you that their form of religion is like a UFO in God’s world. God is all about love and relationships, two things the Republicans now know nothing about.

Politics 12 comments

Romney’s big lie and his plan for Medicare

By on April 11th, 2012

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Mitt Romney trotted out his big October surprise yesterday. In the form of a press release, he accused President Obama of “Planning to end Medicare as we know it” within 15 years by allowing it to go bankrupt. Once again, just as in his no individual mandate plea, Romney is just plain lying to the citizens of the United States.

All President Obama is doing is cutting $360 billion in Medicare spending. This is nothing new, as President Clinton cut over $200 Billion in Medicare spending himself to strengthen the program. The Obama cuts target the providers not the beneficiaries. This series of cuts will also strengthen the program and preserve it for future generations.

On the other hand, and the reason for Romney’s big lie, we have the Romney plan: It will simply dismantle Medicare as we know it. That’s right, Medicare will no longer exist, in its present form, if Mitt Romney is elected, and enacts his own misguided platform. He subscribes to the plan which calls for giving vouchers to eligible retirees to go out and buy their own health care, at market rates, on the open market, in effect saying good luck to you; you are on your own. Oh, he proposes “premium support” for the less fortunate, but we already know how he feels about those that have less than he does.

Romney knows his plan has no chance to win voters in November, so he has already started the lies now. He knows that states like Florida will turn on him in a heartbeat when it becomes clear what he will do with the Medicare program. So he has to lie and squirm to get some wiggle room.

The drama that will play out is not whether Romney will lose in November. It will be whether or not the national media has the courage to call him at his game of lying and obfuscation. Enough is enough. The voters will see through it and vote accordingly and resoundingly for the party that stands for the people and not some 150 year old ideology that would deny rights to many of our fellow citizens, people we call friends and neighbors.

Politics 18 comments

Republicans: Lost in the darkness of their souls

By on April 11th, 2012

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We are 278 days away from the November general election and the radical Republican Party is in dire straits. Their strategists seem to be inept and just not very good at what they do for a living, which is coordinating a cohesive response to President Obama and the Democratic Party.

All we have to do is look at recent history at what the Republicans have done to engender warm and fuzzy thoughts throughout the electorate:

  • Do you remember Rep. Joe Wilson (R) of South Carolina and what he did during a speech by President Obama in September of 2009? He yelled, “You lie!” at our sitting President. Yes, it resulted in a formal rebuke by the House of Representatives and indeed, Wilson apologized for the lack of civility. But the damage had been done and it’s been done since by a do nothing Republican led congress that has attacked our President every single time they have been given the chance.
  • Just last week, Arizona governor Jan Brewer (R) confronted President Obama on the tarmac as he deplaned in Arizona to make a speech. Brewer said she asked for a meeting with the President and that he proceeded to complain about the way she had portrayed a meeting she and the President had attended in a book she published last year. In the book, Brewer said the President was very patronizing towards her. This is ironic, because if you look at news footage that showed Brewer after that meeting, she was very happy and even went on tape as saying that the visit was very cordial. She was smiling on tape and obviously enjoying herself. This attack on President Obama is just another example of the GOP strategy to try to make a mockery out of decorum and respect for the office of the President. When you go to greet a visiting dignitary, you do not wave a finger in their face. By the way, Brewer is using the picture of that confrontation for money-raising purposes now. She is telling supporters that while waving her finger in his face, she told him he had one more year to serve and she was giving him his notice. How disgraceful!
  • Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus on Sunday accused President Barack Obama of “abandoning the ship”, just like the captain of the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise liner. Comparing President Obama to Captain Schettino, the man who is accused of manslaughter in the deaths of at least 17 people, Priebus said that Obama would rather be out campaigning than leading our nation and that he had abandoned ship by leaving Washington and visiting 5 states after the State of the Union speech last week. Priebus said this while there are American families still missing loved ones from that cruise!
  • Republican Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich has called President Obama “The Food Stamp President” many times. This is obviously an attempt to imply that more people (hint: Black) have gone on food stamps during his time in office than at any other time in history. It’s racist in tone and in fact, dead wrong.
  • Mitt Romney said today that he is not concerned with the very poor in our country. He said there is a safety net for them. The fact is, though, that his policies would destroy that safety net by demolishing Medicaid and raising, yes, raising taxes on the very poor.
  • Mitt Romney, again, who was so far ahead in Florida he could have used his money and time to campaign against Obama but instead he used them to destroy his competition. He had Florida won by a large margin, and it is a winner take all state. He could have worked on solidifying the base, but decided a scorched earth was better. Unusual campaign strategy.
  • Representative Allen West (R) Florida, said this at the recent Lincoln Day dinner in West Palm Beach, Fl.: “This is a battlefield that we must stand upon and we need to let President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and my dear friend the chairman of the Democrat National Committee, we need to let them know that Florida ain’t on the table. Take your message of equality of achievement, take your message of economic dependency, take your message of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the American people somewhere else. You can take it to Europe, you can take it to the bottom of the sea, you can take it to the North Pole, but get the hell out of the United States of America.” That’s just ridiculous and incendiary.

The American people, sadly, are getting used to this rhetoric. Thanks to the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United, we are apt to hear more and more as time goes by this year. Romney and Obama will both use Super-Pacs in their campaigns to take care of the nasty business and both will claim, rightly, that the law says that they cannot have any say about what goes into these ads. By the way, we need to amend the Constitution to reverse the Citizens United ruling. It’s our only hope of having open transparent and accountable campaigns again.

Oh, and while the Republicans have been venting and going on immature rants the President has been productive. General Motors is once again the number one automaker in the world, thanks in part to President Obama’s refusal to let them die, like Romney wanted to do. As a nation, we have had 22 months of sustained job growth and the President isn’t giving up on the housing market, like Romney and the Republicans want to do.  He’s actually doing a lot to help us, instead of living in some alternative reality.