Christian president Nov 25, 2008
As a Christian, I don't think the president of the country should be a Christian (similar to this).  But at the same time, I don't think he should be a hardcore atheist.  If anything, I would hope the president would be politely neutral, and to otherwise generally stay out of my business.  My opinion on this has changed in recent years, solely because of the current president.  When people hate the president (as many do at the moment), they hate what he stands for.  And while it's difficult to separate a man from his beliefs, I don't think it's fair that Christianity gets a bad name because people disagree with a Christian's politics. #religion
Liquid names (2) Oct 21, 2008
I sometimes go to this semi-new-age church called Liquid.  I don't like the term new-age because it has a negative connotation.  But this church is new-age in that it has young pastors, loud music, flashing lights, and flat-screen TVs.  After choosing the name Liquid, they seem to have followed the pattern of naming everything after a property or type of liquid.  The middle school youth group is called Surge, and the high school one is called Flood.  If I was in charge, I would expand upon this naming convention for the following groups and churchy things: 
  • Ocean - Sunday church service
  • Pond - small groups
  • Squirt - nursery
  • Trickle - old people ministry
  • Splash - baptisms
  • Evaporation - worship (as in giving back to God)
  • Spit - answered prayer (as in God giving back to us)
  • Drip - tithes and offerings (as in adding to the ocean)
Other words that could fit the naming convention:  Sprinkle, spillover, wash, puddle, river, flow, spout, droplet, wave, tide, crest, ebb, and undertow.  I could do this all day. #religion
On the influence of politics over religion (1) Oct 13, 2008
Before I start, let me assert my belief in and adherence to (or at least attempted adherence to) the Christian faith.  I believe in the God who created the heavens and the earth, the Biblical account of God's work on earth, and the man Jesus Christ who was sacrificed for the forgiveness of the sins of anyone who believes in him, for the purpose of being granted access to the presence of God.  This is my faith.  It's what I believe.  Now to the topic at hand. 

First, I don't believe the government should have any say in any situation concerning religion or morality.  I don't believe that's the function of the government, and I was under the impression that that's actually one of the reasons the country was founded.  Freedom of religion is a major benefit to living in the U.S., and as such, it doesn't make sense to favor one religion over another or attempt to ingrain the tenets of one into the practices of the nation's people. 

Second, I don't feel that politicians are in any position to be moral authorities over anyone in any situation for any reason.  A casual observation of the national news will proclaim the fact that politicians are professional liars, disgusting slime who cheat, steal, murder, and then lie about all of the above.  If there's one thing you can learn from the news, it's that politicians are the absolute opposite of morality.  So to have politicians campaigning for laws regarding abortion, gay marriage, and any other hot button issue is just ridiculous. 

Lastly, the United States is no longer a Christian nation.  It's about time we face that fact.  The polls say the majority of Americans believe in the God of Christianity.  I'm sorry, but that's just not true.  Or at least if it is true, these people have a very superficial belief in this God, largely ignoring most of what His Bible says.  Regardless of this, it's just not accurate to say we are a Christian nation.  So to have fights and disagreements over the marking of currency and the inclusion of the Ten Commandments in the court system is just stupid.  Let the people decide. #religion
Pastors and beer Aug 11, 2008
I was at a rehearsal dinner for a wedding this past week, and during the meal the pastor had a beer or two.  In the past, I would've raised major objections to this behavior, partly because Christians + alcohol = gray area, but also because my beliefs tell me that pastors + alcohol = very bad.  I still believe that pastors should be careful about how much they drink and who they drink around.  But at the same time, I see the behavior as completely harmless.  My argument used to be that pastors need to set a good example, and it's not that no one should ever drink alcohol, it's that if people see a pastor drink, they feel like their actions are justified.  If he's doing it, I can do it.  But the more I think about that, the less I agree with it.  People will drink no matter who or what gives them justification.  People don't need a reason to drink.  So in reality, seeing a pastor have a beer or two brings him down to the level of the common person.  Everyone looks at a pastor and sees this unapproachably perfect person with a direct line to God.  Seeing him drink a beer makes him completely human, which he was in the first place. #religion
Church security (2) May 14, 2008
Churches these days have been adopting a new practice:  Employing, either for pay or volunteer, security people for a variety of reasons.  One of the churches I go to meets in a hotel, so their security people are mostly there to make sure the hotel guests don't steal any kids from the nursery.  It makes some sense, and it's less about physical enforcement and more about just being aware. 

But their other role, as I just learned from one of them last night, is literally to protect the pastors.  This is weird.  The reason is because there are a lot of crazy people out there, and if a crazy person has something against a particular church, they're likely to go directly for the pastor.  This probably has at least something to do with the fact that this church meets in a hotel.  But it's also because of the recent church shootings in Colorado, where a guy went into two churches and just starting shooting people, finally being brought down by none other than a volunteer church security person with a gun. 

The security people at my church don't carry guns, but they do wear ear pieces like they're in the Secret Service.  And while all the other church volunteers wear happy blue t-shirts, the security people wear black ones.  My security friend said he probably wouldn't be willing to take a bullet for one of the pastors (at least he's honest), but any confrontation would probably be squelched pretty quickly by the presence of several men in black shirts wearing ear pieces. 

One of my new favorite websites, Stuff Christians Like, recently wrote about this. #religion
Religious freaks May 2, 2008
Thanks to all the religious freaks over the years, the world's collective view of religion has changed for the worst.  A few examples: 
Thanks to all the televangelists of the 80s and 90s who scammed people out of money and/or got caught in extramarital affairs, no televangelist, evangelist, or religious person asking for money can ever be trusted again.  Thanks, public moral failures. 

Thanks to all the pedophilic Catholic priests, no priest, single man in a leadership position, or adult in charge of children can ever be trusted again.  Thanks, pedophiles. 

Thanks to all the Islamic terrorists, no Muslim, mosque, man in a turban, or woman in a burqa can ever be trusted again.  Thanks, suicide bombers. 

Thanks to all the cults who wrongly predicted the end of the world, created some sort of ridiculous fantasy about eternal life on a comet or pre-mortal existence as aliens, or murdered or otherwise convinced its followers to kill themselves, no "unorthodox" religious group can ever be trusted again.  Thanks, delusional schizophrenics. 

Thanks to all the Christian fundamentalists who battle constantly against abortion, stem cells, evolution, gay people, and separation of church and state, all practicing Christians are mislabeled as fundamentalists.  Thanks, fundies.
I look at these examples as the reasons why people don't trust religion and look negatively at people who do.  But at the same time, I'm guilty of doing a few things that have driven people away.  Hopefully people who are truly interested in Christianity can get past all the reasons to stay away from it. #religion
Church walkout (4) Apr 2, 2008
Sometimes I sit in church and pay careful attention to what the pastor is saying, not so I can learn from him and become a better Christian, but so I can catch him saying something anti-Biblical or otherwise cult-ish, at which point I would violently arise from my seat to the gasps of those nearby and shout, "That man's a liar and a thief," then triumphantly march out the door, likely to be followed by the many people who noticed the same anti-Biblical or otherwise cult-ish aspect of the sermon and were fearfully yet patiently waiting and hoping for someone to stand up and walk out.  It hasn't happened yet. #religion
Capybara during lent (7) Mar 21, 2008
I don't really know what lent is because it's a Catholic tradition and I'm a Christian.  But it sounds like it's a time when you stop doing something you don't normally do anyway for the purpose of adhering to a dead, meaningless tradition.  That's what I've gathered from the many Catholics I've talked to. 

One of the other fun things about lent is not eating meat on Fridays and instead eating fish, which is the farthest thing from a meat before you start getting into the tofus and eggplant-based food products.  In the 16th century, Europeans exploring Central and South America submitted a petition to the Catholic Church to classify the capybara as a fish since it spent much of its time in the water.  Capybaras are the world's largest rodent, weighing in at over 100 lbs, and their meat resembles that of chicken and pork.  The Catholic Church, in their infinite God-absent wisdom, obliged the request, and the practice of eating capybara during lent continues to this day. 

For the record, I believe the Bible and have faith in God, but my God would never allow a rodent to be called a fish.  Never! #religion
Bible study resources online (4) Feb 6, 2008
I have one thing to say about Bible study resources online:  They're extremely lacking.  I think this is the only thing the internet lacks.  I previously found the internet to be no good for math and engineering, but things changed over time.  I'm hoping the same change will happen for Bible study resources.  All I'm looking for are simple, free, small group Bible studies for adults.  I realize they're available in Christian bookstores, but sometimes I don't have time to go to a Christian bookstore, and sometimes I don't feel like buying an entire book just for a one-time standalone study.  In my many [many, many] hours of internet travels, I've found a total of two websites that have even remotely useful stuff:  GodSquad and the Christian Arsenal.  Everything else either costs money or is so incredibly poor in quality and topic that it's useless as a legitimate tool to lead a Bible study.  I'd really like to see the internet pick up in this area. #religion
Worship leader hero fantasy (1) Jan 23, 2008
This is gonna sound really stupid.  With that in mind, I'll publish it for the entire world to read.  That's why I'm smart. 

I've been a "worship leader" since I was forced into it as a sophomore in college.  It's a simple-sounding task:  Play a musical instrument and lead a group of people in singing Christian songs for the purpose of "making a joyful noise to the Lord" (Psalm 100:2).  I play guitar, which has become the de facto instrument for leading small groups of people in this endeavor.  I was "forced" into it because it was never something I set out to do.  I was perfectly happy being the second-in-charge guy and helping out where I could.  But the main guy left, and I was the only person with the skillset required to perform the task. 

This probably sounds really stupid.  Perhaps it would help to know a little more about me.  I have an extreme fear of human beings, especially talking to them or standing in front of them.  As a guitar player, I'm impossibly shy for altogether unknown reasons.  And the icing on the cake is that I'm not, nor have I ever been, a singer.  So adding everything together, it's kind of like putting a cat in a cage with dogs, telling it to clean itself, and forcing it to speak German.  Or if that analogy doesn't work for you, it's kind of like putting a shy person in front of a group of people and asking him to play guitar and sing.  Yeah, kinda like that. 

Needless to say, I stepped up to the plate and performed my duty, and I think it went pretty well.  As minimal as it sounds, I count it as one of the crowning achievements of my life, not only for the psychological feat of overcoming fear, but also because it's something I've willingly volunteered to do several times since.  I've even grown to like it, though I still don't claim to be a good singer.  God gives points for trying. 

Now onto my main point.  Sometimes I sit around at church during the worship time, mostly when I'm visiting someone else's church (and where no one knows me), and I envision a scenario where the worship leader steps up to the mic and says, "Sorry, folks.  I can't play this song.  I don't remember how it goes, and my hand is all cramped up from the previous song.  We'll have to skip the rest of the worship service ... unless ... unless there's someone out there ... who knows how to play guitar, and who can play this song." 

I call this my worship leader hero fantasy, and it's something I've thought about on more than one occasion, though I've never told anyone.  I can picture myself sheepishly raising my hand, stepping out of my seat as a spotlight focuses on me and the entire room practically explodes with silence.  "I could give it a try," are my words, knowing full well that not only is this one of the songs I know, it's one of the songs I know well.  I go on stage, play the song, make it great, and save the day. 

I realize there's a major moral conflict between "serving God by leading worship" and "saving the day by being a worship leader hero", but that doesn't stop those thoughts from coming to mind during church. #religion