We are all looking for “The Good Way”, we all want to feel good about ourselves, our families, jobs and in general about life itself. For Christians this can be a problem. Why a problem? I think the answer to that question can be found in Jeremiah 6: 16-19.

16 This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’

I have rewritten this blog several times, really I have. This same gender issue and related issues that come with it has in my opinion become so divisive that many like myself look elsewhere as we allow our emotions to interfere with our ability to worship, study, fellowship and most of all find peace in our faith. It has driven me from my pew and soon will split the Methodist Church. Re-read what I have just written. The fault lies not with the church but with me. I have lost my focus and taken my eyes off the cross so to speak. God’s will cannot to be found in committees, position papers or endless debates or voting until the outcome turns out your way. It most certainly is not contained in endless commentaries or intellectual interpretation of the gospel to fit the changing moral climate of the world today. I have written other blogs that state why I believe this gender thing is a social issue and not a church thing. No need to rehash them here. You may go back and read them if you like.

I will be making an effort to do just what the scripture says, seeking the “Good Way” through study and prayer. God’s written word, his instructions if you will, passed down by the patriarchs and passed to the apostles to whom God made his will known. When we read the next three verses it is plain that there will be judgement and all of us will be held accountable.

17 I posted watchmen over you who said, ‘Listen for the sound of the alarm.’ But you replied, ‘No! We won’t pay attention!’18 “Therefore, listen to this, all you nations. Take note of my people’s situation.19 Listen, all the earth! I will bring disaster on my people. It is the fruit of their own schemes, because they refuse to listen to me. They have rejected my word.

My word counter tells me I have written 417 words at this point. I read a comment by a Methodist Pastor today that says it all in very few words. We are told that General Conference was a success and nothing was changed. Well that is not true. WE have a “Book of Discipline” which has now in this pastor words become a “Book of Suggestions”. jkc

After the fall of Jerusalem in 70 C.E., the Romans turned their attention to stamping out the last of the rebels holding out at the fortresses of Herodium and Machaerus as well as in the “Forest of Jardes” (which has not yet been identified). The last remaining site occupied by the Jewish rebels was at Herod’s desert fortress-palace on the cliff-top of Masada. Led by Roman general Flavius Silva, the Legio X Fretensis—a veteran military unit—began the siege operation against the rebels in 72 or 73 C.E.

The spiritual heart of the Jewish nation was being destroyed and many of their leaders were dead. Those Jews left in positions of authority or leadership were either appointed by the Romans or influenced by the need to comply in order to survive. Only  five survived and they were women and children. The Jews at Masada had chosen to kill themselves rather than surrender to Roman Rule. You can read more about this at www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/masada.html.

Those outside the Christian community seldom mention the persecution of Christians throughout the world. The sad fact is that this is not all that new but seems to have become more prevalent in recent years and of course the rapid sharing of information in this world of global communication has increased the level of awareness within the faith. We Christians here in the USA enjoy a religious freedom that we have become comfortable with and take for granted. We are like those frogs dumped into a pot of  water, which is then slowly brought up to a boil, by the time they realize they are in trouble it is to late. The Jewish nation was no match for the military might of the Roman Empire but I would suggest a much more serious problem that I am sure led to their demise. They had turned from God and sin and disobedience to Gods commands had become commonplace among the Jewish Leaders and the people. They had preverted God’s will and no longer sought to live a holy life, setting aside that which was written for those things and practices they coveted.

Masada was the last stand so to speak of Jews who would not yield to Roman Law and subjugation which leads me to an explanation of this blog title. We Christians are facing our “Masada” and like those frogs we contently lie in the water unaware that it will soon contribute to a crisis of faith. The issues facing Christianity today do not belong to just one denomination, for we all are part of the family of God, and we all are guilty. The issues are many but have one common thread. It is the willingness to interpret the word of God to meet the ever-changing morals of today’s society. Think about this. The only difference between a Christian and a non-believer is we go to church and they don’t. We go to many of the same places, watch the same movies, like to accumulate stuff and in most ways there is very little difference between us. We have been called out, we are to live Holy lives, we are to be different. I encourage each of you who read this to take the time to read and study God’s word and Law. Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit through prayer and study and the only thing I will say in the way of instruction is simply this. When you study, study and read both Old and New Testament. We must stop yielding to the Ceaser’s of this day in order to increase membership, marginalizing our Christian values because they make others uncomfortable and allowing ourselves to feel uncomfortable because our faith calls us to be different. jkc

That should rise some eyebrows but before you read too much into that, let’s define who “them is”. We could say “them” is the failure of leadership to adequately defend and enforce the discipline. We could say that “them” is all those that for years have kicked the can down the road. We could say “them” are all those who over the years relied on slogans and special programs and valued inclusiveness and social issues over preaching and teaching God’s word. We could say that “them” are those with an agenda that conflicts with the teachings of the church.

We could say that “them” are those whose relentless pursuit to achieve their goal of acceptance at any cost with no regard or respect for others rights or beliefs are the cause of this mess we are in. Well I am not going to drag this out. “THEM” is best described, and I take a line from the old comic strip Pogo…. “we have found the enemy and them is us.” Them is us, you and I sitting in the pew week after week and letting this go this far. The issue here is about the word, about that which is God’s command to live a Holy Life because he, Our God is Holy and he desires we be Holy.

I wrote a blog in December of 2015, “A Journey To Stay In The Pew” .
My journey took me to different pews where I experienced different doctrines and denominational practices. I have moved on now and sit in a different pew. It has not been easy to leave my church family of over thirty years but in the process I have learned a valuable lesson. We are all God’s children, adopted into the family of God through the ministry, crucifixion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who believe and try to live a holy life sit in many different pews. I thought of all kinds of scripture to make my point, but the simple fact is this. “I believe the Bible to be given by divine inspiration, inherently revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation.”

Thus changing the meaning or intent of God’s word through debate or any means to meet changing moral standards is not what I believe God would have me do. The words in quotes above are not mine, figure out where they came from and you will know what pew I am sitting in.
jk

I have just finished reading an article that was written based on content from a manifesto written by Dr. Dorothee Benz an LGBTQI activist from New York and is a founding member of MIND (Methodists in New Directions) and serves as its national representative. To say that I was taken aback by the tone of her writings would be a massive understatement. I know that sitting in the pew we are not always aware of these types of things going on in the church, after all why upset the troops so to speak. But the bitterness and the unsubstantiated thoughts, actions and statements attributed to our church which I have inserted here:

– “An anti-queer majority at General Conference, a combination of U.S. and international conservatives, led and whipped into a hateful frenzy by southern white Americans, has refused to consider our humanity,” contends Benz in her 2,000-word manifesto. “We are told we are prostitutes, pedophiles, murderers.”

-……, but at General Conference a tyranny of the majority is hellbent on denying our humanity,” Benz writes.

To my knowledge I have never heard of such actions from the church.

Along with the following begs to ask the question how is there no violence in the following statements.

-We must find a way to make it impossible for delegates to continue to step over our bodies, ignore our hymns, and stick to their schedules. It will take my body and yours – all of ours – to do this,” proclaims Dr. Dorothee Benz, an LGBTQI activist from New York, in an April 13 statement.

– According to the Love Prevails website: “The training will offer attendees direct action skills in a nonviolence framework while being clear about divesting from white supremacist interpretations of nonviolence.” (note what does this mean? Is it a vailed threat?)

-“If we do not disrupt business as usual, then nothing will change,” Benz concludes. “The money changers, the dove sellers, the discriminatory legislation, the foundational hate language in our Book of Discipline – it will all continue.”

This is a rather awkward attempt to ask a very difficult question. Going back to the blog title I have to ask. Why hasn’t the leadership of our church addressed this issue? So far, and I could be very wrong, I have not read, seen or heard any response from the leadership. Should we not defend the concept of peaceful assembly, orderly presentation and discussion of issues as also being part of the Methodist way? Are we not by our inaction endorsing the mindset that if you don’t agree with something you disrupt, ignore, disobey and refuse to allow others to be heard?

The leadership of the church needs to step up and do what they have been elected or appointed to do. Lead God’s people in a civil discourse of ideas that will bring to all people the word of God. You the leadership is by your inaction allowing a picture of our church as one of a divided house held hostage by bitterness, hate and disrespect for our brothers and sisters in the Faith. Loss of members, closing of churches and the division of leadership as to the intent of the gospel has made its way into the pew. We are watching and we don’t like what we see. We come to church to worship our God, share the word and to leave and go out to face the world as it is strengthen by the grace, guidance and love of our savior Jesus Christ. One last thought. How can anyone who has such hate and bitterness in their heart ever expect to have God’s ear or be led by the Holy Spirit?

It has been said that change is only hard for those who resist it. I suppose that is true but what is important to me is the type of change. There are some things that should never change because they are the very foundation of what we believe are God’s will and for the purpose of this blog what I believe to be the foundation of that belief. With that in mind let’s look at Webster’s definition of faith.

Simple Definition of faith

• :strong belief or trust in someone or something
• :belief in the existence of God: strong religious feelings or beliefs
• :a system of religious beliefs

In two of the dots above we see the word religious used twice in reference to feelings, beliefs or system. While this may be a bit radical and I know many will disagree but I view religion and faith to be two separate things. I believe that religious feelings and beliefs along with established systems can and will be changed from time to time. At the same time to me God’s will and word are the foundation of the “faith” and are not meant to be changed to meet the changing mores and social agenda of the politically correct. If you detect a bit of frustration with this, you are correct. I believe the Methodist church, which by the way is not the only denomination involved in this, is debating an issue that belongs in the secular world as I consider the gender question to be of a social type of thing. For lack of a better example give unto Caesar that which is Caesars and unto God that which is his. By faith we as Christians are charged to love everyone and welcome them to the fellowship. The key here is not to pre-judge. We are not bound by earthly laws to accept those things which God has rejected or amend the “faith” to meet the changing mores of the day.

If I am confusing you I am sorry but to me the path is clear enough. Those things that prevent people from living a holy life as God commanded, are not to ever be set aside using inclusiveness, relevance to today’s world and declining membership as reason for such a change in those things that are of the very foundation of the “Faith”. As a layman in the pew I can only go on what years of scripture study, guidance of the ordained elders and the statement of those things which we as Methodists have held to be the beliefs of our faith as taught by John Wesley. Each generation brings with it their own reasoning. Sometimes that reasoning is the product of study and debate about the issues of the day. What I am saying is when scripture says “and God said, or God told….” these are not policy items or doctrine that is open for debate. When I study scripture or prepare a Sunday school lesson I will read several different commentaries by respected scholars and seek a common thread among them to help me understand and share God’s word with the class. I have not burdened you with numerous scripture quotes but seek to keep it simple. As Methodists we are debating a number of issues which will soon come to a vote. The very nature of a debate requires that someone lose, and only one opinion can stand. I firmly believe that these issues are facing us because of societal pressures and those who seek to push the idea that our statements of faith are unfair to a segment of our society. I reject that reasoning. The foundation of our faith is not open to public debate, it is God’s word and can’t be changed to meet the needs of changing morals. I would say to these people what is said before every communion table; The Lords table is ready and all are welcomed to come.

I will welcome you, respect you, love you, pray with and for you and not judge you. I would hope you would understand that I try hard to live a Holy life as God has commanded me, do not ask me to do any less.

I also seek others comments and welcome them. You may reach me at kcarp4211@gmail.com

As the new movie God’s Not Dead Part 2 hits the theaters the usual chorus of discord can be heard from all sides of the religious spectrum as well as that of the unbelievers. People of faith over the last few years have been introduced to a kinder gentler vocabulary which can be misleading. Two words stand out to me in this battle for the very soul of the faith, “Inclusiveness and Tolerance.” I admit I am a layman and while I hold no office or committee posts in the church, I read, study and most importantly listen to those like me sitting in the pews. I have already written about inclusiveness in an earlier blog, as to tolerance, here is my view from the pew.

I’m sure most folks understand reasonably well the meaning of this word. I choose to not quote a lot of scripture, just keep this simple and to the point. Here is Webster’s definition of the word “tolerance”.

• 2a :  sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own

b :  the act of allowing something :  toleration

I consider the very “soul” of the faith to be the word of God given to the prophets of the Old Testament, carried into the New Testament as spoken by his son Jesus Christ and the good news that the Apostles took to the world, which the believers embraced with their hearts, minds and in some instances their lives. Having said this, I believe that God has spoken to his people as to those things which by belief or practice are in conflict with his will. To be even more direct I find no justification for Christian tolerance or sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with the word and will of God. Now here is where it becomes hard to be a Christian of the “faith” and defend the faith which has in the past been known to exclude and judge others harshly. Jesus said to love your brother as yourself and in Jesus’ ministry we see him time after time include all people in his mission. Now some would say that this is the very definition of “inclusiveness” and truth is you can’t argue with that. So what is my problem? Tolerance is a different matter altogether. Yes, Jesus did love all people but he did not tolerate those things which marginalized his father’s will for his people and disrespected the sanctity of his house and personage. We only have to look at the temple full of money changers and vendors to see his intolerance to such in his father’s house.

To sum up, our church is divided in many areas of our doctrine of faith. We should love and welcome all to God’s family but never allowing those things which God found unacceptable to be tolerated to the point of inclusion in the “Faith”. One last hard thing for all of us to grasp is that we are called to, whoa…. the word is commanded to love all. Judgement belongs to God.

I have not posted in some time now and it is not due to writers block. I have a condition which is quite common in my part of the pew. The confusion of direction and doctrinal abuse has left many United Methodists seeking answers through conversations among themselves, with their Pastor, or even leaving the pew to seek answers among the larger Christian community. My journey is one born of confusion and the need to truly know God’s will for me at this point of my life. How do I reconcile doctrine or church law to God’s law and as a layman however odd it may seem to some, God’s law to me is clear concise and plain in its intent and purpose; while the direction and intent of the Methodist church seems to be directed by whichever group or agenda driven model prevails at the moment.

Having taught Sunday school for a number of years and the little experience I have gained writing blogs have led me to prayer, study and a number of biblical commentaries and study literature that has helped me in understanding God’s word. I would in no way infer that I have reached the level or understanding of the writers of these materials but the value of their work has been a blessing and source of understanding and enrichment of this journey I am now on. I have come to the conclusion that the Old and New Testaments are inseparably woven together so that the true meaning and intent of God’s law and word in totality, requires the other for one to understand the whole of the word. I love the Methodist church but find myself confused as to the efforts of some to change the intent of God’s law and word as written in the bible to fit the social needs of our world today. John Wesley said it best:

It is therefore expected of all who continue therein that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation,

First: By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind . . . ;

Secondly: By . . . doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all . . . ;

Thirdly: By attending upon all the ordinances of God. (see ¶ 103)

Wesley’s illustrative cases under each of these three rules show how the Christian conscience might move from general principles to specific actions. Their explicit combination highlights the spiritual spring of moral action. (From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church – 2012. Copyright 2012 by The United Methodist Publishing House. )

I call your attention to the third rule above. This past Sunday I sat in a different pew and started this journey I have for so long sought to avoid. As I look ahead to the issues that we as a denomination will face in this new year 2016, I cannot help but wonder if we will respect all the ordinances of God as we decide the issues facing us. I covet your prayers and pray that the Holy Spirit will give me the discernment I need to stay in the pew.

Sometimes being nice just doesn’t work and being mean or nasty doesn’t work either but to avoid the latter there must be a reasonable attitude present to insure that the latter doesn’t rule the day. From my position in the pew, mine is just one of many opinions and is open for discussion, correction, or just plain ignoring. Now with the disclaimer intact we move on to the subject of this blog. I believe it is time for a little “righteous indignation”. I will use Webster’s definition for this subject. I should say up front so there is no misunderstanding, I am not advocating turning over the communion table, or any act that is destructive but just talking a little louder, being firm in our faith and not accepting that which God found to be un-holy.

Full Definition of RIGHTEOUS
1
: acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin
2
a : morally right or justifiable

b : arising from an outraged sense of justice or morality

Full Definition of INDIGNATION
: anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy, or mean Continue reading →

My last few blogs have been about the same-gender debate that has consumed the energy and resources of our church for far too long. I wanted to write about something different this time but there it was again, that word difference, different and no matter what way it is used it always moves to dissention. You can even find dissention in the pews. “That’s where we always sit, they must go to a different service, and I have never seen them here before. They probably like the different music at that service.” Ah…yes, even among we Methodists and our great hymn singing tradition and the over 6000 hymns Charles Wesley wrote, there are those that want something different.
I guess I am getting tired of differences as it seems to be that by just adding one letter “s” we find ourselves deep in dissention. God has a way of slapping us in the face and we never see it coming. I just got slapped in the face and want to share with you the miracle of different. This is always a busy time of the year for me even though I am retired. For the past eight years of my retirement I have spent a great deal of time with some folks that are different. I have been blessed to be a part of a different world filled with special people whose difference does not define who or what they are. Their difference has made me a better person and created in me a heighten awareness that there is always a purpose in anything that God has done or created, and it is good. God himself said that. So what is this about? Special needs folks, Down syndrome and Autism the very nature of which makes them different.
So where is this Miracle of Difference? The love they have for life, other people and the trust they have in others, although I will tell you, you have to earn it. Faith, in God and their love for Jesus is honest and without conditions; I have been with them in Chapel service and bible study for six years now and I have seen the miracle God has wrought through those who are different in many ways but love and accept without condition. I am reminded of a great old hymn:
We are One in The Spirit,
We are One in The Lord.
We are One in The Spirit,
We are One in The Lord.
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love,
By our Love,
Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

I invite you to visit the Trousdale School website (http://www.trousdaleschool.org/) and meet these remarkable men and women. Their presence in my life, their difference demands the very best of me and they have made me a better person. There are some very serious differences in our church today. Maybe we should pray for The Miracle of Difference.