This Week in Cool Stuff: 03/31/12

-Think Progress breaks down the right-winged smear campaign against Trayvon Martin. Money quote:

Ultimately, whether Martin was a perfect person is irrelevant to whether Zimmerman’s conduct that night was justified. Clearly, there are two different versions of the events that transpired on February 26, the night Trayvon was killed. There are conflicting statements by witnesses and conflicting evidence as to who was the aggressor. Zimmerman has the right to tell his side of the story. But his opportunity to do this will come in a court of law after he is charged and arrested. In the meantime, Zimmerman’s supporters should stop trying to smear the reputation of a dead, 17-year-old boy.

-Christian Piatt lists the warning signs that you might be an emergent Christian. And in case you were wondering, numbers 2, 5 (Lutheranabaptiscopalian), 6, 8, 9 (considering that I'm openly bisexual), 11, 15, 18, 19, and 20 accurately describe me!

-Crystal S. Lewis wonders if equality really is a self-evident truth. Excerpt:

As I stand back and observe the ongoing fight for marriage equality, and the ongoing demonization of Muslims in America, and the continued religious bias that so pervades our political system, I ask myself: “To what degree are we really a country where people can put down their suitcases? And what does it mean to unpack? Are un-privileged classes ever really at home in a place where inequality is a systemic problem?”

-And finally, Emily Dievendorf explains why bisexual invisibility is dangerous. Money quote:

The stigma, or biphobia, that comes with being bisexual has serious consequences. Bisexuals have higher incidences of depression, suicidal thoughts and attempts, alcohol and drug abuse, and poor physical health in general than their heterosexual, gay and lesbian counterparts. Bisexuals most often don't come out to their health provider and as a result receive incomplete information regarding their sexual health. Bisexual women with monosexual partners have an increased rate of domestic violence compared to every other female demographic. Compared to lesbians, bisexual women are twice as likely to live in poverty. Discrimination against bisexuals is greater in the workforce. While lesbians earn 2.7% less than straight men, bisexual women earn nearly 11% less.

Hypothetical Question - A Spoken Word Piece

This is a piece I performed last night at my local coffee shop's monthly open mic night. If you are wondering why no one applauds at the end, I guess they were waiting until I finished my second poem (which I will post later). Or maybe this poem was too intense for them.

Hope you enjoy it.



Here's the text of the poem:

Excuse me, but
can I ask you a question?
Just a hypothetical question.

What if I told you
I have a secret?
That I’m not
who you think I am?
What if,
hypothetically speaking,
of course,
one day out of the proverbial blue
I told you,
“You know what?
I kinda like girls
and boys?”

What would you do?
What would you say?

Hypothetically speaking,
of course.

Would you toss me and all my things
into a garbage bag
and throw me out
on the side of the road?
And as the garbage man
throws me into the back of the truck
would you scream out,
“No son of mine
is gonna be a queer?”

If I tried to sit next to you at lunch
would get up and sit
at another table?
Would I have to eat my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
by myself in the bathroom?
When you walk past me in the hallway,
would you mumble “faggot”
under your breath?

Hypothetically speaking,
of course.

At church would you
scoot down to the other end of the pew
and mumble in your prayers,
“Thank God I’m not like that guy?”
Would you deny me the bread and wine
and instead tell me to come back
after I’ve prayed away the gay?

Would throw the ring
in my face,
and scream, “Don’t talk to me
until you’ve decided
which team you’re playing on?”

Would you leave me
hanging on a fence,
my eyes blackened,
my cheeks swollen,
my mouth bleeding,
my body dying?

Hypothetically speaking,
of course.

Or . . .

Would I still have the privilege
of calling you my family?
When I’m about to get my face
pounded in,
would you step in and say,
“Hey, leave that kid alone!”
Would you fling your church doors
open and baptize me
with love and acceptance?

Would you write,
“I love my bi guy”
on your shirt
with blue, pink, and purple colors?
Would you walk hand in hand
with me at Pride Day
and sing, “Born This Way”
until your lungs collapsed?

Hypothetically speaking,
of course.

Why do I ask?

No reason.

On Hoodies, Privilege, and Solidarity

No doubt many have you noticed most of your Facebook friends posting pictures of themselves wearing hoodies. This is to show solidarity with the friends and family of Trayvon Martin, a seventeen-year-old black teen who was shot by a neighborhood watchman. Although Martin was unarmed, several people--most famously Geraldo Rivera--commented that if Trayvon wasn't wearing a hoodie, he wouldn't have looked so "suspicious." Which is basically like telling a rape victim that her dress caused her to be raped. So this weekend I, along with many others, changed my profile picture as a way to mourn with those who mourn.

However, I wouldn't go so far as to say, "I am Trayvon Martin." I feel like that's borderline Privilege Denying Dude. As a white man, it's pretty safe to say I will never "look suspicious" enough for someone to call the cops on me. I will never know what it's like to have someone look me up and down to see if I'm carrying a gun. I wish I could say that in 2012 we live in a post-racial society, but it's not true. And I think Trayvon Martin's death proves this.

I also can't deny the fact that, in some way, I'm almost like George Zimmerman, the guy who shot Trayvon. Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT making a direct comparison. But how many times have I unfairly judged someone because of the way he or she looked? How many times have I automatically assumed that someone's going to be trouble? I'm not saying Zimmerman shouldn't be brought to justice. Far from it! But how can I pretend to be high and mighty when I've unfairly judged people, too?

If any good comes out of Trayvon Martin's death, I hope that it starts a conversation about privilege and justice. And I hope you all will pray with me that justice will flow on like a river.

This Week In Cool Stuff: 03/24/12

-Controversial Bible historian Bart Ehrman asks, "Did Jesus exist?" (Short answer: Yes, although Ehrman believes His disciples mythologized His life.)

-Frank Schaeffer (son of famous fundamentalist Francis Shaeffer) notices that mainline denominations haven't been reaching out to disillusioned young evangelicals. Excerpt:

Why aren't the mainline denominations pitching their churches' tolerant and noble humanistic and enlightened views about individual empowerment, community and spiritual rebirth to the spiritually disenfranchised on a larger scale? The examples I mentioned here show that religion -- even "church" -- can be presented in a way that works and draws young people in. As someone once said "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest" (John 4:35).

-Rachel Held Evans lists both the fifteen reasons why she left the institutional church and the fifteen reasons why she stayed with the capital-c Church.

-Over at the Huffington Post, Julie Clawson explains how The Hunger Games is an allegory for Christian love.

The Way of the Cross

In chapter two of The Crucified God, Jurgen Moltmann criticizes the misconceptions Christians have of the cross. For starters, for years Christians have tried to put roses around the cross to make it all nice and pretty. But according to Moltmann, ancient Israel understood crucifixion as being “rejected by [your] people, cursed among the people of God by the God of the law, and excluded from the covenant of life” (33). Which is why most Christians don’t want to think about how horrible the cross really is. Crucifixion is arguably the most humiliating way to die!

This is also why the cross is often a comforting image for people under oppression, especially the many African-American slaves. For them, the cross means that God suffers with the oppressed. “By his suffering and death, Jesus identified himself with those who were enslaved, and took their pain upon himself” (48). However, the cross isn’t meant to encourage passive suffering; it is meant to bring liberation to the oppressed.

And the cross is meant to be a way of life, too. “To follow Jesus,” Moltmann writes, “always means to deny oneself and to take ‘his cross’ on oneself” (54). And to deny oneself is to empty one’s own self-glorification, which will in turn liberate the dehumanized in society.

I struggle a lot with the whole idea of self denial. How can I deny myself if myself keeps following me around all day? Besides, I beat myself up enough, so why can’t I give myself a little credit once in awhile? Where’s the harm in that?

But I think what Moltmann is saying is that if I want to follow Jesus, I have to stop thinking that the world revolves around me. In Jesus, there is no power struggle where one person dominates the other. On the contrary, since Jesus emptied Himself on the cross, that means I need to check all the stuff I cling onto to show how I’m better than everyone else at the door, if I understand correctly.

What do you think? Join the conversation and leave a comment below.

This Week In Cool Stuff: 3/17/12

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Here are some of my favorite blog posts from this past week:

-Nicole at Modern Reject reminds us that Christians are saints, despite our flaws. Excerpt:

In the Christian culture, it seems that calling oneself a “sinner” has become a disingenuous way of appearing to be humble or making yourself out to look just like everyone else. “Oh, you know…I’m just a sinner.” Ha, ha. Shake it off. See, I’m just like you. I sin too.

But we aren’t sinners. We are saints.

In fact, we are told in scripture that as a result of the Holy Spirit coming to live within us, we no longer need to sin. We are free from sin’s grip and yet we continue to speak as though we are helpless sinning creatures being throw to and fro by our fleshly desires.

-Rachel Held Evans writes about being in "the Christian industry." Excerpt:

And then my inbox gets a bit too full. And then a commenter calls me a whore. And then Mark Driscoll gets interviewed by Piers Morgan. And then I am warned not to tell anyone about the "gay church." And then I start to worry about my "brand." And then I’ve gone weeks without seeing my real-life friends and neighbors because I’m too busy traveling the country telling other people to love their friends and neighbors.

And I get overwhelmed and angry and tired in a way I’ve never been tired before.

Can this...industry...be good for the soul?

-Which leads to Renee Johnson's announcement that she will not do any more speaking gigs this year, and will instead work on her fourth book.

-A Facebook conversation we had led Crystal S. Lewis to write about how she views original sin.

-And finally, my "Sh*t Emergent Christians Say" video made it to Sojourners' blog! Does this mean I can get a discount to Wild Goose?

The Church's Identity Crisis

For the past couple of years I kept hearing the name Jurgen Moltmann among my emergent Christian friends, but I just started reading his book The Crucified God yesterday. I'm only a chapter into it, but I already love it!

In the first chapter, Moltmann writes that the Church is in the middle of two crises: relevance and identity. On one hand, if the Church focuses all of its attention on protecting 'pure doctrine' and dogma, then it becomes out of touch with what's going on in the world. But on the other hand, if the Church loses its unique identity as the Body of Christ in order to fight for justice and liberation, then it ceases to be the Church. So what is the Church to do?

Look toward the crucified Christ, Moltmann says:

God is only revealed as 'God' in his opposite: revealed in the cross of Christ who was abandoned by God. His righteousness is revealed in the unrighteous and in those without rights, and his gracious election in the damned . . . This makes it easier to understand what Jesus did: it was not the devout, but the sinners, and not the righteous but the unrighteous who recognized him, because in them he revealed the divine righteousness of grace, and the kingdom (27).

Moltmann goes on to say, "If a being is revealed only in its opposite, then the church which is the church of the crucified Christ cannot consist of an assembly of like persons who mutually affirm each other, but must be constituted of unlike persons" (28). So in other words, if through the cross God welcomes the sinners and outcasts to God's table, then the Church must open its doors to the outcasts and ragamuffins, too.

The Crucified God was published in 1972, but I wonder if Moltmann could somehow see into the future, because this is a message the Church needs to hear now. I can't wait to read the rest!

This Week In Cool Stuff: 03/10/12

After taking a break last week when I wasn't doing so well, This Week In Cool Stuff is back! And it's a good thing, because there were a lot of great blog posts and article this week.

-Brian G. Murphy writes a beautiful blog post about sharing a special moment near the Potomac River with his partner.

-Julie Clawson released her new ebook "The Hunger Games and The Gospel", which explores how the book series' themes of justice coincide with the message of Jesus. Usually I balk at any book trying to find any hidden "Christian message" in popular culture, but Clawson is a brilliant mind so I'm definitely going to have to check this one out.

-I was going to write a post about John Piper saying God caused last week's devastating tornadoes (and, yes, I was going to call it "Can You Believe What John Piper Just Said?"). But Bo Sanders at Homebrewed Christianity beat me to it. And his is actually better than what I was going to write.

-Alise Wright writes about her history with the term "slut" beautifully.

-Rachel Held Evans examines the controversy surrounding Invisible Children.

-Sarah at Emerging Mummy writes a beautiful letter to her eldest daughter.

-Addie Zierman of How To Talk Evangelical writes a beautiful post about communion.

-And finally the boys of Odd Future are at it again with their new video "NY (Ned Flander)." It's not as NSFW as "Rella," but it's still pretty weird. Especially after seeing Tyler, the Creator as a baby!

My Coming Out Post

I always had a feeling something was different about me. My first indication was that funny feeling I would get whenever I would see Burt Ward as Robin on the old Batman TV show, with his little green shorts. In high school, I finally found a name for it, but I wasn't sure if the term applied to me or if it was just a phase. Many years later I've come to accept the truth about myself, and so today it's time for me to come clean.

I am a bisexual man.


This would definitely explain why I've wrestled with the infamous "clobber passages" for years. At first I thought I was trying to find out if there was any room in God's Kingdom for my LGBTQ friends. Turns out what I really wanted to know was whether or not there was any room in God's Kingdom for me!

I know that by now you're probably asking if my sexual orientation had anything to do with my break up with Amanda. Without revealing too much, it was one of the reasons, but not the only reason. I felt like I couldn't be who I am, so that made things difficult. But like I said, I don't want to say too much, especially since the break up just happened a week ago.

But I do feel a lot freer now.

My God! My God! Why Have You Forsaken Me?

(Image found at Culture24.)

Just before Christmas in 2008, St. John’s Church in Broadbridge Heath, England took down its 10ft crucifix after numerous parishioners complained that it frightened children. The crucifix, shown above, shows an emaciated Jesus hanging on the cross with a look of horror and despair on His face. The BBC asked two different clergymen whether or not the church should have removed the crucifix. One of the two men, Rev. John Caperon, said that one of the things that makes the image of Jesus on the cross so powerful is that it tell us God is present in our suffering. God suffers with us. And it's this whole idea of a God who isn't foreign to human suffering that has kept me the least bit sane over the past few days.

You see, a few days ago I ended my six-year relationship with Amanda.

Out of respect for both Amanda and her family, I won't discuss the details. But I will say that any suffering I experienced in the past cannot compare to the pain I feel right now. It's a pain that starts in the heart and shoots out like lightening throughout my body until even the tips of my fingers ache. Whenever I try to express my pain, all I can do is groan in agony. I feel like I have to wear sackcloth and put ashes on my forehead for penance. If Hell exists, then this must be a foretaste of what's waiting for me.

The other night as I was drifting off to sleep, I heard myself cry out loud, "My God! My God! Why have You forsaken me?"

I hope no one takes this as blasphemy, but this is closest I'll ever come to understanding what Jesus must have felt on the cross. There He hung, humiliated and rejected. His body nearly broken into pieces. His blood pouring out on the ground. His tongue, thick and swollen from thirst. Jesus, though, was innocent. I'm getting what I deserve.

This morning I went to church expecting the roof to collapse on me. Surprisingly it didn't. In fact, the service actually reminded me that God forgives me. Jesus suffered the shame and guilt of my sin in my place. I can't understand how such a holy God can forgive a screw-up like me, but apparently that's how God works. No matter how badly we fuck up, God is ready to give us all a second chance.

Even though I don't feel like it right now, maybe I'm going to be okay after all.