Is Disagreement with Obama Racism?

This article is from one of my favorite writers, Walter Williams. My favorite quote from the article has to be, "For the most part, white bigots are no longer respected among whites and I look forward to the day when black bigots are no longer respected among blacks." I think the outright bigotry of some blacks toward whites it the dirty little secret that the left chooses to ignore in discussions about race. And yes, Walter Williams is black....


Is Disagreement with Obama Racism?
by Walter E. Williams


Former president Jimmy Carter said, "I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man." That's from a man who earlier referred to Obama as "This black boy" on the Jim Lehrer "News Hour." New York Times social critic Maureen Dowd said, in reference to Rep. Joe Wilson's shouting "Liar" during Obama's address on health care before the joint session of Congress, "Some people just can't believe a black man is president and will never accept it." Washington Post's Howard Kurtz said he "began to suspect that race was a factor for at least some critics when I heard them shouting about 'the Constitution' and 'taking our country back.'" Kurtz asked whether the massive tea parties and other public protests reflect a "distinct discomfort with the country's first black president." House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, New York Gov. David Paterson, MSNBC's Chris Matthews, and other leftists claim that racism is behind criticism of President Obama.

(snip - click on the title to read the whole article!)

Americans should disavow and not fall prey to the racial rope-a-dope being played on us by the nation's race hustlers.

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Thank goodness for reasonable people in the media!

----Katie

This Speaks for Itself....

Does Disagreeing With Obama Make You a Racist?

Of course it does!

(To check out the very funny blogger that created the flow chart, click on the title!)

---Katie

Rest In Peace

The photo above is of Jim Pouillon, an anti-abortion protester who was shot and killed outside Owosso High School in Owosso, Michigan, early Friday morning. Am waiting for Obama's statement.....

---Katie

Expecting your "Bound Conscience" to Be Respected?

Check out this quote from a "revisionist" blog. If you think you are going to be allowed to continue objecting to sexually active, unmarried pastors (gay or straight) and rostered leaders in the ELCA, think again!

"We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant. We should claim that any movement preaching intolerance places itself outside the law, and we should consider incitement to intolerance and persecution as criminal, in the same way as we should consider incitement to murder, or to kidnapping, or to the revival of the slave trade, as criminal." —Karl Popper, "The Open Society and Its Enemies."

So I guess the only thing they won't tolerate is intolerance....hmmm.

Click on the title for the discussion over at Stand Firm.
Hat tip to Eric Swensson!
----Katie

A View from the Other Side

I've had people ask me how the ELCA can justify their recent actions. Here is one pastor's point of view.

Dear Friends,

You have read two eloquent pastoral letters in this issue, one from Mark Hanson, the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, and one from B. Penrose Hoover, our own bishop of the Lower Susquehanna Synod. As your pastor, I feel that I also ought to share my thoughts with you about what was decided at the churchwide assembly regarding ordination of gay and lesbian persons in long-term committed same sex relationships.

In his “Prefaces to the Old Testament, “ Martin Luther said, “Here [in the Scriptures] you will find the swaddling cloths and manger in which Christ lies.” In “Preface to the Epistles of St. James and St. Jude, he said, “Whatever does not teach Christ is not yet apostolic, even though St. Peter or St. Paul does the teaching.”

No matter which side of the debate one might take, As Lutherans we see the Bible first and foremost for what it teaches us about Jesus. And I believe that what Jesus taught, preached and lived is very instructive to us in this situation.

First, Jesus never said one word about homosexuality. He did, however say a great deal about self-righteousness. In Matthew 7 we read, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” .

Second, Jesus could, and did challenge long accepted and deeply held religious beliefs and practices. He healed on the Sabbath; in the gospel lesson for August 30 he challenges the practices of ritual washing and declared that there were no forbidden foods. In the next few verses he healed the daughter of a gentile, a foreigner.

Third, Jesus chose as his followers, tax collectors and other sinners. He accepted women as worthy of respect in a time when they were considered chattels. Indeed, in John’s gospel a woman, Mary Magdalene, was the first person to see the risen Lord on Easter Sunday.

From this we learn that Jesus was not afraid to challenge accepted practices. He was not afraid to make waves. He was not afraid to befriend those who were considered to be outcasts by the religious people of the day.

Yet, Jesus preached a high, even impossible standard of morality. He taught that all of us are liars, adulterers, and murderers, if we’ve every even thought about those things. He spoke very plainly against divorce and remarriage. He taught that we must love our enemies and forgive endlessly.

For me, what we learn first from Jesus in regard to the decisions of the churchwide assembly, is that we are all sinners, and that we are all desperately in need of God’s grace. No matter where we stand on these issues, none of us is good enough to judge those who are on the other side. Second, we are already doing things that are contrary to the literal interpretation of Scripture. It’s hard now to remember, but ordination of women was just as controversial 40 years ago as are the issues we are facing today. We also accept divorced and remarried people as members of the clergy because we believe in God’s forgiveness and grace. We can do these things because we believe that as times change, the Holy Spirit can and does speak to us in new ways.

Third, as a very practical matter, these new rulings do not change the process by which a congregation calls a pastor. Authority to call a pastor rests with the congregation. No congregation will be forced to call a pastor that they do not feel is right for them, for any reason.

You will hear many things said about these issues in the coming weeks and months. However each of us may feel about these issues, let us remember the life and teachings of or Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and struggle to act in love to God through love to neighbor, as he would have us do.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Pat

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One thing I will take the time to dispute - congregations who consistently refuse to call a openly gay pastor will face displeasure and negative consequences from their synod. Perhaps it will not be right away, but eventually synods will not tolerate that type of discrimination any more than they tolerate churches who will not call a minority or a woman.

---Katie

Confessions of a Lutheran Refugee

This is a good read. I don't completely agree with the view of women's ordination, because I believe that you can find scriptural support for both sides of the issue.

Confessions of a Lutheran Refugee

Lars Walker

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (as you doubtless know) decided, last month, to bless same-sex relationships, and to allow open homosexuals (if monogamous) to serve as clergy. I'm sure this action will lead to a perceptible (possibly dramatic) exodus of conservative churches and individuals from the denomination. I approve of this, and encourage it.

Still, I can already hear the accusations coming from the ELCA liberals and homosexual activists—“This isn’t about truth! It’s about hate! You people just can’t get past your homophobia!”

And in a sense, I understand the criticism. One might reasonably ask, “Why now? Has this problem come up all of a sudden (like the unpredicted tornado that knocked the cross off the steeple of Central Lutheran Church, a convention venue, during deliberations)? Why strain out this camel, when you’ve swallowed so many camels already?”

Please click on the title to read the rest.

----Katie

Damage at Central Lutheran

Here is the article from Central Lutheran's website and pictures of the damage:

Tornadic winds do damage at Central

Historic steeple damaged; Outdoor food venues destroyed

A rare downtown tornado passed close enough to Central this afternoon to completely destroy the two outdoor food venues set up for the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, The Carillon Cafe and Pub Central. The winds came quickly and swiftly at about 2:00 p.m. today. There were no public events in session at Central when the tornado passed. The Assembly was in legislative session across the street at the Minneapolis Convention Center. There were about 75 persons inside Central when the storm struck. They were all ushered safely to the Lower Narthex by Central's security team. There were no injuries.

The Carillon Cafe had served nearly 800 persons the last two days and Pub Central was full last evening for its opening day. Those hospitality offerings to guests of the Assembly are canceled. The Great Lutheran "Potluck Favorites" Supper, scheduled for Thursday, previously to be served from the North Plaza, will now take place at the Minneapolis Convention Center beginning at 5:30 p.m. The supper immediately precedes the National Lutheran Choir Hymn Festival at Central, beginning at 8:00 p.m. All other Assembly week events at Central will go ahead as planned.

The Lutherans Concerned North America Eucharist will take place as scheduled tonight at 7:30 p.m.

"We give thanks to God that no one was injured by today's tornado," said the Rev. Rick Nelson, Central's senior pastor. "I also thank God for the extreme talent and seemingly endless energies of our magnificent staff, particularly all related to events, security, and maintenance around this place; and also the Convention Center catering staff who’ve been scrambling outside to make for safe and clean passage. All of them are wonderful servants of God, and faithful practitioners of grace."

Photos by Joe Bjordal

---Katie

This Does Make Me Ponder....

I have been watching the ELCA Churchwide Assembly proceedings via live feed at elca.org. Today a tornado touched down in the area of the convention center. As voting members were discussing an amendment to the sexuality social statement which would have strengthened and supported wording regarding marriage, family and children, an amendment which was defeated, unfortunately, the winds knocked the cross off the steeple of nearby Central Lutheran Church, a church which has been ardent in its support of changing ministry standards and would be the location of the Goodsoil event that evening. Apparently part of the roof of the convention center was damaged as well.

I am a right wing nut for seeing any correlation between these events.

yeah

---Katie

Whole Foods CEO Ticks off the Liberals

How dare he suggest free market solutions to the healthcare "crisis" when we are so close to getting government control of the whole thing!!!!

Check it out by clicking on the title....and shop at Whole Foods!

---Katie

Can you "Come Out" more than once?

I guess so....

Ninety-five Lutherans come out during ELCA vote on gay pastors

by Andy Birkey

As the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) meets in Minneapolis to vote on the inclusion of openly gay and lesbian clergy, proponents are making sure the stories of gay and lesbian pastors are heard. Advocates are distributing a document in which 95 members of the Lutheran clergy — a number that references Martin Luther’s 95 Theses — announce that they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. The booklet, “One Table, Many Blessings” (pdf), shares how the ban on openly gay clergy has affected their lives.

Click on the title to read the entire article.

The Goodsoil folks did this at the last assembly as well. I can't say that the same people are in the two booklets because I don't have a copy from last time, but come on, folks, it is old news that Anita Hill is gay. Jen Nagel's ordination was in the news a lot last year. I think the press treating this as, "Oh, wow, look at all these pastors' coming out!" is a little, well, dramatic, if not disingenuous.

---Katie

ELCA Getting Noticed

I've been keeping up with the ELCA Churchwide Assembly via the live feed at ELCA.org, twitter (#CWA09), and over at ALPB, where Richard Johnson is doing his usual excellent job. I thought rather than just post his stuff here, I'd post things I found outside the usual channels. Here is an article from the Get Religion blog:

Let's Get Ready to Rumble

Posted by Mollie

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America is having it’s biennial convention this week and we’re seeing coverage about the most politically exciting topic that will be debated — homosexuality.

There have already been a couple of good stories. It may seem like such a minor thing but I’m impressed that Patrick Condon of the Associated Press had an anecdotal lede with someone opposed to changing the church’s teaching on whether clergy who are in same-sex relationships should be on the church roster. Here it is:

FRIDLEY, Minn. — The Rev. Dave Glesne stood before the members of Redeemer Lutheran Church a few weeks ago and told them there might be some painful decisions in the near future.

Glesne is against letting people in same-sex relationships serve as pastors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and he says his congregation is behind him. They’re worried this suburban Minneapolis church could find itself on the losing side as leaders of the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination vote on whether to take that step at their biennial national convention, which starts Monday in Minneapolis.

“Of course the question was asked: What will we do, Pastor Dave, if this goes?” Glesne said. “The conversation we had left me no doubt that we will definitely have a discussion about leaving the ELCA.”

I’m just so used to seeing the heartbreaking stories from the other perspective and only from the other perspective that it’s a refreshing change and reminds us that there will be heartbreak and loss no matter who wins the theological debate. In fact, that’s a major theme of the story and includes some great quotes from people on opposing sides.

Click on the title to read the entire article.

---Katie

And we want government controlled healthcare...

Three of the four words on this sign are misspelled.