This is less about a religion and more about the human condition.

So what is the point of radical Islam?

Seriously - what is the goal here?

Of course I get it that terrorism is supposed to get people scared.  The goal is to get people tired of constant fear - like today, when the Air Force One air base reported an active shooter.  It was a planned drill.  But it had us freaked out.  Fear gets us tired - it wears us down.

I remember being in London days after the Docklands bombing and there was an evacuation of Piccadilly Circus because of a bomb threat.  My sister and I were ushered out of a restaurant by mounted police.  We were asked to "walk briskly" in crystal clear British accents.  As I turned the corner a construction crew dropped a large sheet of steel which sounded like a bomb going off.

One of the most terrifying moments in my life . . .

Instinctively I hit the ground.  So did everyone else.  The ten seconds of silence following it and the realization that it was a construction accident gave us all a wave of relief.  But it was draining - and I was just a tourist.  Can you imagine living in that environment of constant fear?

Sadly, some of us can in this age of terrorism.

But what is the point?  Like the West will one day say, "alright . . . we are tired of being scared . . . whatever you want, it's yours!"

Like we will all convert to Islam?  Never gonna happen.

And I understand enough about Islam and it's radicals to know that terrorism is the radical Muslim's eschatology.  And end-of-the-world scenario where terrorism reaches a tipping point and God knocks out the infidel and Mosque and State are merged.

But really . . . do they think this is going to happen?  Is it really just a religious mask for wanting to cause mayhem?  At what point does fatigue even settle in for a jihadist?  Because the thousands that have been killed in the name of terrorism are just one of many reasons that we can never allow even one goal of the terrorist to be realized.

This is precisely why some warn us of the evils of religion.  Religion makes good people do evil things in the name of what is sold as holy.  But it isn't religion - it is humanity that we should be wary of.  The evils that can be perpetrated by the retrenched and ignorant religious are just one side of the spectrum of human misery.  History has seen plenty of intellectuals and progressives do horrible things in the name of progress on the other end of the spectrum.

We don't need education.  We don't need legislation.  We need redemption.

Thank God that there is a day of redemption that is coming - not from any human hand.  

Our leaders are shouting at each other and nothing gets done.

Insanity.

It's not true that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.  It has been (incorrectly) attributed to Einstein in the meme-dominated world of social media but it is too insipid to have come from such a smart person.  

Actually insanity is easy to define - even easier to witness.  

Just look at what is going on in our society today - we have a love affair with guns and violence in our entertainment.  Every form of entertainment: from TV shows to movies to video games all showcase death and mayhem from weaponized violence.  These forms of entertainment are exported all over the world (yes, that means we are tutoring incipient radicalized jihadists in Syria).   

But that isn't the crazy part.

The crazy part is when we wince at the brutal violence that is brought to our cities with these mass shootings.  We hold vigils for peace and then go play Assassin's Creed?  That's crazy.  A culture becomes what it is fascinated with.  A culture of death and mayhem receives death and mayhem.

But that still isn't the craziest part.

The craziest part is that we have leaders who are trying to figure all of this out and are acting like kids.  Last week our leaders voted down four proposals (two from each political party) to try to reign in gun violence.  Are you kidding me?

Both political sides voted each other down?

Yes, I get it - one side wants to establish universal background checks that allow the government to deny dangerous citizens the right to purchase guns (like those who are identified as terrorists and are currently on a list of not being able to fly anywhere).  Seems reasonable.  Just vote on it already.

The other side wants to make sure that we don't mess with the Constitution that made sure to include wording that says the government cannot limit a citizens access to weapons. They feared that at some point the government could turn evil and impose its will on a people who are unable to defend themselves.  I get it.  That is important as well.

But the way we are dealing with this is crazy.  Our 'leaders' are currently shouting at each other.  This is really sad.  Listen, those who think differently than you are not morons - respect each other and work together.

Those who say the solution is simple are adding to the insanity.  It is not true Americans from either party want to sell guns to ISIS.  Yes, a politician said that.  Yes, that is crazy.  But we can't let organizations with financial interests in guns convince us doing nothing is an option.  That is equally as crazy.

But let's not kid ourselves.  "Why is God letting this happen?" is not a valid question.  We have breezed past the teachings of Jesus long ago.  This is not His fault, it's ours.  You become what you are fascinated with.  And as we seek to find a way out of this mess, I hope we have the smarts to see that we can get out of this mess if we become a little more interested in God's rhythm of life than our own fascination with death.

Resources that link entertainment and aggression:

1. Brad Bushman, Mario Gollwitzer, and Carlos Cruz, "There Is Broad Consensus: Media Researchers Agree That Violent Media Increase Aggression in Children, and Pediatricians and Parents Concur," Psychology of Popular Media Culture, July 2015
2. Jeff Grabmeier, "‘Broad Consensus’ That Violent Media Increase Child Aggression," news.osu.edu, Oct. 6, 2014
3. Paul J. Lynch et al., "The Effects of Violent Video Game Habits on Adolescent Aggressive Attitudes and Behaviors," Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Apr. 19-22, 2001
4. Dave Grossman, "Conditioning Kids to Kill," killology.com (accessed Sep. 16, 2015)
5. Corey Mead, "Shall We Play a Game?: The Rise of the Military-Entertainment Complex," salon.com, Sep. 19, 2013
6. Brandon Keim, "What Science Knows About Video Games and Violence," pbs.org, Feb. 28, 2013
7. Douglas A. Gentile, "The Multiple Dimensions of Video Game Effects," Child Development Perspectives, June 2011

The Orlando Shooting - we are the ones . . .

The Orlando Shooting.

There are so many things wrong in our culture that come from the Orlando shooting.  Gun violence.  Radicalized religious nutjobs.  Fear-based responses to violence.  Downplaying radical Muslim violence.  Politicking in the days that followed such tragic loss.  Hatred in any form.

And we all get on social media and push our myopic perspectives.  Here is the 'hard to hear' truth:  No gun ban, no law would have kept this guy from killing fifty people.  Violence is in the heart, not the hand.  Proposing that we ban all Muslims would do nothing either.  The guy was born and raised in America.  There are no walls that keep out hatred.

What we keep coming back to is violence.

Seriously people, how can we attend peace vigils and then throw on Walking Dead on Netflix and not see a problem?  Assassin's Creed.  Grand Theft.  How can we not see that we are creating a culture of great violence and indiscriminate bloodthirst?

I once sat with a Muslim in Africa at a cafe.  He began our conversation with the words, "the reason your culture has fallen is . . ."  He went on to describe the pornography that pours out of our country all over the world. He talked about the dissolution of our families.  The selfishness that we exude.  The violence that we export through our entertainment.

So you can ban guns.

You can ban Muslims.

But you will never touch the problem until we have leaders who see a need for a new set of morals and ethics.  We need cultural leaders that show us a new way to look at life and people and relationships.  We need a country that would wince at the violence portrayed in our homes and theaters and quickly turn it off.  As it is now we are our own worst enemies.  Violence has visited us because it comes from us.

Think about it.  Gruesome depictions of hatred and annihilation is our entertainment.

That is sick.

So enough with the bans of people and weapons.  Let's start a new culture of life.

going forward by looking back . . .

Sometimes it is helpful to go back to your roots to know the way forward.

Really back . . .

When Christianity was just a baby - the days following the resurrection - early Christians were known as followers of "The Way."  Well, that is, if you heard of it.  "The Way" was an obscure sect -  a peculiar splinter group from Judaism.  Most people just heard of Jewish people trying to stomp out this weird religious cult that had someone named Jesus as their founder.

Fast forward a few decades and Christianity had begun to spread - especially in city centers and among the poor and neglected.  It rejected mainstream Roman values and so Romans joined Jews is persecuting this growing sect of religious oddballs.  That persecution seemed to fan the small flames of the faith into a worldwide community of believers.

For the next few hundred years Christians would go through periods of intense persecution (apprehended by law enforcement, tied up, covered in tar and lit on fire for the Emperor's gardens).  

Until the fourth century, when a certain Emperor named Constantine came to power having a vision that tied him to the Christian faith.  He signed an edict that expanded religious freedoms and allowed Christians to practice their faith freely. 

It seemed like a blessing from God.

Some, however, call it the death of real Christianity.  Because the Emperor now aligned himself with this new faith, Christians came out of the closet.  The cross was now en vogue.  Hundreds of years of persecution had suddenly come to an end with the state endorsement of faith.  It was now impossible to tell who was a believer and who was using faith to their social or political advantage.

It got so bad that some people just took off for the desert.  Like moving to Canada - these were the first desert fathers - monks who had no stomach for fake faith.

And so where is your desert?  And what will it take for you to forsake the surface for the substance?  Would we do better to be persecuted?  And what does it all mean with what is about to happen in the next six months?

God help us.

Are we really making fun of LGBT people?

I shared this photo this morning . . .

Underneath was a link to the article by Daily Snark - "Tony Romo Arrested in North Carolina for Using the Men's Bathroom."  It was just too funny not to share.  I am a rabid Eagles fan - I bleed green.  As a result, the Cowboys will always be The Evil Empire.

So after posting it there were a couple of people that got offended.  By their comments, they seemed to indicate that we were making fun of transgendered people.

I wasn't.  I was making fun of the Cowboys by saying the quarterback wasn't a man.  It's a joke - I don't really believe he's not a man.   That is what jokes do - they overstate things.

America . . . please listen.  You need to relax.

I am using Romo as a proxy for my disgust of a team by saying he is more of a woman than a man.  This does not mean I have anything against women.  I married one - I think they are great!

The joke in comparing him to a woman is that football is a very masculine game (hitting and tackling).  In the majority of the cases, women have feminine traits (not hitting or tackling).  So it was like I was saying Romo is more feminine and therefore not a good football player.  I am sure there are some great woman football players - but the majority of them aren't.  Sorry, it's just the truth.  It doesn't mean women are any less - it just means they aren't as good at football than men (in like 95.2% of the cases).  

It kind of robs the humor of it when you have to explain it.

We can and should have a laugh at this.  Loosen the belt a little bit here folks.  The humor is not about LGBT people and it is not even about women.  It is not saying masculinity is superior.  It is only saying masculinity is a necessary ingredient for football (and Romo lacks it).  Ha!  And it really has nothing to do with gender anyhow.  

We might laugh at a similar headline: "Rosie O-Donnell arrested for trying to use the women's room in North Carolina."  She is a pretty masculine figure - it is the stereotype we are having fun with here in both instances.  It would be funny watching Rob Gronkowski (or Rosie O'Donnell for that matter) dancing Swan Lake - because the required feminine grace would be missing.

This says nothing about how femininity or grace are superior.  And no one is saying we should make anyone ashamed for struggling with identity or any issue for that matter.

So no one is targeting innocent LGBT kids.  The only way we are making things unsafe for anyone is being so quick to jump to offended status.  Laugh a little.  This is a very difficult time for our nation to figure out how to respectfully balance the needs of the LGBT community with the non-LGBT community.  Christians especially should not be quick to write off the deep needs of the LGBT community.  We all struggle with what it means to be human.  We all need grace.  I think we will figure this bathroom thing out eventually but it is probably going to take some time.

In the mean time, let's have a little fun at our own expense . . .

What in the world are Christians thinking?

The last few weeks have been very confusing for me.  I don't think I know who we are as a country anymore.  This is not about politics and political leaders - this is about people who want to follow Jesus - who are we really?

This is also about how people who are not-yet believers and how they are watching this whole spectacle.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I took my sons to a Trump rally to see what the carnival was all about.  Turns out there were a lot of American 'Christians' who were very shady and ready for a fight . . . with anyone.  I couldn't believe even old people were okay with the obscenities flying around.

It really hit me that the majority of the people in this crowd would identify as Christian.  Probably a good percentage would identify as "Evangelical."  They looked and talked nothing like Jesus.  

It was really weird.  My unbelieving friends would wonder what in the world Christians are doing supporting this guy.  Especially when the Bible says this about fools:  

- A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.  (Prov 18:2)
- Be not quick in your spirit to become angry for anger lodges in the bosom of fools. (Eccl 7:9)
- If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs and there is no quiet. (Prov 29:9)
- A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. (Prov 16:7)

Be honest - the description is fitting . . .

And I am not being unduly harsh.  These are his words:

"I like to do the right thing where I don’t actually have to ask for forgiveness. Does that make sense to you? You know, where you don’t make such bad things that you don’t have to ask for forgiveness. I mean, I’m trying to lead a life where I don’t have to ask God for forgiveness….Why do I have to repent? Why do I have to ask for forgiveness if you’re not making mistakes?"  Cited here.

Most of our presidents were not choir boys - I get it - but if we are going to vote for someone who clearly operates so far outside of our beliefs, then I have two questions:

* Are we really Christian?  (Technically America is 77% Christian)  Is that only in name? (Gallup)   Is this fall the great unmasking of "Christian" America?    

* If we really are Christian then how has our faith been so lowered to think that our only hope is to support the lesser of two evils?

That's a fools choice.  

A fool's choice is believing that there are only two options - both are bad - and so you opt for the one that is least damaging.  

Why is it foolish?  Because there are higher callings in life than expediency or pragmatism.  Life is bigger than politics.  God is bigger than election cycles.  Many believe the alternative to Trump is a compulsive liar.  Good chance that is true - but our faith needs to be bigger than two people who are far from where they should be.  Don't let your fear of the future compromise on what you know is true.

Perhaps the greatest exercise of our faith this November would be to stay true to what Jesus tells us is right rather than picking fools over liars.

A real life adventure at a Trump rally

Last week I took my boys and went to a Trump rally.

I just had to.

I really don't 'support' any of the candidates running for office.  I have often said I would vote for my wife and I am seriously thinking about it.  I went because I had to see the spectacle that is Trump.  What I got was an eyeful . . . and a lot of questions about who we are as a people.

First off - we have to remember that the Trump phenomenon is part of a larger global undertow that is taking place.  Friends of mine from Germany are wary of the charismatic leaders that are popping up attracting otherwise intelligent people to a way of looking at foreigners that is both overly simplistic and unhealthy.  Same thing is happening in France.  A couple of terror attacks in a few years does that to you.  In fact, all over Europe the threat of radicalized Islam is causing oversimplified and nationalistic personalities to seem very attractive.  And it is more than just Europe and America.  This semester I was teaching over twenty grad students from Uganda online and I heard the same complaints from them.

Low-brow humor and personal attacks.

Candidates saying the things we all wish we could say . . .

And apparently people are very taken with it:



This is what Trump rally looks like.  Well actually - this is what the line for the Trump rally looks like.  There were easily 10,000 people waiting to get in.  We never did.  Very poorly run.  He spoke to about 700 people and there were thousands outside who never got in because the security processing was so slow.

But we saw lots of this:



And really, that is the cleanest I can show you.  A lot of F-words printed on T-shirts and thrown around from the people hawking them.  Pictures of certain parts of the male anatomy and the idea that Donald Trump has the 'guts' to be president.  I was really shocked that the older people in the crowd were laughing at it all.  I explained to my kids that when I was a kid older adults told people like that to 'watch your mouth.'  But they just laughed along.

Honestly it was really sad to see people surrounded by a lot of filth and think that this is what we need to make our country great again.

Not to mention that a friend of mine almost got punched in the face inside the auditorium.

I didn't see racism and I didn't see bigotry - what I did see were a whole lot of people who are just fed up.  People wearing shirts with "We the People" and then underneath "are p-ed off."

Frustrated enough to exchange goodness and decency for swagger and anger.

As my mother says: "be careful what you wish for because you just might get it."