When news of a violent disruption by a militant gay activist group at a former Assemblies of God church in Lansing first emerged, I was skeptical to accept it at face value. Like any volatile situation, it’s necessary to ask whether or not such an event is worth mentioning, and even more, if it’s at all relevant to those of us in Tennessee. Lastly, I have to face some pretty nasty realities, especially the reality that some activist groups just aren’t doing anyone any good.

According to a press release from Mount Hope Church in Lansing, MI, it all started last Sunday morning during the 11:30 AM services. During which, “…the people of Mount Hope Church were  shocked by an unwelcome violent demonstration by a homosexual/transgender anarchist group  based in Chicago, IL. The group threw fliers at churchgoers and shouted sentiments such as, “It’s  okay to be gay” and “Jesus was a homo” during a Sunday morning service. The Eaton County  Sheriff’s office was called and the illegal demonstration ceased.”

The church’s website provides a direct link to their press release, which goes on to say that “Mount Hope churchgoers were unclear as to what the purpose of the demonstration was. One churchgoer commented on the “lack of civility” in the demonstration and said, “There must be a better way for this group to advance their perceived cause.”

Well, add me to that list of people who are as bewildered as we are angered that this incident took place in my country. I don’t know what this group thinks they’re accomplishing… other than making themselves look like anti-Christian bigoted, excrement-minded fools who just want to shock people into a fearful daze.

Quite simply, this is little more than a bunch of punks who are making a name for themselves for no reason other than to behave like immature, hateful masked freaks with way too much time on their hands. I don’t give a rat’s hairy little paw if they claim to be a “gay” organization. In fact, they claim to be a gay and trans(gender) group.

If readers aren’t already aware of this little fact, I’m writing this from the perspective of a gay Christian (I know, that’s another conversation). Since I see the world through both sets of lenses, I’m doubly offended, and quite frankly, anyone in their right mind would be outraged that any group would exploit the frustration that gays currently feel over the gay marriage debate… for their own little publicity stunt.

The press release from Mount Hope accurately describes the “Bash Back!” group as an anarchist group. This alone should reveal their ultimate goal: complete chaos in government. They’re not even protesting anything in particular. They just want to make as big of a mess as they can.

Seriously, can humanity stoop much lower than this group of thugs? Sure, there are plenty of hate groups out there. There’s the Neo Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, the Westboro “Baptist” freaks, and God knows who else out there. At least those organizations have a level of consistency and know that there’s no place for them in society other than to be labeled as hate groups.

It appears that the “Bash Back!” group hasn’t figured out what their role in life is yet, so they just strike out with any manner of hate that they can – against anyone in sight.

Sure, it’s well-known that many evangelical churches (including the Assemblies of God – and yes, they’re evangelical at their core, even though their style of worship is more akin with Pentecostals), are adamant in their belief that gay relationships are sinful. Frankly, that’s their First Amendment right. While I might disagree with them and their theology, they have a right to believe and preach as they wish!

And for anyone who thinks for a second that “Bash Back!” or other militant anarchist nutjobs have a “constitutional right” to crash into a worship service and torment a service just for the hell of it, well, there’s such a thing as trespassing, vandalism, and the issue of a felony when one of the “protesters” pulled the fire alarm. That’s not free speech. That’s not even “assembly” as described in the Constitution.

So no, they don’t have a right. Frankly, the leadership at Mount Hope Church is right to consider having a plan in place to prosecute the next bunch of overgrown grade-school bullies that comes along. They certainly don’t have a right to vandalize church buildings (as they’re doing in other cities).

It’s just a way to terrorize citizens and give fodder to anti-gay groups who are doing all they can to remove what rights we DO have as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.

This act of brutality was wrong, and I deplore and condemn it as the stupidity that it is. These freaks do not represent me. They certainly don’t represent the millions of GLBT people across the country who have worked to educate, inform, and challenge those around us to come to a slightly different understanding.

They certainly don’t represent American ideals… and who am I kidding? That’s their point. It’s clear that we have a lot of growing up to do as Americans, and even more evident that there must be a discussion, even an awkward one, to begin to find common ground. After all, if we are nurturing psychopathic groups like this in this country, what’s next?

We should respond soberly, and but even more than that, we need to find those areas in our vast disagreements between gay rights and anti-gay groups where there might be some common ground. Maybe this is the kind of incident we need to begin those conversations. Hate has no place in them, but maybe it’s enough of a jarring incident for us to realize that hate breeds hate, and if we keep going down this spiral, things might get a lot worse before they get better…

…for anyone.

In "King of Spades" (17 X 23, 2008), Lewis’s most recent work embodies her aesthetics and ideals as an artist that anyone can have their portrait done, and shows her flare for detail while capturing the innermost essence of her subject, a trait she shares with regional portrait artist, Billy Price Carroll. Featured here is Ryle.

Though Monet said, “My life is useless,” artist Judy Lewis disagrees with this statement, though she can see how Monet may have felt this way. “It is a tough life to live struggling to make a living as an artist because you feel such desire and passion. If you look at art history, many artists lacked the customer base to feel appreciated during their lives,” according to Lewis, a native Clarksvillian.

Lewis, a devoted mother, has one daughter, Keegan, from a previous marriage and has lived in Clarksville for the majority of her life. In addition, Lewis has done work in Texas, and recently returned from Gettysburg, PA.  Lewis has been steadily producing art work sometime after, Art Cantu, a Christian minister from south Texas, witnessed to her, and sparked a hope in her that she could achieve her dreams. At this point in her career,  Lewis has done over 300 exhibit-worthy pieces, and continues to produce more art every day, not counting numerous drawings.

Of late, Lewis has delved into painting oils and acrylics with a style and color technique as unique and original as her drawings. The painting, Phoenix Rising on Angel’s Wings, captures the colors of a young girl and her gallant horse, Angel, as they properly go riding across a verdant field. Her vivid brush strokes in Christmas Carriages on Franklin Street capture the light and color of night lights downtown during a Christmas extravaganza.

Starting out, Lewis did drawings, and Christian poster art, and was always drawing more. Ms. Lewis got five commissions for her work from having her art work in a downtown window in Schumer’s. The client later told her, “You’re the best kept secret in this town.” As we sit in a local restaurant, Lewis unveils her life as a regional artist in the following interview.

At what point did you first realize you were an artist?

“I always thought I was since I was a kid—first grade—all I wanted to do when I was a kid was color. My friend would get mad at me and say, ‘all you ever do is color.’”

“But it goes earlier than that. In my grandmother’s Bible there were real, detailed paintings in between each book of the Bible, and woodcuts in the appendixes. I was around four or five at the time. I remember while I was redrawing them, the thought came to me–maybe I want to be an artist? At that moment something inside me said that I wanted to be an artist. Growing up, I got in trouble in school a lot for drawing in class.”

Could you tell us some more about your work?

“I mostly do portraiture. I do love to do portraits of people. Norman Rockwell was a storyteller, but feel that I can capture a feeling like the innocence of childhood. Say I had twenty studies of a child’s portrait but there was only one that captured my heart. That’s when I know it’s going to be a good portrait, and my goal is to pay tribute to that person the best I possibly can.”

"Portrait of Abraham Lincoln" ( 17 X 23, 2006) by Judy Lewis was done in Gettysburg, PA., site of Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address, during his dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery.

One of my favorite pieces that you’ve done is the portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Is that the case with this historical piece too?

“Yes, I wanted to portray Abraham Lincoln as best I can. I loved going to the Smithsonian and seeing the presidential portraits, but Lincoln was the first one I wanted to draw. Also, because I was in Gettysburg, it was right to do him and I’m glad I did.”

What about doing portraits of historical figures and celebrities?

“I’d like to do Joan of Arc’s portrait! I’d also like to do Wilma Rudolph, Frank Sutton, Sgt. Carter from Gomer Pyle, [because] he’s from Clarksville—anyone from Clarksville who was well known, or celebrities.”

Why Joan of Arc?

“Because she’s an interesting character in history. You don’t see a lot of portraits of great women, since it’s been a men’s world.”

Which five artists would you like to be stranded with on a deserted island? You know—the art world’s version of Lost?

“Van Gogh, Renoir, Norman Rockwell, da Vinci, and Michelangelo. I’ve read a lot of van Gogh—his life was depressing but interesting. Other artists I like are Sargent. Rockwell is number one for me. The art world didn’t consider him [because] he was more of an illustrator but an illustrator is still an artist. And I like Norman Rockwell’s portraiture. He did Eisenhower’s portrait and Nixon’s portrait—they were in the Smithsonian. Norman Rockwell is a major influence.”

Have you found it difficult having a realistic drawing style in a contemporary art world?

“No, I just do what I do and I’m not concerned with what the art world says about a particular style. You don’t see hordes of people going to see movies they don’t understand—they go to movies that touch their hearts—I think art is so loved. That’s why Norman Rockwell is so beloved—he did work people could understand. To me, art is art if it shows emotion—I think that’s good art—great art. I like Jackson Pollock—his work was well balanced and beautiful. Georges Seurat’s pointillism—I love it. In fact, when I was a kid when I saw A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte— I said, ‘I love it!’ There’s something about umbrellas—the parasols and it was brilliant outdoor lighting.”

How do any of these people influence your work and why?

“Renoir—Luncheon of the Boating Party—influenced me because I like his romantic themes, his impressionism, his boating party, and people with feeling. I think I want to achieve something like Renoir, except in a Norman Rockwell fashion. [Laughs] I also have been influenced by Chuck Close’s big portraits—he’s a contemporary influence, and Daniel Green.”

Is creativity innate? What are your beliefs on this?

“I think we’re all born with it, because we’re made in God’s image and he’s the creator. I think we all like to draw when we’re kids—I don’t know any kid that doesn’t like to draw, but when they grow up—adult—they think it’s stupid. I think we can create far beyond what we think we can actually create. We don’t realize the depth of our own creativity—we’re limited by how much we think we can create. A lot of times I felt like Don Quixote chasing rainbows and windmills and [thinking] it’s not going to happen, or is this really real? Chasing something after the wind— it was right after that Art ministered to me in Texas and I became a Christian that my art took off. He asked me, ‘What do you want to do in your life?’ ‘To be an artist,’ I said. Something sparked. He gave me a glimmer—just a glimmer of hope that with God all things are possible and it was all I needed to start drawing again. If you live your whole life without being an artist when you’re supposed to be, you’re going to regret it. Ten years ago I thought I’ll be better than I am today and it gave me hope.”

Where do you see yourself then in ten years from now?

“I’ll be better ten years down the road than I am now. I like to challenge myself.”

Training

“I’m self-taught. We’re all self-taught in a way. Even with someone training you—you have to compose the piece and do the work yourself. I read a lot of books and practiced hard. I drew a lot. I have 300 final pieces. But that doesn’t account for every practice drawing by any stretch. If you count them, oh, who knows? It’s very difficult to draw for pleasure and try to sell [it] versus doing commissions since I’m used to doing commissions. Although, I think they’re marketable, I do some pieces for me.”

What are the best and worst parts of being a full time working artist?

“The best part is being your own boss, and doing what you’re free to do, and you’re happy. The worst part is if I’m able to survive or not. I hate the term starving artist. I feel like it’s the only profession where people expect them to be starving—you don’t hear of a homebuilder being a starving homebuilder, or a doctor, [etc.]. Donating work is great—if you have pieces lying around—I’ve given to auctions in the past. I also feel it’s the only profession where people expect you to do work for free—people don’t realize that talent is work that you need to be paid for.”

“Early on, when I saw it as a hobby, I kept practicing, and practicing thinking one day I’d be good enough and in those times I would often give work away. In the past. I’ve had to do work on weekends as a single mom, and when I was working other forty-hour-a-week-jobs. The myth of the starving artist is so strong, and it needs to be broken. Getting people to pay what you need is difficult because of the starving artist myth. It’s not cool to be a starving artist these days–you have to be able to make a decent living, even though you love fulfilling your passion but now I have to look at it as a business.”

"Working Hands" ( 16 X 19.375, 1995) displays Lewis’s knowledge of art history in doing work after Albrect Dürer and Dürer’s influence on her life and work.

Tell me why Working Hands is one of the most beloved pieces you’ve done?

Ms. Lewis shows me a picture after Albrect Dürer of his Praying Hands, that she has entitled, Working hands and tells me how Dürer’s story inspired her to draw this piece and to write his story over the art. “Albrect Dürer had an older friend –another struggling artist who roomed with him.”

“Albrect Dürer did these praying hands in a woodcut as a tribute to his roommate’s hands. Albrect Dürer’s older roommate spent his life scrubbing floors in a restaurant to support Dürer and got a job until Dürer made enough money to support them both with his woodcuts that finally sold years later. Dürer told his roommate he could go do his art now, but both his hands were so shot—his roommate couldn’t hold a paint brush anymore due to the pain. One night Dürer saw his roommate praying when he came home, and Dürer said he’d paint those hands to show that toil and work for others—the sacrifice his roommate made for him. God honored Albrect Dürer and the man who toiled for him.”

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?

“Be committed to the piece. Give yourself time and patience, and try not to get discouraged. Just keep doing it, because you’re going to be further reaching your goal just pressing on. It takes a lifetime and you can’t do it with just a few pieces. When you get forty or fifty pieces in a room—that’s when you can tell an artist’s quality and workman style. And seeing your work in a collection—seeing my work in a collection gave me, for the first time, an appreciation of my work. Usually, you’re just so focused on one piece. It’s the feeling and emotion that’s there in the room. Get to that point, and feel [it].”

What are your hobbies or life outside of art?

“There’s nothing much outside of art, spirituality, and God. But, I like to read about quantum physics—atoms popping in and out—where do they go when they pop out, and pop back in? If you break matter down, you’ve got nothing—where does matter start? It all comes down to spirituality. I think there’s a spiritual lesson in everything. God is literally in the details.”

Of her early works, Lewis said that Jaime and Baby Lucy was one of her first portraits. Dormitory Window was one of Lewis’s first pieces drawn at APSU of two college students looking out a Sevier Hall window. In 1984-85 she had the prints shrink-wrapped and placed in the APSU bookstore. Local street scenes that Lewis has vividly rendered include Owen’s Barber Shop, The Roxy, Ely Feed Co. and Uneeda Biscuits.

"Portrait of Alexis" (17 X 17, 1996) shows a young girl and her pet dog sitting on the steps as she enjoys reading her book.

A volunteer, Lewis is a member of the Downtown Artist’s Co-op, which helps promote the arts in the community. Of her current exhibit at Hodgepodge, Lewis said, “Paige King has been very, very helpful in helping me show my work since I’ve returned to Clarksville.” Lewis has portraits in homes that range from factory workers’ homes to mansions of high stature, and covers a vast client range and all income levels. Subject matter in Lewis’s works ranges from pets, animals, children, people, and famous figures to street scenes, and landscapes.

When asked about her portrait and art work commissions, Lewis said, “I want people to understand I can do a portrait of anyone—as individual in character as the subjects themselves. By that I mean not just a stately business man or woman, but portraits of teenagers, or young adults. Portraits always last forever, and the older they get, the better. Photographs fade and the clothes seem dated by time. Unlike photographs, portraits have a timeless presence and they get handed down from one generation after another. People have hunted me down to do portraits. I can try to meet anybody’s price range.”

If inquiring about a commission, call Judy Lewis for an appointment at (717)-357-7526 to visit her at her studio on Excel Rd., off Madison St. Lewis is open to inquiries for a wide variety of other subjects in various media.

After speaking with Ms. Lewis, I felt like I was just beginning to scratch the surface of a deep pool. Judy Lewis’s current work can be seen in Rogate’s Boutique and in her two person show with Reisa Peters at Hodgepodge through the 3^rd of September. Lewis will also have a booth at the Frolic on Franklin Street event in downtown Clarksville on September 20th.

Current Exhibits:

Rogate’s Boutique

Phone : (931) 645-3526

115 Franklin St
Clarksville, TN 37040

Hodgepodge

Phone : (931) 647-0444

Upstairs Gallery; Thru Sept. 3^rd

125 Franklin St
Clarksville, TN 37040

]]> http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/08/28/through-the-looking-glass%e2%80%94an-introduction-into-the-world-of-artist-judy-lewis/feed/ 0 http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/02/27/movie-review-for-the-bible-tells-me-so/ http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/02/27/movie-review-for-the-bible-tells-me-so/#comments Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:25:17 +0000 Blayne Clements http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/02/27/movie-review-for-the-bible-tells-me-so/ My wife has a book that I have intended to read for years, but never found the time, “What the Bible REALLY says about Homosexuality.” Then I saw this movie available on Netflix, “For the Bible Tells me So” , and thought at this point in my life, I’m much more likely to get a quick movie in than to read a book.

The movie introduces you to several families that have two things in common 1) strong religious ties, and 2) a family member that is a homosexual. Director Daniel Karslake’s selection of families with different backgrounds is sure to connect with a variety of viewers. Theres a Midwest lawyer and stay at home mother that are Lutheran; a African American couple from North Carolina who are ministers in a AME church; there a Episcopalian elderly white couple from blue collar rural Kentucky (no spoiler here but their child was the first openly Gay bishop in the Anglican church, Gene Robinson); a single middle class mother, and a long time politician Dick Gephardt and his family.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Karslake introduces each family through a historical lens, letting the viewer get comfortable and details the love stories of the parents, their marriage, child birth, and the eventual coming out of that child. The parents and family members frankness is refreshingly honest. We see the story of each family, their struggle, grief, and reconciliation; each in their own way but with all the different views it draws the audience into the families lives like your attending their Thanksgiving dinner.

Intermingled between the life stories of these God fearing families, Karslake sprinkles in traditional Biblical arguments, from Leviticus to Romans, regarding homosexuality. Historians, Pastors, Theologians, family members, and others (including clips from news reels and tele-evangelists) all give their interpretation of the Bible.

Later, the movie analyzes how the Bible is often used to demonize and condemn homosexual behavior. It takes those Biblical passages that are typically quoted to say that God thinks its an abomination, and puts them into the context of the time they were written, to offer a different opinion.

The film reveals how religious families react to their child coming out of the closet. We see their fears, confusion, struggles, and how they focus that energy. We see the difference between having supportive parents versus unsupportive. When the director asked Christians what the Bible says about homosexuality, that they didn’tt know what the Bible says but only what they’ve been told.

I thought the movie was good, and at just over 90 minutes was just long enough. The access to the families is intimate and compelling. The historical references to the Bible were informative. For those who are well read, there probably isn’t anything new here. The power in the film lies with the families’ individual stories that really draws the viewer into their story with a fresh perspective.

I encourage you to check out the film and make your own decision.

About the Movie

Can the love between two people ever be an abomination? Is the chasm separating homosexuals and Christianity too wide to cross? How can the Bible be used to justify hate? These are the questions at the heart of Daniel Karslake’s FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO. A World Premiere in competition at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO was also honored with Audience Awards at the 2007 Seattle and Provincetown International Film Festivals and The Kathleen Bryan Edwards Award for Human Rights at the 2007 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. This provocative, entertaining film concisely reconciles homosexuality and a literal interpretation of Biblical scripture.

Through the experiences of five very normal, very Christian, very American families — including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson — we discover how people of faith handle, or sometimes tragically fail to handle, having a gay child. Informed by such respected voices as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard’s Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and Reverend Jimmy Creech, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO offers healing, clarity and understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and sexual identity.

Some of what we hear from the Theologians

Reverend Dr. Laurence Keene, Disciples of Christ:

“When people ask questions about homosexuality, almost always they follow with, ‘and what does the Bible really say about it?’”

“When the term ‘abomination’ is used in the Hebrew Bible, it is always used to address a ritual wrong – it never is used to refer to something innately immoral. Eating pork was not innately immoral for a Jew, but it was an abomination because it was a violation of a ritual requirement.”

“I have a soft spot in my heart for literalists because I used to be one. However, when someone says to me ‘this is what the Bible says,’ my response to them is, ‘No, that’s what the Bible reads.’ It is the struggle to understand context and language and culture and customs that helps us to understand the reading, or what it is saying.”

“There’s nothing wrong with a fifth grade understanding of God, as long as you’re in the fifth grade.”

“There is no ability to procreate when you engage in homosexual behavior, so it was a violation of a cultural norm. [This was] the sin of Onan in the Old Testament, where Onan is sentenced to death because he ejaculates out of the woman’s body, so his partner doesn’t get pregnant. As the King James Version says, ‘Onan spills his seed upon the ground, and God strikes him dead.’ It was ritually impure. It was an abomination.”

Reverend Peter Gomes, Harvard:

“There are about 6 or 7 verses in all of Scripture that speak to even remotely what we might call homosexual activity or homosexual conduct.”

“[Literalists] are failing to read the Bible within the context of its authors and of its original culture.”

Reverend Steven Kindle, Clergy United:

“In this particular one, it’s Leviticus Chapter 20, Verse 13, it says if a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination, they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them – if you read the Bible on a face value level, that reading disregards several very important things: the first one is just a few verses before that Moses teaches in Leviticus that it is an abomination to eat shrimp….It is an abomination to eat a rabbit.”

Rabbi Brian Zachary Mayer:

“A few verses above and below it says you shouldn’t plant two different seeds in the same hole, you shouldn’t commingle your crops… There is other text that says you shouldn’t wear linen and wool together. To just pick out, this is the one that we’re going to follow…the Bible doesn’t come that way – it’s selective reading…Those Biblical laws, they’re known as the Holiness Code. They were laws that were supposed to help people at that time find holiness in their lives.”

Reverend Susan Sparks, American Baptist Church:

“To me that’s the important thing to recognize: the historical context in which this was written. That particular section on a man not lying with a man goes to procreation. It is about a nation trying to grow. At the time, the Hebrew people understood that male seed was actually all of nascent life contained right there – women had nothing to do with actually the birth except for just incubation, so that particular section was about saving seed, saving seed only to procreate so the nation could grow.”

Revered Mel White, Soulforce:

“When I was on Larry King Live, somebody called in and said, ‘What do you guys do in bed?’ Larry hung up on him and said, ‘that’s none of your business.’ And I said, ‘We’ve been together in the same bed for 24 years – we’re like everybody else, we sleep in bed. And King said: ‘Once they find out you’re as boring as we are, it’s all over.’”

“Now it (the Bible) is being used, misused, to condemn gay people – it’s an old trick. Fundamentalist Christians have been using it throughout the ages, and now they’re doing it again.”

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate:

“The Bible is the word if God through the word of human beings, speaking in the idiom of their time, and the richness of the Bible comes from the fact that we don’t take it as literally so that it was dictated by God.”

Some of what we hear from the families

The Gephardt Family

Chrissy Gephardt: “Growing up in the Catholic Church, it was never something that I heard explicitly, but I definitely knew that that was part of the Bible and in fact, there were two things that I remember were an abomination: homosexuality and suicide. And I’ll never forget thinking that ‘Oh my gosh, you can never commit suicide because you’re going to go to hell and you can never be gay because you’re going to go to hell.’”

Dick Gephardt: We thought she was…

Jane Gephardt: She was always a jock.

Dick Gephardt: She was athletic

Jane Gephardt: She was good, too. She was a good athlete.

Dick Gephardt: She was a good athlete – she also wore pants more than skirts and dresses

Jane Gephardt: But that was because she was trying to be like Matt, like her older brother

Dick Gephardt: We thought that, but…

Jane Gephardt: Well that’s what we thought, and I still think that…

The Robinson Family

Isabella “Boo” McDaniel (Bishop Gene Robinson’s ex-wife): “I was just glad to be there for the consecration, because I thought by my presence I could really show that I was supportive. I mean, there was just huge security, Gene had a bullet proof vest under his vestments and I realized how scary it must have been for him.”

Bishop Gene Robinson: “My parents are probably the two best Christians I know and they don’t do it because they ought to do it, they just do it because it’s who they are. So to have them presenting this [the consecration vestments] to me – it’s just kind of a coming out for them as well. They’re all of a sudden just completely light hearted and relieved about this and are able to be proud.”

The Reitan Family

Jake Reitan, activist: “I remember very distinctly when I was a kid when I first learned that so much of the world wasn’t Christian – and that just kind of blew my mind – because I was of the perspective that everyone is Christian because everyone wanted to go to Heaven, you know, and then I learned that only one third of the world was Christian and I thought to myself: are that many people going to Hell?”

“I remember one Sunday where my pastor preached on homosexuality and it wasn’t in the best of light, but I didn’t want to question because I knew that the answers wouldn’t be good.”

The Poteat Family

David Poteat: “I had good kids. We had one of each sex – when my kids were growing up, I said ‘God, please don’t let my son grow up to be a faggot and my daughter a slut.’ And he did not. He did not do that. He reversed it.”

Brenda Poteat: “I can’t say where in the scheme of things that I saw this talk show [the Phil Donahue show] and I realized that what I was embarrassed about was that I was thinking totally of how she was having sex and not about her as a person. When I saw the talk show with two guys — buff, good looking guys — and they were asked the question ‘which one of you guys takes on the female role in the relationship’ and they said ‘neither one of us, we are attracted to men, if we were attracted to women, we’d be with women.’

“I’m sitting there thinking, but what about the ones that twist their butts and act like women, what are they attracted to? Who are they? And I’m thinking ‘but that’s all you’ve ever seen.’ That’s what comes to mind when you hear ‘homosexual’: you think of the girlfriend-acting fellow, the butch dykey-acting woman. You don’t think about everyday people, and there are ‘everyday people’ who are gay, and you’re thinking about how they’re having sex.

“I had to realize that she was my daughter: she had the same personality, she enjoyed the same things that she did before I knew she was gay. Then I had to stop thinking about Tonia that way. Although I still do not approve of the lifestyle, it was a big burden off me, that I could relate to her better and I stopped trying to push her.”

Awards

For more information

Visit the official movie web site at http://www.forthebibletellsmeso.org/

About First Run Features

First Run Features was founded in 1979 by a group of filmmakers to advance the distribution of independent film. Under the leadership of the late independent film pioneer, Fran Spielman, First Run Features quickly gained a reputation for its controversial catalog of daring independent fiction and non-fiction films. Today First Run remains one of the largest independent theatrical and home video distributors in the United States; its legacy includes films by such notable directors as Spike Lee, Michael Apted, Jane Campion, Ross McElwee, Michael Winterbottom, Sven Nykvist, Peter Jackson, Dariush Mehrjui, David O. Russell, Lizzie Borden, Claude Chabrol, Jan Svankmajer, Peter Watkins, Radley Metzger, Victor Nunez, the Quay Brothers, Kim Ki-Duk and Satyajit Ray.

For more information, or to browse their many other films, visit their web site at: http://www.firstrunfeatures.com/

Day after exhausting day this mid-western state was daily on TV and in the news. It overshadowed and neglected a recent but equally newsworthy event, yet this eclipsed event deserves an equally careful hearing and analysis.

The issue: a judgment by the 8th Circuit Court.

Americans United [for Separation of Church and State] won a lawsuit in federal court challenging the Iowa Corrections Department’s support for Charles Colson’s InnerChange, a prison program that trains inmates in evangelical Christianity.

“Faith-based” initiatives, which propose turning the provision of social services over to religious groups, threaten individual rights and could lead to taxpayer support of religious ministries. In those cases where religious groups want to take tax aid to provide relief, they should first agree to run secular programs and drop all forms of religiously based discrimination from their hiring policies.” – Americans United for Separation of Church and State

This Iowa court rendered a profound, sharp and ringing endorsement on on religion and the use of tax-dollars to support and subsidize the “Inner Change Freedom Initiative” [ICFI] in Iowa prisons.

The ICFI’s mission, with a fundamentalist indoctrination tenet, inclination and proclivity, is to minister to prisoners. Perhaps you already know that Charles Colson of Watergate fame [and a convicted criminal] is the author and presenter of this type of evangelizing and proselytizing program. While the program of ICFI is admissible to reduce recidivism among inmates, the use of tax dollars to accomplish it is in conflict with the U.S. Constitution. Evidence at the trial showed that the ICFI in Iowa disparaged Catholics and their staff members declared that Catholics were not Christians. The non-evangelical Christians didn’t escape scathing criticism either. Again, the staff referred to them as lost, pagan and those who serve the flesh.”

The ICFI is free to publicly endorse their own religious beliefs and publicly degrade the religious beliefs and faith of others. But in their prison ministry they received tax dollar support and special benefits to carry out this discriminatory outreach.

After the hearings and pronouncements by three judges, one prophetic voice summarized the significance of the ruling when he stated “I expected the decision to have a huge impact in support of our own fight to combat federal and state officials’ efforts to expand taxpayer funding of religious social services … and to halt the expansion of government aided religious ‘rehabilitation’ programs in prison more specifically.”

Whatever our faith — Baptist, Lutherans, Christians, Presbyterians — let us as U.S. citizens protect the U.S. Constitution. There are efforts to funnel our tax dollars to faith groups who in turn discriminate in their hiring and try to use social services and programs to push a personal religious agenda. With vigilance and courage to confront such efforts, the state of Tennessee will avoid such sectarian goals.

My whole life I was led to believe that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah was cursed and destroyed because of the homosexual acts. I was also taught that were committed and that God just got feed up with their acts and destroyed the two cities with fire and brimstone.

After hearing David Shelton give a very logical, intelligent and clear interpretation of these biblical events I was once again reminded of the power of words. I was also reminded that of all the interpretation of books, or any written works that are out there the bible’s interpretation need to held to the highest standard of true and accurate interpretation before something is published so that the definitions of such word as sodomy and sodomite won’t be associated with hating a group of people.

David Shelton’s campus lecture was very informative. His dedication toward the movement for equality for the Gay and Lesbian Community– I am sure– will someday put him right up there with past and present leaders who also fought for equality and civil rights.

His “passion without compromise” style rings true out when he speaks for the cause as his voice is filled with a fiery passion. It was the kind of passion that I thought was only limited to black civil rights leaders. Now I am beginning to see, through his continued lectures, that our movements are very similar and I believe that someday the Gay & Lesbian community because of activists like David Shelton shall truly overcome!

I look forward to hearing him speak in the further and also to expand my cultural understanding of the Gay & Lesbian Community thought these lectures.

He was described as dressed “almost like a Boy Scout,” and was very “methodical” and “thorough” in his shootings. In the end, more than 30 people were killed, including the gunman. Sources say he killed himself. Surviving students then tried to get into another room and barricade the door, but he started shooting through the door. “Blood was everywhere,” one person said.

I really can’t imagine what it would be like to be locked into a room with a psychopathic killer. This is now the worst massacre on American soil. We as Americans, and as Christians should do all we can to support the families and students of Virginia Tech. Even if all we can do is pray for them, then pray for them.

This isn’t fiction; this isn’t an episode of CSI or Cold Case. This is reality, stripped and bare. I’m not going to try to opine whether or not society led us to this point. I do believe that we have a clear opportunity to check ourselves and see if there’s a way we can start getting more involved with each other.

A friend of mine has a son at Virginia Tech. She finally heard from him, and he’s okay, thank heavens. However, at least 30 families have lost someone they love. They’ve lost someone that was just there to learn, to party, to have some fun. Instead, they were gunned down in a horrifying act of self-centered rage. Countless more families must now deal with the trauma of knowing that something like this happened right in their back yard.

I’ve known people, even friends, who have been murdered. Their names are forever etched in my mind: Kevin Campbell, Michelle Pace, and Juan Julian Vasquez. Every one of those people I knew left behind families. Each of those family members said they leaned on their faith to survive and to find some sense of peace in a world that had left them in the middle of nothing but violence and turmoil.

Countless people ask the question of “what kind of God would allow this kind of thing to happen?” Truthfully, I don’t know. I’ll even add to that. What kind of God would allow storms to kill innocent people, or would allow war to wipe out millions?

In the end, there are three things that are eternal. According to Scripture, they are “faith, hope, and love.” This is clearly a time when faith is fleeting, hope is lost, and love is miles away. This is also a time for us as Christians to show them like never before. We don’t have to understand. We may never understand. But we can act on our faith, help give a glimmer of hope to the hopeless, and by showing love where hate once reigned.

Even when I’ve known local people who have been killed, the entire community rallied to support their families. I think… I believe… that this is what will happen at a very large scale for the families of Virginia Tech. The entire country will rally to support them, and to show their love.

My prayers and heart goes out to everyone affected by this nightmare. I pray that God will somehow bring peace to this storm, and bring people to help wipe the tears and be there to hear those cries of frustration and agony.

I thank God for His love and grace. Now it’s our turn to show it.

She asked me if I felt like it was my responsibility to try to change people when they come to my church. It was then that I realized why so many people have been turned off by the Church in general. If I were to think of “church,” I have to ask myself what kind of a mental image I get.

What does someone who’s been turned away from the church think of it? I don’t think I want to get into any of the possible specifics right now, but some of the general elements surround a perception of religious arrogance.

Let me backtrack for just a minute. When I talk about “the Church,” I’m talking about the whole collective of churches across the country. I take care to not address any specific denominations or ministries unless absolutely necessary. If it seems like I’m “bashing” or “lambasting” the Church, then it’s for one reason: I’m lambasting myself.

In all reality, I am critical of Christianity because I am Christian. I see the faults because I see my own faults. I can not judge or scrutinize anything unless I first look at my own closet. It’s with all of this in mind that I write lovingly on the frustrations that some of us have faced when dealing with either traditional or institutional Christianity.

In short, I’m keenly aware of the reality that I, too, am arrogant, have stabbed backs, and have been self-righteous. I’ve failed to show the love of Christ on countless occasions, and I’ve been a poor witness for the faith and my Lord on more occasions than I even want to try to count.

So please, as you read further, understand that my desire to be real is as paramount to me as the desire to be broken before my brethren and my Lord.

Now, I’ll get specific. If someone befriends us who happens to be in leadership of a church, what’s the first thing that goes through your mind? “I bet they want me to join their church.” This person will be friendly–overly friendly, even–almost to the point of being irritating. They’ll show all kinds of love. They’ll be kind, generous, even compassionate.

“But,” you think. “Is there a hook?”

That’s the real question, isn’t it? Is there a hook? Is it possible that there really is an ulterior motive to all of the doting, friendly calls, kind little gifts and extra birthday cards? This is when I have to check my own motives for my actions. If I show love, do I have a hook attached to it?

And if I do have a hook attached, then all of my loving actions have a new label: bait. It’s a harsh reality for me to consider, but isn’t that all we’re doing when we show love in order to get something back?

Let me take it out of the church context for a moment and back to our romantic lives. Love with a hook is all over the place. One of the most extreme examples of “love with a hook” in my mind is the “I love you so much, and if you love me you’ll sleep with me.” That’s quite a hook, isn’t it?

That boyfriend or girlfriend might bestow on us a number of gifts, free dinners, and heaven knows what else, but there might be a hook… marriage… sex… a new car… you name it. In times like this, “love” is actually bait…a lure… in a word, it’s a trap.

Isn’t that what we do when we befriend someone in order to get them to join a church? There’s a hook. Maybe it’s like when we give money to someone in order so they’ll tell their friends what we did. It’s a hook.

When love becomes bait, it actually becomes something far more sinister: manipulation. It’s very subtle, but that’s the nature of the beast, isn’t it?

In all fairness, though, this kind of subtle manipulation is often so subtle that we don’t even realize when we’re doing it. After all, it’s what we’ve been taught all our lives. If we perform well, we get a paycheck. If we do good works, we get a pat on the back. We’ve been taught to take the hook at every turn.

This is why Christianity in its truest form is so unique. With Christ, there is no hook. God has given everything to us… and He knows we can’t… and won’t pay him back! The hook was pulled. “I love you,” Jesus said. And his actions always backed up his words. He showed love by showing mercy, compassion, and kindness.

Yes, it’s true that a hook is great for fishing. We even want to use the biggest, flashiest lure that we can in order to entice the fish to bite. After all, didn’t Jesus call us to be “fishers of men?”

Not so fast. In Christ’s day, there were no hooks. It was simply a net. The fishers would cast the net and reel the fish into the boat. There was no deception, no lure, and of course, no hooks. Would Jesus actually say, “I will make you a fisher like the ones who use shiny, flashy lure to bring in the biggest, greatest bass of all?”

No. He cast the net. And pulled in every fish that would fit within it.

Maybe it’s time for all of us… especially me.. to check our motives for our actions. Do we have a hook? Or not? If we do, maybe it’s finally time for us to remove that hook and show love in the way Jesus intended.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“No, I love you like a brother.”

“Well, I love you like a mom.”

“I love you like a slice of pizza.”

“I love you like a puppy.”

“I love you like I love a good movie.”

“I LOVE you love you.”

“Huh?”

“I’m in love with you.”

“But I love tennis.”

“Oh, never mind.”

“Love” and its many meanings always seem to make sense to us except where our faith applies. When the word “love” becomes sanctified into the Christian faith, it takes on a rather nebulous nature that sometimes defies definition. It’s especially evident when we try to apply our common definitions to the word when used in Scripture.

When Jesus gave His simplified list of commandments as “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself,” we really can’t apply any of our traditional definitions. We certainly can’t love God like a slice of pizza, and loving our neighbor like a puppy seems even less practical. Surely, this isn’t what Christ taught.

When we try to bring the Greek words for love into the picture, it becomes even more complex. Koine (koin-AY) Greek is the language that is used in the New Testament, and there are three words for love in that language. Two of them are used in Scripture. The first, agape (uh-GAH-pay), is a kind of selfless devotion that illustrates the kind of love that God has for us. The second, phileo (PHI-li-oh) is more “affectionate” or “brotherly” love. The third, eros (ER-ohs), which is a romantic and sometimes sexual kind of love, is not used at all in the New Testament.

Okay, I don’t know about you, but I’m even more confused than I was when I started. With all of these definitions to “love,” just what was Jesus talking about when he said to love God and love our neighbor? Sure, it’s simple. The ethereal and pious kind of “love” that we sometimes picture in our minds just doesn’t seem to hit home for us. Well, it doesn’t hit home for me, anyway. In a word, it’s impractical.

What would happen if we did the unthinkable, and substituted a few—more practical—words for our lexicon of Christian-ese? Instead of “love God, love people,” let’s put in a couple of words that completely turn our understanding in its heels:

Passion for God, Compassion for People

I first heard this when attending a conference in Kansas City about prayer. It really stuck. The simplicity of these words and the clarity of their definition have given a new life to a dry and dusty religious expression.

When I think of “passion,” It’s as much romantic as it is a kind of devotion that is centered on a fiery love affair with the Creator of the universe. It is a mutual affair that in another context might even be scandalous! And that’s the kind of love that I believe Jesus was talking about. When we think of phrases like “the lover of my soul” and “the keeper of my heart,” it’s clear that many of the writers in the Bible had this kind of passion in mind.

Just consider the implication. It’s a relationship with the living God, our Creator, the One who loved us enough to send His one and only Son to die for us—a passionate love—a love that can only be described as like a honeymoon. It’s the kind of love where you want to explore, to learn about each other (or rather, learn about Him). There’s a fire burning in your spirit, butterflies in your stomach. What a wonderful picture of His love for us! And imagine if we could have that same love for the Lord.

Then there’s “compassion for people.” It’s a real, living, relational kind of love that embraces all people no matter where they are. It’s compassion for those who are downtrodden, hurting, wounded, sick, imprisoned, and just plain rejected. Jesus showed this kind of compassion all throughout his ministry, and his teachings reflected that.

But there’s another side to compassion that we don’t always think about. It’s a kind of compassion that allows us to even have a sense of love for those who have rejected US. We’re often most critical of those who have actually picked up the stones, ready to stone the poor sinners. But what if we had enough compassion—or love—to show the love of Christ to even those who have cast us aside?

That’s compassion. It’s not pity. It’s love in its truest sense. Remember, dear friends, Christians, even those who have been the most hateful toward the ‘misfits’ of society, are our brothers and sisters in Christ. They are part of the great family of God. They are, in short, our neighbors—the very people Christ commanded us to love. We, the ‘misfits’ really want to have people love US, but isn’t it a two-way street? I think it is.

Don’t you just love it?

Make your plans to join us for what is sure to be a great time for everyone! His music is all over the charts, and his love for God is matched only by his heart for people. Come and hear him this Sunday!

About Sam Sampson:
www.samsampson.net

Since the mid-70’s, Sampson has served the Lord as:

• Pastor of Greenhill Baptist Church, Clarksville, Tn.
• Minister of Music, Casa de Cristo Church, Phoenix Az.
• Youth Music Minister at Desert Palm United Church of Christ, Tempe, Az.
• Senior Pastor of Anchor Ministries, San Diego, Ca.

During his tenure at Anchor Ministries, Pastor Sam produced ministries across a broad spectrum of fields and traditions: A versatile and innovative music department was able to cover several musical styles in a variety of settings.

Most recently, Sam has appeared on Old Time Singing Television program, hosted by Ron Campbell as well as Gospel Country TV program, hosted by Jimmy Snow.

Sam has also been a featured artist on Hallelujah Amen! Hosted by the Phillips Family. Sam has also served as a pianist for the Phillips family on local engagements.

Sam will speak and perform at Christian Community Church of Clarksville at 4:00 PM Sunday, March 25. CCC-Clarksville is affiliated with the International Christian Community Churches. Pastor David W. Shelton says, “At CCC, we believe that the grace of God is for everyone, and we mean EVERYONE!”

The church meets weekly at The Riverview Inn at 80 College Street. For more information, please contact:

David W. Shelton
Pastor, Christian Community Church of Clarksville
www.ccc-clarksville.com

An open letter to conservative Christians (as posted on www.skippingtothepiccolo.com)

There are usually three different types of people who are looking for material on “gay” and “sin.” The first group is made up of people who are struggling with this issue on a deeply personal level. You see, the people in this first group are looking for anything they can find to help them rip out this part of their lives that literally disgusts them. They don’t want to be gay. But they can’t shake the attractions. To this group, I say this: Jesus loves you, period. And yes, reconciliation is possible.

The second group is made of people who are trying to find every argument they can to rebut what the “militant gay activists” have been saying about their sexual orientation. This group is familiar with phrases like “gay agenda” and the “gay lifestyle.” Alas, I have yet to hear anyone actually tell me what the definition is of either of these. After all, I’m gay. I should know, right? We may never know. But hey, it makes for great preaching.

The third group consists of people who are trying to find out as much information as they can to help a friend or loved one come to terms with their sexual orientation. They’re likely looking for GLBT-affirming groups, support organizations, or churches to help them along in their journey of life. To this group, I say this: God bless you in your quest. May you find everything you need to support your loved one in their struggles.

This post, however, is for the second group. Those in the first and third groups (or any that just don’t fit in any of them) are welcome to pull up a chair and sip on your coffee and read along…we can all benefit from learning from each other. I have to confess, though. This is probably the most confrontational I’ll get in any of my writings. For that, I apologize. However, I have a point to make.

You see, my dear conservative Christian brethren, it is to you that I’m writing today. You’ve already expended great amounts of energies and time to get to this point, and to this post, and I just have to ask… why?

Why do you expend such vast resources to marginalize and demonize people who have a different sexual orientation? What is it to you? Is this “research” so important that you’ve allowed it to consume you? Why is it even necessary to “take a stance” on the issue?

Okay, you’re running scriptures in your mind. We’ve all heard them. We’ve all read them. Over, and over, and over again. Some of us have even studied them. And you know what? It doesn’t change the reality that there are millions of people across the world who just aren’t attracted to the opposite sex.

So let’s start with a few very basic facts.

You’re not gay. A person who is gay is defined by their sexual orientation, not their sex acts. I was gay long before I ever had any form of sex. You were straight long before you ever had sex (with your spouse on your wedding day, of course).

There’s not a single gay person who threatens your marriage. Gay men or lesbians aren’t beating down your door to rip your clothes off (and no, Sodom wasn’t about gay sex. It was about rape, which is an act of violence). We’re not trying to take your children (whoever started this ridiculous myth should be strung up by their toenails).

We’re your neighbors, daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, brothers, and sisters. We’re not trying to “destroy” families.

We are the family.

Yet somehow, for some strange reason, you’re threatened by the GLBT community. You’re actually afraid that equality is becoming more and more common. The country has seen through the hype and dogma and has begun to realize that gay people are just that… people. Not only are you threatened, though, you’re obsessed. That’s right. Obsessed.

For me, I’ll freely admit that this is an issue that’s close to me. After all, as a gay man, it’s expected of me to be well-versed on the issue. But why on earth would a straight, possibly married, man have anything at all to say about a topic that doesn’t affect their in the slightest?

You say that gay sex is sin. You might even say that being gay is sin. Fine. I get it. I know you think it’s sin. And I disagree. Thousands of pastors and churches from all over the country disagree. Get over it. It’s not all about you and what you think. You think I’m deceived. Fine. You might even think that I’m damned into a special pit of hell. You can think what you want, all you want. It’s your prerogative.

To you, I’m probably not a human being who loves God… I’m just a “homosexual” that might “need to repent.” That’s fine. So what if you’re right? It’s not for you to decide. And if you are indeed right, what will your reaction be? A big, gloating “I told you so?” Will you laugh maniacally if I’m cast into the pit of hell for believing and teaching that God loves gay people? Check yourself, my friend. What is your motivation? Is it love, or vindication?

I will ask you a simple question, dear conservative friend. Would you at least consider the possibility, however remote it might seem to you, that God isn’t nearly as obsessed about gay people and their relationships as you’d like Him to be? After all, with only a handful of passages in Scripture that even mildly refer to same-sex activity, it’s hardly a huge issue in Scripture. And as we’ve explored elsewhere on my blog, even those passages are questionable in their application to our modern understanding of homosexual relationships.

We can disagree over whether or not we think committed, monogamous homosexual relationships are sinful. You think that they are. I don’t. The reality is that this issue does NOT affect my salvation, and it doesn’t affect yours. The only thing it affects is how we relate to each other.

Quite simply, we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Period. Either that statement is true, or it isn’t. There are no exceptions, there are no asterisks, and there is no question about it.

There comes a time, however, that I believe that Jesus will call us to follow Him no matter where it leads us. When Peter was restored in John 21, Jesus said to him that he would end up being crucified. Peter, displaying his usual blathering self, looked over at John and said, “what about HIM?”

Don’t we do that a lot as Christians? We’ll see someone who is a little different, or has a different ministry, or even looks or acts a bit differently. We almost always want to say to God, “What about THEM, Lord? Why aren’t THEY doing what I’m doing?”

I believe Jesus would say to us… and you, dear friend… “What is that to you? YOU FOLLOW ME.”

Yeah but… what about those gay people?

“What is that to you? YOU FOLLOW ME.”

Yeah but… what about those lesbians?

“What is that to you? YOU FOLLOW ME.”

Yeah but… what if they’re democrats?

“What is that to you? YOU FOLLOW ME.”

Follow Christ. Leave the rest to Him. And for pete’s sake, leave the gay issue alone. Is it possible for us to stop using gay people as sermon fodder and learn to relate to people, no matter where they are? We can disagree. But as we follow Christ, let’s build on what we DO agree on, and that’s the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel is far more important than who someone loves or spends their life with. Jesus showed that by example. Now it’s time for us to start walking in it.

Professor Robert Winston

The Story of God is an epic journey across continents, cultures and eras exploring religious beliefs from their earliest incarnations, through the development of today’s major world faiths and the status of religious faith in a scientific age.

The series examines the roots of religious beliefs in prehistoric societies and the different ways in which humanity’s sense of the divine developed.

It looks at the divergence between religions that worship a range of deities and those that represent strict monotheism.

Professor Winston says: “However you define God, and whether you believe in God or not, the world we live in has been shaped by the universal human conviction that there is more to life than life itself; that there is a ‘god’ shaped hole at the centre of our universe.

“We have come up with many different ways to fill that hole, with many gods or just one, with gods of hunting, gods of farming, gods of war and gods of sea and sky.”

The series begins with Professor Winston examining the religions which believe in many different gods and explores why mankind started to believe in God at all.

The answer to that question, says Professor Winston, can be found in the caves where our ancestors first approached their gods and in the fields where people still call on them for help, in the cities where our ancestors have been honoured and in the temples where the gods have been appeased with sacrifices.

“But most of all the answer,” says Professor Winston, “lies in the human desire to be united with something bigger than ourselves.”

He travels to the Gargas Caves in South West France where, he says, if the story of God has a beginning, it is to be found.

He examines mysterious stencilled hand prints from 27,000 years ago which appear to have one or more fingers missing – do these represent early humans’ attempts to reach out to God?

In India, Professor Winston explores the origins of Hinduism and the emergence of Brahman as the supreme being with many different forms.

Some experts believe that there may be 330 million gods across the Hindu faith and he looks at the notions of karma and reincarnation, also popular in Buddhism.

While there are those who believe in many gods there are also those who believe there is only one true God and Professor Winston delves into the past to discover the beginnings of monotheism.

Judaism, Christianity and Islam are examined in order to understand the ideas they share about God and the issues that divide them.

Professor Winston goes in search of an answer to the centuries old question: ‘If God created humanity why does God allow humanity to suffer?’

Finally he explores how belief in God has been challenged in the modern world by secular ideas, in particular science.

He looks at those scientific disciplines (nuclear and astro-physics) where a convergence between faith and science seems possible.

Professor Winston ventures into vast underground laboratories in Switzerland where they are trying to prove the existence of the ‘God particle’ and speaks to an American geneticist who believes there is a God gene which predisposes some people to have religious or spiritual beliefs.

He also puts his own belief in God to the test with a mathematical formula that has been adapted to calculate the probability of God’s existence.

Part One of Three

Click here to view the embedded video.

I believe God is stirring our collective nests, and that He is bringing us out of our complacency to reach a world that is sick of religious tripe. They’ve seen the big churches, the polished pews, and the fancy preachers, and they are not impressed. Christian TV is as hokey as it is self-centered in its presentation of the Gospel: “Give money to us and God will bless you!”

Most of us are far more comfortable in crowds than in small groups. After all, we can hide in a crowd. We can be lost in the masses. We have become, as one pastor I know said, “a bunch of porcupines trying to live close to each other.” We barely know our neighbors. In truth, we really don’t WANT to know our neighbors. They’ll probably move away soon, anyway.

And it is out of that nest that God is calling us. He’s calling us out of our comfort zone, out of our recliners, and, in many cases, out of our religious traditions. He’s calling us out of the mindset that we must follow a certain set of rules to be “Christian.” After all, what’s the point of fulfilling one law if we’re going to just replace it with another?

In a word, He’s calling us into GRACE. It’s a word that instantly invokes the classic John Newton hymn, “Amazing Grace.” We were indeed all once blind, and we now see… that Jesus Christ is Lord. Grace will lead us home, and grace will bring us to eternity with the Father where time is without meaning.

Strangely, grace goes out the window when we deal with our fellow man. Far too often, we replace grace with judgment, mercy with wrath, and love with hate. After all, some say, grace isn’t a license to sin. This is a line that is often used against those who are eventually kicked out of churches for whatever reason. Maybe a pregnant girl is kicked out because she chose to have her baby instead of an abortion. Or a divorcee is shunned because they wouldn’t stay with an abusive spouse. Perhaps a gay teenager is ostracized because of who they are.

But what is grace? For this teaching, I’ll stick to the common evangelical definition: unmerited favor. It is literally a divine overlook of all of our faults, weaknesses, and sins. He looks past all of that to give us the free gift of eternal life. It is the kind of grace that we’re all quick to embrace for ourselves. Sadly, we’re also quick to deny it to others. After all, it’s not a “license to sin.”

Dietrich Bonheoffer once coined the phrase “cheap grace.” In his mind, grace could easily be abused and reduced to being nothing more than an excuse for sinful behavior. He thought that the liberty that we have in Christ should never be spat on by someone who just flat-out refuses to repent of habitual sin, which would do nothing more than “cheapen grace.”

Bonheoffer understood what it was like to suffer. He understood the high price of discipleship, and was eventually killed in a Nazi death camp for his “crimes” of preaching against the evils of Hitler’s regime.

There’s another word that must come into this discussion of grace. There is also “love.” Love is tightly woven into the cord that binds all of us into the covenant which God made for us. Neither can exist without the other. Grace without love becomes a wall of separation between people, and between men and God. Love without grace becomes a recipe for disaster, where we can cut too close to a person’s soft spot, only to set off wrath.

But when grace and love are truly operating in a person’s life, they create an entirely new way of life. If a person who has been given much grace, and has been given much love, then their response is both grace and love to the One who gave it in the first place. Okay, I’ve lost you. Let me clarify a little bit.

God has given each of us an eternal amount of grace. Through the cross of Christ, all of our sin is forgiven. It is forgotten. Since Scripture teaches that sin is as much a state of being as it is an act, His great sacrifice has revealed this eternal grace for all of us. But wait, there’s more. There’s His love.

Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, for a man to lay down his life for his friends.” He also said that we are His friends if we follow his commandment: “love one another.” The message that Christ gave to all of us was a simple dual commandment: Love God, love people.”

Now, what would happen if we were to realize this level of love and grace that God has given to us? The cross wasn’t so that we could get into heaven by the skin of our teeth. Just because our lives were steeped in sin doesn’t mean that we are wretched. In fact, God was so crazy about us, loved us SO much that he gave His very best.

Jesus didn’t die on that cross so that we could be saved from hell, my friends. He went to the cross because of God’s passionate and complete love for all of us. And that means you, too. He valued us so greatly, loved us so completely, and desires us so passionately, that He planned to have Christ crucified from the very beginning of time!

When we start to realize this, even just a little bit, then I believe that we’ll begin to take on an entirely new paradigm in our faith. We don’t serve Christ because we want to get into heaven. In fact, Ephesians 2:4-6 seems to indicate that we’re already there:

…because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus… (Ephesians 2:4-6, NIV)

As Christians, we don’t serve Christ because we want to gain His favor. We already have it. We have His completely and totally undeserved favor. We have His love. He can never love us more or less than He already does.

He’s never shocked by our actions, never disappointed, and he’s never surprised. Scripture says that nothing will separate us from the love of God. His love is complete, whole, and without limit. It has never changed, and it never will. Grace isn’t a license to sin. It’s simply a message that our sin will not stand in the way of His love.

But, you might be thinking, “You don’t know what I’ve done! There’s no way that God could love me, or forgive me.”

Do you think that your sin is greater than God’s love? Is that it? Or do you think His love isn’t good enough for you? My dear friend, it is good enough. It’s good enough for you and over six billion others just like you. We can’t let a false sense of humility stand in the way of the ultimate grace: God’s eternal, complete love.

I believe that God is calling us to stop looking out our own faults and look to His perfection. When we go from naval-gazing to gazing at the beauty of God Himself, suddenly, we’re exposed to the clear reality that His love, His glory, and His grace surpass everything. It surpasses our sin, it surpasses our confusion, and it surpasses our own utter lack of grace and love.

Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus as it says in Hebrews 12:2. When we do, we’ll begin to be consumed by His love rather than by our own sin, or the sins of others. Instead of pointing fingers in judgment, we’re lifting hands in worship. And better yet, we’re encouraging each other in their walk, rather than pointing out each others’ faults.

When we walk in grace, and walk in love, we begin to adopt a new way of living. I don’t choose to remain faithful to my partner because of legalism. I made that choice because I love him. I made that choice because I know how much he loves me. There’s great grace in that simply because we know it’s not a matter of not cheating. I just couldn’t imagine breaking his heart like that.

With grace, it’s not the law that keeps us from sin, it’s love. If we truly love God, then our desire is to show our love for Him in all ways. If we truly love Him, then we love those whom he loves. Grace then takes its full effect. Liberty then takes root. Yes, we have complete freedom in Christ. But when our hearts are so captured by grace and love, then our desire is God Himself.

When we begin to walk in this level of grace, my friends, I believe that we’ll finally start to see just exactly how much He is really crazy about us. We can explore grace in every way; and we can explore the passion of God for His people.

As we enter into this Easter season, let’s meditate on this powerful message of grace and love for all of His people. It is truly amazing grace, in every way imaginable.

We invite you to join us every Sunday afternoon at 4PM at Christian Community Church of Clarksville as we continue to explore this critical message of Grace and all of its applications to our lives. Won’t you join us?

See you there!

What an exciting time it is for us at Christian Community Church of Clarksville. We’ve never been more focused on our mission for Clarksville and the surrounding areas than we are right now. Sure, we’re small. That’s okay!

After all, how many people did it take to change the world? Twelve.

Yes, we’re focused. But before I start talking about our mission, I want to take a minute to apologize. I’m sorry, dear friends. I’m sorry that the church (in general, not just us) has failed to minister to so many of you who are hungry for real, genuine fellowship. I’m sorry that we’ve been hypocritical. We’re sorry for being a bunch of self-righteous, judgmental bastards. We’ve pointed fingers. We’ve gossiped. God knows that this goes on about anywhere you can imagine.

And yes, I’m lumping CCC-Clarksville in that mass group of churches. You see, we’re all part of the body of Christ. It’s not a mass collection of individual churches that we have here in Clarksville. We’re all part of the same body, the same baptism, the same faith. We have ONE Lord. Some of our brethren are quick to condemn, quick to judge, and quick to point fingers. And that affects all of us. And for that, I sincerely apologize.

This is a new day. It’s a new morning where the snow is still on the ground, and our eyes are fixed squarely on one thing: Jesus. So what is our focus? It’s simple. We are focused on loving people, giving you a Christian church home where you can grow, be loved, sit on the sidelines, or get involved. We’re all in this thing together. All we need is YOU.

No matter if you’re black or white, Hispanic or Asian, married or divorced, male or female, young or old, straight or gay, or even transgender, you’re welcome here. And if you feel like you’d not fit in to the church setting, then I have exciting news: We’re ALL misfits! I’ve said it before, friends. I have a clear vision for CCC-Clarksville. That vision is to have a church filled with misfits… misfits for JESUS. In fact, the more different you think you are, the more we want to welcome you.

For those of us who are more traditional in our worship preferences, come on down! There’s a place for you, too! We’re all different. We’re all unique. If you’d like to be a part of a truly multi-faceted fellowship, we’d love to spend time with you. Remember, our focus is on JESUS, not on what we look like or what kind of songs we sing.

With all that said, here are a few quick answers to your frequently asked questions:

• When and where do you meet?
  We meet at 4:00 PM (1600 hrs) every Sunday afternoon at the Riverview Inn at 80 College Street, right here in Clarksville Tennessee.
• Do I have to dress up?
  NO. Come as you are.
• What are services like?
  On the first Sunday of every month, we have a traditional church service with contemporary worship music, an uplifting sermon, ministry time, and an open communion table. ALL are welcome at God’s table. Then, the rest of the month, we have a Bible study where we teach and discuss the Scriptures and their application to our lives.
• Do you have a website?
  YES. Visit our website at www.ccc-clarksville.com.
• Are children welcome?
  Absolutely. Our hope is to build a strong children’s ministry at CCC. Will you help?
• What if I just want to sit on the sidelines…I’ve been burned by churches in the past?
  Then sit! We’d love to have you fellowship with us. Let us minister to you and show the love of God. When you’re ready, and only YOU know when that is, then we encourage you to get more involved. Church is a place for healing. Come, and let the Lord bring that healing into your life.

So there you have it. If you have further questions, I encourage you to call me at (931) 801-3477 for more details. And if you’re able join us, we’d love to have you!

See you soon!

Pastor David

Of course, the usual suspects come out of the woodwork to denounce liberal ideology in typical fashion. In contrast, liberals focus on the reality that we can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results. After all, that’s the definition of “insanity.”

I’ve said it before… it’s time for us to show genuine leadership instead of reacting based on fear. I’m thankful that liberals have been around to make history throughout time.

A liberal saw the excesses and errors within the Church in 1517 and posted his 95 theses on the door of his church in Wittenberg, which began the Reformation. Right around that same time, a liberal translated the Bible into English, which gave the Scriptures to the people in the common vernacular. Liberals led the way to start a country based on equality and the “right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Liberals fought to put an end to slavery. Liberals spoke out for the Native Americans, but were squelched in an environment of abject hatred toward our nation’s first residents.

Liberals fought for the civil rights act of 1964. Liberals fought for women’s rights. Liberals have always stood up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. They stood for the slaves, child labor laws, worker’s compensation, anti-trust laws, occupational safety laws, equal housing, and fair lending practices. If that’s “giving away the farm,” then I’m glad we did.

In fact, Jesus himself preached love, tolerance, justice, and equality for all people. That’s pretty liberal, isn’t it? So long as He preached it, so will I. He is the great equalizer, and that’s a message that can never tarnish or wither. It is, in fact, the core of the Gospel: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you look carefully, there’s no asterisk there. “Whosoever” means “whosoever.”

What’s unfortunate is that Liberals have allowed the word “liberal” to be tarnished by right-wing attacks. They’ve allowed themselves to be labeled as crybabies and whiners. Thankfully, that’s beginning to change.

As a democratic republic, our responsibility is not to “majority rules” but rather to protect those who are NOT in the majority. This is why this system of government works. It protects those who are not in power or in the majority. This is the heart of the bill of rights (the first ten amendments to the US constitution). It protects those who aren’t Christian white males.

So who’s less fortunate? Look around. There are hundreds of families who can’t afford a Thanksgiving dinner this week. There are countless teenagers who live in abject poverty (most of them minorities) who are convinced that they’ll never get out of that situation. Instead of blaming liberals, why not join hands with them and help to fund programs that are designed to provide alternatives to the streets?

There are more than 150 confirmed cases of HIV in Montgomery County. For every confirmed case, statistics indicate that there are at least 2 people who don’t know they’re infected. Liberals have fought to fund HIV awareness and education, as well as research for effective treatment. Instead of blaming liberals and gays, why not show the kind of compassion that Christ called for? Why not help with these programs?

Yes, there are those who are less fortunate. I’ve been in that situation. I thank God that I’m no longer there. It took work, patience, and God’s favor in my life to get where I am today. Sadly, there are those that just can’t seem to rise above their situation, no matter what. Jesus said we’d have the poor with us always. He also said that we should minister to them any way we can. “What you have done to the least of these, you have done it to me,” He said.

Christianity, however, isn’t the only faith which embraces charity. The ideal of charity is encouraged in nearly every major world religion. Maybe one day we’ll begin to rise above name-calling and work together to help everyone… no matter who they are, what they look like, or who they love.

Holding modern Christianity up to a bright spotlight, this bold and often hilarious new film asks the questions few dare to ask.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Your guide through the world of Christendom is former fundamentalist Brian Flemming, joined by such luminaries as Jesus Seminar fellow Robert M. Price, professor Richard Dawkins, author Sam Harris and historian Richard Carrier.

See the movie the Los Angeles Times calls “provocative – to put it mildly.”

Hold on to your faith. It’s in for a bumpy ride.

It’s available for sale at their website, I’ve already bought a copy :)