And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42
One of the underlying principles of Off The Map is the idea that in todays world, nobody pays attention to anyone else. There are people out there that just need someone to notice them. They crave attention, and when you actually pay attention, it’s the same thing as giving a cup of cold water in Jesus’ day.
Yesterday I was in downtown Minneapolis on a job interview, and walking from my car to the interview I saw a man sitting on a bench dressed in fatigues and holding a sign that said something to this effect:
Homeless veteran needs money to get home. No drugs. No alcohol. Can you spare some change? God bless you.
I’m not from the city so I’m not accustomed to seeing that sort of thing. And besides, I had somewhere to be. I passed him, then stopped and checked my wallet - all I had was three $20’s which I needed. So I told him I couldn’t help and walked on.
Then I remembered I had a bunch of change back in my car.
Read the rest of this news item »
Recently Josh has posted on here about a school project involving conversations with an atheist, Lawrence. Last week I was excited to discover that Elizabeth has been doing the same project with Amy and they’ve both blogged about it. (Josh helped Elizabeth find Amy - Amy was one of the people who responded to Josh and Karlene’s request for atheist conversation partners that we posted on Conversation at the Edge a few months ago)
I wrote to Elizabeth and Amy and asked if it would be ok for me to ask them questions about the project and post their answers here. They both said yes - here are my questions with their responses. As you’ll see, the project was a good experience for both of them.
I know this is a school project for Elizabeth. Elizabeth , can you tell us what this project is about? Amy, why you were interested in participating in Elizabeth ’s school project?
Amy: I was very excited when I heard there are Christians out there who actually want to talk to atheists in a nice, friendly, non-judgmental manner! Those are an endangered species in my part of the country.
Elizabeth: I was taking a class on Evanglism at George Fox Evangelical Seminary and one of the assignments was to use a book called Holy Conversation: Talking About God in Everyday Life which required that I have weekly conversations with a conversation partner about my faith with someone who is not a conscious follower of Jesus.
Read the rest of this news item »
- The late, great Peter Cook in The Princess Bride.
I doubt if anyone has missed the news that California’s Supreme Court has seen fit to extend the law on marriage to include same sex couples. Well, good for them. Rather than repeat my best wishes for equality for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, I’d like to take a moment to look at the people that this ruling has upset.
Unfortunately it seems to be a certain brand of Christian who objects to the idea of gay marriage. Obviously not all Christians but enough to be significant. Why do you think that a religion that is based on tolerance and love for your fellow man should appeal to people who seem to want the opposite? I mean, what is really so wrong with two people being in love and making a commitment to remain together? Is it at all important if they happen to be of the same sex? Why are some Christians so angry about the idea?
I know that the Old Testament has some small mention of homosexuality as being abnormal. A handful of passages that seem to me to be entirely culturally based. There are some stories that include homosexuality in the list of “not nice” ways that decadent societies act. The New Testament has even less mention of it, more building on what went before really. Well, apart from a single mention of sex between ladies. The shocking spectacle of sapphic love. What the bible seems to focus on though is the naughty bits, the rudeness, the sex. Never the love or the sharing, the simple pleasure of the company of another human being who you know and trust. Never that.
Acceptance of someone who has different values, who has different opinions, or who lives differently from the way that we expect must first come from accepting that they are no different than we are in most respects. A homosexual man is as human as a heterosexual man who is as human as a gay woman or an autistic child, or a black man, a white woman, an Asian woman, whatever. We all have more in common than we have differences. It may seem obvious but homosexuals have been demonized by generations of Christians and that is just not right.
I’m glad that society is finally making steps to correct that. I hope that religion follows rather than fights it.
Posted in A Cacophony of Posts, Jason | 51 Comments »