They will "have no truck"

(A little humor break)

A certain fundi-con commentator with an odd definition of virtue wrote this about the FOCA primates on his "news" blog: "...They will have no truck with sexual behavior outside of heterosexual marriage between a man and a woman."

At first, I thought of our Leonardo and what happened to Red. But then, I realized he was using a clever idiom meaning "will have no dealings with," so certainly he wouldn't want to go anywhere near that truck.

I, for one, will have no truck with hateful bigots. And hatred is not a virtue.

And Leonardo, I promise, we'll return Red. Do you mind if we keep the tractor-pull conversion intact? It looks really snazzy. We kept it red, but there is a decal on the side with a really cool volcano and the lettering "Big Len.". Will put a pan of brownies and a box of Belgian chocolates in the glove box, and the tank will be full.

Back to your regularly scheduled program...

LET'S NEGOTIATE?

A recent article appeared in another blog that has just infuriated me. I was minding my own business (as best I can) when I slipped over to an old favorite of mine and a good friend, James. James posts under the "Three Legged Stool" and is quite calm, reasoned, analytical and almost always, well okay, always a good read. He posted a veiled reference to another blog and I made the mistake and jumped over to read the blog. Well here goes cause I am genuinely tired of the cr*p folks are trying to foist on TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada. If I were king here is what I would say:

First, TEC and ACoC will not stop recognizing the rights or each and every person that God has created. We intend to reach out in God's love and with the help of Christ's mercy and bring as many people into the love and knowledge of God that we can. We in TEC and ACoC cannot live up to the old testament commands and so we will, with God's help live in a relationship with our Lord and Saviour that allows us to love God with all our heart, and soul, and mind and we will love (ALL) our neighbors as ourselves. These are the commandments we will live by and with the mercy of God we will be reconciled with our God in life everlasting.

Second, we recognize the the Archbishop of Canterbury is a focal point for the Anglican faith once delivered and that one cannot be Anglican with out direct ties to an Anglican church. That it is hard to understand a person or group who wishes to be Anglican in all that that means and yet rejects the Archbishop of Canterbury since he/she is appointed by the HEAD OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION.

Third, we reject out of hand any DEMAND by any bishop, archbishop, primate or any other person in power who refuses to work towards peace and harmony within their own province. The attack and killing of anyone, Muslims included that is not immediately and convincingly condemned by a person in a position to stop cannot change the argument to some other area of concern in hopes that no one will notice the problems in their own country. No demand by any primate will be considered that does not seek to free captives held hostage in the primate's country first. No demand by any primate will be considered that does not seek to end the rape and murder of women in the primate's country first. No demand by any primate will be considered that does not seek to solve the problems of young boys being pressed into service by rebels in the primate's country first. No demand by any primate will be considered that does not seek to end the disappearance of persons in opposition to the entrenched government in the primate's country first. We will not respond nor in any way act on anything these primates have to say or ask or demand so long as they continue to raid parishes and diocese in provinces not of their own for the purpose of money and power.

Fourth, TEC and the ACoC will not negotiate with primates or anyone that negotiates from the position of "we have more people than you do so that makes us right and you wrong". There is no basis in fact, logic, theology or epistemology that warrants this argument as anything but invalid. Numbers does not make anyone right. Truth makes one right and we have seen no truth in GAFCON claims.

Fifth, GAFCON funding sources that create an illusion of "solvency" does not create an argument that TEC or ACoC will deal with on any level. Solvency is not a criteria for correctness nor is it a criteria for the love of God or Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit will not, not descend on anyone because that person or group is either solvent or insolvent.

Sixth, TEC and ACoc will not stop litigation and will not negotiate against ourselves in this process. GAFCON and the myriad alphabet soup affiliates must not mistake TEC ACoC kindness for weakness. We also will not negotiate with thieves and robbers and bigots. If GAFCON wants to negotiate then GAFCON needs to return all property and money to the appropriate diocese and once that is done TEC and ACoC will begin to consider the possibility of negotiations and perhaps think about reconciliation.

Seventh, TEC and ACoC will not negotiate with any GAFCON or affiliates who continue to meddle in the internal affairs of another province. Where these primates found the time to jet around the world when their own countries suffer from starvation, kidnapping, murder, rape, and theft is unconscionable and TEC and ACoC will not negotiate anything with these primates until such time as they demonstrate a capacity for propensity for mercy, love, care and concern for those most affected by these crimes in their own countries.

Eighth, TEC and ACoC will not negotiate with any primate or group of primates that will not in love and humility exchange the peace and receive the sacrament of the Eucharist with our primates.

Ninth, TEC and ACoC will not negotiate with any primate or group of primates that believes they can put together such documents as the Jerusalem Declarations or the GAFCON Communique and demand anything. The art of negotiations is based on a good faith belief that each side can achieve it's goals and that no side can dominate. These primates simply wish to dominate -- women, LGBT, weak bishops, weak churches, sinners and tax collectors and TEC and ACoC stands with Jesus in protecting all classes of people and has determined that no one is for sale, no one is up for negotiations and no one will be traded for someone else. This is NON NEGOTIABLE.

Thank you, turn me over, I think I am done on this side.

UNITED STATES FIRST STRIKE POLICY

The issue I have heard absolutely nothing about from either candidate is one which cannot be reversed, at least not anytime soon. And yet, is the most dangerous to our safety of any foreign policy issue we currently pursue. That issue is the first strike policy President George W. Bush advanced prior to his invasion of Iraq. It was not enough to fabricate a reason to invade a sovereign nation and overthrow a government. Something the United Nations was specifically designed to counter. It was not enough to go against the rationale his father, George H.W. Bush put forward for not removing Sadam during Desert Storm. This president, George W. Bush has completely given up the moral ground by declaring that the United States will attack any country first that appears to threaten the United States. Talk about an outrageous foreign policy change! The old policy made it "okay" to hunt down murderous thugs and evildoers when they committed acts of barbarism in the United States. That which made it okay was the fact that we would NEVER do something like that to someone else. Now, that is all changed.

Now, many will claim that we have, on occasion, stepped into a country on pretense. BUT, we have never advanced that theory as a stated foreign policy. The old policy meant that when someone attacks the World Trade towers we are the ones offended and we can be outraged. If someone attacked our trains, or our subways, or some other dam or electric grid or anything we would have been the country with a significant grievance before the United Nations. Now, with this policy in place, we no longer hold the high ground. Anytime some group blows something up in the United States we have no moral authority to appeal to, since the response will be, "you are our enemy and we needed to strike you before you struck us." It does not matter who or from where these folks come from, it is now justified.

My issue is, at least at this time, I hear no significant presidential or vice presidential candidate discussing how to reverse this incredibly stupid blunder by a president that barely understands basic civics let alone complex foreign policy. How is it that we can believe for one minute that we can be safe if everyone else in the world lives in fear that we might, at any moment, drop a couple of tomahawk missiles and have a few Stealth bombers drop bunker busters on their capital. I would like to see Mr. Obama begin to craft a plan to counteract this incredibly overarching policy that will inevitably get the United States into a big pot of trouble.

THE "PLAYAS"

I am relatively new to the world of blogging. I am very new to the world of "lets see how many people we can hate, disenfranchise and otherwise despise" and I am disappointed to know that many of these people are learned individuals who unfortunately appear to be out to get something for themselves.

One of the many things I have learned over my lifetime is to find out who is playing since those people that like to play tend to bring their own set of strengths, weaknesses and biases to the game. In essence, it helps to explain when and how things are going when one understands who is playing. It helps to have a scorecard.

So, in the interest of filling out everyone’s scorecard here are a few names. What I would appreciate from all of you is filling in the gaps so that if you need to add a name please do. If you can give some background on one or more of these individuals please do. It is hard to hide when you are standing in the light of day!

In the first tier, these are the “playas”. These are looking for the pointed little hat that the guy in Rome wears. The immortals.



The Most Rev Peter Akinola, Primate of Nigeria
The Most Rev Gregory Venables, Primate of The Southern Cone
The Most Rev Emmanuel Kolini, Primate of Rwanda
The Most Rev Valentino Mokiwa, Primate of Tanzania
The Most Rev Benjamin Nzmibi, Primate of Kenya
The Most Rev Henry Orombi, Primate of Uganda
The Most Rev Peter Jensen, Archbishop of Sydney, Australia


In the second tier, those that have got theirs and are looking for a little more:

The Rt. Rev’d Bill Atwood, Anglican Church of Kenya
The Rt. Rev’d John Guernsey, Anglican Church of Uganda
The Rt. Rev’d Don Harvey, Anglican Province of the Southern Cone
The Rt. Rev’d Martyn Minns, Church of Nigeria (CANA)
The Rt. Rev’d Chuck Murphy, Anglican Church of Rwanda
Mr. John David Schofield, Anglican Church of Southern Cone
The Rt. Rev’d John Iker, Episcopal Diocese of Forth Worth, TX
The Rt. Rev’d Robert Duncan, Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, PA
The Rt. Rev’d John Howe, Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida

In the third tier, the bottom feeders:

The Rev’d Canon Neal Michell
Diocese of Dallas
The Rev’d George Willcox Brown III
Diocese of Dallas
The Rev’d Anthony F. M. Clavier
Diocese of Northern Indiana
The Rev’d Daniel K. Dunlap
Diocese of Texas
The Rev’d Joseph B. Howard
Diocese of Tennessee
The Rev’d Nathan J.A. Humphrey
Diocese of Washington
The Rev’d Richard Kew
Diocese of Tennessee
The Rev’d Canon Dr. Graham Kings
Vicar, St. Mary’s Islington (Church of England)
The Rev’d Daniel H. Martins
Diocese of Northern Indiana
The Rev’d Dorsey McConnell
Diocese of Massachusetts
The Very Rev’d Dr. Jean McCurdy Meade
Diocese of Louisiana
The Rev’d Matthew S. C. Olver
Diocese of Dallas
The Rev’d Dr. Ephraim Radner
Diocese of Colorado
The Rev’d Bruce M. Robison
Diocese of Pittsburgh
Mr. Dale A. Rye
Diocese of Texas
Mr. Dave Sims
Diocese of Dallas
Mr. Craig Uffman
Diocese of Northern Indiana
Mr. Christopher Wells
Diocese of Northern Indiana

Once again, with these names in place please help by adding names and by adding what you know about the person's background. (It is interesting to note that there is not a woman among them). Once we have a bunch on information in place I will sort it out and bring it back in some semblance of order so we all can understand what is going on – at least in part.

Next week we will begin the work on those who can/will work to restore the Episcopal Church and its place in the Church militant.

Remember the following lines from a prior post. I believe this is a driving force:

You sharpen the human appetite to the point where it can split atoms with its desire; you build egos the size of cathedrals; fiber-optically connect the world to every eager impulse; grease even the dullest dreams with these dollar-green, gold-plated fantasies, until every human becomes an aspiring emperor, becomes his own God... and where can you go from there?

God's trying to tell you something...

It's gospel choir Sunday with the movie cast of The Color Purple. Love and reconciliation is the theme -it has a good beat, and you can dance to it.

Religion and Politics

No, I'm not talking about religion in the political arena, but on the stage of life. Were you taught that it wasn't polite to talk about religion and politics in social situations?

As a Washingtonian of the native variety, my parents never did pretend you shouldn't talk about politics. Religion couldn't be avoided, either - my neighbors came from too many faith traditions, and kids always have questions. They did try to teach us that we wouldn't be so free to speak our minds in other parts of the country, however. But it's still an invitation to wrangle in my book if someone states views in a dismissive way - assuming I know something about the topic.

We all now people who have views on the other end of the "shades of grey" scale that we love and respect. When religion and politics a debated without rancor, it brings other people into the conversation. Everyone learns something, and some really amazing things happen sometimes.

One of the best discussions I have had in the last year about religion was after a Redskins game in a very un-toney sports bar. All of a sudden a casual conversation between two people became a group. No one was preaching - but people were sharing their ideas. It never would have happened if I was afraid to talk about religion.

Do you have a similar story to tell? The Spirit moves around in all sorts of places, at the most unusual times. And helps us talk about politics and religion, and religion in politics, and everything in between.

And if we don't talk about these things with people, the only ones who are talking are the ones who are yelling - and not listening.

What Do You Think is Evil?

Last week there was a political soiree behind the "Orange Curtain". A lot has been written about the event. The fact that Obama was "vote catching" in an arena that was neither the time nor the place has been pointed out in a number of places. One question did intrigue me and I began to think. For some one of my advanced age that is dangerous, as you are about to find out.

I find a movie that is very high on my list is The Devil's Advocate. The movie stars Al Pacino as John Milton (devil) and Keaneau Reeves as the unsuspecting son of Al Pacino and the unwitting lead. I encourage everyone to watch this movie but do it with your heart and soul turned on -- and for you **TJ folks hang in there until the end of the movie -- that is necessary.

This movie deals with the question of evil, pure, unadulterated evil. These few comments from John Milton reflect on our times.

John Milton: Vanity, definitely my favorite sin.

Kevin Lomax: "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven", is that it?

Kevin Lomax: What about love?
John Milton: Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate.

Evil is permitting people to be kidnapped and held for months and years in your own country and not lifting a finger to help them because one is so busy at the border of Jordan trying to get into a conference to hate more people.

Evil is not doing anything to correct the thousands of young boys kidnapped and forced into waging war against others. Evil is not helping these youngsters as they crowd into your cities hungry and tired and frightened at night to avoid this plight.

Evil is not speaking out against "soldiers" who rape because it is their "right".

Evil is not speaking out against those who would wrap barb wire around some person and hang him from fencing in the middle of nowhere because of his sexual orientation. Or chasing some one into a back alley and beating that person with a baseball bat to death.

Evil is not welcoming everyone into a house of worship because of the color of their skin, or the lack of money, or their sexual orientation. Evil is not receiving communion with someone who does believe that everyone should be allowed in.

Evil is forcing some young woman to seek a back alley quack that will cut her to ribbons for a few hundred dollars.

Evil is forcing a teenager to leave her baby on a levee because "her religion" will ostracize her for her sexual activity.

Evil is the mistaken idea that one has to trade persons of the "wrong" sexual orientation for growing a church community.

John Milton: Are we negotiating?
Kevin Lomax: Always.

Evil is not recognizing that each one of us is created in God's image and is entitled by the creator to certain inalienable rights.

John Milton: Free will, it is a bitch.

Evil is refusing to allow people to exercise that greatest gift God gave to mankind --the power to choose.

John Milton: You sharpen the human appetite to the point where it can split atoms with its desire; you build egos the size of cathedrals; fiber-optically connect the world to every eager impulse; grease even the dullest dreams with these dollar-green, gold-plated fantasies, until every human becomes an aspiring emperor, becomes his own God... and where can you go from there?

Evil is following those who have insatiable appetites for money and power and hiding behind the Bible to do it.

Is there evil in this world? Let me know what you think.