The barrage of ugliness and threats from people who self-identify as “Christian” is astounding! Here is the first of today’s new fan mails directed at the recent victory we, at Military Religious Freedom Foundation, celebrated by stopping Christian Dominionist Franklin Graham from speaking at the Pentagon on National Day of Prayer May 6th. It riled the underbelly of Christian Dominionists and their hate greets us in our inboxes…

“You are living in a dream world. We have been fighting about religion for  thousands of years and will continue too. Their is only one “GOD” that has many names and faces.You do not hear Buddhists, Wiccans and Pagans speaking on the “people’s” property. Like I said before, you are cowards bowing to the minorities. And don’t write me back with all your grandiose words.  If a minority cries we give in!!  I have friends too:) Simple as that.” ~ bclarke2

Aaaahhh…can’t you just feel the love of Christ’s teachings? It’s as palpable as the Christian love demonstrated in the hoards who actually pant after Palin as she screeches retribution in the name of Jesus Christ.

I know, I know…after all I came from a Scandinavian heritage who are typically Lutheran and fairly mellow accepting people. You know, those damn Swedes and their accepting socialist attitudes any way. Which reminds me, there were numbers released that revealed in a worldwide assessment, Scandanavian countries swept the Top 10 as the countries who have the overall happiest population…just sayin’…

Who is the Happiest of Them All?

1.    Denmark

2.    Finland

3.    Netherlands

4.    Sweden

5.    Ireland

6.    Canada

7.    Switzerland

8.    New Zealand

9.    Norway

10.  Belgium

I am composed of numbers 1,2,4 & 9. It is an honor to be from a heritage that is considered the happiest of all in the entire world. I can see love and tolerance from my porch! This may explain why I never learned all the hate, vitriol and intolerance that have these Christian Dominionists wound so dysfunctionally TIGHT! I have a difficult time bridging the disconnect with Christian Dominionists as a result.

I mean really, for the love of GOD! What Sunday school classes did they attend? Oh..yeah…that’s right, Joel’s ARMY Sunday Schools, also known as “Jesus Camps”. Sarah attended her first one at 12. They are taught that they are right; everyone else is wrong; that God will save only them; that they should fear all others; and if they cannot convert the world to this sect of Christian Dominionism – then they are to extricate all non-believers while they excitedly countdown to the End Times.

Is it any wonder that not only are churches losing converts, but that what once was a conservative fiscal party known as Republican, is also experiencing a steady decline in registered members?

Hmmmm…I see a pattern and correlation here! I am linking to 2 articles which demonstrate and discuss the decline in both the GOP and Christian churches in America. This brings me to Pastor Howard Bess’s article for today…(nice segway, eh?)

AND WHAT IS YOUR QUESTION?

By Howard Bess

I love watching good television interviews. Some interviewers are better than others, and we all end up having our favorites. I have my favorites, but I have yet to watch an unbiased interviewer. Charlie Rose, Tavis Smiley, George Stephenopolis, and Oprah Winfrey are all very good at their trade. Yet all are flawed. Charlie is too Jewish; Tavis is too black, George is too short; and Oprah cannot get past the horrors of her childhood and teen years. I confess that I envy them all. They have the privilege of asking the questions; and any thoughtful observer knows that the person asking the questions controls the conversation.

What is true in television interviewing is, I believe, true in life. Those who ask questions, flawed as they may be, are the most powerful people in the world.

The drain of young adults from churches has been verified by comprehensive surveys and studies. As one who cares deeply about the health of Christian churches, I ask the question “why are people leaving our churches in such great numbers?”

Recently I read a review of a new book by Brian McLaren. The Title is “A New Kind of Christianity.” The thesis of the book is that Christian churches have not been asking the right questions. He proposes ten questions that, if they are asked, will transform churches. His book will be deeply disturbing to many people and churches. I believe McLaren is on to something.

My purpose in referring to McLaren is not to list his ten questions. I refer to McLaren because his proposal flies in the face of our church practice of demanding agreement rather than encouraging questioning. Asking questions may well be the key to restoring vitality to struggling churches.

Questioning and arguing about the beliefs and practices of churches is an old tradition and has it roots in first century CE. In chapter 15 of the book of Acts, the writer reports a gathering of church leaders in Jerusalem. It was a contentious meeting with lots of arguing and questioning. The conflict was between Paul and the disciples of Jesus. The subject was the tensions created in churches by diversity. The result of the conference was more a truce than an agreement. If there was agreement, it was that Paul and his mission to include non-Jews in the emerging churches could not be controlled.

Christian teaching spread rapidly in every geographic direction. Paul went north and west, and others headed in other directions. There was minimum communication among churches. Diversity among churches was widespread. Diversity remained the hallmark of Christianity until the early 4^th century CE, when the Roman Emperor Constantine became an arbiter between disagreeing churches. Out of that incident in history, the Bishop at Rome took on new power and Christianity became unified under his rule. Christianity became the official religion of the Empire. The vitality of diversity was lost.

During most of their history Christian churches have been authoritarian. Authority has been defined and maintained by an empowered clergy and through creedal affirmations. Theological conformity is routinely required of clergy to attain ordination and some level of obedience to hierarchy is demanded.

My wife’s education was in science, primarily in biology with an emphasis on ecology. One of the lessons that I have learned from her is the strength in diversity. She has convinced me of a working standard. Stability is a function of diversity. Uniformity produces instability. I believe that that principle and lesson from biology transfers to theology.

It is my own observation that churches have not created opportunities for questioning and honest discussions. Worship services are dominated by rituals that are controlled by clergy. Sermonizing is authoritarian and is the prerogative of ordained clergy. Teaching tends to be catechetical. Today churches are not very exciting places for people who have questions.

What are the questions that should be asked? Brian McLaren dares to list his ten questions. I suspect that his book will create its share of discussions. I have a long list of questions that I want to ask and then discuss with other questioning people; but it is not the purpose of this column to list the questions that I find most pressing.

The more pressing issue is “what is your question?” The health of your own church and the stability of our world are dependent upon your participation.

THE END

(The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.)

One can easily see why Sarah Palin and her “ilk” (a word the Dominionist astro-turfers are taught to spew freely) view Pastor Bess as an evil heretic! To even suggest that one think for themselves? To ASK questions? To critically study the Bible? OH MY GOD! The absolute blasphemous audacity of this man!

All these points really do meet in the “crosshairs” of Christian Dominionism politics.

1) Mainstream Christians are as confounded by the zealous lunacy of the Christian extremists as much as any one else;

2) Because this “ilk” infested and now dominates the current incarnation of the Republican Party, secular Republicans have fled into a vast registered “independence/non-partisan” category, embarrassed by what has become of their Party;

3) Mainstream churches are experiencing a decline in congregations as young people who don’t drink the kool aid and end up in indoctrination camps – flee the messages of intolerance in search of a kinder gentler version of Christ, other faiths or none at all.

And the end result? A hodge-podge of fearful, paranoid, mis-informed and angry “patriotic” Christian Dominionist run amuck!

I have to get back to more hateful well-wishing in my inbox…I have been damned to hell so many times in the last few days that I am not sure if it is really happening or that my hot flashes are just increasing! Gotta run!