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Houston Pastor Can Use Christ’s Name on Memorial Day

May 29th, 2011

Memorial Day

I was trolling the area events calendar this morning, looking for a good Memorial Day topic on which to write, and I came upon a story that, to my own discredit I had yet to read about. Every year, a Memorial Day ceremony is held at the Houston National Cemetery, at which, area pastors are asked to participate by saying prayers and making speeches. This tradition has been practiced for over thirty years.

This year’s ceremony was to include an invocation by Pastor Scott Rainey, who has delivered the invocation a couple of times in recent years. This year was different however as he was asked by cemetery director Arleen Ocasio to please submit his prayer in advance. While it seemed unusual, the pastor complied with the request. Upon reading the prayer, director Ocasio notified Pastor Rainey that while the prayer was well written “…I must ask you to edit it …The tone must be inclusive of all beliefs and non-denominational in nature.” Stated clearly, she objected to the prayer because its close was in Christ’s name. This despite the fact that his prayer specifically stated “While respecting people of every faith today, it is in the name of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord that I pray…” But evidently this precaution was not enough for Ms. Ocasio who told Pastor Rainey that he would have to edit the prayer and remove the offending name of Jesus Christ before he could offer his prayer in public. Failure to make the changes would result in the pastor losing the privilege of speaking at the event. Wait, wasn’t Mr. Rainey chosen on the basis that that he is in fact a pastor, and thus does have a particular religious belief?!

When Mr. Rainey took his case to the Veterans Affairs Department, he was told that cemetery policy was to be non-sectarian, and that they couldn’t intervene. Finally the pastor took his cause to the Federal courts. Fortunately Judge Lynn Hughes agreed with the pastor citing the fact that despite the ceremonies location it was a private event and that forcing Mr. Rainey to edit his speech amounted to a violation of his free speech rights.

The frustrating thing to me (although in my opinion the story ends well), is that the military families scheduled to be present are predominately Christians, who strongly object to the exclusion of their faith, in favor of a tiny minority. No disrespect to Military families of any stripe! But why should the vast, vast majority be required to sacrifice their beliefs to the god of absolute inclusion? The case only illustrates the intellectual chasm that exists between the litigious bureaucratic class and average Americans who are not in fact trying to offend any minorities, but simply want to remember their loved ones in the context of a tradition that happens to be the majority tradition in the United States. I hate to see things like this go to the courts. But when they do, it’s nice to see traditional American values win one on occasion. All that being said, Happy Memorial Day East Texas! We honor our fallen servicemen this weekend. May light perpetual shine upon them.

Its Rapture Day Today… Again!

May 21st, 2011

The Rapture

I was shocked and amazed to awaken this morning on Planet Earth! I fully expected to be “raptured” sometime after midnight! I mean, I had it on good authority that my salvation was absolutely assured! What could have happened? Well a Christian apocalyptic group using the website http://www.familyradio.com has been predicting the rapture, and subsequent end of the world beginning today May 21st, 2011. Their webpage is unequivocal about the date. How did they arrive at it? Well let’s see if I can explain it… “By careful study of the Bible we learn that in the year 4990 B.C. God brought a flood of water and destroyed the entire earth except for eight people and the animals that were with them.” Wait how exactly did we arrive at this date? Well, careful study of course! I for one am now convinced! The author then falls back on an old theological parlor trick. He cites the oft maligned verse “to God a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day…” which, as my brother vehemently points out, is a metaphor for the mercy of God and actually has nothing whatever to do with time. The misinterpretation is very useful to end-timers however, who turn and point out that creation took six days, and on the seventh day God rested, meaning of course that creation, and his work, was complete. Anyway, if you take the rock hard unquestionable date of the flood, 4990 BC, add the current date 2011, subtract a year for the year zero, (evidently God was fine with the random subtraction of an entire year), and abracadabra! 7,000 years!

Ok, so I realize I may be oversimplifying a bit, but honestly, not much. I should also add that the pastor behind these claims has made them before. He also stated in 1994 that the end had come. Come to find out, it hadn’t! He later corrected his mistake by explaining it was just the end of the age of the church. All our pastors and priests have been under satanic direction since 94. Who knew?! But wait.. isn’t he ah… a Pastor? I’m confused. Well its only late morning after all, so Rapture Day is still young. A friend offered me the encouragement that we actually have until 6:00 this afternoon so… of course she was still here too, so I’m not real sure what to do with that. Oh well Jesus can come back whenever he wants as far as I’m concerned. I think I’ll go ahead with my evening plans. If I suddenly find the scenery changing, so be it. That should be fun too!

Church Arsonists Sentenced in East Texas

January 10th, 2011

Tyland Baptist ChurchUnless you’re living in a hole in the ground, you’ve probably already heard that church arsonists Jason Bourque, and Daniel McAllister, were sentenced by Judge Christi Kennedy of the 114th court.

Baroque was sentenced to five life sentences for his successful church burnings and another three, twenty year sentences for attempted arson. McAllister received two life sentences for successfully burning two churches, and two twenty year sentences for two counts of trying unsuccessfully to burn two other churches.

Several of the pastors whose churches were attacked by the pair were present at the sentencing to offer their forgiveness and prayers. I’ve been reading the posts by individuals angry at the sentences and the Judge who brought them! Some claimed they were far too harsh. Others that the church should forgive the young men and be glad no one was hurt.

To that I would respond that it was just a matter of time before someone was in fact killed due to the young men’s actions. And while I agree that the church collectively should and has forgiven the assailants, it’s the civil authorities who must protect the public.

Tyler Texas Church Arsonists SentencedAnd in actuality, many people were in fact hurt by the perps’ actions! Like it or not, church is a big part of the lives of many East Texans. We are baptized and confirmed in them. Married in them, and raise children in them. That’s a lot of memories, and a big part of our identity that cannot be completely restored once it’s taken away.

Clearly these are very troubled young men, but the facts of their ages, and their motivation doesn’t really matter, except in proving guilt or innocence. I’m not really interested in why they burned those churches. I’m only interested in preventing them from burning any more, particularly mine!

There is certainly a place and a need for forgiveness, but contrition shouldn’t remove the consequences. I hope Bourque and McAllister get the help they need.

And I hope that they will encounter a chaplain who can help open their minds and help to make them receptive to the faith they persecuted. But it must be in the context of facing the consequences of their actions.

Redeeming Tattoos, A Christian Tattoo Parlor in Tyler

July 23rd, 2010

Tyler Texas Tattoos

Tyler Texas Tattoos

Some subjects overwhelm me when I sit down to write about them. Either because I recognize it as a great subject that needs to be covered and I know nothing about it or I know a great deal about it and don’t know where to begin. Both of these can be really difficult and I often find that the writing process begins very slowly.

Then there are topics like the one I’m leading into, of which I know just enough to be dangerous, but the topic is so much fun, I look forward to getting started. Well, there is a new business in Tyler that will most likely cause a small stir. It’s called Redeeming Tattoos, and much of their art is of a religious nature. So yes they operate a Christian tattoo parlor.

Now I have to admit this is a very unconventional idea for Southern Baptist East Texas and I look forward to hearing the responses from the more conservative quarters of that community. In fact my personal take on this subject may surprise readers who know me. I’m not a collector of tattoos, although I have a number of close friends who are. I’m not covered ink, although I’m not a stranger to the tattoo parlor either. I’ve watched a few artists work, and I find the process and artistry quite interesting.

In recent years the culture around tattooing has certainly changed. It’s not just the bikers and skaters who wear them anymore. I’ve known teachers, pastors and corporate bosses who wore them albeit often discreetly hidden beneath their clothes. I am myself a practicing Christian, and while I don’t endorse the art form as being for everyone, neither do I believe it to be a mortal sin. Furthermore I find nothing in Scripture where it is stipulated as such.

The closest reference I find is the Biblical mandate that we (Jews and Christians) are not to “mark yourselves for the dead,” meaning that we are not to accept tattoos as a function of occult worship or practice, something common in the non Judeo- Christian religions. Obviously the concern there is less with the actual ink and more with the association with paganism. The argument I hear most often is “But, my body is a temple!” To which a friend of mine responded, “And is a temple not full of ornate carvings and works of art?”

The fact is this argument would carry more weight if it was not so often used by individuals who were in excess of two hundred fifty pounds and subsist almost exclusively on a diet of Doritos, red meat and Dr. Pepper, (not that I’m against any of those things in moderation). The fact is, we all have our vices, the trick is to keep them to a minimum, and enjoy them in manageable doses.   

As best as I can tell, Redeeming Tattoos is a clean reputable shop, with solid artists, who’ve been practicing their art for quite some time, and a satisfied client list. Part of their purpose is to share their faith with their customers. As Christians we need to strive for excellence in whatever our field. The folks at Redeeming Tattoos are, by all accounts doing just that.

A new shop, they are located at 12982 State Hwy 31 W. in Tyler. Were I in the market for a tat, I would much sooner visit them than most of the other seedier businesses in town. For more information, or to see samples of their work, they can be found on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tyler-TX/Redeeming-Tattoos/112980208736318. To make a reservation they can be reached by phone at (903)360-4863.

Lifeway Christian Store in Tyler

January 8th, 2010

I recently visited Lifeway Christian Store, something I’d not done since before the name was changed from Better Books Christian Center. In the past several years the store has undergone a makeover. The inside is quite large and very well stocked.

Lifeway is something like a Christian Barnes and Noble. They carry any literature, music or movies currently in demand in church circles. The store also offers all kinds of support materials for pastors and youth ministers. They carry a full selection of vestments and choir gowns as well as supplies for administering the Eucharist.

The children’s section in particular, is excellent. There is a corner equipped with a television showing the latest cartoons where kids can sit while their parents shop. The book selection is current but not real deep; meaning that I expected to find more classic Christian literature than I actually did. The store carries a huge variety of Bibles; however much of the theology and commentary has a fairly narrow target audience. Baptists, or something closely akin will probably find what he or she is looking for, but the more orthodox among us may find it necessary to special order what we need, something the staff will gladly do. All this being said, Lifeway is a beautiful Tyler Texas book store, and the staff is helpful and very friendly.

So whether you’re looking for a particular item or are just seeking a cool place to spend a summer afternoon, Lifeway is a great place to take the family. For more information, see their website: www.lifewaystores.com . Located in the Old English Village on South Broadway, in Tyler.