4 Minute devotions: Questions

1 Peter 5:1 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed:

I’m at a Presbyterian Conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina which I thought was going to be quite beneficial. Instead I’m confused and bewildered because of the stories that some pastors and elders are telling. Some pastors have been sent letters from their presbyteries to read to their sessions informing them that any talk of schism or separation will be severely dealt with. Others are worrying about the future of their congregations and, because they are small, they cannot voice protests about what the General Assembly decided at San Jose this year, for fear of being threatened with censure and closure by their Presbytery.

I don’t know whether to be angry or sad. We have both religious freedom and freedom of speech in this country, so voices of dissent should be allowed. I might not agree with what some of these churches have to say, but I will defend their right to voice their views. Any Presbytery that is forcing its congregations to be silenced is reacting badly to the current crisis in the church. We need to speak more about the issues, not muzzle people. We need more time for dialogue, not censorship.

What worries me about the whole issue is this: our church at Erin is growing and we’re getting ready to expand our staff and perhaps extensively renovate and expand our building. If we ever find ourselves out of step with Presbytery and seek to go our own way, will we have to buy back the building that we have just renovated?

My head is spinning and whatever inspiration I came for has just flown out of the window. If the PCUSA is heading for a schism and the authorities clamp down on free speech, then what’s the point of it all? We are Presbyterians by choice which means that all our elders are equal throughout the church. We don’t have a hierarchy; we’re supposed to be connectional and treated with equity.

My hope and prayer is for real leadership to arise in our denomination, where room can be made for all our churches and people. Our new moderator, Bruce Reyes-Chow, is trying hard to be a bridge between all the groups. I just hope that the ecclesiastical hawks and church lawyers don’t get in the way. And personally, I want to see the Presbyterian Church resurrected and transformed, not just preserved and reformed.

Perhaps things will get better tomorrow. I was just taken by surprise by the amount of trepidation and anxiety other pastors and elders have at this conference.

Prayer: Father God, please bless the PCUSA with discernment and discipleship, charity and unity, fellowship and faith. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen

Unholy Ban: Why I am Boycotting the 2008 Olympic Games

Audio Version here

Next year, the Olympic Games take place in Beijing, China. Thousands of athletes from around the world will gather together to compete for the highest awards in their individual sports. Billions of viewers will tune in to see their favorite sportsmen and sportswomen, hoping that they will win medals for their country. Throughout the three week event, the world will seem to be at one.

But will it? A couple of days ago, the Chinese authorities declared that no religious icons or items will be allowed in the Olympic Campus. Crosses and sacred medallions, Bibles and Korans will be excluded from the Olympic area. The atheistic Communist government is banning religion from the Games, which goes against the Olympic spirit of tolerance. The Chinese leaders want to impose their will on the rest of the world. Now that they have secured the Olympics in their nation, there seems to be nothing that can be done.

Eight years ago, if the Chinese had announced that they were going to impose a religious ban on all the athletes attending the Games, Beijing would never have been chosen to host the 2008 Olympics. I think that this is outrageous and the rest of the world should protest against this. If China wants all the nations of the world to converge in their capital for these international games, then China should accept all the religious baggage that comes with it. To deny athletes the right to bring along articles of faith that may have inspired them is wrong. The mighty dragon may wish to keep their people mainly atheistic, but they cannot impose their will on the rest of the world. Christians and Jews, Muslims and Buddhists, Shintoists and even pagans all have the unalienable human right of practicing their own religion wherever they are located.

I think our leaders should pressure the Chinese Government into backing down from this denial of human rights. If not, then religious people everywhere should seriously consider boycotting the Games entirely. I, for one, will not be watching the Games or show any interest in them until this religious ban is lifted.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, there are forces in the world that seek to deny religious freedom and any expression of faith. Help us to stand up against those authorities that would seek to deny basic human rights and actively oppress religious people. Give us the courage to profess the truth and not accept these shameful ways. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.