by Art Jaggard
April 30, 2009
An update to Anyone but Jesus
From World Net Daily...
Members of the U.S. House today approved a plan to create a federal "hate crimes" plan that will provide special protections to homosexuals and others with alternative sexual choices, but leave Christian ministers and pastors open to prosecution should their teachings be linked to any subsequent offense, by anyone, against a "gay."
The vote was 249-175, and came despite intense Republican opposition to the creation of the privileged class.
Somehow this did not make my newspaper. What is done in secret may impact us publicly pretty soon...
This is a time for courage and faithfulness.
April 14, 2008
Anyone but Jesus
Chaplains "Excomminicated" for Mentioning God
US Chaplains in Florida Hospices Banned From Mentioning God
By UCN on March 23, 2009 10:41 AM
Chaplains working at a hospice home in the U.S. state of Florida are no longer allowed to say "God" in inspirational messages to staff members, as part of a wider trend in the United States, BosNewsLife learned Saturday, March 21.
Chaplains can still use the words "Almighty God" in private sessions with patients or families at Hospice by the Sea, said the institute's Chief Executive Officer Paula Alderson.
The move came after several police chaplains lost their jobs for praying "in Jesus name", in the U.S. state of Virginia.
Last month, the Virginia Senate Courts of Justice Committee voted along party lines to kill a pro-faith bill which would have restored the rights of Virginia State Police Chaplains to pray publicly "in Jesus name."
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine has his administration's decision support for the dismissal of Virginia State Police Chaplains because they prayed publicly "in Jesus' name."
STRICT POLICY
Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty enforced a strict "non-sectarian" prayer policy at all public gatherings, censoring and excluding Christian prayers. He also accepted the resignation of five chaplains who refused watering down their prayers, saying that would violate their their conscience.
Former Navy Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, who lost his job in 2006 for praying in "Jesus name" had delivered nearly 7,000 paper petitions and organized a rally of 1,000 citizens "to honor Jesus and the six chaplains" outside the Governor's mansion last fall.
In Florida, which now seems to copy the Virginia policy, hospice CEO Alderson denied she pressured staff members. She said the ban on religious reference applies only to inspirational messages delivered by chaplains in staff meetings.
"The hospice remains fully comfortable with ministers, priests and rabbis offering religious counsel to the dying and grieving. I was sensitive to the fact that we don't impose religion on our staff, and that it is not appropriate in the context of a staff meeting to use certain phrases or 'God' or 'Holy Father,' because some of our staff don't believe at all," Alderson said.
Reverend Mirta Signorelli, of Royal Palm Beach, said the policy has a chilling effect that goes beyond the monthly staff meetings. She added she had to watch her language "when leading prayer in the chapel, meeting patients in the public setting of a nursing home, and in weekly patient conferences with medical as well as social workers."
NO MENTIONING GOD
Signorelli stressed that that she and other chaplains were told to "cease and desist from using God in prayers."
"If you take God away from me," she said, "it's like taking a medical tool away from a nurse."
Signorelli is a devout Christian who acquired a master's degree in theology after a career as a psychologist, running a program for abused and neglected children. She said her supervisor recently singled her out for delivering a spiritual reflection in the chapel that included the word "Lord" and had "a Christian connotation."
"But that was the 23rd Psalm," Signorelli said -- not, strictly speaking, Christian, as it appears in the Old Testament.
"And I am well aware that there were people from the Jewish tradition in attendance. I didn't say Jesus or Allah or Jehovah. I used 'Lord' and 'God,' which I think are politically correct. I think that's as generic as you can get."
Reverend Mirta Signorelli has subsequently resigned.
"MINOR ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE"
Alderson said she was surprised by Signorelli's reaction to what she called "a minor administrative directive" aimed solely at improving the decorum of monthly staff meetings, where the desired tone from a chaplain should be motivational, not religious.
She said it started after she asked a chaplain -- not Signorelli -- to say something "inspirational" and "thought-provoking" at a staff meeting. The remarks did not strike the secular tone she wanted, Alderson said. So, "I issued some guidelines."
Hospice by the Sea has been serving the community of Palm Beach and Broward counties since 1979, providing services to about 500 patients every day on an annual budget of $35 million, which it receives from public and private groups.
HealthCare Chaplaincy which is a multi-faith organization has guidelines that say chaplains should "reach across faith group boundaries and not proselytize". But they don't tell chaplains to refrain from speaking about God.
"I hope this is some sort of misunderstanding," said Rita Kaufman, spokeswoman for the Association of Professional Chaplains, based in Schaumburg, Ill.
Hospice of Palm Beach County has not barred "God," marketing director Karen Stearns said. It does direct chaplains to be sensitive to patients' religious sensibilities.
"BIZARRE" POLICY ANNOUNCED
A ban on the word "God" was new to Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a religious-freedom organization based in Orlando."That seems quite bizarre, and a significant restriction on her freedom of speech," Staver said.
Yet the developments are music to the ears of Greg Epstein, a humanist chaplain at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, who building "a God-free model of community" that he hopes helps humanists increase in numbers and influence.
Epstein says an increasing number of people have no religion, an apparent reference to the latest American Religious Identification Survey, released last month, which claims 15 percent of respondents in 2008 said they had no religion, nearly twice the number of 1990.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
"There is a broader acceptance of those with no faith, as indicated by President Barack Obama's mention of non-believers in his inaugural address," Epstein told reporters.
Epstein wants to plant local humanist centers nationwide that perform many of the community-building functions of a church."There are so many millions of people out there who basically share our views, that we've got room for everybody," Epstein said. "What we're doing here has got to grow even more."
His movement says it combines reason, human experience, Jewish culture and ethical insights from Jewish tradition. While many humanists reject anything that hints at organized religion, Epstein is freely borrowing from it -- from the "small group" format familiar in evangelical churches to calling his group a "congregation".
Epstein said, "There are so many millions of people out there who basically share our views, that we've got room for everybody. What we're doing here [at Harvard University] has got to grow even more."
By the way, it's even crazier when you consider the definition of a "chaplain":
1. A member of the clergy attached to a chapel.
2. a. A member of the clergy who conducts religious services for an institution, such as a prison or hospital.
b. A member of the clergy who is connected with a royal court or an aristocratic household.
3. A member of the clergy attached to a branch of the armed forces.
July 18, 2008
The Forest and the Trees
The Youth from our church have just returned from Estes Park, their pastor in tow.
It takes me three days of gasping for air before tying my shoes is no longer a full aerobic workout.
On the fourth day I took (or maybe they took me) the youth on a small mountain climb of Eagle's Peak, just across from the YMCA grounds.
On the way up, (more gasping) there are stumbles, slides, one skinned knee and a couple of cactus quills. There is discomfort from an unhelpful lunch. Sometimes the youth carrying my water bottle was off on an adventure. It was a problem keeping everyone together. And it was a problem urging the stragglers to keep on. And coming back down can be even worse. Kids who try to run usually have a very sudden stop. Ow.
Sounds like a miserable time...
But it was just the opposite. It is so easy to focus on a few minor negative details and completely miss everything that is great. Eagle's Peak is one of the highlights for the Youth who went up. And one of mine as well. By the way, the cactus were in bloom. Absolutely stunning. And nothing can replace the moment when atop the stone peak our place in the universe is placed in a small amount of context. The grandeur of God's creation is overwhelming!
Even the trip back down was spectacular. While still several hundred feet up the side of the mountain, there was a wolf working its way along the side of the creek at the base of the climb. It had no idea we were sitting on an outcropping watching, (still gasping for air).
So here is the heart of the matter. Sure there are things that are not right. There are things which we should improve. But we are called to focus on the things that are of good repute. We are the joyful and rejoicing people before the Lord. The negative and murmurring people have a place before Him too. I prefer the big picture. Join me there, won't you?
March 19, 2008
This Rare Early Easter
The dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that the Hebrews used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. Here's some things you might be interested in.
Easter can actually be one day earlier than this year (March 22) but that is pretty rare. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of ourlives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or willever, see it a day earlier!
Here are the facts: the next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913. The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So no one alive today has, or ever will see Easter any earlier than this year!
March 6, 2008
Market Watch: There's More Than One Monetary Policy "Villain"
The Economist magazine published a favorable review today of a book about the housing market crisis, and one comment from the review kind of jumped off the page: "The story has no single villain, but Alan Greenspan comes close. Under him, the Federal Reserve fuelled the housing boom by sharply cutting the cost of short-term money." So, from "Maestro" to "Villain" -- how's that for a reversal of fortune?
What we thought was good, turns out to be bad. There is so much uncertainty in the world. Where can people go for sure direction.
Actually, nothing is happening that we weren't first warned about in the Bible. God always keeps His people prepared and pointed in the right direction. The tumult in the housing market, and the tumult in our personal lives are no surprise to God. That is why when we were still sinners, with our lives a mess, He gave us His Son, our Lord Jesus.
Get ahead of the curve. Read the Book!
love Art
February 15, 2008
Last week we had news from one member of the Jenna 6, who apparently is charged with assualt. The Jenna 6 were 6 young men convicted of beating up a school kid with a shoe after the victim participated in hanging nooses from a 'white only tree' on the school yard. The school kids that beat up one of the people not allowed under the tree were not charged for any crime, but the Jenna 6 actually had significant sentances origionaly.
I've always wondered why things get so out of hand. Some times, not always, things escalate beyond reason because people feel they have no recourse but to take justice into their own hands. And of course justice never belongs in any one person's hands. That is why God says vengance is His, He Will repay.
So we are not going to commend the Jenna 6 for behavior that was clearly wrong. But the system that left them no recourse gets a pretty huge thumbs down as well.
Curiously the young man charged with assault last week gives further demonstration of the charge against the system in the United States. The young man slammed a student's head into a car hood, (apparently both hood and head are still intact), because he thought the student had slashed all four of the tires on his car.
Even as the act of vandalism targeting the member of the Jenna 6 was reported, there was no outrage that some one would slash the tires of a person who already has been marginalized by what passes for justice in the US. A sad joke really. US justice that is. Hold me in contempt of the court system I suppose, but the problem is far deeper.
When a whole society gives a person no recourse for slashed tires, we should be grateful that inappropriate behavior stops with a mild head bashing, (which by now you know, I at least deplore)(An even more outragour example was the shooting at a Missouri court house last week). But what I grieve over even more is that the world we live in has such biased and warped values that the greater evil goes unnoticed.
The whole problem is not so far from home. This week a youngster in the 6th grade, trying to survive in a tough middle school with 7th and 8th graders gave his teacher a floor plan of the school. The child is being expelled for the rest of the year for terrorism. But the 'system' that allows him to get "pushed around" is not criticized for it's outrageous complicity.
There is coming a time when the righteous judge shall appear and justice will flow forth like a mighty river. Until that day, when you see a person convicted, expelled or even charged, take a minute before you buy into their sentance. There might be a judgement coming back to "we the people".
love,
Art
January 26, 2008
Life is always lived in the shadow of death. That's where it is supposed to be. And Jesus is the one who makes us able.
Live as if you are going to die and give account of yourself. It's the only way to live wisely. And again Jesus makes us able.
So why live in fear of the inevitable? We live in defiance of it. Full of Joy, Hope and Love. We live vibrant lives of extravagant grace. You know the refrain. Jesus makes us able!
love,
Art
January 24,2008
The year has just started and already most of the first month is gone! But what has started here is fantastic. The levee has broken and God's Holy Spirit is flowing more strongly all the time. It is so wnderful to rely on Him to be our strength our hope and our health. May Jesus Christ be praised.
June 16, 2007
Happy Father's Day!
Today nearly 100 years have elapsed since the first Father's Day was
celebrated. Fathers of 1900 didn't have it nearly as good as fathers of
today; but they did have a few advantages: In 1900, fathers prayed
their
children would learn English.
Today, fathers pray their children will speak English.
In 1900, a father's horsepower meant his horses.
Today, it's the size of his minivan.
In 1900, if a father put a roof over his family's head, he was a
success.
Today, it takes a roof, deck, pool, and 4-car garage. And that's just
the
vacation home.
In 1900, a father waited for the doctor to tell him when the baby
arrived.
Today, a father must wear a smock, know how to breathe, and make sure
film is in the video camera.
In 1900, fathers passed on clothing to their sons. Today, kids wouldn't
touch Dad's clothes if they were sliding naked down an icicle.
In 1900, fathers could count on children to join the family business.
Today,
fathers pray their kids will soon come home from college long enough to
teach them how to work the computer and set the VCR.
In 1900, a father smoked a pipe.
If he tries that today, he gets sent outside after a lecture on throat
cancer.
In 1900, fathers shook their children gently and whispered, "Wake up,
it's
time for school."
Today, kids shake their fathers violently at 4 a.m., shouting: "Wake
up,
it's time for baseball practice."
In 1900, a father came home from work to find his wife and children at
the
supper table.
Today, a father comes home to a note: "Jimmy's at baseball, Cindy's at
gymnastics, I'm at adult-Ed, Pizza in fridge."
In 1900, fathers and sons would have heart-to-heart conversations while
fishing in a stream.
Today, fathers pluck the headphones off their sons' ears and shout,
"WHEN YOU HAVE A MINUTE..
