I’m trying to write at least one post per week. I know it’s not required, but it’s a habit I want to cultivate, and I’m appreciative of the group here at voices for allowing me to post some of my miscellaneous ramblings.
I started writing this post earlier this week and was finding myself bereft of material. It was a slow week, but as good ‘ol JR would say when a wrestler would interrupt the match of his pay-per-view opponent, “business has picked up.”
James McDonald has taken an indefinite leave of absence. You can find more particulars here. This is the third pastor, in recent memory, to be fired for acting belligerent. There also may be some monetary issues, but nothing criminal, and no reports of an extramarital affair. McDonald, Mark Driscoll, and Darrin Patrick have all been fired because they were unable to handle the responsibilities that came with pastoring large churches. I don’t celebrate their downfalls. When any brother falls, it cripples the kingdom. I celebrate church leadership in all three churches that has chosen to stand up to powerful and influential pastors who are leading through manipulation and intimidation. When I was growing up, the only reason a pastor was fired was for an extramarital affair. That seemed to be the sin to end all sins for a pastor, but plenty of pastors are belligerent, manipulative, and angry. They should be held accountable. I’m glad these mega churches have held their pastors to account.
Did anyone really believe Planned Parenthood would be defunded during the Trump Administration? The Senate, on the eve of the annual March for Life, failed to, as BP describes it here “pass a bill that would remove the federal government from the abortion business.” The government should remove itself from all morality business. I’m still waiting on an explanation as to how five senators can choose not to vote.
Speaking of the morality business, this week marked the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 18th amendment, prohibition. It seems women have been unfairly blamed for prohibition, when they couldn’t even vote. Here is an interesting article from Politico on why women are unfairly blamed for prohibition, complete with a mention of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Baptists have a long history with abstinence from alcoholic drinks, including the passage of some 34 resolutions since prohibition was repealed in 1934. I remember one old-time pastor asked a few years ago, “when was the last time you heard a good sermon on liquor?” I can’t say as though I’ve heard a good sermon on liquor, ever. Are our attitudes towards alcohol changing? Is this “sin against God” fading from our collective conscience?
Finally, Pew Research published this morning an article about generation Z. If you don’t get Pew research delivered to your email every day, you should. Their studies are always top notch. I enjoy studying generational trends because we need to understand the different generations in order to more effectively reach them with the gospel. This study purports that generation Z will look similar to the millennials. It also classifies me as a Gen Xer, but I’m right on the line. Does that mean I get to choose my generation?
A couple of other tidbits before I wind up this post. In the hero of faith category, there’s a member of Thom Rainer’s church answers group who only joined the group to pray for other pastors. He pays ten dollars a month to monitor the prayer requests forum and pray for us. That guy is a hero.
I’d like to put in a request for Lifeway not to close our large store in Kansas City, please.
If you’re an NFL fan, this weekend is the single greatest weekend for NFL football. After this weekend, corporate America and the media take over the entire enterprise and it’s no fun for the average fan. I’ll just call my shot right now. The GOAT may have come to Kansas City with confidence, but he’ll leave with his 40-year-old tail between his legs as Mike Bergman and I make plans to attend a Super Bowl parade, the likes of which this area hasn’t seen since my father had just graduated High School, and our head coach was 11.
One last serious question: Does anyone know of a church that is ministering to workers affected by the government shutdown? It seems like a golden opportunity to show the love of Christ.
