That’s Elbert With An E

Recently publisher Steven Strang wrote about a meeting with Barack Obama he and many other Christian leaders attended by invitation. Strang expresses that he was not comfortable with the meeting but curiosity drove him to attend. The “off the record” meeting included 43 leaders covering the spectrum of theological and political backgrounds. Prominent minister T.D. Jakes noted that in this AP article. Strang says that Obama took the time to meet with each one and shake their hand. Strang said that he was “warm and personable — obviously one of the reasons why people like him.”

The questions were mostly “softball” questions in my opinion. I was concerned after three or four general questions that we wouldn’t ask the most important questions. So I raised my hand and he called on me. I said, “Senator, I want to ask a question I’m sure you are expecting regarding your position on abortion. I represent a segment of the church where nearly everyone considers the issue of supporting life to be the most important issue and where nearly everyone would be opposed to abortion. I want to ask what your stand on abortion is and if you believe what I think you believe, how you justify that with your Christian faith and why you think we should vote for you.”

Since his response was “off-the-record,” I can say that the time he took to answer was probably 15 minutes. He came across as thoughtful and much more of a “centrist” than what I would have expected. He did not appear to be the crazy leftist that is being supported by George Soros and his radical leftist friends. Sen. Obama looked me in the eye as he answered my question, almost as if it were a one-on-one interview. I had already read the chapter on “faith” in his book the “Audacity of Hope.” If you want to know how he answered the question, read that chapter. In other words, other than his demeanor and obvious attempt to win over the Christian leaders in the room, he didn’t say anything new.

If Obama seems to have an attachment to a teleprompter then his answer to the abortion question isn’t really much of a surprise. Then again, it could speak to consistency in his beliefs. I’m more suspicious myself.

It’s certainly something worth watching. Obama wishes to at least include more conservative Christians in his outreach to the church in general. McCain seems to desire to push conservative Christians aside when it’s not convenient anymore. As Strang notes in another post:

When McCain wanted and needed to win both the Texas and Ohio primaries, he was happy to get these endorsements from Hagee in Texas and Parsley in Ohio. But then when Barack Obama’s radical former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright became a controversial figure in the election, some liberals looked for controversial clergymen who backed McCain to use to blast him. They latched on to Hagee and Parsley.

Either way, if I were McCain I would be making sure that I got the Evangelical vote come November, unless he just assumes that we’ll vote for him because of our fear of the damage someone as left-leaning as Obama will inflict upon this country. Personally I wouldn’t bank on that. It’s more likely that they will stay home which to me is crazy. McCain isn’t going to make me stay home. He’s not that important. There are local issues much greater than McCain, like making sure the the Democrats don’t get more control over this state, and those will drive me to the ballot box.

Steven Strang’s blog entries are here and here.

Someone at the NFL is now taking pointers from the RIAA. Grandparents and the computer illiterate have been targets of attack by the RIAA in their efforts to stop file-sharing of music. Now the NFL has decided to send out cease-and-desist letters to some churches hosting Super Bowl Parties. What in the world are these people thinking? Now granted, the NFL owns the broadcast and can decide what they want done with the program. My issue is that they are going after churches who are not in it for a profit (if they are charging it is to cover the cost of refreshments) but the sports bars who are in it for the profit are not bothered. I thought maybe that bars paid some kind of license fee for showing it, but that apparently is not the case. There are some churches that would probably pay a license fee to carry the show if it were reasonable. Many churches pay a license fee to CCLI for the ability to freely use copyrighted music in their services. But it sounds to me like there’s a double standard going on here. Maybe the bad PR from this will change someone’s mind there at the NFL. It will be seen.

On a side note, I love the title of the article on Slashdot:  Thou Shalt Not View The Super Bowl on a 56″ Screen.

Stories: ABCNews.com: NFL Sacks Church Super Bowl Parties.

I’m game for new ways to minister to people.

The Blessing of The iPods

This is from a parody news site, still…

The Paula White post has become a very popular one. After writing the post, I thought I’d get a lot of heat over the appearance of “being easy” on her. I wondered if I should have pounded harder on the divorce. How hard did they fight for their marriage? How much was this genuine or just a separation of convenience?

I guess what got me off in another direction was this article by Paul Edwards on Town Hall. The article re-tells the interview he conducted with Paula White on his radio program. Paul Edwards comes across with a negative bias toward her ministry even before conducting the interview, mostly due to his problems with what she teaches in her most recent book. It would appear that even if he wasn’t, he walked away from the encounter with skepticism regarding this whole divorce situation. In addition, his article has stirred some concerns in me.

The defensiveness Paula White displays in this article is understood. Paul Edwards doesn’t care for that segment of Christianity so his line of questioning is going to be harder. What troubles me is what he writes here:

I began the interview by asking her to justify statements made by members of her church, and posted at Tampa Bay Online, that her divorce “wouldn’t weaken the church in any way.” How is that possible, I asked? Beyond the impact on the church, how is it possible that two high-profile ministers could conclude that their own relationship was so damaged that divorce was the only solution, and yet believe themselves spiritually fit to continue their ministries? White had no concrete answers which led her to conclude our conversation rather abruptly in a desperate attempt to shift the focus:

And while we’re talking about painful, difficult situations, with all due respect…we’ve taken 30 minutes on divorce. But I don’t understand why an interviewer, or a believer as yourself, has not asked me how my daughter, who has a death sentence, with third and fourth stage cancer—how she’s doing now.

For a moment I sat in shocked silence. For one thing, I didn’t know about her daughter’s illness. But more importantly, I was shocked that White would use a family tragedy to make me look like a terrible person given her inability to offer legitimate answers to my legitimate questions about her theology and lifestyle.

What, I thought, does her daughter’s illness have to do with answering questions about her divorce and psychologically saturated prosperity theology? Is what Paula White believes and teaches above criticism because she has a terminally ill daughter?

Interestingly, the daughter in question is actually her estranged husband Randy’s daughter from a previous marriage. And this person is not a child, but an adult. Paula White led me and my audience to believe that she had a young child at home dying of cancer; she played the sympathy card when it became apparent she had lost the sympathy of the audience on the issues she was asked to address.

Why side step the questions about the divorce? If this is right, why not defend the decision that was made?

Being a former credential holder, I can say that if I had even contemplated something like what she did, my overseers would have probably knocked me upside the head for even thinking it. That was how seriously they took the ministry. It was personal accountability.

If a minister even decided to take that route, a sabbatical would be in order. Take a break from all of it and get yourself in order. There are some things that are important, and this is one of them. Straighten out yourself so you can help others. Let Jesus minister life back into you so you can minister it to others.

I don’t know what you have gotten out of this post, but to give some perspective, read the previous post about Paula White.

On a side note, based on Paul Edwards’ bias, I have to wonder why in the world Paula White did an interview with him anyway. Someone on her staff didn’t think that one through.

Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Taken from the NIV Bible, Romans 8:12-17.

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Taken from the NIV Bible, Isaiah 40:28-31 

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Taken from the NIV Bible, Psalm 139:23-24