Terrapin Station

The Evangelical Agenda

I can't remember what I was reading this weekend, but it was something that caused me to have the thought:  "If that's an 'evangelical Christian' then I don't want to be one of those."

So I did a little research. 

According to Wikipedia, always a primo source,

Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s^[1] and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.

Its key commitments are:

• The need for personal conversion (or being "born again");
• A high regard for biblical authority;
• An emphasis on teachings that proclaim the saving death and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ;^[2]
• Actively expressing and sharing the gospel.

 

Okay.  That's probably not me.  I have indeed had a personal conversion, but biblical authority?  Inerrancy, even?  Nope.  Exceptional emphasis on atonement doesn't work well for me either.  And, the last one?  I tend to think of my own Christianity as similar to AA: a program of attraction, rather than of promotion. 

I also found a post at GotQuestions.com:

In reality, all Christians should be evangelical Christians. The Bible is consistently instructing us to be witnesses of the good news (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 1 Peter 3:15). There is no better news than Jesus! There is no higher calling than evangelist. There is no doubt that holding to the fundamentals of the Bible will result in a certain worldview, and yes, political belief. However, there is nothing about being an evangelical that demands a certain political party or affiliation. An evangelical Christian is called to share the good news, to preach God's Word, and to set an example of purity and integrity. If these callings require political action, so be it. At the same time, evangelical Christians should not be sidetracked into abandoning our highest calling—sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Hmm. 

I don't think I fit it.

It actually sounds as though the term "evangelical Christian" has been co-opted by a certain group of which I emphatically do not want to be a member.  And a lot of them are in those, oh my golly, CEASELESS and deadly Republican debates.  Why, why did there have to be so many of them?  There have been TWENTY so far, and there are EIGHT more.  This is insanity.  It makes me want to poke forks into my eyeballs.

Yes, I could leave the room, but I value time spent with my (recently ill) conservative husband who is watching.  And I don't think it's bad to know what they are saying...even if I started out sure they wouldn't be getting my vote and have only confirmed that belief

There's not much they say that I agree with, except that we have got to STOP this FREAKING SPENDING. 

But their favorite topic seems to be "THE GAY AGENDA."

Oh my gosh. 

Can they not find any more important thing to talk about?  Here's my suspicion: they don't know any gay people, not really know them.  In my philosophy, peace and understanding in the world come from the one-on-one relationships that we build.  That's why I love working in international education, because all these folks coming and going to study are having real life experiences with "the other" and also experiencing BEING "the other." 

Just think if you really knew someone from that group you don't like? 

As I said to a friend recently, "so two people that I love, love each other.  What could be better than that?" 

Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear

I've just signed up for my second online class, running this fall, at the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest: 

Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear

From global economic meltdown to health care crisis, from terrorism to nuclear proliferation, the present age is marked by a pervasive sense of threat and insecurity. This cultural landscape tempts Christians to embrace a self-protective ethic of safety at the expense of faithful discipleship. In this course we will look at ways to counter this idolatry of security and to embrace an ethic of risk that manifests itself in hospitality, peacemaking, and generosity.

This course is taught by
Dr. Scott Bader-Saye

I am one of your more "glass-half-full" types of people...but as you know if you have met me, my husband is the opposite.  That's putting it mildly.  In addition to any input he or his TV friends may give me (from which I mostly excuse myself), I have a pervasive feeling lately that we are all going to hell in the proverbial handbasket. 

So when I saw this class announced, I knew it was for me. 

I'll keep you posted. 

Strange days

Sinus infection here...please talk quietly among yourselves.  Send Mucinex if you have it.

Gustav does not show up here on radar, yet we are having gusty winds up to 40 MPH and showers, courtesy of himself. 

Anyone but me notice that the all-female-named hurricanes used to be refered to as "she" but now the male-named ones (at least Gustav) are referred to by Weather channel folks as "it"? 

Going back to bed.

Blogging for Choice

My friend's sister is dying of cancer.  Maybe right now.  She's been in a coma for a few days.  Please keep E and F in your prayers. 

Why do I mention this in the context of women's reproductive choice? 

My friend and I have talked often about the sister's choice to have chemotherapy and palliative surgeries, even though the cancer was known from the beginning to be widespread and inoperable.  We have agreed that we don't think we would ever want to go through these procedures, with the horrible side effects that are so well known.  But, we also agree, how do we have any idea what we would choose when WE were in the situation? 

That's really the key.  It's F's body, her life and her death.  It is her decision and her family has supported her, no matter their opinions on the matter. 

I think I first became aware of abortion as a legal option in high school.  I have never had to face the issue of pregnancy myself, but I was sure (as young people often are) exactly what I would do if I became pregnant while unmarried: I would have the baby and put it up for adoption, because 'I couldn't ever have an abortion'.  How noble! how principled! how black and white!  I'd like to think I would have done that ... but I don't know.  I have no idea what that situation would have been like, and I have no idea what I would have done. 

I know that people who don't believe that women have a right to choose will say that women are choosing for both themselves and a child...but I truly believe that the woman is already here and her choice comes first; and that she has to make the choice based on what would be best for a child in her life.  I suppose that puts me in a particular theological/moral box.  So be it.  I'm not really interested in arguing it. 

I have been very not proud of TEC recently, particularly my local diocese.  However, yesterday I was indeed proud of the National Church, when I picked up a pamphlet  for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, and learned that we are a member organization. 

If I face choices like F's someday, I never want anyone to tell me what to do.  Nor do I want to be dictated to if I face a pregnancy I can't support.

Keep your laws off MY body.

April 16, 2007

Yesterday was my grandfather's birthday.  Bigdaddy would have been 105 yesterday if he were still alive; he died 16 years ago. 

I think of the world he was born into:  Apalachicola and Tallahassee, Florida at the turn of the 20th century.  I think of the world he left in 1991. 

Before Oklahoma City, Waco, 9/11, Columbine, Virginia Tech.

(One of the first news reports I heard about the Virginia Tech murders yesterday referred to "the first nine eleven call," and at first I couldn't understand what September 11 had to do with anything.  Then I remembered...9-1-1 was the emergency number long before 9/11/01.  Still is.  We called it "nine one one.")

On one hand, I'm so grateful that Bigdaddy is not here to see what the world has come to.  On the other, I wonder if he might have some wisdom to share.  I'm grasping at straws, I know. 

I've decided I have to fast from TV news today.  It's an orgy of saying the same things over and over, continuously, interviewing the same young people in deep shock and marveling at their composure.  Duh!  They're in shock!

My watching the news will not make it any better or different, and will only cause me to "sit in the shit" as the 12-steppers say.

I will instead be praying for the victims and their friends and families, and the students, faculty, staff and community of Virginia Tech.  I'll be praying for colleges and universities everywhere as they struggle to take care of their communities.

International Education Needs your Help!

On March 12, the House of Representatives introduced H.R. 1469 the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007.

Building on the momentum created in the Senate last year, this bill establishes a national study abroad program named after its intellectual author, the late distinguished Senator Paul Simon, and is based on the recommendations put forth by the Lincoln Commission. The bill, sponsored by Chairman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), is expected to be considered by the House Foreign Affairs Committee soon.

The legislation will establish an innovative public-private partnership with higher education to make study abroad accessible to all students. Within ten years time, the program’s objective is that: at least 1 million undergraduate students in the United States will study abroad annually for credit; the demographics of study-abroad participation will reflect the demographics of the United States undergraduate population; and an increasing portion of study abroad will take place in nontraditional locations.

Take Action TODAY! Please take 5 minutes to personalize the following sample letter urging your Representative to support H.R. 1469. The legislation will benefit students, campuses, and communities by having more U.S. students who are educated about the world.

(Note that this form letter indicates the writer is a professional in the field of international education, so if you are NOT, you will want to change that!)  It is so very easy to personalize the letter and send to your representative.  If you are so inclined, your help will be immensely appreciated!

Please see my next entry for more thoughts on this topic.