tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63467175865540410782024-02-08T00:40:07.623-05:00Keep Your Eyes On the PrizeChristian perspectives and discussions on the need for and current lack of social justice as well as other contemporary cultural issues that the Church at large has avoided for far too long...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-55114273656904925212016-01-26T00:09:00.000-05:002016-01-26T00:09:03.560-05:00Using Fiction to Address Real World Issues<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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by: <a href="http://www.justiceandmercy.net/p/authors.html">Katie</a></div>
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So, I wrote a book. It wasn't terribly long or even terribly clever or original. I wasn't trying to make a statement about social issues, and I didn't even have a plot figured out when I sat down and wrote it. It just came up out of things I'd experienced and issues that were milling around inside my head. What I find intriguing about this is that the finished product did speak to current issues. It did address things that are happening in the real world, and it gave readers who may otherwise never be in that position, a chance to consider how they would respond to it.</div>
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These thoughts prompted me to consider the role of fiction in shaping a culture's values and passions. A culture that reads about certain issues seems more likely to take those particular issues to heart and fight boldly and courageously for them. On the surface it may seem like a silly idea to try to produce change through writing stories about it. But on a second glance, it seems entirely possible to open society's mind to problems that run so deep within the system that mainstream America can't see it.</div>
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So, writing a small book isn't going to save the world, but using whatever influence I have as one voice to open the conversation where it has always been closed in the past, that seems like something worth doing. It may not be read or discussed by that many people, but it just might. You never know.</div>
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The book in question was written after spending a couple years working in our local Public Defender's office which has its office in the courthouse. I got to see and experience a lot of daily scenarios that happen around the nation out of earshot of the general public who doesn't spend its days in the courthouse. I have tried to start processing how this has effected my worldview and hope to continue working through ideas and concepts as the series continues.</div>
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Thankfully, I don't feel that the office I worked in was like the one in the book, but those forces were at work in other areas. The conflict of ideals and cynicism was real and continues. Do we continue to care about people we can't trust or do we just throw up our hands and write off an entire subset of the population as a lost cause? Do we bother to investigate the facts or do we assume the worst and leave vulnerable people in the hands of a callous system? These are questions that hit when you are delving into people's lives, and they seem especially relevant in the current debates that are happening in public this election cycle in particular.</div>
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I don't feel like I have all the answers, or even most of them. I hope getting a fictional environment in which to wander for a bit is helpful for readers as it has been helpful for me. For those of you who are interested, the book can be found on Amazon both in paperback and Kindle formats <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Public-Pretenders-Kate-Gibson-ebook/dp/B01B0CPQF0/ref=la_B01B0XTN5I_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453782085&sr=1-2" target="_blank">here</a>. Enjoy!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-44102434797726063732015-09-19T05:32:00.000-04:002015-09-19T05:32:13.312-04:00Cheap Repentance Isn't Repentance<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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by: <a href="http://www.justiceandmercy.net/p/authors.html">Katie</a></div>
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There's a lot of talk these past few years of repentance and forgiveness, particularly as it concerns high profile Christian leaders such as Josh Duggar and Tulian Tchividian, but also relating back as far as Bill Gothard, the Bob Jones GRACE Report, Jim Berg, R. C. Sproul, Sovereign Grace, and many other delicate situations of the past few years. It's become nearly formulaic in the pattern that these situations follow. Pretty much anyone who has followed enough of them could predict how the next one will turn out. Deny. Exposed. "Repent" in public. Damage control. Lie low. Move onto new ministry/job. Wait two years. Deny.<br />
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Sadly, while many of these situations vary in their specifics, the general response to each remains pretty much the same. No matter what is revealed a large majority of people consider any apology sufficient (even when it blames the victim or is full of conditional statements). They don't take into account the fact that the apology only came once the crimes/sins were exposed by someone else. They don't take into account the fact that they are focusing all their energies and compassion on the perpetrator rather than the victim(s). They want to move on as quickly as possible and simultaneously pretend it's not happening. But there's a lot we could say about how people respond to public apologies. What I find most troubling in this trend is throwing around Christianese buzzwords like "repentance" and "forgiveness" without actually seeing any reality behind it.<br />
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For example, I see a lot of people claim they've repented and demand everyone else's forgiveness. However, their claims are not backed up by any action, and they just use those words to marginalize the true victims of their actions. A half-hearted "I'm sorry if you felt that I might have hurt you..." is a sign of someone refusing to take responsibility, not a sign of true repentance. It's sad to see so many people today who demand we grant "forgiveness" (i.e. stop holding these people and institutions accountable for their actions) because of what they view as repentance, but is this really repentance? <u> Here are a few tips for spotting cheap repentance after a scandal breaks:</u><br />
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<i>1. Perpetrator's "apology" references his pain and how the situation affects him more than anyone else.</i><br />
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<i>2. The perpetrator categorically denies any wrongdoing until it is revealed by someone else and there is no choice.</i><br />
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<i>3. Public apology is full of conditional modifiers (such as: I'm sorry if you felt I did something wrong) rather than actually apologizing for real wrongdoing.</i><br />
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<i>4. Apology blames the victims and makes the perpetrator a victim of circumstances.</i><br />
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<i>5. Perpetrator and supporters try to quiet victims and dissenters from being honest about past issues by playing the "bitterness" card.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><u>Genuine Repentance</u></b></span><br />
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I could list more, but I think it's more productive in the long run to try to describe what genuine repentance should look like rather than give examples of all the people featuring cheap repentance right now.<br />
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<u><b>Genuine repentance grieves for the victims more than the loss of reputation or position. </b></u> This looks like a pastor who is more heartbroken over the pain and hurt he has caused his victims, his God, and his family and church than he is about holding on to his pulpit or reputation. It should not require someone else to break the news to the church. Someone who is truly repentant will confess instead of trying to cover it up and get away with it<br />
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<b><u>True repentance acknowledges personal responsibility without making the entire situation about himself.</u></b> It is important to take responsibility for your actions, but it does not mean that every statement and every sentence needs to center on you, your actions, and your feelings. Not every situation is about you. This makes me continue to wonder about ministries where the first response is always self-preservation rather than concern for the victims.<br />
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<b><u>Real repentance works toward restoration. </u></b> This can be tricky, because it looks so different to different people. This does not always mean a restored relationship, especially in cases of abuse. Sometimes transparency is the best you can achieve in those cases. However, on a very general level, you could say that for an institution that has hurt entire generations of students, it will take a lot more effort and public transparency than for one person who has injured one other person in private. This is more than just words. Saying you want reconciliation is not enough, you need to actually put action to that desire. If they are wounded from your actions, you should be the first to support their process of healing. Sadly, we are seeing the opposite for many Christians who have been devastated by leaders or institutions or churches. Once they are wounded they are outcasts, troublemakers, lepers. Whatever it takes to preserve the group mentality. That group or leader is the last one to support their recovery, but true repentance demands that we support the recovery of victims.<br />
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This might seem basic, but from the way things are going I will say it anyway. <b><u>True repentance stops hurting people.</u></b> This should be self-evident, but apparently it's not to everyone. When you realize you're hurting people, you should stop. <i><u>How do you know if you're hurting people? One simple way is when multiple people come to you with no apparent ulterior motive and tell you that you are or that you have in the past.</u></i> If you don't stop, we are not going to believe you have legitimately repented. We will quite simply not take anything you say seriously again. <br />
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There's a lot more to say about this. It seems like there always is. But perhaps you can pause for a moment and see why sometimes just issuing a public "apology" isn't actual proof of repentance, it's just proof that you got caught. It is not fair to demand blanket forgiveness from victims and at the same time shield their perpetrators from accountability. <br />
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Cheap repentance is not repentance, and too often cheap repentance is all we're being offered. Let's stop bartering in cheap repentance. Let's stop accepting that as proof of a changed life and start holding leaders, institutions, churches, and ourselves accountable for actions. It's time someone did. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-22338161615672377022015-09-11T08:12:00.000-04:002015-09-11T16:26:50.510-04:00The dangers of legalism: my story of shame in the IFBC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">by: <a href="http://www.justiceandmercy.net/p/authors.html">Nicole</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My church didn’t intentionally try to hurt me. I look back now and know that, although I questioned it many times growing up. It was a legit gospel preaching, revival hosting, evangelistic church with a full list of what gospel-living looked like for its members. Modest dress, conservative music, and prohibition were prominently on that list. Along with strong condemnation against extra-marital affairs, remarriage, and God-forbid divorce. Those were the three unmentionable sins. Homosexuality hadn’t been invented yet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I remember clearly a time where my family was at the
pinnacle of church approval. My dad led the teen group, was a deacon, and every
Sunday led the worship service and directed the choir. My mom was the perfect
stay-at-home mother of three, then four sparkling children and managed to teach
Sunday School and sing in the choir. I remember feeling so proud of our family
every Sunday. We were highlighted by my parents’ obvious presence doing for the
good of our church. I was bathed in love and acceptance. It was the happiest
time of our lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But after my parents’ marriage fell apart and we were living
in a different state, but going to a similar church all shame broke loose on my
family. Not the embarrassed-because-I-didn’t-sing-the-right-words-to-the-song
kind of shame, but<b> the shame that still follows me with anxiety and nausea
around churches.</b> The shame I can’t seem to let go of.<i> What if they find out who
I really am? Who my family is? </i>That kind of shame.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The gist of our family’s story is that my dad slowly
abandoned my family over a period of years and left the faith. But in doing so,
he left behind a wife and four children devastated by his choices. I wish I
could say that our church family sheltered us during that time. That they loved
on us and poured their hearts into us. That they affirmed that what my dad did
was wrong, but that his decisions didn’t make us a less valuable part of the
church. But they didn’t. At least not from my perspective.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The message from the pulpit, but even more importantly from
the people was that my family didn’t belong unless we could play the part.</b> Sin
was denounced and no one in the congregation spoke up about the sin in their
families; fear of disclosure silenced everyone. The only stories of similar sin
I heard about were the whispered conversations of gossip. Godly people didn’t
come from messed up families. If they did, they learned to hide it. I certainly
learned to hide. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shaming came in two categories: Direct and Indirect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Direct shame was obvious. My mom was no longer the woman
that other women wanted to get advice from or build a relationship with. She
was <i>that</i> woman. We weren’t invited
into social spheres any more. We could come to church, but no one wanted to
actually associate themselves with us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Indirectly we were shamed by well-intentioned caring people.
I remember many people coming up to me as a little girl and asking me if I
missed my daddy. A fair question, but not an empathetic one. Of course I missed
him. <b>But their concern was still wrapped around a carefully constructed list of
“Do” that my family by its very nature could not uphold.</b> They didn’t offer me
grace. They gawked at me like I was an exotic exhibit. Their family didn’t go
through that kind of pain. Their family was sin-free. No one told their
stories. I know now that they had them buried in closets, but in our legalistic
church there was no room for honest transparency and admitting brokenness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>So we grieved. Alone. In silence. With great shame and no
help. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In sharing my story I do not want to bring vengeance against
the system I grew up under. Rather I want to share to warn against the deceitful trappings of
legalism.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> And I want to note
that over the years that particular church morphed and changed with different
pastors and different perspectives. The problem wasn’t with our church
necessarily, or with any group of people within our church. <b>The problem was and
still is the legalism that has plagued believers since the beginning of the
church. </b></span></div>
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<a href="http://garyrunn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/legalism-is-a-dead-end2-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://garyrunn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/legalism-is-a-dead-end2-300x225.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Legalism places a list of man-made rules on top of
Scripture. At its best it calls them “standards” and doesn’t require others to
live by that same list. But even then, <b>legalistic churches applaud those with
the highest standards:</b> <i>“We waited until marriage to kiss!” “We only listen to
Christian music where both the words and the music are not secular.” “We are
always in church every week for every service.”</i> Standards are a matter of the
heart, that’s for sure, and I have some myself, we all do. But a church that
applauds the highest standards is in essence saying: “The highest standards are the most godly
standards” and “God loves those who live by the most rigid rules the most.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Legalism then uses shame as its key tool in controlling its adherents.</b> Legalism says that it will withhold respect, compassion, and
understanding from those that disagree with its list whether in philosophy or
practice. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For my family this is where it got particularly difficult. We kept
all the rules, except the significant ones my dad broke. I mean we were all
there (except my dad) at EVERY service, we wore the correct dress code at all
times, my mom was involved in multiple church ministries, we only listened to
approved music, and I memorized all my AWANA verses. But we didn’t make the cut
because there was obviously a problem in our home when my dad never showed up
at church. And I felt that if the church knew all that went on behind our
closed doors—oh goodness—no one would have talked to us again. My dad wasn’t
breaking some odd church rules; he was clearly breaking God’s law, and there
was no way to redeem that, not even by keeping all the rules of the church. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Fundamentally, legalism says that God’s grace isn’t enough</b>.
Once saved you must <i>do </i>something to earn God’s favor. Paul spoke out so
adamantly about legalism throughout the New Testament because <b>it makes less of
Jesus.</b> His death is insufficient—for the approval of the church and God—rules
must be followed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What happened to being justified (declared righteous) before
God because of Jesus dying in our place, not because of any work that we have
done or will ever do?! All a believer has to stand on is Jesus’ death and
resurrection.<b> My works—no matter how good, even in keeping the law of God,
cannot save, nor do they earn me “brownie points.</b>” Paul says it best: “Did you
receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so
foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”
(Gal. 3:2/ Rom 3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What does grace practically change? When I am around
believers who understand that it’s not their works that save them, nor is it
their effort that perfects them, I have the freedom to be a sinner saved by
grace. I have the freedom to express the deep pain I went through as a little
girl. I have the freedom to rejoice in God’s saving work. And I have the
freedom to reach out towards whoever enters my life: the LGBT community, the
divorced/remarried family, the liar, the orphan, the sexual abuser, the drunk
because I can say as Paul did: <b>And such was I, but I have been washed, I have
been sanctified, I have been justified. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Within the bounds of grace<b> I am and
forever will be on equal footing <i>with them</i></b>.
I am a sinner saved by grace! I am a sinner. And by none of my own working, I
am a redeemed child of God. </span></div>
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Outside the Gatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395544483170241655noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-44919561697856027572015-08-16T03:38:00.000-04:002015-08-16T13:40:43.845-04:00Dear (Independent Fundamental Baptist) Parents of My Peers,<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I would like to start by saying thank you. Thank you
for your dedication to and love for your children. Thank you for wanting to
keep us safe, and for striving to ensure that we grow into thriving adults who
love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and minds. Thank you for investing
untold hours into teaching God’s Word to us, and for telling us, over and over
and over, that the Bible is God’s mind revealed to us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But in light of the way you have invested in our
spiritual health, and in response to the negative reactions I am seeing from many
parents as my peers and I seek to take our places as adults in our churches, in
our communities, and in our own homes, I want you to know that your words haven’t
fallen on deaf ears. And I want to implore you not to write us off when we live
the values you have taught us and the results look different than you expected.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiZvgBOvBsjG-JXN-0C5TSOCsV36spq8Md5n0eD3VfZElHUIUDIqJSPUfXXjPu2S7T2JNmi7-mdL4Cbxli7Q5zG2GRA9GpDMrsdSvaF3-RUg5fbEcEEeR5vY80a2VWLBKZSZ6tX3CnCTv/s1600/family-going-to-church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiZvgBOvBsjG-JXN-0C5TSOCsV36spq8Md5n0eD3VfZElHUIUDIqJSPUfXXjPu2S7T2JNmi7-mdL4Cbxli7Q5zG2GRA9GpDMrsdSvaF3-RUg5fbEcEEeR5vY80a2VWLBKZSZ6tX3CnCTv/s320/family-going-to-church.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">All of our lives, you have taught us that God’s Word
is the only authority concerning how we live our faith. You have told us to
interpret scripture using scripture. So please don’t be surprised or offended
when we want to know where, exactly, in scripture a standard or practice or
tradition comes from. If you can’t show us that concept in God’s Word, without
referencing a preacher or writer or historian, don’t be surprised when we
reject that concept. We’re not being rebellious: we’re doing our best to follow
God’s Word. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As young children, most of us memorized 1 Timothy 4:12
– “Let no man despise thy youth.” “Nobody is too young to walk with Jesus,” you told us. Forgive us for believing this: for not looking down on ourselves as lesser
church citizens, but boldly stepping up and interacting, asking for real
involvement in church ministries, wanting to discuss real, solid theology with
our pastors and anyone else who cares to enter the conversation. And please don’t
be upset that we want this verse to apply to you, too. Please don’t discount
our perspectives simply because we are younger. The same Holy Spirit that Jesus
sent to comfort you comforts and guides us, too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Another verse you made us learn was 1 Samuel 16:7. “People
look at the outside,” you told us, “but God cares about what really matters: he
looks at the heart.” So why are you baffled when we take this teaching at face
value? Why are you surprised when we seek to focus on what God focuses on,
rather than getting wrapped up in appearances? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You told us that God’s Word has “all the answers.” So why
are you upset when we want to ask “all the questions?” You told us that nobody
is grandfathered in to God’s kingdom: everyone who comes to him comes alone,
and must personally choose to follow him. So why are you saddened when we don’t
want to just take your word for things – we want to study them out ourselves? We
want to know why we do what we do, and know that our reasons are biblical, and
only biblical. We don’t want to do what we do because “grandad did it this way.”
As much as we may love and respect grandad, and as confident as we may be that
grandad walks with Jesus, our calling as Christians isn’t to follow grandad:
our calling is to follow Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Throughout our lives, we have been inspired and
challenged repeatedly by your faith in God. We’ve seen you walk through
difficult situations with peace in your heart because you believe the words of Jesus
as recorded in Matthew chapter six, when he assured his disciples that they
didn’t need to worry: their heavenly Father will never stop taking care of
them. So we are surprised by the way you are stressing out right now, panicking
over our life choices and trying to deduce where you “went wrong” in raising
us. Do you trust your heavenly Father to protect and shepherd us? When you made
us memorize Philippians 1:6, did you truly believe what it says: that God who
began the work in our hearts will be faithful to complete it? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We know
that a lot of your discomfort with our choices is based on preaching you have
heard for years and years in your church circles. You have heard that any deviance from the lifestyles you have been taught stems from rebellion and/or deception and will lead, ultimately, to a rejection
of the foundations of the gospel. We want you to realize that this dichotomy is
inaccurate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The fact that our lives don’t look just like yours
doesn’t mean we will turn our backs on God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If we wanted to leave the church, we would have left
the church. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">(And, like it or not, you will leave the church <i>to</i> us. Your generation won't live forever. God's work will continue, even when you are gone. He has given that promise.) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We don’t want to walk away from Jesus. We want to
truly walk with him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And we want you to walk with us in this process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So please, don’t write us off. Don’t shut us out. Don’t
tell us to just trust you because you “know better” than we do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trust the God whom you taught us to trust, and be
willing to open your eyes and see in our lives the biblical principles we are
seeking to follow. Listen when we speak. Welcome our questions, instead of
feeling threatened by them. Please, seek God with us; we all have a lot of growing left
to do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sincerely,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A Fellow Child of God </span></div>
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Janice Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05220146693548566627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-70574226164760844682015-07-11T11:01:00.002-04:002015-07-11T16:17:03.909-04:00Obedience and Blessing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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by: <a href="http://www.justiceandmercy.net/p/authors.html">Emj</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQv_dkRyPRSV6SUad8Wykgs27relQVS53A6wl1VV2tX6rABOXXqW7oX_VlH_RD1LkvptcEOriDGCR4yUGcFasOPU1fKzWGkuRRjeAk9AcK4DdIVIa2FF-G_7R6E2R7p0J6zl_tvZoygw/s1600/e3d47e4b-c12e-42f5-8a32-28af04843c5b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQv_dkRyPRSV6SUad8Wykgs27relQVS53A6wl1VV2tX6rABOXXqW7oX_VlH_RD1LkvptcEOriDGCR4yUGcFasOPU1fKzWGkuRRjeAk9AcK4DdIVIa2FF-G_7R6E2R7p0J6zl_tvZoygw/s640/e3d47e4b-c12e-42f5-8a32-28af04843c5b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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"<i>Repeat after me...Obedience brings blessing, disobedience brings conflict</i>."</div>
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The auditorium swelled with the voices of hundreds of teens blending the mantra into a single identity.</div>
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"<i>Obedience brings blessing, disobedience brings conflict</i>."</div>
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I wish I could have recognized how reductionist it was. I wish I had realized how simplistic. How half-true. How old covenant.</div>
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I did not. Instead, I did what the camp speaker had wanted. I internalized it. Wrapped my identity in it. Found evidence for it. Viewed every situation through the lens of this dichotomy. And God, who is rich in mercy and who loved me so much, did not allow me to go for very long this way. He didn't speak to me in a dream or give me a vision. He would burn away the lies in the fires of experience.</div>
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It was a fall evening. I was a new high schooler, and somehow my family had fallen into friendships with a group of families in our church which had jumped on the "I kissed dating goodbye" wagon. Having dealt more with the taunts of boys because of my weight than any seduction for their lust, I wasn't necessarily interested in the debate. But I had found what my community considered the "right" view of dating, and that was enough for me. So I sat with a group of junior high and high school girls. We were all appropriately dressed. The meal had been homemade. The movie had been capturing our attention the whole time (motivated by the pending conversation afterwards.)</div>
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Plot: Girl and father live alone due to the tragic death of her mother years ago. The girl is gorgeous (of course) and painfully (oh, sorry, I meant beautifully) innocent. And most importantly, she's never kissed a boy. The guys at school find out about this and place bets on who could get her to kiss him first. The girl doesn't know this and when one of the boys asks her out, her dad says "No, darling, you can't go out with that boy. I'm protecting your purity." In a rare moment of rebellion, she sneaks out of the house and goes to the basketball game with him anyway. As he walks her home, he tries to kiss her. And she makes like Joseph and flees the scene. She tells her dad. She cries in repentance realizing that she almost lost something she could never get back. But she learns her lesson and never ever does anything like that again. She knows she was in danger and is so glad that her father kept her safe. She never talks to a boy again. Until the day she graduates from high school. A very handsome boy notices her and they start hanging out. Then they get married, because he was "God's Best" for her. The end.</div>
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Moral: Disobedience brings conflict. Obedience brings blessing.</div>
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God rewards people who save their first kiss. God rewards purity with a hot husband and a happy marriage. You saved yourself. You deserve a husband. Those <i>other</i> people...of course their marriages are unhappy and <i>their</i> divorce rate is high and <i>their</i> lives are a mess. They were <i>disobedient</i>! And all good Christians know that disobedience brings conflict!</div>
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Were we so graceless as that? Yes, we were. I was anyway. Has the Church so deeply buried the gospel in favor of this man-centered pharisee-ism? Some of it.</div>
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It is true that people are more careful with their theology than their words? At least I hope so.</div>
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Does God bless us? Oh yes. Does it have anything to do with us? Nope. It has everything to do with His immense Grace. Why do I know this?</div>
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Because contrary to the testimony of people who messed up and were blessed with good marriages anyway, I have a different story. I "did everything right" and ended up breaking off my engagement. This mentality absolutely backfired on me. The pride I had built into my life because of my rule keeping was an intense evidence that I didn't love God. Instead, I was incensed when God "took away my fiancee" because to a large extent, I felt that I "deserved" a relationship. I had waited. I was pure. I was "serving God." And yet, He is not a God who makes bargains with mere humans. </div>
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I wish at least that they had said, "Your superficial obedience will bring the blessing of God's breaking you until there is nothing left. Then you will long for nothing but Him. It will be a horrific and painful process. And it will happen again and again. And you'll not enjoy it, but you'll enjoy Him." </div>
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Why did they paint the picture of blessing as if it was:</div>
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"A ridiculously fun college experience resulting in a degree, a husband, a happy life of serving God in some prosperous ministry on the mission field with lots of happy, healthy, children who also go on to serve God...as long as you constantly wear a skirt and refrain from swearing, alcohol, and tattoos throughout the whole experience."</div>
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Because the mantra that I learned at camp that summer and would repeat in my head like a broken record for months afterwards, doesn't give the whole picture. It doesn't speak of grace. It doesn't know the gospel. It is, in fact, old covenant living. Anti gospel preaching.</div>
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The truth is that obedience very often brings suffering. And disobedience very often brings relief. But this isn't the truest thing. But when my world fell apart, I wished someone had told me that. Or maybe someone did but my ears were so full of fundamentalist anti-grace sub-gospel preaching that I didn't have a category for grace.</div>
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What is truer than the mantra?<br />
Jesus' obedience brings blessing, even to disobedient me. </div>
E. Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07822144786202103722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-48674560383635383322015-06-26T16:07:00.003-04:002015-06-26T16:07:51.156-04:00Christianity and the Supreme Court Ruling on Marriage Equality<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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by: <a href="http://www.justiceandmercy.net/p/authors.html">Katie</a></div>
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So, it finally happened. The decision that has been a long time coming, and to anyone watching the trajectory of courts across America wasn't that much of a surprise, is finally here. <b>The Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is legal across the land and individual states cannot ban it or refuse to recognize those marriage ceremonies conducted in other states. </b> If you've been outside the Supreme Court building or anywhere on social media today it's impossible to miss the outpouring of celebration and relief pouring out of people's spirits. Signs and banners are being waved, people are hugging and kissing each other. Jubilation fills the air. However, if you're on the conservative right, it is more the sense of apocalyptic doom and gloom that fills the air. While gleeful protesters dance in the streets and happily plan parades and change their profile pictures to have rainbow overtones, Christians and conservatives around the country are quietly stating that the ruling was wrong and the end is nigh. Depending on what branch of the spectrum you fall under, you may not be doing so quietly, you may be at this very moment calling your senator and five of his closest friends. If so, I suppose that is your choice.</div>
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<i>Personally, I fall somewhere between these two camps--into the quiet, calm state of relief.</i> I do not begrudge the large legal victory that was handed down today, and I congratulate the victors on the legal protections they now may enjoy without fear of continual recriminations, but I also do not fall into the category of wildly celebrating this as a win. You see, I actually believe homosexuality is wrong. But wait, before all those nasty words that just started piling up in your head start coming out of your mouth or out of your keyboard, please just hear me out. :) I don't think you'll be disappointed...at least not too much.</div>
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I find myself in the odd position of wishing I could celebrate today. I see so many people who are overjoyed at so hard-fought a victory after so many years of facing true, hateful bigotry, and as any person who appreciates love more than hate and kindness and compassion more than prejudice and bigotry, I wish I could celebrate that victory with them outloud. I wish I could, but I am given pause, because I believe the Bible to teach that homosexual activity is a sin. However, I also believe that having sex with someone you've never married is a sin. I also believe that drinking to the point of intoxication (not simply drinking at all) is a sin. I also believe that adultery, materialism, gluttony, selfishness, idolatry, or anything else the Bible condemns is very simply a sin. Here's the thing though, as far as I know, no state has a law against gluttony or materialism or selfishness, and the culture thrives on those concepts to make businesses (often even "Christian" businesses) run successfully. No one that I am aware of is running a campaign to make having sex outside of marriage illegal in the U.S. So, why is homosexuality such a special sin that we have made it the focal point of a cultural warfare? Good question.</div>
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I think it comes down to the fact that Christians are largely insecure in a world where their cultural Christianity is not the dominant way of life anymore (even though Christianity was never designed to be the dominant culture or a "culture" period). This fighting and crusading against "the gay agenda" is not defending the Bible, because the Bible's definition of marriage will stand no matter how marriage is legally defined, and I don't think marriage equality advocates have really been trying to make their argument from the Bible. The Bible doesn't need my defense; it's going to continue to stand regardless. What may fall away is my dominant place in society as having the mainstream view, and that's perfectly fine with me. My faith was meant to transcend culture not takeover it. What bothers me about the way Christians in general have conducted themselves in this cultural warfare is that they have made "homosexuality" worse than unbelief in Jesus Christ. Really that's inexcusable. For many people fighting this fight, it has nothing to do with "defending the Bible" and everything to do with defending their own comfortable way of life.</div>
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So, why am I "relieved" with this ruling even though I believe homosexuality is wrong? I am hopeful that to some extent we can move beyond this round of our "cultural fistfight" and get back to what we are supposed to be most concerned with in the first place, which is the Gospel. It is little wonder that people questioning their sexuality and struggling with same-sex attraction issues have fled the church in recent years. When sides are drawn, where is the Gospel in that? Where is the understanding and compassion that are supposed to characterize Jesus' approach to sinners of all varieties? </div>
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I don't know what our cultural outlook will be 10 or 15 years from now, but I hope that we are focused solidly on sharing Christ's love with everyone again, because the same-sex couple who is now legally married and claims no faith in Christ is no further from the truth than a "moral" unbelieving heterosexual couple who was legally married a long time ago. Perhaps if the church wasn't always being dragged kicking and screaming into the latest era of civil rights (i.e. segregation??) it wouldn't have lost so much credibility in discussions today when trying to use the same arguments again. </div>
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So, <b><u>before you who are celebrating write off all Christians as bigots and haters, please consider my disagreement with you does not mean I will treat you with contempt.</u></b> I am genuinely glad you are legally protected from those who would do you harm. <u><b>And those of you who are seeing the world as a hint darker today</b></u> than it was yesterday, before you take to facebook to proclaim what "that gay agenda did" or "how America's going to hell in a handbasket because..." <u><b>just remember that you may be trying to fling your words at an abstract "agenda" but you're actually hitting people who are still made in the image of God and need to hear the truth and love of the Gospel, not your fear and American rights speech. </b></u></div>
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May God show mercy and grace to all of us who are struggling to figure out our way through this crazy, mixed-up world. :) Grace and peace.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-62987410275564468032015-06-24T01:53:00.001-04:002015-09-12T05:46:40.855-04:00Some Thoughts on Charleston<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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by: <a href="http://www.justiceandmercy.net/p/authors.html">Katie</a></div>
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Last Wednesday night my heart broke. I don't have the words to adequately describe the flood of emotions that hit as I sat up into the early hours of the morning waiting for each update, refreshing webpages, wondering if they would catch the shooter, watching the footage and seeing the pictures of the heartbroken and grieving families and church members outside praying in circles and embracing each other in shaking arms with tears pouring down their faces. I wish I could say that could just as easily have happened at my church, or that I know how they feel. But the cold, hard truth and reality is that it couldn't, and I really don't. </div>
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My church is primarily composed of white Christians, and as much as white conservatives seem determined to make themselves the target here, we weren't. I have never been a part of a church that was attacked for racist motives, and pretending that I understand what they are going through because "faith is under attack in America" seems to trivialize the very real pain and history of struggle that is going on here. </div>
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I don't mean to imply that I have not been mourning with the rest of our nation as we start to struggle through some of the big questions in the aftermath of the attack. I have been taking time to sit and quietly reflect on topics like racism, systemic hatred, socialized violence, different philosophies of gun law, racial reconciliation, the racial makeup of my own church, the attitudes within my own extended family towards racial issues in America, and many other similar issues. None of these topics have come to mind lightly, and none seem ready to leave anytime soon. </div>
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I have intentionally reached out to look for a variety of perspectives on this situation and gathered insights from reading the hurt and pained responses of fellow Christians, including many whose churches looked a lot more like the target in question than my own. I read responses on Twitter, Facebook, individual blogs, and news sites. After days of soul-searching through this I finally came to several conclusions I would like to share publicly.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">To my white fellow Christians:</span></h2>
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"><u>This attack was motivated by pure, unadulterated racism.</u></b><b> </b>Attempting to minimize that fact by avoiding that discussion is disrespectful to those who are living with its effects. This was not simply an attack on Christians and churches (as horrendous as that would be). This was not merely the result of one random, deranged person going on a killing spree. He was calculating, meticulous, and knew what he felt he had to do. The fact that he is in custody should not mean that the greater discussion of what drove him to do this in the first place should end now. It is merely beginning.</div>
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<u><b>Forgiveness will not be an overnight process. </b></u> Pushing for premature closure does not give the victims and community proper time and openness for grief and mourning and appropriate expressions of anger. In a case like this, it is important to give the victims room to grieve rather than rushing them through that process in order to get them right to the "forgiveness" stage. It is beyond sickening to see so many oblivious people talking about forgiveness in a situation where they resemble the perpetrator much more closely than the victims. It is only those who have actually been hurt who have the power to forgive, and some of them may need time and privacy to heal without the pressure to quickly "forgive and move on" to make the nation feel better. It was awe-striking to see family members stand up and bravely speak forgiveness to the alleged shooter in court, but not all of the families were at that point yet, and they deserve our respect to let them grieve on their own timetable rather than ours.</div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">The media should be held accountable for the double standard of its coverage on crime.</u> It doesn't take much looking through old news stories to realize that when black people are accused of a crime they are portrayed as gang-bangers, drug dealers, and horrible people in general. However, when a white male is accused of shooting at innocent civilians, he is typically covered as a "lone wolf" who must be "mentally deranged" because he is certainly an "aberration." So, we are led to believe through media coverage that black males committing crime means an entire race is the problem, while white males committing crimes are the exception that proves the rule. This needs to be discussed, and the media needs to be held accountable for how it reports on crime domestically. </div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">The public needs to stop looking for easy answers.</u> In much the same vein as the media, the public tends to look for easy answers when tragedies occur. Immediately sympathy pours out on the victims' families, but actual action is hard to come by. This situation has raised awareness of some serious issues that need to be addressed with serious, productive conversation. Sympathy for the victims is not enough, we must be willing to make changes.</div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Racism is not dead.</u> This may seem a controversial conclusion, but I have thought long and hard about it. I do not believe that there are hundreds of young, white males all around the country getting ready to go storming into black churches with guns, but I do believe that the ideology that led the shooter to take those beautiful lives in that historic church is alive and well in our society in many more subtle ways. This is not a conversation we can afford to shut down until we're ready to have it. It is not something we can just decide we have gotten past. The people most affected by it are telling us that it is still attacking their way of life. We have a choice of listening to them and facing the problem or burying our heads in the sand once again, but that is not even a choice to people of conscience. It is not enough to say "well, not all white people are racist." <u style="font-style: italic;">The worst damage is being done by the silent white majority that is content to pretend nothing is wrong, and I have belonged to that majority for far too long. No more.</u> </div>
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<b>I am determined to fight racism in myself, in my family, in my community, in my church, and wherever I find it, because the Gospel leaves no room for it. If we as Christians really care for our brothers and sisters of color we will stop living in the dream world of white, conservative privilege and step into the battlefield that is their home. </b> In the Gospel these dividing walls are broken down, and we are one in Faith and Hope. The same image of God is reflected in their humanity as well. To reflect the Gospel is to love our brothers and sisters enough to listen to them and care about what they have to say.<br />
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<u><b>I am sorry. </b></u> I am sorry for all the times that I assumed racism wasn't a big deal. I am sorry for all the times I ignored the issues that brought you so much pain. I am sorry that I wasn't listening. I am sorry that I did not speak up, and I am sorry that I did not care. I am sorry that I have not shown Christlike love to you in sensitive ways, and I am especially sorry that even within the churches of America we still seem as divided as anywhere in society today. I am sorry for the pain you are going through right now, and I am sorry that so many of my fellow white Christians seem unable or unwilling to reach out to you in your pain.</div>
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<u><b>I am listening.</b></u> I am discovering so many voices of wisdom from within your community, and I am taking their words to heart. Keep speaking the truth. Keep sharing your heart on these matters. Keep reaching out and showing grace when it seems that no one hears, because I am listening. I know I don't understand how all of these issues play together, but I want to understand, and hearing your voices helps me put together more of the pieces. When you voice your pain, I am listening. When you speak up about a system that has never seen you as anything more than a problem or authority figures who view you as less than human, I am listening. When you speak about seeing your church in place of Mother Emmanuel on the news, and the horrors of imagining your own pastor lying dead in your own church, I am listening. I am weeping with you.</div>
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<u><b>I am praying.</b></u> I am praying that the Gospel will show its power even in what seems like a hopeless cultural standoff. I am praying that God will bring out racial reconciliation that no one else could ever accomplish. I am praying for wisdom in how to speak truth to this in my daily life. I am praying for your communities that are feeling this loss so deeply. I am praying for the awakening of the white conscience in America, that we would no longer just want to "get back to business as usual" but that genuine dialogue would begin from this and bring real change. I am praying for love to conquer hate and light to shine where there was only darkness.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-39978839310060106472015-06-20T17:06:00.000-04:002015-06-20T23:44:26.574-04:00Cops Are People, Too<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">by: <a href="http://www.justiceandmercy.net/p/authors.html">Janice</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">On June 17, Dylann Roof walked into a church in
Charleston, SC and murdered nine people. The nation was shocked, grieved, and
outraged. Let’s be reasonable, though.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dylann is a 21-year-old white male. Most 21-year-old
white males are decent people. They would help an old lady cross a street or
rescue a stranded kitten. Just check the statistics. So what’s the big fuss?
Back off, people. Don’t be so hard on Dylann. After all, millions of
21-year-old white males would never do what he (clearly) did. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If this line of reasoning sounds absurd, callous,
cruel, and unreasonable to you, I am glad. Obviously, it is written for shock
value. Yet, I am grieved and angered to see so many people openly embracing
this type of reasoning when it comes to law enforcement officers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ever since what happened in Ferguson, my social media
feed has been full of posts about cops. Many, many people post general praises
and support for LEOs, saying how grateful we should be for all that they do to
protect and serve, to go above and beyond in the line of duty. Others share
statistics about how many cops are never involved in sketchy episodes or re-post
heartstring-tugging tales of blue valor. The posts that sadden me the most are
the ones that belittle victims, saying that “if you would just behave, you’d
never even see the cops” and concocting all manner of frightening excuses for
dangerous behavior from LEOs. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Here’s the thing. Sure, lots of cops are the good
guys. And criminals shouldn’t do crime. I wholeheartedly believe both of these
statements. But contrary to popular opinion, believing this does not bind me to
one side in a simple, two-dimensional argument. It’s not “cops versus
criminals: believe in and defend one or the other.” It’s good versus evil. And the
cops must be held accountable to act in line with their job description as the
good guys. This is why certain behavior is never tolerable. There is never a
legitimate reason for a grown man to grab a 14-year-old girl by her hair, slam
her to the ground, and kneel on her back while waving a gun. It is impossible
to accidentally sever a spine. Sure, most cops don’t do these things, just like
most 21-year-old white males aren’t racists who murder nine people in a church.
But this is irrelevant, and insensitive to wave in the faces of hurting people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The fact is that some cops and some 21-year-old white
males are criminals, and are racists, and do hurt, bully, and even kill people.
Admitting this does not harm the reputations of the many who are not criminals.
The many shouldn’t feel threatened by this. 21-year-old white males should not
feel the need to take to the media and defend themselves, or ask for caution in
the prosecution of Dylann because, after all, he is an anomaly. And good cops
(and those who like cops, and those who are law abiding citizens) shouldn’t
feel the need to hide or make excuses for LEO racism and violence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And as Christians, especially, we better be incredibly
careful of jumping on any bandwagon. We of all people should understand that
every human is a sinner. We of all people should recognize that being a LEO
doesn’t equal being righteous, because Jesus is the only one who makes people
righteous, and being a cop doesn’t equal being saved. Being a Republican doesn’t
equal being biblical. And supporting the prosecution of criminal LEOs does not
equal embracing lawlessness and condoning criminals. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We've got to stop seeing agendas and sides and opportunities to make our points or advance our causes, and see real, individual people in real, individual situations instead.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Of
course</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> ambushing and shooting cops isn’t ok. Just like
ambushing and shooting any human isn’t ok. But believing criminal cops should
be prosecuted is not the same as believing random cops should be ambushed and
shot. Let’s have a little discernment here. And let’s acknowledge that evil
exists everywhere, in the heart of every human – and even the “good guys” need
to be held accountable when they choose to be bad guys.</span></span></div>
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Janice Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05220146693548566627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-76386289586473856822015-06-14T21:44:00.001-04:002015-06-14T21:44:03.681-04:00Segregation Wasn't Really Equality Either...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
by: <a href="http://www.justiceandmercy.net/p/authors.html">Katie</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Separate but equal"</td></tr>
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If you've spent any significant amount of time in a conservative church in America in the past century, it's likely you've heard some reference to the idea that God made men and women "different but equal." This phrase is usually thrown out to reference the idea that men and women are made equal in worth but given different roles by design and different tasks to complete. On a practical level this typically plays out something like this on a church level: Man's place is to learn, teach, and discuss theology. Woman's place is to work in the home, take care of the man's physical needs, and raise his children for him. Often this results in women's functions at church centering on how to make crafts or how to be a better mother or wife, while men's functions focus more on actually teaching theology and the Bible. While I have not yet landed on what to make of the idea of "different, but equal" I do have to take some issue with how it's being applied in many contexts across America today.</div>
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It is not enough to simply say women are equal and not treat them as such. Equality is more than a buzzword, it must also be a reality. <b>Spiritual segregation is just as inherently evil and unjust as the physical segregation of the pre-Civil Rights Era was, and it is rampant in the Church today. </b> As of the writing of this post:</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Women are consistently shut out of global theological discussion and debate (both in educational and in cooperative contexts; such as conservative seminaries and meetings, etc.)</li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">If the roles are "equal" why is it only the men of the global church who are allowed to determine what those roles are and how they should be fleshed out? This is akin to the age-old "I cut the cake, and I choose my piece first" philosophy. Women are left with the remaining piece, and questioning the given reasoning only invites further criticism and condemnation.</li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Women are relegated to church ministries that are considered traditionally "feminine" but excluded from church ministries that may be better suited to their gifts and are not restricted from them in the Scripture. (We should be allowed ministry opportunities beyond cooking, working in the nursery, teaching the children's classes, and playing musical instruments...)</li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Women who have any theological education are viewed with skepticism and often treated as a threat in church circles simply for discussing theological issues with passion. Engaging in theological discussion and debate should not be viewed as rebellion or insubordination by the leadership. It should be encouraged and taught, to men and women alike. Women who are gifted in this area should not be shunned for caring about biblical truth.</li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">The church should be the first in line to show the world how Jesus stood up for the protection of women and their worth as people made in the image of God, but instead it was dragged into the era of civil rights and equal rights kicking and screaming. Male-dominated organizations have complained bitterly since the first days of women's equality and have blamed most of America's moral failures on women having better access to healthcare, more options in the job market, and overall having more options for their life choices. What the church seems to forget is that it used to be commonplace for men to beat their wives while the police turned a blind eye to that "private family matter" and women were endangered by those who should have been protecting them. Is that the church's definition of "different but equal"?</li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Male leaders of the church treat issues relating to women both culturally and within the church about as sensitively as bulls in a crowded china shop. Treating traumatic personal situations like abortions and sexual assault as casually as other "issues of national policy" like the environment or the economy--is that treating women as "different but equal"?</li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Modesty culture within the church places the blame for men's thoughts and lust squarely on the shoulders of the women and their clothing choices, all the while simultaneously sending out the mixed messages of "Modest is hottest, but you don't really want to be hottest, because then you might be immodest." Ultimately telling women to be attractive to men, by not attracting men. Confusing, yes? Perhaps the focus for how women dress should not be all about men at all.</li>
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<u><span style="font-size: x-large;">Taking Our Place at the Table</span></u></h2>
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This list could go on indefinitely, but the point is, it is not enough for the church to tell women they are equal and then treat them like they are not. If women are truly joint-heirs with their brothers in Christ, it is time for those brothers in Christ to stop cordoning them off into "Ladies' Retreats" and "Women's Conferences" where they will be taught to be good, cooperative homemakers. It is time to accept them into the same body of Christ that the men are a part of. It is time to welcome them to the theological discussion table. It is time to hear their thoughts and prayers. It is time to invite them to serve where they are able. It is time to teach them the Word (Not 5 steps to Bible study for a busy mom). It is time to teach them the Biblical languages. <b><u>It is time for the women of the Body of Christ to step up and say enough is enough. We will not take a shallow, watered-down faith that says I am only here to do the things my husband is too busy or too important to do. I am here to serve Christ too, and part of that involves loving God with my mind, not just my hands.</u></b></div>
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Some readers may find this idea scary or threatening, or just plain offensive. I am sad about that. I am sad that some Christians would be offended at the idea that Christian women are equally human made in the image of God their Creator and deserve the chance to deeply study the Word and to think deeply about that Word and to share their thoughts with others. I am not advocating women as pastors, and I do not dispute the fact that many women find complete satisfaction and joy in serving God in their own homes with their own families. What I am saying is it's time to take back the position on women's equality that Jesus had. He elevated them beyond where society had dragged them down in his day. </div>
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<u><span style="font-size: x-large;">Jesus' View of Women</span></u></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5NH4IBYYrr-7QyXqgrNFzS3zBC8qEb0zlk-31-zPvXCkoEvTDGWmqxxlVa322Uo021u2GfMYXhiISnztqITutRvkt4TFbmXoSBpr3LJUx1nQnPS_okp2N9csxB2y9UnoScR3ZaLszw/s1600/sad-659422_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5NH4IBYYrr-7QyXqgrNFzS3zBC8qEb0zlk-31-zPvXCkoEvTDGWmqxxlVa322Uo021u2GfMYXhiISnztqITutRvkt4TFbmXoSBpr3LJUx1nQnPS_okp2N9csxB2y9UnoScR3ZaLszw/s640/sad-659422_1280.jpg" width="640" /></a>Society (and the church along with it) has once again dragged women down to objectification and inferiority. Women are either considered poisonous objects of sexual temptation or good, virtuous housekeepers who are too busy to know the most important things God has ever given us to know. Let us follow the example of Jesus when he broke society's customs and spoke with outcast women about theology in the middle of the workday. Let's take his lead when he accepted and embraced with the loving title "daughter" the chronically ill and unclean woman in Mark 5. Let's embrace the women in his church and stop using proof texts to shame them, silence them, verbally beat them into submission, or anything else we have found effective in trampling their voice for the Cross.</div>
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Let's stop treating educated (particularly in theology) women as social lepers and start inviting them in to use the gifts God's given them and the passions God's put in their hearts for the mission he's given all of us to do until he comes back for us. And, sisters, let's stop settling for a Christianity that sounds like a "How-to" book on parenting or crafting or cooking or anything else. Our faith runs much deeper than that. Jesus has not brought us into his kingdom to be his housekeepers, but his daughters. We are not just his slaves, we are his sisters. Let us study. Let us read. Let us write commentaries and well-researched books. We should not have to choose between raising a family and reading the Word. We should not have to choose between marriage and seminary. We should not have to sacrifice theology for house-wifery. Why are those mutually exclusive? Why can't women love their homes and love their Bibles at the same time with the same level of passion? Let us share the things we are learning with those around us. Let's stop making women's Bible studies a joke, and start digging in to the real meat. We can handle it. </div>
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It's long past time for the church to stop lagging behind and take a lead in showing the world how Jesus treats women--with dignity and respect, with love and compassion, with protection and leadership, with support and encouragement. He is not harsh and dictatorial. He is a good leader who helps his children grow and develop and serve with the skills and gifts he gave them. He is not insecure and threatened by honest questions. Why are we?</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-50284304232934844212015-06-05T19:57:00.001-04:002015-06-06T15:57:08.080-04:00Bridging the Racial Gap in Ferguson<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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by: <a href="http://www.justiceandmercy.net/p/authors.html">Nicole</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2Nqbjnppf8aeljwdJ1lfqbprQOr9GL-bt5Yu1zGt6uuwafYQhlcptmAylg5p79XAO53aePyENA8j5umljvrsFxlD_XQ_sZf7sqU09_9qJ8lFAY5Uyb-x0N63rKYAncXNmwLCg4jLgA/s1600/Memorial_to_Michael_Brown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2Nqbjnppf8aeljwdJ1lfqbprQOr9GL-bt5Yu1zGt6uuwafYQhlcptmAylg5p79XAO53aePyENA8j5umljvrsFxlD_XQ_sZf7sqU09_9qJ8lFAY5Uyb-x0N63rKYAncXNmwLCg4jLgA/s640/Memorial_to_Michael_Brown.jpg" title="Memorial to Michael Brown in Ferguson" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Jamelle Bouie [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
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Less than a week after I got married, I received a panicked text from my dad. The world had turned upside down; Ferguson MO was filled with protesters burning buildings, raiding, and resisting police. I was dumbfounded. Such things didn’t happen in America. Not the America I was from. </div>
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But the riots were happening and because of my job teaching high school English at an inner city private school, I was about to enter a world I did not understand. My students were mostly black, a handful lived in Ferguson, and many were siding with the Brown family against the police.</div>
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I remember sitting silently in many teacher meetings as we hashed through race issues, safety policies, concerns for our students living around Ferguson, and concern for parents who were police officers.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Loavesofbread (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
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Then Myers, a black 18-year-old was shot and killed by an officer a few blocks from my school. Anger erupted and this time it was my school’s neighborhood that was overrun by volatile protesters.</div>
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I realized very quickly how little I understood the situation. I was a white girl from nowhere Idaho whose school hadn’t allowed Martin Luther King Jr. Day to even be celebrated. (Why? Because he was black? Because of the communist rumors? Because he wasn’t our stripe of Baptist? I still don’t know.) But what I did know was how thoroughly uneducated I was. I knew only cursory details about black history. I felt so terribly white. I felt white because of my willful ignorance of black history. White because of my relative affluence. White because of my position of authority in my classroom in direct contrast to my lack of knowledge and experience. I realized that passively I was part of the reason that Ferguson erupted. The protesters were protesting something—someone—they were protesting me.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Some Conclusions</span></h2>
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I thought for a long time about the Michael Brown case. <i>Were the protesters right to protest?</i> This question seems to be missing the point: <b>it’s not their response that matters, but rather my response.</b> So here are the basics that I pulled away from my first year in St. Louis.</div>
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<b><u>(1) My viewpoint is not the only plausible view.</u></b> Truth is not relative; however, truth is intertwined into stories of history that are told by raconteurs each with his own bias. I take those stories and interpret them by my own limited experiences, discarding what I believe to be superfluous or unbelievable. So when I am told that black communities have become ghettos that raise boys to become gangsters, this all may fit within the history I have been told and my own bias, but that doesn’t mean that that viewpoint is the only viewpoint. Nor can I assume it to be the correct one. My version of history is simply that, my version.</div>
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<b><u>(2) Therefore, I must listen.</u></b> The protesters may be telling a version of history that I don’t like and that I don’t agree with, but I must still listen. Listening is a basic human dignity. To give weight and time to people who come from a different stratus of society is to give acknowledgment to their worth as human beings.</div>
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<b><u>(3) There is more than one black response.</u></b> This seems so obvious on one hand because of course black people do not all see the world through one perspective. They have individual experiences and biases which lead them to respond to events in different ways. Just like ALL people do. However, it’s easier to get angry at the riots and the damage they did to property and conclude that that’s just how black people respond. No. It’s how some responded. Other black community leaders vocally decried the violence and argued for peaceful protests, one of which I was a part of. What happened in Ferguson is a difficult and complex issue, and therefore I can’t settle for simplistic or idealistic conclusions.</div>
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<u><b>(4) Finally, there is no shame in being born white.</b></u> In my classroom every day of this past year, I was reminded how very little I knew about anything “non-white.” From Maya Angelou, to Beyonce, to Mayweather, I had one steep learning curve. But still what I had experienced that set me apart from my students, also made me as human as them. Their world is often as one-sided as mine was growing up. It’s mutual respect, not conformity that opens up community to healing.</div>
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I don’t understand what happened in Ferguson. But I feel a sense of urgency that the church—especially the dominant white church—take a second look at what happened in St. Louis, and what is happening across the nation. How can we respond as people of faith that believe there is one God over all people and all time?</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-24992362374413292632015-05-22T04:43:00.000-04:002015-06-05T19:56:10.276-04:00Dealing with the Duggars<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
by: <a href="http://www.justiceandmercy.net/p/authors.html">Katie</a><br />
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By now, most people have probably heard the news that broke earlier this week regarding the allegations against Josh Duggar for molesting 4 of his younger sisters along with a family friend when he was a young teenager. If you haven't caught this story yet you can catch up <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/21/us/josh-duggar-child-molestation-allegations/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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I'm not here to attack the Duggars. I find it at least slightly encouraging that it appears they tried to do the right thing by reporting it to their church leadership and by later reporting it to a family friend who was a state trooper. The fact that their family friend took no legal action and later turned out to be hooked on pornography which sent him to prison doesn't speak well for the outcome of that situation, but it also doesn't necessarily speak to evil intentions on their part either.</div>
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As a parent, it would be incredibly difficult to hear from your daughters that their older brother had preyed on their sexual innocence while they slept or while he read to them. I cannot imagine the pain or confusion that specific situation would cause. I won't pretend to know how they felt in that scenario. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, let's say they tried to be as transparent about it as they could and still protect their family. However, even with all of those disclaimers, that still leaves us with quite a few things left largely unsaid by the Christian majority of the population of the country. More must be said, if only because of the very public nature with which they have decided to run their family and its overarching belief structure. Let's begin.</div>
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Abuse is never simply a "mistake"</h2>
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One of the most common responses I'm seeing pop up online from Duggar supporters in the conservative Christian camp, and even from those who would land squarely in the "I wouldn't agree with how they run their family, but..." camp is something along these lines: </div>
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<i>Teenagers make mistakes. I sure wouldn't want people to dredge up stuff from when I was a teenager and hold it against me. Know what I'm saying? </i></div>
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That sounds on the surface like a fair-minded and reasonable response, but let's put it in perspective. This is not a broken window or a fender bender we're discussing. This is devastating, life-altering abuse of young, vulnerable girls who were under the care and protection of these same parents who from all appearances put the most priority into salvaging the life of their son, rather than focusing on protecting their other children. This is a pattern of conscious choices made by a young man old enough that he should know not to be touching his younger siblings in their private areas. If he did not know that was wrong, then he should have. Either way, that is a major failure.</div>
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<i>Abuse is never a mistake. <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></i></blockquote>
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<i>It is a conscious choice that steals the power to choose from the victims<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></i></blockquote>
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<i>and leaves them with the consequences of the perpetrator's sin for years to come.</i></blockquote>
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These sisters and this family friend will have to deal with the fallout from Josh's decisions for the rest of their lives. It is admirable that he apologized rather than denying it, but the fact that he decided to change rather than risk letting it "ruin the rest of his life" without necessarily connecting the fact that he had already done major damage to at least 5 other lives speaks to the perspective he took coming out of this tragedy.</div>
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I do not say this to vilify or crucify Josh Duggar, but I think it does great disservice to abuse victims when abuse is referred to as "mistakes" specifically as "teenage mistakes" as his wife called it. <i><u><b>Forgetting to bring your homework to school is a mistake. Molesting your sleeping sisters multiple times is NOT a mistake. Calling it that is dishonest and cheapens the matter.</b></u></i></div>
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Excessive Focus on Externals</h2>
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Anyone who follows the Duggar saga (when they're not knee-deep in a nationwide scandal) is aware that the Duggars focus heavily on external rules and strict dress codes. They don't have a television set, their girls have strict guidelines for what they're allowed to wear, they restrict hand-holding to after engagement, kissing starts at the wedding, etc. It is very common to hear people all over the country commending them for providing "wholesome" entertainment at a time when there's practically nothing else good to watch on television. While it might be tempting to dream about a Christianity that cordons itself off from the world (and even the outside church) through homeschooling, extremely filtered internet, special clothing, special courtship guidelines, and friendships that are carefully vetted, I have a hard time choosing the word "wholesome" to describe that. I think it needs to be said--<u><i>frumpy does not equal wholesome</i></u>. Extreme separation from everything and everyone you disagree with, does not make you wholesome. Obviously, there was more going on behind the scenes with Josh and his sisters that was not wholesome, and the dress code, the courtship rules, the buddy system--none of that kept sin from entering the picture. Sin is possible wherever people are.</div>
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You may object and say that nobody's perfect, but my point is not looking for perfection. Looking objectively at the vast amount of rules and restrictions the Duggars have placed on their family, it would make sense to expect those rules to pay off with more protection from "temptation" or at the very least to make their children safer, but it hasn't. Sexual abuse can happen anywhere to anyone, because sin comes from the heart, not from wearing the wrong clothing. </div>
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<i>When we put our trust in our homemade rules to protect us from sinning,</i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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<i>we deny our desperate need for grace. </i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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<i>If God's divinely-inspired Law could not protect us from our own sin,</i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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<i>how can our own restrictions do what His Law could not? </i></div>
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The Duggars promote a Gospel of dressing in such a way that men will not lust after you. But men regularly lust after ugly women wearing burqas in foreign lands. Men can still choose to lust. They emphasize the need to get all the externals right; they promote courting instead of dating in order to keep parents squarely involved in the marriage process. They boast of their son "saving his first kiss for his wedding day" when they know what he has done behind closed doors to his own sisters. Their standards did not protect their family from abuse. Jesus said that it is not what enters into a man's mouth that defiles him, but what goes out of it. In other words, you are not defiled by eating something unclean. You are defiled because your heart is inclined to be defiled already. Sin is a heart issue that will never be solved through external standards. Relying on externals to protect your family from sins that stem in the heart is like expecting to pass a class simply because you bought the textbook. Externals are not the point, and they will not compensate for lacking in other areas.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Christian Response to the Media's "Attack"</span></h2>
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A final thought I would like to address regarding the Duggar situation is how we, as the general Christian population, respond to it. I've seen a lot of comments the last day or so that generally fell into the range of "We support you guys, such a great family, it's a shame the left-wing media and Gay activists are trying to take you down. Don't let them win! Satan always attacks what God wants!" </div>
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To me, this is by far the most significant topic to address, but I will attempt to remain civil in my explanation. It bothers me greatly that when Christians learn of sexual abuse coming out in groups or people they admire and respect, their gut response seems to generally be to circle the wagons and assume it's an attack of Satan on great people. The general public calling for accountability in areas of child abuse and sexual abuse--that's NOT AN ATTACK OF SATAN. That's called accountability, but it's something that Independent Baptist don't tend to appreciate very much. Here's the thing, people have acted like this is a private family matter and a private family and they are being dragged through the front pages with scandal as an attack. </div>
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This is not a private family. This is a family that has made a fortune out of promoting itself as "The Christian Kardashians" for a good decade or more on national TV. They have written books, appeared on numerous talk shows, and promoted their family franchise shamelessly all while knowing they had secrets lurking in the background. I am not arguing that you have to be perfect to appear on television or to declare the truth in public, but when you set your family up as a public example and "family ministry" to the world showing them what followers of Jesus should look like, you should not do that if you are having trouble keeping your oldest son from molesting his sisters. Rather than assume that unbelievers are always at fault and minimizing the tragic circumstances he put his family in, it would be great if Christians would actually hold each other accountable for once. </div>
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If you are going to make a huge profit and franchise out of labeling yourself a Jesus follower, you should be living it out. If your family is struggling in those areas, you should not be flaunting them as an example of holiness and purity. If your daughters have been molested, you should be giving them the privacy and space to heal rather than parading them on TV. </div>
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It is hypocritical to expect the world to believe what you say about Jesus when your own way of life has proven that your rules don't fix sin. It doesn't take a religious person to notice the family full of people calling gay and transgender people "child predators" are actually harboring a genuine "child predator" themselves.</div>
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It is time for Christianity to stop covering for each other and to start lovingly and biblically holding each other accountable. Rather than assuming "it could never happen here" we should be willing to admit it could happen anywhere. Rather than assuming our strict moral code will protect us, we should be crying out for God's grace and owning up to failure when it happens (not years later when we're caught). Rather than making ourselves the poster children for righteousness, we should be thanking Christ for covering us with His righteousness. </div>
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I am hopeful that Josh Duggar and his family can find healing and learn a valuable lesson from this whole debacle, but I am more hopeful that conservative Christianity will learn to take sexual abuse seriously and perhaps take its self-inflicted arbitrary rules somewhat less so. Jesus did not die to give us a dress code. He died to give us grace.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-78106307608043765912015-05-19T02:00:00.001-04:002015-05-19T14:32:38.647-04:00Responding to Sexual Abuse Within the Church<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.justiceandmercy.net/p/authors.html">by: Katie</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTzfUfX1jf0rmojIHDdiuKpTjCPL1FA-MHABRVo-jIsapZSYWHu0vql34mZ8FwwayQvm_5xWHu8DNqURVsQMZjXzN6C-SAqnXViTp9cljsoFDw4KPbrX6biSl0P0wk3PpYLCx-xrwPA/s1600/10486169_10153072071331236_5715650198299592851_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTzfUfX1jf0rmojIHDdiuKpTjCPL1FA-MHABRVo-jIsapZSYWHu0vql34mZ8FwwayQvm_5xWHu8DNqURVsQMZjXzN6C-SAqnXViTp9cljsoFDw4KPbrX6biSl0P0wk3PpYLCx-xrwPA/s640/10486169_10153072071331236_5715650198299592851_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BJU Student Chapel - captured from their public Facebook page</td></tr>
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There is an elephant in the room of collective Christianity that must be addressed once abuse has been brought up as a topic. The primary offender in the spotlight of recent years is the Roman Catholic church and their handling (mishandling of historic proportions) of the seeming epidemic of sexually abusive priest scandals that seemed to crop up without any warning a few years back. </div>
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What has perhaps been less televised and received less worldwide attention overall, but is nearly as widespread in its effects and damage to the global church (this time in the Protestant realm) has been the apparent apathetic and many times aggressively antagonistic response of the church to abuse victims when they come forward with their stories. That is what I'd like to focus on in this article. As such, this is where we'll begin.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Two Major Media Events</span></h2>
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The majority of media attention devoted to Protestant "scandals" in recent years has been devoted to the Tina Anderson story (which can be seen on YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF_b5kEZyLw" target="_blank">here</a>) brought to ABC's 20/20 by Jocelyn Zichterman's anti-abuse campaign, and the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/12/us/bob-jones-university-sex-assault-victim-study.html?_r=0" target="_blank">G.R.A.C.E. report released about Bob Jones University</a> revealing that their counseling guru Jim Berg, not only had little to no actual training in counseling, but also had no idea what the legal mandates were regarding reporting child abuse, among other glaring inadequacies in his counseling methods. Unfortunately that report appears to no longer be available online, though it was only released publicly in December 2014. </div>
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The combination of these two situations would understandably make the outside world scratch their heads a bit about this previously ignored group known as "Independent Fundamental Baptists." A lot of people have begun questioning why groups such as these and churches connected with them and their core teachings are consistently choosing to side with abusers and leaving the victims to fend for themselves, or worse, as in the case of Tina Anderson, they are actually re-victimizing those who have already suffered at the hands of predators and reinforcing the idea that God will judge them for having been abused. If this sounds far-fetched, you should really watch the Tina Anderson story on 20/20 or read Jocelyn Zichterman's book entitled <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fired-God-Inside-Independent/dp/1250026261" target="_blank">I Fired God</a>. </i>Among the countless stories of horrible abuse suffered inside the camp of fundamentalist Christianity, these are some of the most high profile in recent days.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Why Rehash Old News?</span></h2>
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So, with all the ink that has been spilled in the past few years over these two specific stories, why should we bother to re-examine these events? It would be impossible to argue that no one is covering them, because even the <i>NY Times </i>found time to give some attention to the BJU Report, and getting an hour long special on ABC's <i>20/20 Investigates</i> doesn't exactly sound like no coverage for Tina Anderson either. Then why? The reasoning is simple. People have spoken out on this until they are blue in the face, and yet, little to no change has been forthcoming from within. Chuck Phelps has apologized for nothing; Matt Olson has said nothing public to make amends for his role in that tragic story. The church where Tina was forced to stand up and confess for sexual immorality after she became pregnant from her rape by a deacon has never made any type of public statement of regret or remorse for the trauma or re-victimization they caused her. In fact, no one has publicly apologized to Tina Anderson to the best of my knowledge. </div>
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Bob Jones University (interestingly tied albeit indirectly to Tina Anderson's story, their own report by GRACE, and the Jocelyn Zichterman accounts, along with countless others) has never made anything more than a half-hearted attempt to save face by stumbling through public apologies more intent on maintaining their image as good Christians than actually reaching out to the survivors of their institutional malpractice. When faced with the decision on making real change where it counted with regards to their faculty and administration and keeping things the way they had always been, they stuck with the status quo--signalling to the world and everyone watching that nothing was really going to change.</div>
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The short answer is this: <b><u>while the outside world may have exhausted its keyboard trying to explain to institutions and their leadership why these types of actions are wrong and so harmful, their careful and often compassionate pleas have not been received. </u></b> The conversation has digressed into name-calling, paranoia, and further isolation into the fundamentalist bubble. It is my hope, as a Christian with a background steeped in fundamentalism, and well acquainted with many sides of this topic, to make one more plea for repentance and humility from the fundamental church as a whole. </div>
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I don't expect the leadership to listen, but I do hope that in so speaking without yelling or just resorting to name-calling, I can reach out to the average person in their churches and groups who may not be too far removed from compassion and grace to realize that the way we treat abuse victims in the church (and often in conservative para-church organizations) is dead wrong. </div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<i>It is not the "liberal media" attacking the name of Christ. </i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></blockquote>
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<i>We are, when we attack the abused and defend those who hurt them</i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<i>to protect our own good name and institutional well-being. </i></blockquote>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">Revictimizing the Abused</span></h2>
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A lot of kind, compassionate Christians are currently part of churches that systematically revictimize hurting, damaged people. This does not mean that they are purposefully trying to hurt people. It simply means that perhaps they have not seen the situation from the other side. They only see it from the side their leadership promotes, and as a result, they become passive abusers themselves. So, what are some of the most common ways victims are "re-victimized" by the church once they go public with their story or even go to the leadership for help and counsel? We talk about it a lot, but don't always discuss what it looks like. Let's take some possible examples.</div>
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<ul>
<li>Women find the courage to come forward with their history of sexual abuse in a respectful way seeking help and Biblical counsel only to be accused of bringing it on themselves, or told they need to repent for "their part" in the abuse and apologize to their abusers or the church in public for being sexually immoral.</li>
<li>Victims at Christian schools or colleges come for counseling and get disciplinary action instead. Confidentiality in counseling gets thrown out the window, along with the victim's trust.</li>
<li>Victims who are already known for feeling vulnerable and tending to blame themselves are then encouraged to look for ways to blame themselves and feel less than "pure" the rest of their lives.</li>
<li>Victims come forward about criminal activity and instead of reporting it to the police, pastors attempt to smooth it over and convince the victims to just pretend it never happened. Crimes go unreported; offenders reoffend; victims get hurt again. True repentance never enters the equation.</li>
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These are just the tip of the iceberg. Nearly every victim could give a story that has its own unique details while the basic facts remain the same. <span style="color: white;">The damage was done, and rather than helping them pick up the pieces, the church came in and condemned their brokenness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">How to Respond to Abuse Victims in the Church</span></h2>
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So, how should churches respond when victims come forward looking for help? Let's examine a few ways that might be helpful.</div>
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<ul>
<li><b><u>Listen wholeheartedly.</u></b> When victims start to talk about their experiences, one major thing they need is for someone to listen. Of all the places where they can go for that support, the church should be the first place they can find it. This does not include being quiet while they talk so you can think of what they did wrong and what sin they need to repent of in the situation. It means actually listening to what they are saying and being willing to sit through the awkward and emotionally painful parts with them as they process what happened to them. This is often much more difficult than it sounds, but well worth the investment. As the Church, there is no excuse for us to be failing in this.</li>
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<li><b><u>Don't cover up criminal activity. </u></b>This should be a no-brainer, but apparently it is not. If a minor or a woman or a man comes to you in the church with accusations of criminal activity, don't decide to make an "internal church investigation" instead of reporting it to the authorities. The New Testament is abundantly clear that we are to submit to the authorities placed over us because God is the one who put them there. They are God's messengers of justice, and as a church, it is ridiculous to assume that we know better than the police or prosecutors do how to handle accusations of abuse or neglect. It should not require concrete proof to report abuse to the proper authorities. If there is reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed (and if you're in authority over people; children especially, you should KNOW what constitutes a crime) you are obligated to contact the police.</li>
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<li><b><u>Publicly Denounce Domestic Abuse/Sexual Assault.</u> </b>It sends a mixed message at best to victims, when churches spend a considerable amount of time denouncing gay marriage, abortion, and all manner of other offenses they feel are deplorable, but are remarkably silent when it comes to beating your wife or molesting your child. Domestic abuse and sexual assault are rampant in conservative churches (as well as others), but those topics are rarely, if ever, addressed in a sensitive, compassionate manner by male Christian leadership. When church members show up at court for moral support, or a pastor shows up at a trial, 9 times out of 10 it is in support of the predator. Where are the churches who are willing to call sexual abuse the sin that it is? When will pastors stop telling young female rape victims they're fortunate to not live in the Old Testament times when they would have been stoned? It has to start with us, if there is to be any change at all. God stands firmly on the side of the oppressed and abused, not with the abuser. He stands with the repentant, and the repentant do not cover up their sin to enable their further abuse.</li>
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<li><b><u>Offer solid counseling services to victims.</u> </b> This can get somewhat controversial since some churches currently offer counseling, and that is what gets them labeled as insensitive to begin with. By this, I don't mean a young, vulnerable rape victim meets alone with a pastor who then tries to figure out which sin of hers caused the rape so she can "forgive and forget." By counseling, I mean someone who is willing to take the time to help her feel safe enough to talk through what happened and figure out where God is through the whole thing. The recovery process can take years, and many churches don't have the patience for deeply wounded people, but they need to start investing in it. Anything else is bringing shame to the body of Christ.</li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few responses to potential objections:</span></h2>
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It's possible that some people reading this post will find it raises objections in their minds. I'd like to answer, in advance, what I can see may arise as a result of this article. If any others come to mind from reading it, please feel free to post them in the comments or email me through the authors' page, and I will gladly discuss it further.</div>
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<b><u>Objection #1: My church isn't that bad.</u></b> It's possible that in reading this you're thinking, "Well, that might apply in a church full of really hurting people, but nobody in my church is like that. We've all been here forever, and we're all on the same page. We don't need to deal with this problem." My answer to that would be--you'd be surprised to find how many people in the U.S. have been sexually abused at some point in their lifetime. </div>
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While it may not have directly affected you, there is a very good chance that someone either already inside your church or who will come there in the future, has been directly affected by sexual abuse, and how you talk about it when you feel like "you're all on the same page" will go a long way towards either bridging the gap of being able to help victims, or starting the cycle of re-victimization all over again. </div>
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Please be sensitive to the experience of others that may look the same as yours on the outside, but was horribly more traumatic and painful underneath. You just don't know what everyone else has been through.</div>
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<b><u>Objection #2: They're just being too sensitive.</u></b> If you have never been through a situation that involved abuse, it is improbable that you are in a position to make that call. Rather than assuming you know how sensitive someone else is allowed to be about an experience you've never had, do the hard thing. Give them the benefit of the doubt.</div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Objection #3: Talking About it Makes the Church Look Bad.</u> This has been very effective at silencing and hurting broken people, but it certainly hasn't made the church look good.</div>
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<i>What actually makes the church look bad</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></blockquote>
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<i>is caring more about what the church looks like</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<i>than the victims seeking refuge and solace in the name and strength of Jesus.</i></blockquote>
<u style="font-weight: bold;">Objection #4: We must forgive the offenders, right?</u> This one gets tricky, because often churches lean heavily towards the "we must forgive" philosophy when it comes to sexual offenders, but in doing so, they sometimes leave the impression that forgiveness removes legal consequences or that forgiveness means acting as if nothing ever happened. When you have a group of people gathering regularly that involves children and vulnerable people, it is imperative that you take steps to be sure you are protecting the vulnerable. It doesn't mean you crucify someone for their past offenses, but true repentance will not cover up sin. True repentance does not shun honest accountability.<br />
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We could go on and on, but the conclusion of the matter is that as a church, whether conservative or liberal, we should be prioritizing the care of abuse victims, rather than feeding them to the wolves to satisfy the desires of the leaders. <br />
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<i>UPDATE: After originally posting this article I was sent links to GRACE's page that has their final report and BJU's response to it. For those interested in seeing either of these pages for themselves GRACE's report can be found <a href="http://www.netgrace.org/bob-jones-university" target="_blank">here</a> and BJU's response can be found <a href="http://www.bju.edu/grace/" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-55765292122249909862015-05-12T10:14:00.000-04:002015-05-13T16:04:16.823-04:00Church Hurt and Healing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i><a href="http://www.justiceandmercy.net/p/authors.html">by: Emj</a></i><br />
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<i>This post was originally published on <a href="https://perideblog.wordpress.com/">Peri De</a> on 27 April 2015. </i><i>It is republished here with my permission. </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQD-moXwVnbXSH6bn2XAIdFGKHndZ6AuH6TKt4bcysx9TfVauqRai6ShyphenhyphenlhKFxoMDwJIOj3ukhqGINc8mGSQ3WX4aM5un4q9mj67DWh1DP9xn9bTW6lCs6kzD45e3qONjaD1XXazntgw/s1600/aquinas06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQD-moXwVnbXSH6bn2XAIdFGKHndZ6AuH6TKt4bcysx9TfVauqRai6ShyphenhyphenlhKFxoMDwJIOj3ukhqGINc8mGSQ3WX4aM5un4q9mj67DWh1DP9xn9bTW6lCs6kzD45e3qONjaD1XXazntgw/s640/aquinas06.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I spent Saturday with an interesting group of people. Diverse in age and background, all were fellow believers in Christ. But they had one thing in common.They had left the Institutional Church. Forever. Some are calling them dechurched. A recent article calls them the <a href="http://holysoup.com/2014/11/12/the-rise-of-the-dones/">Dones</a> and though they started gaining a voice in the 90’s, their message is <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/thegodarticle/2014/11/the-rise-of-the-dones-as-the-church-kills-spiritual-community/">more relevant now than ever</a>.</div>
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They cited the following as reasons for leaving:<br />
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<li>abuses of power </li>
<li>lack of authentic relationships </li>
<li>rote programming </li>
<li>lack of Bible teaching </li>
<li>manipulation used to control people </li>
<li>the use of the American business model to create churches </li>
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Having spent much of my youth in a church that was guilty of these injustices, I felt the frustrations of these “Dones” deeply and personally. I mourned with them and heard their stories, aware of my own pain and former isolation. Just as I would advise a friend to separate from an abusive spouse, I could not condemn these brothers and sisters for their decision to leave. They left, in reality, to keep their faith intact. Abusive churches abound, and it is tempting to drown in the discouragement of the stories and statistics. I have felt my share of anger and disillusionment and wondered if I just wouldn’t return, knowing instead that I was a member of the greater Body of Christ in the world. In light of my family’s experience, I consider it a miracle that God has brought us to a healthy local expression of the Church universal. When I spent time with these fellow broken ragamuffins on Saturday, I wished I could have brought them all to meet <a href="http://www.hrfellowship.org/">my church family</a>. I wished they could enjoy what I’d been given: a rare gem of a place where freedom and community and faith are not mutually exclusive.</div>
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We are not a perfect representation of Christ. Our fellowship is full of imperfect people who need grace all the time. But I can confidently say the following: </div>
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<li>It’s not led by power-hungry men. </li>
<li>There is no spiritual manipulation or oppression of women. </li>
<li>I’m not any longer a slave to programs and performance. </li>
<li>No one tries to control my behavior. </li>
<li>I’m fed weekly by the rich text of the Gospel. </li>
<li>It’s a safe place to struggle and fail and still be intimately loved by a family. </li>
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No local gathering is perfect. But, rare as healthy congregations are, God is still working through this family of believers that have helped, rather than hindered, my walk with God. It’s hard to believe, I know, especially for those of us who suffer with lingering church-hurt. However, as proof of God’s grace, I’ve been collecting quotations from friends and leaders with whom I’ve been gathering for worship. These are things I hadn’t heard before and that I’m now seeing more and more to be signs of a healthy church. </div>
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“The Church is not a courtroom, it’s a home.” </div>
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“Your work in Christ is to rest in Him.” </div>
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“You come here to receive gospel, safety, and time.” </div>
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“There is no pain that God does not use.” </div>
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“Suffering is not a sign of God’s displeasure. </div>
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Prosperity is not a sign of His approval.” </div>
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“Books are good for learning, but time and life are better.” </div>
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“The temple curtain is torn by God Himself. </div>
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Nothing now stands between you and the Mercy Seat.” </div>
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“We are never commanded to do anything </div>
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without first being reminded of what has been done for us. </div>
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The doing is simply a response to what He has done.” </div>
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“There are no deadlines on your growth. </div>
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You are empowered to grow in the Spirit </div>
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without pressure because He works in you.” </div>
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“Your primary involvement in the local church is relationships, not service.” </div>
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“The gospel can end your fear and anxiety because it assures you </div>
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that He loves you and that now you can call Him ‘Daddy’.” </div>
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“Elders lead, but the church family has the final say in decisions.” </div>
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“My distorted thinking is actually a symptom of my distorted heart. </div>
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Jesus changes my heart, not just my head.” </div>
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“Christian maturity is not getting better at keeping the rules.” </div>
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“Membership is a responsibility to care for one another. It’s not a club; it’s a family.” </div>
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“You don’t have to join a Fellowship Group. </div>
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Small groups are a place where you can connect with people to form relationships. </div>
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If that’s happening outside of fellowship group, great!” </div>
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“Anybody can hold a Bible study.” </div>
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“We don’t police or act like the FBI. We have to trust!” </div>
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“Our criteria for brotherhood is not preferences; it’s only the gospel.” </div>
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“Our job as leaders is not to maintain a system. </div>
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You do what works best for you, and care for one another.” </div>
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“As leaders we are not here to tell you how to care for the poor or minister to people. </div>
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We support you as God leads you to do that in different ways.” </div>
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“I don’t want you to go through the motions without understanding.”<br />
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For those who have spent any time in an abusive church, I hope that these snippets of truth with resonate in stark contrast to the self-righteous song that you have been used to hearing. In my experience over the last year in this healthy body of believers, I am beginning to heal.</div>
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It is my prayer that my “done” brethren would also somehow be given healing by the grace of God.</div>
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E. Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07822144786202103722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-12764069085281639622015-05-10T20:18:00.000-04:002015-09-13T12:37:32.886-04:00Legalist: A Poetic Exploration of a Dangerous Ideology<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_VIL2MytW7MiyzYrODVkPj1PbtPIl8rNKspFlGk1IeYo3SuP0cUK2wJNbmmc9i2ocB6SZz1QkZyolT8S43-vJYGOAPetfOBsLw2P9GwNirHFYhQA14egjZNXSfrOpxD5JOwo23U1k_5c/s1600/11251723_10155575463535608_1419983919_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_VIL2MytW7MiyzYrODVkPj1PbtPIl8rNKspFlGk1IeYo3SuP0cUK2wJNbmmc9i2ocB6SZz1QkZyolT8S43-vJYGOAPetfOBsLw2P9GwNirHFYhQA14egjZNXSfrOpxD5JOwo23U1k_5c/s320/11251723_10155575463535608_1419983919_n.jpg" width="304" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://justiceandmercy.blogspot.com/p/authors.html">by: Janice Kaye</a><br />
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You’re free,
he said, and snapped the shackles on.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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You see, he
said, your debt is paid; your sin is gone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And now,
there’s only one thing you must do:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Endure these
chains, and thus maintain his love for you. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Our master
is a kindly one, he said<o:p></o:p></div>
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His employ
isn’t something you can earn; it’s just a gift instead.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But his
affection, that’s a different thing:<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s only
for the few who keep the rules for following. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Sure, he
already suffered for your gain;<o:p></o:p></div>
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Willingly
laid down his life, imbibed your pain. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But
gratitude demands you languish, too <o:p></o:p></div>
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And thus
allay the payment he so freely made for you. <o:p></o:p></div>
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You’re not
his servant, really, but his son <o:p></o:p></div>
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Accepted irrevocably;
it cannot be undone <o:p></o:p></div>
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But still
he’ll snub you if you slip or fail <o:p></o:p></div>
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By messing
up the way you sing or how you wear your hair. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Of course,
his yoke is easy, and his burden light <o:p></o:p></div>
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Just trust
him with your all; he’ll make your days be sunny, bright<o:p></o:p></div>
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But, God
forbid you stumble on the way;<o:p></o:p></div>
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Cause then
he’ll turn his face and make you pay.<o:p></o:p></div>
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No matter
that he bids you rest in grace!<o:p></o:p></div>
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It doesn’t
really mean to rest: it means pick up the pace<o:p></o:p></div>
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Create a
testimony that will brightly glow<o:p></o:p></div>
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To hide the
weak, dependent soul his loving light would show. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Yes, gaze on
him, but watch yourself – beware<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of losing
sight of regulation in the beauty of his care. <o:p></o:p></div>
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His
liberation merits strictest gratitude, most cautious song;</div>
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After all, you’re
free, he said, and snapped the shackles on. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Janice Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05220146693548566627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-2725286783655864402015-05-08T18:48:00.004-04:002015-05-11T22:33:35.406-04:00Defining Spiritual Abuse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://justiceandmercy.blogspot.com/p/authors.html">by: Katie Gibson</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoFJ7Tdo_eufq4xASn522pIctFN1khWheUUnoMQok9AZx1MoLPf0yhyphenhypheneCdZwTVHakGpmL6rLC82KbDmaGznSs8jYvBLvgr42Bn9JD0FxGGV-Vcfq-JuP5WEDrqduAlK73dWCUgMiQOQ/s1600/St+Martin's%2BChurch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoFJ7Tdo_eufq4xASn522pIctFN1khWheUUnoMQok9AZx1MoLPf0yhyphenhypheneCdZwTVHakGpmL6rLC82KbDmaGznSs8jYvBLvgr42Bn9JD0FxGGV-Vcfq-JuP5WEDrqduAlK73dWCUgMiQOQ/s640/St+Martin's%2BChurch.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
In light of trying to raise awareness of Spiritual Abuse and celebrating our first annual <a href="https://www.facebook.com/spiritualfreedomweek?pnref=story" target="_blank">Spiritual Freedom Week</a>, I thought it might be helpful to clarify and define what is being discussed when terms like "spiritual abuse" are used in conversation or articles. </div>
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I must start with a disclaimer though, because just as abuse has many forms, spiritual abuse does not always look the same, and often is subtle and hard to detect in situations that are the closest to you. At first glance a situation may seem good and proper and appropriate, and it may take years of reflection and retrospect to realize that the people or leadership involved were, in fact, spiritually abusive and manipulative or enabling others to use abusive tactics without realizing it.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: x-large;">Entering the Conversation</span></b></div>
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So what is Spiritual Abuse? A lot of people consider that an odd term the first time they hear it. It sounds overly-dramatic or possibly a hyperbolic term. We've grown accustomed to using "physical abuse" when a man hits his wife or a parent hits their child. We've become familiar with the term "sexual abuse" in cases where adults have molested children. In more recent days, some have even integrated the term "emotional abuse" into the conversation to include adults barraging children with the idea that they are worthless or damaged or stupid to the point where they grow up adopting this belief and live with it for the rest of their lives unless someone or something helps them to change that perspective.</div>
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All of these above circumstances are merely examples. There are a thousand different ways a person can be abused in different ways by different types of people in their lives. I've given quick snapshot examples in hopes of connecting to previous knowledge we all are familiar with so that I can focus primarily on the realm of Spiritual Abuse. <i>What is it? How does it happen? What are the effects of being spiritually abused? How can you tell if you are or have been spiritually abused?</i> These questions can quickly become confusing and overwhelming. Let's start off with simple definitions and go from there.</div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: x-large;"><b>Definition</b></span></div>
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What is abuse? <a href="http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/abuse" target="_blank">Merriam Webster's Learner's Dictionary</a> defines abuse (in its verb form) as "1: <b>to treat (a person or animal) in a harsh or harmful way.</b> 2: <b>to use or treat (something) in a way that causes damage.</b> 3: <b>to use (something) wrongly.</b> 4: <b>to use too much of (a drug, alcohol, etc.).</b> 5: <b>to attack (someone) in words.</b>" Let's focus on the first three definitions offered to us. Abusing someone or something is to treat them in a harsh or harmful way, to use or treat them in a way that causes damage, or to use them (it) wrongly. To be fair to the dictionary's original intent, we will only focus on the first definition offered "To treat a person or animal in a harsh or harmful way," but I think it is fair to include in that definition the idea of causing damage, because "harmful" includes the idea that damage is being inflicted on the victim. <i><u>So where does the spiritual aspect come into play? </u></i> Spiritual Abuse is different from all other forms of abuse in that--Spiritual Abuse occurs when people are abused in the name of "ministry," "becoming more Christ-like," "serving the church's purpose," or "serving God's purpose." </div>
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<i>In other words, Spiritual Abuse is abuse inflicted in the name of God. </i></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: x-large;"><b>Examples</b></span></div>
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It is the worst possible way to misuse the name of God, and can be combined with every other type of abuse. Physical abuse becomes spiritual abuse when instead of simply beating your child, you are beating your child because God commands and expects it. Sexual abuse becomes spiritual abuse when a pastor convinces a teenage girl he's molesting to not come forward because she will "hurt the work of the church" he's leading, and "he has God's blessing on his ministry." </div>
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Even emotional abuse can become spiritual abuse when children are convinced that they are only valuable to their parents and God through their obedience and successful performance. When people are taught from a young age that their worth comes through what they do and not who God has created them to be or what Christ has done on the Cross, they are spiritually abused and likely to end up confused for years to come.</div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: x-large;"><b>Emotional Abuse</b></span></div>
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I give special time and attention to emotional abuse, because the other examples seem much easier to point at and condemn as unscriptural and outright ungodly behavior. Most civilized adults in the world don't have to be convinced that beating or starving your children in the name of God is wrong. Most of those same adults also don't need to be told that pastors committing and covering up rape in the name of God is just as wrong (though sadly some do, but that's another post). What raises much concern, is the fact that people are largely blinded to the largest category of unrecorded and unrecognized form of spiritual abuse that is spreading through churches like the latest flu bug. </div>
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Many people simply do not realize that the teaching they have heard all their lives is not only wrong, but it is completely contrary to the good news of the Gospel. God does not value humanity based on what good they can do for Him. Many churches are fighting tooth and nail to teach against a works salvation only to turn around and on all practical levels fight just as hard for a works-based sanctification. This is spiritual abuse, and its effects have been devastating on Christians around the globe. </div>
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People are worn out and weary of trying to live up to the manipulation and latest guilt trips of their equally worn down and weary leaders who don't understand why everybody else isn't happily killing themselves for Jesus like they are. This pressure to perform based on fear of what others will think or what God will think is not healthy for the church, and it's not healthy for the believers who are trapped in this lifestyle. <br />
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Just as many families have spent generations trapped in unhealthy cycles of parents abusing children and spouses only to repeat itself for years in the next generation, so churches have followed a similar pattern with one pastor following the lead of his predecessor only to change the colour scheme of his abuse. </div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>The theme song may sound different, but the words are exactly the same. "Do, so you can be accepted." The Gospel has always sung a different song, "You are already accepted. Do, simply because I love you, and you love me..."</i></blockquote>
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I hope this is helpful in introducing the topic of what Spiritual Abuse can look like and some of the forms it can take. For a more thorough resource I would suggest reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Subtle-Power-Spiritual-Abuse/dp/0764201379" target="_blank">The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse by Johnson and Van Vonderen</a>. I found it very helpful in realizing how much of my past was explained in it and how much of my present wrong thinking was a product of where I had been. We will be continuing this theme of Spiritual Abuse as our week continues and in the future to keep the discussion going. If you have any thoughts or questions you'd like to contribute please feel free to comment at the bottom.</div>
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Grace and Peace.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-15185978380649518282015-05-06T18:56:00.000-04:002015-05-11T22:33:42.708-04:00Spiritual Freedom Week 2015 #SpiritualFreedom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://justiceandmercy.blogspot.com/p/authors.html">by: Katie Gibson</a></div>
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Today marks the beginning of Spiritual Freedom Week over at Soulation.org. For those wondering why it seemed to randomly pop out of nowhere and why it started in the middle of a week, let me explain a little bit of the background.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: x-large;">Soulation.org</span></b><br />
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Soulation is a non-profit organization run by Dale and Jonalyn Fincher (along with a host of other incredibly kind and compassionate people) with the primary purpose of helping people become "more appropriately human." What does that look like? For them, it primarily takes the form of helping people come out of spiritually abusive situations with shaky or non-existent faith and helping them find a safe place to express their doubts, questions, fears, and long-standing uncertainties. They help people sort out deep questions with love and compassionate ears. Their empathy helps broken people learn to start to build their faith over again, or realize they never had it to begin with.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: x-large;">Why May 6 - 12?</span></b><br />
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Dale explained in the Facebook community fanpage he's kickstarting this movement from (which you can find <a href="https://www.facebook.com/spiritualfreedomweek?pnref=story" target="_blank">here</a>) that he wants this week of awareness to fall each year on the same date as graduation day for Pensacola Christian College. PCC is the spiritually abusive Christian college that Dale graduated from years ago, and he has been diligently and gently calling them to mend their ways and acknowledge the damage they have been inflicting on the Church. As an extra aspect of this awareness, he wants each year's week to begin the day they hold graduation at PCC. So, this year, it begins on May 6th, today, and runs until May 12th.</div>
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<span style="color: #e69138; font-size: x-large;"><b>Spiritual Abuse</b></span><br />
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If you have never been through spiritual abuse, I am so very glad for you. But, if you have been affected, whether directly or indirectly by spiritual abuse, whether of a physical, emotional, or sexual nature, and you are having a difficult time sorting out some of the difficult ramifications of those experiences, I would encourage you to head on over to <a href="http://soulation.org/">Soulation.org</a> to join their Freedom Builders Spiritual Healing 101 class. I call it a class, but it's really more of a support group and mentoring community where you'll find a safe place to work through questions and the loving support of a community of people who are either coming from the same place or have already been where you are now and are eager to help you heal.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-19349483674542254992015-05-04T23:54:00.000-04:002015-05-11T23:17:47.416-04:00Church and Mental Illness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://justiceandmercy.blogspot.com/p/authors.html">by: Katie Gibson</a><br />
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For some reason, it is understandable and socially acceptable to ask for prayer and support if you are diagnosed with cancer. Your church will typically express sympathy and offer to bring meals, or at the very least pray that your surgery and/or treatment goes well. People will give you a little more flexibility, because they understand that you're going through a difficult time. I am not sure why the Church is so supportive and understanding for one type of disease and at the same time can be so cruel and insensitive in its treatment of other types of illness.</div>
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When the illness in question involves your brain, Christians can sometimes respond in some very unkind and uninformed ways. Some churches go so far as to say that all mental illness is simply a "spiritual problem" that people are trying to fix with drugs, while others take a more noncomittal approach. Whatever approach is taken by the leadership, it often takes on a stigma that still exists today, even in popular society.<br />
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<b><span style="color: white; font-size: x-large;">
Crazy Jokes</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvg17k0AYYUBB0_v2IG_J9zVZ7O_3SrEEK6AOztnUZugzHEIaPtAIb7IJEwyRtioSU0CAwCkYb_YxN4nqQrASXAUI-z99lzKMJgrNqrm_fg8j57LRw2Cbpmp2wZ5J0xakHKOYavN5Sw/s1600/crazy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvg17k0AYYUBB0_v2IG_J9zVZ7O_3SrEEK6AOztnUZugzHEIaPtAIb7IJEwyRtioSU0CAwCkYb_YxN4nqQrASXAUI-z99lzKMJgrNqrm_fg8j57LRw2Cbpmp2wZ5J0xakHKOYavN5Sw/s320/crazy.jpg" width="320" /></a>People often post jokes about being "crazy" or being in a "mental ward" or similar viral posts on their social media profiles unaware of the potential hurt they are inflicting on those dealing with the real life effects of what they consider a "joke."</div>
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Of all the people in the world, Christians should have no problem understanding that our brains as well as our bodies have been affected by the curse of Genesis chapter 3. Of all the places and institutions in the world, the Church should be a safe place to get help for whatever afflictions people are facing, including those that are contained in their own mind. The fact that churches are often the last places to even acknowledge that mental illness exists, much less offer any helpful resources only helps to further reveal the gap between where we as the Church are and where we should be.</div>
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While there may be a spiritual dimension to depression (as well as other conditions), there can also be very real physical aspects to it that should not be overlooked in the cause of "biblical Christianity." Human beings are not readily compartmentalized into body, soul, and spirit. Often an issue that affects one aspect of a person will affect every other aspect as well. Spiritual issues often interact with physical ones and vice versa. Support and treatment should be as three dimensional as the problem.</div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: x-large;"><b>
Anti-Depressants or Not?</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJZBN9e4R-oiumQADdZeNQ0FdN7ne_WDBGuJLH7V2HsEolM6nUugAbIFSWAfS9Hv2Oil2uKi14rjToKSIIcgtUf2_bD3hP3ebNWakFv5sir3YfcMzPqQ0vDBvAXhDyTe9xeSv9f37AA/s1600/fluoxetane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJZBN9e4R-oiumQADdZeNQ0FdN7ne_WDBGuJLH7V2HsEolM6nUugAbIFSWAfS9Hv2Oil2uKi14rjToKSIIcgtUf2_bD3hP3ebNWakFv5sir3YfcMzPqQ0vDBvAXhDyTe9xeSv9f37AA/s320/fluoxetane.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One issue that often plays into Christian discomfort with the overall topic of mental illness is what is viewed as the "unprecedented access to anti-depressant medications." A lot of people get uncomfortable when they think that doctors are simply prescribing pills for complicated problems and not dealing with the underlying issues. While this may very well be an issue in some cases, it does not necessarily mean that anti-depressants are not a legitimate form of treatment in some cases. </div>
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The problem with a lot of the pushback in Christianity against medications that are classified as anti-depressants is that it is often based on fear and oversimplified misinformation. Broad strokes are often used to describe very complicated and varying conditions, which only leads to more confusion. Also, the agenda becomes more important than the people facing the issue personally, and it is not pursued with sensitivity towards those complicated decisions and difficult situations.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>As often happens with controversial topics, people approach it as if there are no real people on the other end, only abstract ideas that they are free to use and abuse as it fits their cause. </i> </blockquote>
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This is incredibly hurtful to the people who are living with this reality on a daily basis. The decision to try taking an anti-depressant (whether for depression, chronic pain, sleep problems, etc.) is not a light one, and it is often made ten times harder by the pressure felt from well-meaning family and friends who make the patient feel isolated, "crazy," or "deficient" for needing medication.</div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: x-large;"><b>
Moving Forward</b></span></div>
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An issue as complex and multi-faceted as mental illness will not be solved with one simple answer. The situations that arise will take consideration and sensitivity as unique as the people who find themselves in them. Rather than trying to find a "one size fits all" solution that preaches well from a pulpit, I believe our churches would be better equipped to serve everyone involved by following some of the suggestions below:</div>
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1. <b><u>Listen Empathetically</u></b> - Instead of jumping straight into a situation looking for a "sin" issue to fix, starting off with empathetic listening and trying to understand the individual situation will build an atmosphere of safety and trust.</div>
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2. <b><u>Study</u></b> - If the person coming for counsel or support is struggling with a diagnosis of OCD or depression or bi-polar disorder, it only makes sense that the pastor or church leadership in question would read up on the condition they've been diagnosed with in order to help them sort out their needs for medication and their needs for spiritual support.</div>
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3. <b><u>Show Unconditional Love</u></b> - Situations like this can be extremely scary and uncertain, and often people are afraid that if they share what they are going through with their church, people will view them differently. Proving this stereotype wrong and treating people with love regardless of what condition they are diagnosed with shows grace in such a deep way.</div>
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4. <b><u>Speak Carefully</u></b> - It's easy to make light remarks about heavy issues and assume that no one who hears you has personally struggled with it. If it's not appropriate to make jokes about cancer, don't make jokes about crazy people in mental hospitals or on anti-depressants. </div>
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<i>You never know what the people you're talking to have been facing. And if you continue to joke about it, it's likely you never will.</i></blockquote>
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5. <b><u>Avoid mentally categorizing it as "us" and "them"</u></b> - This is similar to some other points previously listed, but it's easy for people who don't struggle with mental issues to associate those issues with "those people" who struggle with it. It's easy to assume something like that could never happen to you. Putting yourself on a higher level because you don't face that particular type of affliction is arrogant, and it will limit the people you get to minister to, because it becomes obvious rather quickly when people are snarky about mental health. </div>
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6. <b><u>Stop viewing healthcare professionals as the enemy</u></b> - While there are major areas of philosophical difference between psychology and Christianity, there are also areas of overlap where having a psychiatrist on your healthcare team can be invaluable in determining pro's and con's of various medications. Rather than writing off all psychiatrists as "secular" and "anti-God" it would be amazing if churches could view healthcare professionals as one more asset to help their people live healthy lives, rather than competition.</div>
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7. <b><u>Create a safe environment</u></b> - Make your church a place where weakness is celebrated instead of shunned and hidden. Instead of encouraging people to put themselves together and come to church looking perfect, let them see that our weakness is made perfect in Christ's strength. Let the church be known for extending grace and compassion rather than judgment and condemnation.</div>
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These are just a few suggestions for paving the way to a church that is not afraid to tackle the difficult subject of mental illness and anti-depressants. There are many more we could address, but these are just a few to get us started. However you put it into practice, please keep grace in mind as you interact on this topic. People throughout our churches are facing these issues and decisions on top of the stigma and pressure to hide their choices from the church. This is a sad reality, but it doesn't have to stay that way. It can change for the better. If you have any additional suggestions for how the Church can do a better job of interacting with the topics of mental illness and anti-depressants feel free to join the conversation by posting a comment below.</div>
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What would the Church globally look like if people felt safe enough to share their deepest heartaches and uncertainties with the people who supposedly love them like family?</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-75807721356384627412015-05-03T01:24:00.001-04:002015-06-12T15:16:42.507-04:00"For Kings, And For All That Are In Authority"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://justiceandmercy.blogspot.com/p/authors.html">by: Janice Kaye</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve experienced it so many times I’ve lost count.
Christians are talking politics, or talking prayer requests, and the conversation
goes something like this: “Yeah, our country is in a mess. So much going wrong.
These are dark days. Well. Keep praying – pray for our military. Pray for our
law enforcement officers. Pray for our churches.” And there, it typically ends,
with no mention of our most influential, king-like, and stressed out leader:
our president.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2J64AqfBiW4CG8ZtGw9O5n1wTT66qKwebOVRgV7LOxLr7QgHdfoed9Cqck37JZKt4LSBbto1ixHlP5qLyPbFW9yKi6eoqfd9Mh0j_zaB5ep9PkLOQLW9afJg-4HP0cpnFxfFe8quMan44/s1600/obama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2J64AqfBiW4CG8ZtGw9O5n1wTT66qKwebOVRgV7LOxLr7QgHdfoed9Cqck37JZKt4LSBbto1ixHlP5qLyPbFW9yKi6eoqfd9Mh0j_zaB5ep9PkLOQLW9afJg-4HP0cpnFxfFe8quMan44/s320/obama.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Granted, occasionally, the commander in chief is
mentioned, but when he is, it inevitably is in a condescending manner: “Pray
that the president will get saved. Lord knows he needs it. Otherwise he is
going to take us all along to Muslim hell with him in his socialist handbasket.”
While I may be hyperbolizing a bit on the specifics, the attitude is along
those lines. Political disagreement with Obama translates into a distaste for
the idea of offering prayers on his behalf. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This distaste, however, trounces scripture. 1 Timothy
2:1-3 is a familiar and clear passage; in these verses, followers of Christ are
urged to pray for and give thanks for all people, specifically for kings and
other high-ranking leaders. There is no exception clause for officials we don’t
like or are suspicious of. Indeed, the Roman regime under which this scripture
was penned was arguably far worse than anything today’s Americans have ever
experienced. Even the most conspiracy-theory minded Obama objectors would be
hard pressed to assert that he is a murderous egotist, willing to kill even his
own family for political gain. Yet, the tone of the commandment is not
condemning. The politics and policies aren’t the point. The human struggles of
the leaders, their ability to bring turmoil or peace to a nation, and their
ultimate need for spiritual rebirth are the emphases of the commandment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">As I have heard other Christians snub the president in
their exhortations to one another to pray for America, I have found myself
irritated at an intellectual level that anyone could be so self-righteous as to
think they could choose who was or wasn’t worthy of their prayers. However, as
I continued to fume, I eventually was struck with the realization that if I am
honest with myself, I often forget to pray for my country’s leaders at all.
Thus, I write this post not to condemn those who haven’t been praying as they
ought – I recognize that I am among them. Instead, I write to remind us all
that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks are to be made
for all people; for Obamas, and for all others who are in authority. </span></div>
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Janice Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05220146693548566627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-8382820406300711142015-05-01T15:08:00.002-04:002015-05-11T22:34:06.675-04:00Christians: It’s Time to Acknowledge the Issue of Privilege<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i style="text-align: justify;">by: <a href="http://justiceandmercy.blogspot.com/p/featured-guests.html">Jayson D. Bradley</a></i><br />
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<i>Reposted with permission from his </i><i><a href="http://jaysondbradley.com/2014/11/26/christians-time-acknowledge-issue-privilege/#sthash.CY3hGLjJ.dpbs" target="_blank">blog</a>. (Also published in later form on Relevant Magazine's website.)</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOPhVW_vmrTpYkbi8udQv6HyZ3bwST1_0fv3JF5be4b11kDeGMgPrmGDGE6PJUapG9QSX-fFZcbHjeQTNAgofWaqZKR82xEKUaTlDMjfrQ63-ptgrYXyKDSEDd5D3l0feNsRs5dT6XA/s1600/privilege.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOPhVW_vmrTpYkbi8udQv6HyZ3bwST1_0fv3JF5be4b11kDeGMgPrmGDGE6PJUapG9QSX-fFZcbHjeQTNAgofWaqZKR82xEKUaTlDMjfrQ63-ptgrYXyKDSEDd5D3l0feNsRs5dT6XA/s1600/privilege.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">All my life I’ve heard the term “underprivileged.” It was used when we talked about people in impoverished countries or children who needed assistance with school lunches. I’ve never heard anyone take exception to the term.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But for some reason when you bring up the idea there are people who are privileged, folks get real bent out of shape. This seems a little crazy to me since you can’t have people who are underprivileged without having people who are privileged.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Part of the problem is that, if we’re going to imagine that there’s a privileged people, it’s someone else—not us</span>.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><b>The spectrum of privilege</b></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you lined up everyone in the world according their access to healthy food, pure water, shelter, and sustainable wages, you’d have the most underprivileged people on one end of the scale, and the most privileged people in the world on the other. In many ways it’s no one’s fault where they are on that scale. If you were born in the west, you’re going to naturally find yourself a clustered with the privileged.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In fact, based on just these criteria, the poorest people in any particular western country would still find themselves on the higher end of the worldwide privilege spectrum.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As I said earlier, where you land is typically outside of your control. That said, there are also systemic injustices that help maintain the spectrum as we know it. Some of the poorer countries suffer from civil unrest and terrible governments who oppress them. Some of the businesses and governments in more privileged countries take advantage of poorer nations by exploiting them and taking their resources.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, while it might not be anyone’s fault where they are on the spectrum, it is the responsibility for justice-minded people on the more privileged end of the spectrum—this should include all followers of Christ—to do what they can to assist the people on the lower end. At the very least, they should opt out of practices that further exploit them.</span></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Privilege is more than money</span></b></h2>
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We can modify that spectrum we created earlier by factoring in other aspects that affect quality of life—but we need to give them appropriate weight according to their culture of origin.</div>
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There’s a huge re-juggling of this spectrum when we factor in gender. By simply being born a woman, your privilege is greatly affected. If you’re a woman in the Democratic Republic of Congo, not only do you have to struggle with the economic issues which affect daily life, you live in constant fear of violence. Rape is so frequent that UN investigators have called it unprecedented. Of the 775 million people over the age of 15 who can’t read or write, 2/3 of them are women.</div>
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Other factors that greatly affect this scale are race, religion, sexual orientation, social class or caste, and health/disability. And again, we need to weigh each one according to many factors. For instance, it’s much better to be born a woman in Iceland than it is in Nepal. It’s better to be gay in South Africa than in Russia.</div>
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<h2>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Privilege at home</span></b></h2>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This spectrum dramatically changes when you go from an international scale to a national one. People on the lower end of the economic spectrum in America may find themselves higher on an international scale, but it really doesn’t matter within their current context. It doesn’t help a mother of three struggling to make it in Detroit to tell them, “Buck up, you’re doing much better than the average mother in Mali.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, social class, and disability have a great effect on the quality of life in America (or any country)—and to deny that they don’t just seems ludicrous. I’ve been looking for a job at the same time as a close friend of mine. In a conversation the other day he said to me, “I put my nickname and not my given name on my résumé because I get a lot fewer call backs when they see that I’m Mexican.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t have the real estate in the particular blog to offer social proofs for how each factor affects privilege in the United States, but the proof is there if you’re serious about becoming educated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But keep in mind, whenever you hear another white guy talking about those “fat cats in Washington” or “trust fund babies,” they’re talking about privilege.</span></div>
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<h2>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Who are you to tell me I’m privileged!?</span></b></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqb_4mQ2yRjJi-7VaLahVtLFFOkdFSBDrC0W985Hq4h3z5VMa3gKFj1zDiVGxZDQK77BgRJFVm1CDz69KSTkS4cBmqZBFD8Nv0hrR4MilaQ6AngqBiX6379c2-0o96XtmnBwc1MTItQ/s1600/bill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqb_4mQ2yRjJi-7VaLahVtLFFOkdFSBDrC0W985Hq4h3z5VMa3gKFj1zDiVGxZDQK77BgRJFVm1CDz69KSTkS4cBmqZBFD8Nv0hrR4MilaQ6AngqBiX6379c2-0o96XtmnBwc1MTItQ/s1600/bill.jpg" width="200" /></a>One of the arguments I hear all the time, especially from Bill O’Reilly fans, goes something like this, “How can I be privileged? I’ve worked my ass off to get where I am. How dare you call me privileged!?”</div>
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<div>
I’m a healthy, straight, white, middle-class man, and I’ve had virtually no say in any of those factors. This doesn’t mean I haven’t had to work to succeed; it means that I haven’t had to work around many of the economic and sociological boundaries that others have. Sure, there are many people of color who are more successful than I am, but by-and-large, all things being equal:</div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>I’m less likely to be arrested</li>
<li>I’m more likely to go to college</li>
<li>I’m more likely to get called back for a job</li>
<li>I’m more likely to find adequate housing</li>
</ul>
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<div>
This mythology that, no matter who you are, you can be whatever you want if you just work hard makes it difficult to have this discussion. Working hard matters, there’s no question about it. But this is by no means a level playing field and by pretending that it is, or that all cultural barriers can be bypassed by working harder, we solidify issues of privilege.</div>
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When you look at the pay gap, there’s a huge discrepancy when it comes to race, and an even greater one when it comes to gender.</div>
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One thing I find extremely troubling when talking about this issue is how seldom Native Americans are factored into the discussion. I just want to go on record by saying that not only do I think our first-nation people are some of the most underprivileged in America, they’re even under represented by voices who contend for more civil equality.</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Does Jesus care about privilege?</span></h2>
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One of the most damning criticisms of Christianity is that it’s not only accepted its privileged position in the west, but that it also exploits it. If we’re being honest, it’s not too hard to concede the point. Not only can an argument be made that Christianity has been complicit in the subjugation of Native Americans, the economic success of slavery, and the fight against women’s suffrage, it can be argued that, within this “melting pot” of races and religions, Christians have often sought a dominant role in American life.</div>
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<i>It’s no wonder that people puzzle over whether the Jesus of Christianity cares about the issue of privilege at all.</i></blockquote>
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The expectation that corporate (Christian) prayer should occur in public schools, the frustration that someone would wish you “happy holidays” instead of “merry Christmas,” or the conviction that Christianity’s view of matrimony should dictate who can and cannot get married, points to an ingrained sense of Christian privilege.</div>
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I recognize that there were Christians who fought for women’s suffrage, for Native Americans, and against slavery. This doesn’t negate the overwhelming evidence that Christians have often been on the wrong side of issues of privilege. It’s no wonder that people puzzle over whether the Jesus of Christianity cares about the issue of privilege at all.</div>
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Not only did Jesus abandon privilege to walk among us (Phil. 2:5—11), his concern for the underprivileged helped put him in the crosshair of the religious establishment. He spoke up for the poor, healed the sick of the racially underprivileged (even when it at times when it wasn’t religiously acceptable to do so—Mark 3:1—6), and spoke up for and treated women like valued and important members of society.</div>
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Many of Jesus parables and teaching included elements that would undo first-century (and modern privilege). I see the Jesus’ parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31) as being about both the economic and national privilege. Beyond Jesus, it’s obvious that the introduction of Christianity was intended to plant sociological seeds that would drive a stake into the heart of privilege.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">What do I do with white guilt?</span></h2>
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<i>“Privilege is unconscious power. The problem with unconscious power . . . it’s almost never used for flourishing”—Andy Crouch</i></blockquote>
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“White guilt” is one of those terms that I hear from white friends to scornfully dismiss issues of privilege. It always irritates me.</div>
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Many of the problems we’re talking about are systemic. I didn’t choose them, and I’m not sure feeling guilty about it does anyone any good. The person who should feel guilty is the one who refuses to admit that it’s a legitimate issue.</div>
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The bigger question is, “What do we do about it?”</div>
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Once we recognize the issue of privilege we’re responsible for our response. We can’t continue to soak up the benefits of privilege and deny they don’t exist.</div>
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It’s not enough for me to reject the idea of privilege. I can’t publicly decry my societal position and go on with life as usual. I might get a boost of moral superiority by saying “I reject my privileged status as a white male in America,” but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to still benefit from this systemic weaknesses in American culture. So I have to do something else. I have to subvert the system—I have to leverage my privilege for the benefit of others.</div>
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I had a friend who laid into me because of the popularity of my blog. Because I was a white, straight male, I was perpetuating privilege by having anything to say that anyone would want to read. That irritated the hell out of me. If I have more of a voice than someone else, it does neither of us any good for me give up my voice so that we’re both mute. If I have a platform, I consider it my responsibility to elevate marginalized individuals. I just need to be very careful not to speak on their behalf.</div>
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One thing I have been horrified at this week is how easy it is for white people to speak for black Americans as if they understand their situation from reading a couple blog posts or watching the news. I have absolutely no right to talk as if I understand what it’s like to be black, female, gay, handicapped, Muslim, or for any other group that I have not experienced from the inside. But I do feel responsible for hearing and raising their voices.</div>
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That said, here are list of blogs I read regularly:</div>
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<li>Tangentials</li>
<li>Christena Cleveland</li>
<li>Sarah Bessey</li>
<li>Shoopscope</li>
<li>Kimberly Knight</li>
<li>Taking Jesus Seriously</li>
<li>By Their Strange Fruit</li>
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The first step for a stronger, more empathetic church is to break out of our intellectual, theological, and sociological cul-de-sacs. It is a lot of work not to standard and prescribe my perspective for everyone. I tend to think I’m pretty objective, but my objectivity is colored by my limited experience and understanding. It’s time for the church in America to provide room for more voices.</div>
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<i>Editor's Note: </i>For more from Jayson D. Bradley follow him at his blog: <a href="http://www.jaysondbradley.com/">www.jaysondbradley.com</a>.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346717586554041078.post-60248814206005619942015-05-01T02:30:00.003-04:002015-05-11T22:27:38.508-04:00White Christians Respond to Baltimore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://justiceandmercy.blogspot.com/p/authors.html">by: Katie Gibson</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbaymuNlX8M84CHIvOR7ICSeke8B5x-ue4kNC2gg6EPf9lECUoQth3jyztnhTyC_AoNCmkLs53xDtk1BUDGGqc9o72VZwtI32UNd98SM9o8-Cp4orN4vx-qzZIFW0t0GLVEkAI_0aww/s1600/WTO_protests_in_Seattle_November_30_1999ab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbaymuNlX8M84CHIvOR7ICSeke8B5x-ue4kNC2gg6EPf9lECUoQth3jyztnhTyC_AoNCmkLs53xDtk1BUDGGqc9o72VZwtI32UNd98SM9o8-Cp4orN4vx-qzZIFW0t0GLVEkAI_0aww/s640/WTO_protests_in_Seattle_November_30_1999ab.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's amazing to me how incredibly oblivious so many white Americans can be at times. What makes this even more disturbing is that many of these oblivious white Americans also claim to be Christians and actively practice this oblivion in the name of Jesus.</div>
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While black men are killed in police custody all over the country under what are, at best, suspicious circumstances, white Christians are arguing over their loss of religious freedom to refuse service to gay couples and whether or not to mandate drug testing on those "freeloading welfare recipients." They seemed largely unaware or perhaps purposefully ignorant of the situation in Baltimore until a fraction of the thousands of peaceful protestors started reaching the boiling point and jumped on top of police cars. </div>
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When 4,000 people peacefully protest a horrendous death in police custody, the white Church finds nothing to take note of, but when a couple hundred desperate teenagers burn a few businesses and start erupting out of desperation from not being heard, finally there is a response. Is it outrage at the lack of justice on behalf of these groups? No. Is it sorrow for the death of Mr. Gray? No. What finally reached the attention of the oblivious white American Church? Property damage. What message does this send to the black churches around us? What message does this send those troubled and desperate teenagers in Baltimore? Your lives don't matter to us. Nothing that happens to you will demand our attention, but if you start becoming violent and damaging property we will condemn you loudly. We will assume you have horrible parents and are "thugs" and "animals."</div>
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If we are to take the Gospel seriously and to follow the Jesus of the Bible, we should care more about the lives of the people around us (white, black, asian, hispanic, latino, etc.) than we do about social awkwardness and property damage. Perhaps instead of assuming that the people of Baltimore are so stupid they are sub-human, we should examine the context and circumstances that would make people desperate enough to torch their own neighborhoods.</div>
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This is not a time for snide remarks or sarcastic, self-righteous social media statuses to validate our self image through the number of likes and comments. This is not a time to go on the defensive and talk only about the "good cops" out there. It is a fact that there are corrupt police officers out there. Not all, but some. The fact that not all police are corrupt does not negate that some are, and it doesn't change the mind of those who have been hurt by biased and racism police work. The good police officers should be first in line to stand up for justice and demand honesty and transparency for the safety and protection of everyone. </div>
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This is a time for sorrow. People are hurting from this tragic situation, and the damage that has been done is real and deep. This is a time for the Christian community to show empathy to a people group that feels like no one is listening and nothing will change. Whatever your politics are, this has been a year that challenges many people's views on where we are in race relations in 2014/2015. There are millions of people in this country who have been affected by this on a very personal level. Rather than being insensitive and unkind to them, this is the time for us to show the love of Christ to people who have experiences that are vastly different from ours.</div>
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The Church has been horrible at responding to racial issues for a long time. This is the time for that to change. It starts with learning how to discuss sensitive topics like this with compassion and grace, not sarcasm and sneers. Reach out to the oppressed and the hurting. Show them that in Christ cultural, ethnic, national, and all other divisions disappear as we converge at the level ground of the Cross.</div>
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Praying for Baltimore.<br />
g&p </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0