Go Bison! !Vive la Espana!

This just in from our friends at Harding:

The administration has re-evaluated its decision to include Ms. Ann Coulter in the 2005-2006 American Studies Distinguished Lecture Series. In lieu of Ms. Coulter's presentation, the university has extended an invitation to Jose Maria Aznar, the former president of Spain. He has accepted our invitation, and his presentation will be Feb. 14.

I am grateful for the humility and meek, courageous leadership demonstrated by this decision to reconsider Coulter's invitation. I pray that the Lord has taught us all valuable lessons in this exchange and that He is working to preserve HU's mission and presence in the world.

Rejoice!

Huh? I'm not sure I'm following you.

From the mouth of Pat Robertson:

"It's clear from the teachings of the Quran and also from the history of Islam that it's anything but peaceful," Robertson said in a subsequent interview with CNN. "Of course there are peace-loving Muslims. But at the same time, at the core of this religion ... is jihad, and it is to subject the unbelievers either to forced conversion or death. That's what it teaches.”

"If he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it," Robertson told viewers on his "The 700 Club" show Monday. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war."

"We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability," Robertson said. "We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one strong-arm dictator. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."

Okay, let me get this straight. Jihad = bad. Assassination = good.

Cruciformity: The Cross and the Empire

The recent discussion about our alma mater has resparked a concern of mine regarding the relationship between the church and government powers. Risking the fear of self-promotion, I have attempted to start a discussion regarding a very interesting, and surely engaging (a.k.a. "controversial") article on my personal blog. Since more frequent here, I would love to hear your opinions. Click here to see the "starter post".

Running out of Ire

Pax Fellaship

I hate being angry. It's not a comfortable nor familiar feeling for me. Perhaps I am too laid back or perhaps I am afraid of confrontation. Mostly though I don't like being because anger usually causes me to say or do something rash.

I am running out of ire for "AnnCoulterspeakingatHarding-gate". But while my ire was up I said something rash.

In a response over at Mike Cope's blog I mentioned that Ann Coulter speaking at Harding might be a good thing. Perhaps she might be converted to Christianity while at Harding. After all Harding was where my faith became real rather than simply what I did to meet my parents expectations. So perhaps Harding might work its magic on the blonde haired right winger as well.

One of the many reasons that I have become increasingly ecumenical in my faith/dogma/doctrine (whatever you want to call it) is because of the extreme arrogance I encountered in my time within my denomination. I became disenchantment with the calls to convert the Baptists or Methodists or Catholics or what have you. I began to wonder what made them wrong and us right. Besides even if they were wrong and we were right didn't Grace cover all of our errors as long as we had faith.

So after some soul searching I started leaning the other way. I wanted to be more open to people who had different views on scripture than I do. I wanted to stop proclaiming whether or not someone was saved based on how well their ideas matched up with mine. I wanted to fully believe in the Grace of Christ.

For a time I think I succeeded in my goal. Normally I embrace, with open arms, Christians of whatever brand. I have, however, found one glaring omission in my newfound eccumenism.

I find myself calling down hellfire and brimstone on those Christians who are more conservative/less progressive (whatever you want to call it) than myself. If you happen to be old school, traditional, or what I perceive as legalistic then I will pray for your souls because you are surely in danger of the wrath of the Almighty.

Suffice it say that this is not exactly what I was going for. I had gone from one arrogance to another.

While I find many of Ms. Coulter's statements to be un-Christilike I bet many would say the same thing about me. I have no idea of the relationship that Ann has with God. I have no idea if she needs to be saved or not. She claims to be a Christian and so it is probably arrogant of me to claim she is not.

If God's grace can cover my multitude of sins then who am I to say that they don't do the same for Ann Coulter.

So I apologize for my statement. It was rude and arrogant of me. I do not believe that rudeness or arrogance were qualities that Christ exemplified so I am going to try to repent of them. All the while I will know that God's grace is sufficient to cover me when I slide back.

Bison(s) For Sale

This is my letter in its entirety to the President, Executive Vice President, Assistant Director of the American Studies Institute and the Director of the Alumni Office at Harding University today. Please keep HU and its leaders in prayer and approach them peacefully and in love as we confront this ugly business:

Dr. Burks, Dr. Carr, Col. Reely,

I hope you're well today. I have a grave concern and wanted to raise it with you.

I learned this week that Harding's ASI series this year is featuring Ann Coulter, and I am distressed. She is not a Christian and is not a loving person. Her comments are mean spirited and vile. I fear that Harding is selling its soul for donor-dollars motivated more by political activism than the cause of the Kingdom. I have disagreed increasingly with the political and public face of the university recently, yet I love Harding and have been willing to overlook political stances with which I disagree. Paying Coulter to come and blare in the Benson with her crass, mean, vapid bluster is too much. She does not promote the cause of Christ or loving reconciliation to the world. She defies the gospel, and I do not think she's coming to extol righteousness or godly politics. Her reputation precedes her, despite any benign message she may deliver from the Benson stage.

I appreciate your devotion to the school and value our friendship. I write today to confide in you my astonished disappointment. I hope that Harding’s working relationship with the Young America Foundation and other political donors will not outweigh the threat of alienating thousands of faithful alumni. My comments may ring hollow in that I have not contributed much money since I graduated, but I have assured Development that we would begin contributing next year when our student loans are paid off. I cannot make that promise now. In fact, unless or until the Administration and ASI repent of these action and change tack, I regret that we cannot, in good conscience, support an institution that takes a public stance so counter to love, faith and reconciliation in the spirit of Christ.

You have made decisions to ban certain other Christian speakers and entertainers out of concern for offending more conservative constituents in the Church of Christ. I hope and pray that you now will reconsider Coulter’s invitation, even if Harding must buy out her contract, for the same reasons. Coulter’s message, writing and activism are not consistent with the cause of Christ and Harding’s mission and work. I pray earnestly that Harding and ASI are not adopting her hate-filled approach to punditry and political speech. She is in a category with Michael Moore, Al Franken and Howard Stern and does not contribute constructively to a valuable political conversation. Please rescind her invitation and change this course of action.

I hope that we can discuss this candidly. I do not want to become alienated from HU or those, like you, who serve her selflessly. I love and admire the faculty and my friends who lead me always closer to the Lord and have prepared me for service in the Kingdom. This decision to invite Coulter, however, is thwarting their - and your - efforts to give glory to God and transform Harding into a tool for peace and loving power.

Please let me know what you think about these issues. I hope I am not the only alum from whom you're hearing on this issue. I assure you, I have heard from dozens in the last few days who share my heartbroken disappointment.

May God bless us all.

Kissing the Lipless

Pax Fellaship

The title of this little blog was supposed to be "Defending the Defenseless" but I just couldn't get "The Shins" song title out of my head. So the lesson here is, if you're not listening to "the Shins" then you should be. That way you would get my little joke and not just think I am some wierdo who writes "Kissing the Lipless" as the title of his blog.

I like John Roberts and I think he will make a very effective Supreme Court Justice.

There is probably nothing too shocking in the above statement except for the fact that many people I know consider me a commie pinko liberal. If I were a commie pinko liberal I should be honor bound to hate anyone who George W. appoints. I don't consider myself as such but what can you do.

Despite many of my politically liberal leanings I like this guy. The more I learn about him the more I like him. I may disagree with the way he votes in an election but he seems to be honest, ethical and a good lawyer. Now my last praise of Mr. Roberts might not seem like much of a praise at all but from my perspective, as a laywer, I think that in order to be a good judge you need to have been a good lawyer.

Roberts also doesn't seem to have much of an Agenda. Other than his stance against judicial activism I haven't seen any redflags raised. I think, and I hope, that the left is also feeling the sameway.

I will be honest, while I hoped to get someone like John Roberts as the President's nomination I wasn't overly optimistic. I assumed we would get a right wing activist. I was prepared for an extremely divisive fight in Congress. I expected to see polarizing TV ads from both sides for weeks and weeks. Except for the extremely misleading and distasteful NARAL ad we haven't seen anything of the sort.

I fervently hope the left is able to question John Roberts in a thoughtful manner without sinking to cheap political tricks just because he is a Bush appointee. I believe they would be expending what little political capital they have in the wrong place. An honest person, despite his/her political leanings, is always a good fit for the court. I respect this nomination and I think the President is making good on his word to not appoint activist judges. Most Presidents make a similar promise, but I imagine that when it comes to it, it is a difficult to appoint an even handed candidate when you have the opportunity to appoint someone who could potentially make your political vision for the country's legal system come true. Not to sound to snide of flippant but in my book the President gets a big gold star. Not that he cares or that anyone else cares but George W. Bush doesn't have too many gold stars in my book, so this is a pretty momentous occassion for me.

So today I am happy; happy with the nomination, happy with the seeming lack of fight from the left and happy with the President.

The only thing that would make me unhappy is if my beloved Alma Mater all of the sudden invited Ann Coulter to speak at its American Studies Institute distinguished lectureship series.

Wait, what's that you say?

Bison for Sale

Please read Mike Cope's blog, the comments there and the links he posts, today regarding Harding Unversity's invitation to Ann Coulter to speak at the American Studies Institute Distinguished Lecture Series this year.

Here is my email today to our representative from Harding's development office:

I hope you're well today. I have a grave concern and wanted to raise it with
you.

I learned today that Harding's ASI series this year is featuring Ann Coulter,
and I am distressed. She is not a Christian and is not a loving person. Her comments are mean spirited and vile. I fear that Harding is selling its soul for donor-dollars motivated more by political activism than the cause of the Kingdom. I have disagreed increasingly with the political and public face of the university recently: from John Ashcroft, to advertising itself as one of the nation's most conversative universities, to ASI's constant right-leaning activism. All of this, yet I love Harding and have been willing to overlook political stances with which I disagree. Paying Coulter to come and blare in the Benson with her crass, mean, vapid bluster is too much. She does not promote the cause of Christ or loving reconciliation to the world. She defies the gospel, and I do not think she's coming to extol righteousness or godly politics.

I appreciate your devotion to the school and value our friendship. I write today to confide in you my astonished disappointment. Harding seems to be reacting only to the paycheck, to the pain of its mission. As you are in development and are responsible for accepting donations, I hope you have a voice in these decisions, and I hope you will communicate to the Administration that they will lose donations too, even as they threaten Harding's place in the church. My comments may ring hollow in that I have not contributed in the years we've been talking, but I have assured you that we would begin contributing next year when our student loans are paid off. I cannot make that promise now. In fact, unless or until the Administration and ASI repent of these action and change tack, I regret that we cannot, in good conscience,
support an institution that takes a public stance so counter to love, faith and reconciliation in the spirit of Christ.

. . .

I hope that we can discuss this candidly. I do not want to become alienated from HU or those, like you, who serve her selflessly. I love and admire the faculty and my friends who lead me always closer to the Lord and have prepared me for service in the Kingdom. The Administration and ASI, however, are thwarting their - and your - efforts to give glory to God and transform Harding into a tool for peace and loving power.

Please let me know what you think about these issues. I hope I am not the only alum from whom you're hearing.

May God bless us all,

JRB

So very heavy.

Pax Fellaship

I was about to hop on here and post a little discourse on the need for "quietness" in our lives. I wanted to rant and rave about how inescapable "noise" has become in this modern age. But you know what? I'm not going to do that. At least not now.

We need to lighten up around her for a little while.

But I want to keep a dialogue going. I don't want to just tell jokes(and you don't want me to do that anyway). I want to start some discussion on matters of less importance but that require no less passion. I promise I won't get veklempt.

We'll start with an easy one.

What's you're favorite comedy of the last 20 years (not of all time and not necessarily the best)?

Mine is "The Royal Tennenbaums". I think. Hmmm? Maybe this isn't such an easy one.