Religion Dispatches ran my latest column today that is entitled "Religious Right prays for 'good' rain over Obama." It is a response to a Focus on the Family video called "Pray for Rain," in which they ask Christians to pray for rain to disrupt Barack Obama's acceptance address at the Democratic National Convention. I suggest in the piece that perhaps there are better rainstorms for which we should pray.
Copyright 2017, Brian Kaylor. All rights Reserved.
Good post, Brian. Are you going to attend Bible Preaching Week at Windermere? My guess is that you're busy getting ready for the start of the fall semester. Hope things are going well for you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for another great article, Brian.
ReplyDeleteThe Sermon on the Mount is an ideal rebuttal to the kind of poor attitude reflected in that video. The narrator keeps asking "is it wrong" when all he needs to do is read the teachings of Jesus to find out the answer. Like the saying goes, if you have to ask....
I see no Christian love displayed in that video. It's all about hatred for a particular political viewpoint. Did Jesus ever say anything like "Go ye into all the world and fight culture wars in my name"? Doesn't God want us to come to him of our own free will (His gift to us), and isn't it an attempt to undermine that when we attempt to force the unwilling to obey our interpretation of God's will? Are we to ignore the example Jesus set for us and instead go around looking for adulteresses to cast stones at?
It's people like Dobson and Shepard who have driven me away from attending church. Every single Christian church I've ever attended in 48 years are chock-full of people with the kind of attitude displayed in that video (and that includes people I love dearly). I find I am distracted by the constant focus on politics when I am trying to focus on the spiritual. And don't even try bringing up these concerns, or you will be ostracized as un-Christian. The last time I tried to discuss how I feel that religion should focus on the spiritual and avoid the corruption of politics with my own family (parents and siblings) they immediately assumed I had turned my back on Christianity and reminded me how to be saved. I was labeled "an apologist for the abortion industry" for pointing out that no political party has done anything at all beyond empty promises and excuses when it comes to repealing things like Roe v. Wade, but repealing things like the ban on torture seems to be much more easily accomplished by politicians.
To me, a political party pandering to the Church is akin to the temptation of Christ. They cannot offer anything that God has not already promised us. Our faith should be in Him, rather than in the politics of men.
Your blog is a breath of fresh air for me, and I appreciate it very much. You are like a voice crying out in the wilderness, all alone it seems. Keep up the good work!
I had not heard about folks praying for rain at Mile high during Obama's speech. It really doesn't surprise me however. For all the things to pray about, you would think more subjects would be higher on the priority list.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments!
ReplyDeleteGary: Thanks for reminding me about BPW; I hadn't put it together that I would actually be nearby during part of the week.
Stan: Thanks! You make good points and I wish that more Christians would consider your perspective.
Danny: Amen!