Happy Birthday Black Jesus!

For Christmas I would like to share some of my recent artwork dealing with Jesus Christ.

Happy birthday Jesus!!!

I pray that you will be with the poor, the lonely, the humble, 

and the weak on this beautiful day.

I also pray that people will be willing to help those in need,

just a Jesus of the oppressed would (and did) do.

Amen!

A Black Jesus

This poster, with an image of a Black Jesus, is designed to represent James Cone's theology in my Make it Plain art exhibition.  James Cone was a theologian who made the idea of a black Jesus famous.  Cone was responding to the images of a white Jesus and a white God that supported the oppression, murder, enslavement, and oppression of blacks. James Cone responded with the idea that Jesus represents the oppressed peoples, and Jesus therefore was seen as black.

Cone combined the ideas of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.  He took Malcolm's ideas of self love and a added them to Kings philosophy of loving others.  Cone  used MLK Jr's Black Christian theology.  James Cone is known as the founder of Black Liberation Theology (which still had some grit if you read his actual sermons).

The church responded to Cone with the idea "God is not black; God is race-less."  Keep in mind before Cone, God was seen as white often with blonde hair and blue eyes....sorry, God is not European (don't worry I know Jesus was not biologically African either).

For Christmas I would like to wish Jesus a happy birthday and thank him for teaching us to love those our society sees as bad, evil, poor and untouchable. 

European Jesus from Sodahead.com

People who have heard of James Cone in response to the anti Obama campaigns, have heard incredibly distorted views of what black Liberation Theology actually is saying.  These same people seem to forget the circumstances that men like James Cone and Malcolm X were responding to and living with on a daily basis.

Visit my art blog to see more art work from this Make it Plain

Click here to listen to James Cone on NPR.

Tweet

Update: I don't believe the BLT is 100% perfect, anything that is "Jesus +" is not the true Gospel. Nor do I believe that Jesus was actually black. This poster was a component of a larger art exhibition.

Metal Jesus

Tim from As I Lay Dying gets a portrait of Jesus with a metal guitar.

Starting at about 11 minutes Hannah talks about spirituality and Tim and her talk about religion. 


Link to just Tim and the tattoo. I liked Hannah's stuff too. It is always nice to hear non Christians not bashing Christians : )

What do you guys think about Christian Metal?  Do you think Jesus had any tattoos?  What stood out to you the most from the video?

Is Hip Hop Religious?

Well this question has caused some great debate in my African American Religious Culture class.  Instinctively many people do not think that hip hop is/or can be religious.  I understand why people don't think that hip hop is a religion or even religious; however, there are some pretty strong reasons why hip hop is often seen as both a religion and religious (even secular rap) part of life, especially when we use Charles Long's definition of religion (I will post some on this and add a link soon). 

There is a really interesting book at the library. (I read half of it last year but never finished it.) Its called “The Soul of Hip Hop: Rims, Timbs and a Cultural Theology” and it argues that “yes, hip hop is a religion.” It starts with a brief history of hip hop and then breaks down the theology into a theology of suffering, community, the hip hop Jesuz, social action and justice, and the profane. It relates these areas back to the Bible and religion in general. The book finishes with the hip hop missions (which I never got to). From what I remember, it compares hip hop to church and some of the artists being like pastors. It also talks about the vulgarity as being a necessary, and real, aspect of life for kids in the ghetto.

The Soul of Hip Hop (pt. 1)


Another example of how hip hop could be a religion comes from slam poets and a few artist that have performed in Laramie (Saul Williams, Slam NUBA and Mo Brown). It seems like some of them immerse themselves in it so deeply, it is a major aspect of who they are beyond just music but in a deep spiritual sense as well. The workshop with Slam NUBA was kind of about how art comes from the soul and truth.
Blog post about Slam NUBA and workshops

Another Slam NUBA video


Adrian Molina (Mo Brown) and Saul Williams also have work that incorporate religion and spirituality.

More on Mormons - Mormon Myths

Here is a video that I found interesting.  It addresses the common understanding of several Mormon myths and explains why they are not true.

I am not saying that this video is wrong as I am sure whoever created it knows much much much more about the religion than I do; however, I would like to explore where these myths come from.

Here is a list of myths

1. Most Mormons live in Utah
2. All Mormons practice Polygamy - Plural Marriage
3. Mormons don’t believe in the Bible - Keep in mind they may not see it the same way as other Christians and Joseph Smith rewrote the Bible (thought it is my understanding the Mormons do not use the rewritten version), but rahter the King James Version, here are some of the reasons people may think/believe that Mormons don't believe the Bible
4. Mormons are Not Christians (it has been argued that Mormons do not believe in Christ as The Only Way (Jesus Plus Program)
5. Mormons Worship Joseph Smith - God and Jesus are seen as separate beings? Eternal Progression Eternal Progression Chart
6. Mormons don’t Smoke or Drink - This is True…Tricked you

I don't know a lot about the Mormon church (which is the point of study) and I realize that there is misinformation all over the place. Please share your views below. Especially if you disagree...That is the only way to learn. I am certainly not anti-Mormon, just a curious person.

More on Mormons - Plural Marriage

Plural Marriage from the Mormon text, the Journal of Discourses…

"Patriarchal marriage involves conditions, responsibilities and obligations which do not exist in monogamy, and there are blessings attached to the faithful observance of that law, if viewed only upon natural principles, which must so far exceed those of monogamy, as the conditions responsibilities and power of increase are greater. This is my view and testimony in relation to this matter. I believe it is a doctrine that should be taught and understood."
Journal of Discourses, Vol.20, p.30, Joseph F. Smith, July 7, 1878

"The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy. Others attain unto a glory and may even be permitted to come into the presence of the Father and the Son; but they cannot reign as kings in glory, because they had blessings offered unto them, and they refused to accept them."
Journal of Discourses, Vol.11, p.268 - p.269, Brigham Young, August 19, 1866

Alright, so what is plural marriage?

Defined by the Mormon Church 

Plural marriage is the practice of polygamy. It was heavily practiced and adhered to in the 1800s but now is not supported by the church. Mormons believe that God told Joseph Smith, that “He had permitted this practice and was told that God had commanded it for specific purposes.” The Book of Mormon also states “If I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall [have only one wife]” (Jacob 2:30; see also v. 27)

After Joseph Smith was spoken to in 1831, he led several church members into following the practice as well.  Official Declaration 1 - declared that the church does not support plural marriage. Polygamy continued through the early 1900s but eventually dwindled out.

Link to video

I don't know a lot about the Mormon church and I realize that there is misinformation all over the place. Please share your views below. Especially if you disagree...That is the only way to learn. I am certainly not anti-Mormon...just curious...


Two Types of Marriage According to Mormon Beliefs


Civil Marriage: Contract for Time

1. Home, church, office, almost anywhere
2. Justice of the peace, minister, judge, bishop
3. Until death
4. Single, servant to others
5. No claim on our family

Celestial Marriage: Covenant for Eternity – more on Celestial Marriage
 
1. Sacred sealing room in the temple
2. One having sealing power from the prophet of the Lord
3. For time and eternity
4. Gods and goddesses
5. A family unit forever

UPDATE: Body Piercing

See the old poster
See the poster series Grace is A Bit Queer

More on Mormons - The Unattainable Goal A.K.A. The Jesus Plus Program

It seems that Mormons have the idea that it is faith plus works (Jesus Plus) that gets you into heaven.  This is a blatant contradiction with non-Morman Christians (I don't know enough about Catholicism but I think this sentence should also say non-Catholic Christians, but like I sad, I am not sure). Edits in Red. Thanks to those of you who have helped me understand the beliefs in the Mormon church. I certainly don't want to offend or hurt any who practice Mormonism I simply want to learn more. 

I know this topic is heavily debated amongst various churches. My only position is that any church or view that is works based is 100% wrong (read Galations for clarification). I do not claim to know that Mormons believe works in the currently life get you to the afterlife or adhere to legalism while on earth. Rather I want to learn more about the debate.

It is important to note that even though Mormons use Christianese, many of the significant theological terms have completely different meanings (This is true with Islam as well...It can take 45 minutes of using a term in a conversation to realize that the meaning is completely different). It is difficult to fully comprehend the differences when you are used to hearing terms used in one context, but once you grasp some of these ideas, you will see some extremely significant differences. The entire gospel in one of these religions is not only different but the exact opposite of the others. Here are some theological vocab examples.

Repent – Mormons believe that repentance is turning away from, and never sinning again.

Non-Mormon Christians believe that after we repent we will sin again and that Christ’s grace is sufficient to cover all, even individual sin, regardless of our actions.  This can be seen in Romans 7:15.

Mormon Scriptures

Doctines and Covenants 58:42-3 the term forsake means to completely give up. How was Jesus forsaken? Repent means to stop your sinning completely. This contradicts the heart of non-Mormon Christianity.

Moroni 10:32 This verse has the if/then clause that “if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness…then his grace is sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ” which takes us back to the idea that you must be perfect first.

2 Nephi 25:23 states that “we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”

Heaven – these viewpoints are discussed in my Eternal Progression post in the chart.  "Jesus Christ Is the Way" talks about salvation and the role that Jesus Christ plays in the church.

Lets look at some key points from this article on LDS.org:

The first paragraph says that “the scriptures say that His Spirit cannot be with us if we are sinful.” This is talking about how must repent and not be sinful. We are cleansed of our sins when we reach perfection.

Physical death is the first death where you go to one of two places depending on whether you believe in Jesus. Your perfection determines in part where you go after here.  One of these options is understood as the Mormon hell. For more information see my Eternal Progression chart and my Eternal Progression blog post.

Spiritual death is the second death (see Eternal Progression) where we will either go to eternal damnation (non-Mormon Hell) or have the opportunity to “be resurrected just like Christ was and live forever in perfected [by our own works] bodies after we leave this life.”

Mormon salvation is what everyone experiences because of Christ after physical death. But we “must do our part to overcome spiritual death.”

From my research, Mormon forgiveness is based on the “need to repent [fully by never sinning again] and increase out faith in Jesus Christ throughout our lives. We will not be saved simply because we get baptized or say we believe in Jesus Christ. It takes work…”

Am I missing something?   Can any Mormons out there explain some of this to me?  Why does it seem that Jesus not enough?  Thanks in advance guys! And thanks for the great responses since this post. There have been some very insightful responses.

I don't know a lot about the Mormon church and I realize that there is misinformation all over the place. Please share your views below. Especially if you disagree...That is the only way to learn. I am certainly not anti-Mormon.

More on Mormons - Eternal Progression Chart

 

This chart lays out the basics of Eternal Progression.  The spirit world is where the spirits live.  Christ and Satan were brothers, this is where the battle between the two play a role. 

In order to become humans spirit babies need a body.  Born according to merit refers to what role the spirit of the person played in the battle.  Satan (Lucifer) and his followers are denied a human body.  One step up were those who remained neutral in the battle; they were born with black skin.  The great warriors for God were born to Mormon families here on earth.

Leaving earth is considered the first death or a physical death.  You either go to Paradise or hell (spirit prison).  This is one area where confusion between non-Mormon Christians and Mormons may arise.  Mormons consider Spirit Prison to be Hell where non-Mormons refer to Second Death, or Outer Darkness, as Hell.  After the split after the physical death everyone (except Satan and his followers) face judgment.  They will then go to Second Death (non-Mormon Hell) or to one of the three heavens.  Sons of Perdition are ex-Mormons.  The wicked of the world could be seen as Hitler and Jack the Ripper.  Honorable non-Mormon Christians would go to the Terrestrial Kingdom (Jesus sometimes visits), and Mormons would be split up between the three levels of the Celestial Kingdom.

**Please help me understand if my understanding/interpretation is not what is actually believed.

Here is a more complete account of the theology. 

Site where the charts below come from.

More on Mormons - Eternal Progression

From LDS.org.  Does this image illicit a good feeling?  It should.

First of all, I am not Mormon and am unsure of the exact beliefs and what they mean to those who practice the religion. That being said I am sure that I don't have it all perfect. These posts are simply my research. I would love to read the explanations of those who practice Mormonism. Thank you!

An important terminology difference is the idea of being saved vs. the idea of eternal life.  If a non-Mormon Christian and a Mormon are having a discussion, the non-Mormon idea of being saved is what a Mormon will call eternal life.  This is because Mormons believe that everyone is “saved” from the first death, which I will address later.  One way that this distinction will become clear is through the question “if you were to die today, do you know that you would spend eternity with your father in heaven?”  The answers of the two religions will vary in response to this question.

Another difference is the expressed in this quote “As man is, God once was, and as God is, man may become.”  It appears that, Mormons not only believe in the one God, but also a bunch of other Gods.  When you die the second death you may get a chance to become a God. (If this is not true, please help me understand in the comments)

Here are some excepts from Journal of Discourse 3:3 – 4  

"God himself was once as we are now, and is exalted Man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens.  That is the great secret…for I am going to tell you how God came to be God.  We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity, I will refute that idea, and will take away a do away with the vail, so that you may see…and to know that he was once a man like us; yea, that God himself the Father of us all, dwelt on earth the same as Jesus Christ himself did…Do you believe it? If you do not believe it, you do not believe the Bible…Here, then, is eternal life – to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you…until you arrive at the station of a God and ascend the throne of eternal power, the same as those who have gone before you." 

The LDS church understands Yahweh (LORD) as being a separate entity from Elohim (God).  As shown about there is also the possibility of individuals becoming Gods.  Non-Mormon Christians see Yahweh and Elohim as the same being based on the phrase "the LORD your God."  Using Bible Gateway, I found several hundred examples of this phrase.

Isaiah 44:6-8

1 King 19:10 

Our Eternal Life  - A brief explanation of eternal life from LDS.org (goes with the image at the top). 

More on Mormons - The Heavens are Open

They Saw the Heavens Open - Walter Rane

Brigham Young said, “I would rather have living oracles than all the writing in the books.”

The Heavens are Open, or the term Continuing Revelation, refers to the belief that the prophets of today are more relevant than the old prophets even if there is a contradiction. There are conferences, within the Mormon church, where the prophets of today speak and reveal these new rules and revelations (some of the most recent were no second earring holes and no sandals in church).  Like any Christian conference, the Mormon conferences (if they are the same conferences) have inspirational speakers as well.  I have links below.

This idea of Continuing Revelation consists of two important sub categories 1) Eternal Progression and 2) Plural Marriage. I will discuss these in separate posts, as I think they may get long.

It seems to me that there is a difference between prophets of today holding more precedence than the Old and New Testaments and the prophets of today speaking truths that already align with the ancient text.  I have a hard time with any person who is speaking on behalf of God contradicting the Old or New Testament. 

What do you guys think about the ability of today's Mormon prophets being seen as having the authority to make statements on behalf of God that could potentially contradict old Biblical beliefs?  Do you agree with this idea?  Why or why not?  I would love to see both sides.

Here is an article about Continuing Revelation from Mormon Beliefs.org 

October 2010 Conference Sessions.
By the way...I am not Mormon and am unsure of the exact beliefs and what they mean to those who practice the religion. That being said I am sure that I don't have it all perfect, or even close in places. These posts are simply my research. I would love to read the explanations of those who practice Mormonism. Thank you!

More on Mormons - Introduction and Church History

One depiction of The Sacred Grove

I went to a seminar with my church this past weekend.  There were breakout events where we had the options of choosing from various sessions.  I went to the sections on Mormonism and learned a lot.  I learned about some of the history as well as some of the differences between Non-Mormon Christianity and the Mormons.  I was not expecting the differences to be as stark as they were.  I think I will create several posts on these differences.  Please comment if you have any more information.  The point of these posts is for me to continue learning.

For this post, I will start with some of the history of John Smith.  He was from the “burned-over district” in New York.  This specific area of New York was ‘burned-over” with religious revivals including Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, occultism, spiritualism, Millerites, Shakers, and the Oneida Soceiety.  Soon, LDS can be added to this list.  John Smith being in the midst of all these religions (and branches of Christianity) saw a vision in the Sacred Grove.  There were two (the number varries) angels.  John Smith asked which church he should join and the angels responded that “none of the surrounding religions are correct” and he was going to be the father of the true religion.

Here is some more research on the history of the Mormon church.

Later on, Joseph Smith found/was given gold plates that only he could translate.  The process he used to decipher these plates included using a “seer stone.”  He placed the stone in his hat and had visions on the inside of his hat, one page at a time.  The visions did not pass on to the next page until he read them back aloud.  This is how we know that the Book of Mormon is “the most correct book on earth.”  This practice was common among some of the occult religions in the “burned-over district,” which is most likly where he learned it.

The original version was later revised to correct the incorrect old English grammar and some other wording.  John Smith also rewrote the Old and New Testaments (JST) because he was told that the Bible had been corrupted after Jesus and the disciples died.  We now know that this is not true, due to findings such as the dead sea scrolls.  I believe that most Mormons use the original King James Bible with Smith’s changes in the foot notes.

Facts I never knew about John Smith - Everybody has Their Dirty Little Secrets

Another depiction of the Sacred Grove

1. John Smith practiced Polygamy and Polyandry

            He had 34 wives

            Polyandry is where a woman has more than one husband.  John Smith married women whose husbands were away.  The difference between their first marriages and the marriage with JS is that his was said to be “forever and eternity.”   That meant that his was a marriage in heaven, and the woman’s first marriage was just on earth.  I think this goes back to the idea of marrying the deceased for eternity, so you are married in heaven.  Does anyone know how this works?

2. John Smith committed bank fraud by printing money with no gold to back it up.

3. Joseph Smith was martyred while in prison.  He fired several shots in self defense, missing all but one person.

4. In addition to the "seer stones" John Smith used a "Jupiter Talisman" to find buried treasure.  I would like to research more about this practice because I don't know much (Here is some YouTube research, see 3:48 in the video below or click the link).  Not only was JS involved in occultism but he was also involved in Freemasonry.  This article from the Institute for Religious Research explores Smith involvement in Freemasonry and the Mason symbolism in the Mormon Church.

Images from What Mormons Believe and Truth and Grace
I really didn't look at these sites - I am only linking to them to site where the images came from.

The information about the Jupiter Talisman lines up with what the speakers (from a church in Salt Lake City, Utah) at the seminar I attended.

And finally, I am not Mormon and am unsure of the exact beliefs and what they mean to those who practice the religion. That being said I am sure that I don't have it all perfect. These posts are simply my research. I would love to read the explanations of those who practice Mormonism. Thank you!

African America Reading List

The Secret Life of Bees
By: Sue Monk Kidd

I worked at a church camp one summer and one of my campers gave me this book. It was the grandmother of three of the children (it was a family camp).  This book is about strong black women living in the 1960's dealing with life and racism.  I remember that I really liked the book but don’t remember much.

Book Review
Movie Trailer



Another clip of the movie and an interview with Alicia Keys.  I had no clue that she was in The Cosby Show.  Either way I have always love Alicia Keys...



From Strength to Love

This book is compiled of sermons from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They are incredibly powerful.

When reading this book you can really see how it is black theology.  MKL Jr. addresses African Americans and standing up to the white man with love an peace. 

When I was reading it I was really excited that I could see parallels with James Cone (which makes sense).















Black Power and Black Theology


James Cone

James Cone takes his theology from the Christianity of Martin Luther King and mixes it with a little Malcolm X.  We are starting to read one of his other books in my African American Religions Culture class.  It should be a good controversial read (considering I am going to school in Wyoming).

More information on James Cone








You Tube Video


What Obama’s church says about Obama is that he has deep roots in America’s history and his hisoty different from that of the average white person.  We are one America with the same history but denying that different people had very different experiences in that history is complete ignorance.  I think that the fear is that many people are afraid to admit that this historical difference still has major impacts in society.  Cone should also be seen as a art of the time period. 

God is the God of the oppressed.

Bullets by Suzie Q Smith

This is the next book on my reading list...

I have heard one of these poems performed love and loved it. The main aspect of slam poetry that I love is how it is usually socially active and intelligent. It is a powerful form of art that can, and will, change the world.

What books would you add to this list?

De Honkify Your God

James Cone

What exactly does race have to do with religion?

I just had an interesting conversation with my professor (she used the term de-honkify and I liked it) from my online class (African American Religious Culture).  This is the same professor from my White Privilege post.  I will be learning much more about these specific theologians/philosophers later this semester, so I may come back and make some changes in the comments section.  But here are my thoughts for now…

First of all, humans are visual creatures.  We see color and beauty often times before we see anything else.  When the African world and the European world collided, there were  obviously significant visual differences.  These differences were emphasized and became an integral part of American society when the two cultures a clear social hierarchy.

These differences affect ever aspect of our daily lives including religion and God.  During slavery, God was made white. This white God was used to justify slavery and the superiority of the white man (look farther back at Manifest Destiny).  Along with a white God there are several subtle ways that white privilege, and the idea that white was the status quo, both played a role in the development of this lens in which we view society.

James Cone needs to be seen for what he was in the culture that he was a part of.  He was not some black power racist but rather a man trying to explain to theologians of the time (19600s) that race and color play a significant role in religion.  In response to the white god, Cone said “no God is Black, he is the God of the oppressed.”  If you want to see God at work, go to the ghettos, go to the homeless shelter, not the churches.  Cone explains this by breaking down exactly what God did through Jesus on the cross.  Jesus ate with tax collectors and prostitutes, not the Pharisees.  God’s character has not changed he still emphasizes with and is present in the lives of the oppressed.

In response to this idea of a black (or more importantly, a non white God) the white theologians and white churches responded by stepping back and ignoring the truths that cone was presenting.  They, in a sense, whimpered and said, “no, God is not White and God is not black, race doesn’t matter.”  They wanted to keep “their God” and if this meant not letting him be white either, that was fine.  It was clear to them that he was not black.  Instead of seeing the issue as an issue, they became outspoken about how God has no race and that race doesn’t matter when the truth is race does matter.  

I plan to continue this exploration of exactly how race plays a role in orienting oneself in the world (Longs definition of religion) and how race and history are involved in the history of the church...

Black Liberation Theology and the Gay Community

Edit: 

Though Black lib theology definitely played a role in my life and bringing me to where I am today I absolutely do not agree that Black Lib theology is Christian or representative of the Gospel of Christ. It is another example of "Jesus + Religion" in that it preaches a social justice gospel. 

We do not worship Justice but rather a just God. Though both are important my Christian identity must come before my Black identity.

I'm thankful to worship a patient God and for a pastor who is so scripturally rooted but also who, though white was ordained under Pastor Pew. Pastor Pew Studied James Cone in depth and was ordained under Tony Evans, the first Black man allowed into DTS.

Original post 2010. Edit 2024 🖤🖤🖤

This NPR interview helps the listener to understand more about Black Liberation Theology by interviewing James Cone, the main theologian. Cone was writing largely in the 60s. He striked a respectable balance between all that was going on. There is a little Malcolm, MLK Jr. and a little panther (but not too much).

The interview begins by defining Black Liberation Theology. This theology sees God as concerned with the poor and the weak in society. The thology comes from the black community so it is called Black Theology, however, it is not just for blacks. It represents concern for every one who is poor, weak and oppressed. It sees justice for the poor and weak and believes that we were not meant to be slaves or to be exploited. Cone believes that God takes the side with the poor and the weak

The interview discusses the origins of the theology. This denomination of Christianity was inspired by MLK Jr. and Malcolm X. Malcolm contributed the black identity aspect of the religion and King represented the Christian aspect. Cone simplifies this by explaining that king taught us to love our enemies, but Malcolm taught us to love ourselves first.

Leaving the argument of whether being gay is a sin or not behind, it seems that Black Liberation Theology would relate to the gay community the same way it does to the back or any other oppressed people group. There are many similarities between the black struggle and the gay struggle and I realize that , the GBLTQ community hasn’t experienced the same struggles that the black community has, I still believe that God is their God and he wants them to be a part of the same body of Christ (Rom 12).


Versus or stories that Cone references
Exodus out of Egypt – deliverance from bondage is a central theme
The prophets (Jeremiah, Amos, Isaiah, Hosea Malachi) – all spoke for the poor/weak
ex. Let Justice roll down like water and righteous like an ever-flowing stream (Amos)

Verses Against Segregation
In Christ there is not male or female, no slave or free we are all one in Christ Jesus (Paul in 1 Corinthians). 
Out of one blood God has created all people (Acts 17)

Cone Quotes
“The Gospel is not about what happens when you die.” James Cone
“We are God’s children and not someone else’s maid…or janitor.”

My Suggested Readings
Strength to Love – MLK Jr Sermons, I am currently reading this - Maybe I will post on some of the sermons some day.  If you have never read theology or black theology this is a good start for both.  Simple, true, intelligent and bold.
Black Theology and Black Power – Cone, I read this one about 4 years ago. This book influenced many of my social justice beliefs.  That is a whole different topic.

Can You Really “Hate the Sin and Love the Sinner”

My friend was wondering if it really is possible to love the sinner and hate the sin, if a persons actions are such a huge part of who a person is. My simple answer is “yes, you can love someone that you disagree with.”

I have experienced this many times in my life. I worked at a residential treatment facility. Some of the kids that I worked with had beat up siblings, raped siblings and other people. They attacked me and other staff on a regular basis. I don’t believe that these behaviors are healthy or beneficial. I can honestly say that I hated the behaviors and loved the kids. Not only was it the children’s behaviors but often times mental conditions such as Anti-Social Personality Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, or Schizophrenia. The disorders were a part of them and their lives. I hate Anti-Social Personality Disorder* but not the girls. I still go back and visit them. I go back because I miss them. Some of them still have these same problems but I can still say they are all great kids.

Another examples is my best friend. I love her more than everyone but 4 people (my husband, parents, and grandma). My freshman year of college and her senior year of high school she did a lot of not so smart things. Many of the decisions she made were not positive and they hurt her in various ways. I didn’t like her choices, they made me sad and sometimes angry. Through it all she was still my best friend. She is still my best and was a bridesmaid at my wedding.  Just as a side note she is currently producing some rockin-awesome graphic design work.

In my life, there have been many more examples of not liking a person’s actions or their choices but still loving the person.  I do think that the phrase is a bit trite, but I do think that the concept is possible.

**I would not consider any of these disorders a sin. The actions that these disorders lead to would be i.e. Anti-Social Personality Disorder is common in many serial killers.

Video
We are not arguing the same point and at times, I think we would disagree, but I thought he had some good things to say.

This guy makes a lot of good points.
His Blog

1:44 Love is patient…You are patient with the crap in other peoples lives. You don’t have to love the actions that people make. You should be patient with an alcoholic family member while still guiding them.



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Response to How Can You Be Sure That God Loves You?

How Can I Be Sure That God Loves Me?  Soulforce.com video and video.google video
By: Reverend Mel White

In this sermon, Mel White begins by explaining how Universities (campus ministries) and Christians are the two groups that show the most hostility toward him and his partner. At one of these Universities a young gay boy went up and asked how Mel White was “sure that God loved him.” White begins to explore various ways to explain God’s love. He addresses science and history and decides that neither are going to help this boy believe that God loves him. White then addresses the possible ways that the Bible has been misinterpreted and concludes that this will not help. Maybe the person of Jesus will help people understand God’s love.

White then decides that the life and actions of Jesus will help prove that God loves gay people too. Jesus loves all outcasts. Jesus was an outcast. He was born an “illegitimate child to a teenage mother.” He was poor, homeless, an illegal alien (in Egypt). Jesus was a person of color. He was headstrong and disobedient and “made the radical right church leaders of the day every time he spoke.”

Jesus not only was an outcast but loved the outcasts. White discusses several well known New Testament stories in which Jesus interacts with outcasts and sinners. These stories, all based on loving the outcasts, included Jesus turning the tables, the bleeding woman who touched his robe, the centurion, and the Samaritan woman.*

The sermon did a wonderful job of showing that Jesus loved and died for everyone especially the outcast. God made everyone, even those who are seen as flawed by society, and God loves every single person on this earth.

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*Maybe I will discuss some of these stories in more detail.

Letter From God

My child (use your own or a friends name),

I love you more than anyone else ever could (John 15:1; Romans 5:8). I created you and formed your physical features myself. I didn’t miss one detail nor did I make any mistakes and I continue to fashion you today (Psalm 138:8), for My work is perfect (psalm 139:13-16; Deuteronomy 32:4). Even before you were born I adopted you for My very own (Ephesians 1:5). I’ve given you My most prized possession – My Son Jesus Christ (Romans 8:32). Indeed you are very special to Me and I enjoy being around you all the time (Psalm 16:3; Hebrews 13:15).

I accept you exactly as you are (Romans 15:7). Don’t believe what Satan the father of lies tells you (John 8:44) – in My eyes you are as beautiful as My Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). Remember this – He had no stately form or majesty that caused people to look at Him. Nor did He possess physical beauty or an appearance that would attract people to Him (Isaiah 53:2). In fact, his appearance became disfigured beyond human recognition and yet He embodied all the qualities which reflect My character (Isaiah 53:14), which I am pleased to develop in you (Colossians 1:19; Hebrews 13:1).

In this way I have sought to make you happy as you derive satisfaction from My likeness that is growing within you (2 Corinthians 3:18; Galations 4:19). Do not compare yourself to others because I have made you unique (2 Corinthians 10:12). All the physical features, abilities, and background that I have given you play a special part in shaping you for My plans (Exodus 4:11, 12). The world chooses on the basis of beauty and talent, but I choose on the basis of the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). I have given you “thorns in the flesh” to teach you to depend on Me (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) and to remind you to Whom you belong (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Remember, don’t look to others to determine your beauty for you are desirable in My eyes (Psalm 45:10, 11). Come then, let us, you and I together shame the wise and the strong (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

Love you,

Your King (Psalm 45)

Oddballs: Part Three (We, As Christians, Are still called to Love the Unloveable)

Jesus told us to go to Gentile countries (composed of other races) and to love one another. This was significant because the Jews would not go near someone from another country. They avoided Samaria at every cost and Jesus told them to love them and build relationships with them. Christians are still called to “love the unlovable (gays, Muslims, homeless, sex offenders, abortion clinic workers, etc.)”

I know that loving some of these groups may seem difficult, but we are called to be in the world and love the people “of the world.” I am not saying that Christians need to change their beliefs or give up their own morals. I am saying that it is not moral to hate or discriminate against these people groups simply because they are different or even because they have made some “huge” mistakes. “Let him without sin cast the first stone.”

Jesus loves “the other” as much as he loves anyone. And if Jesus, the only perfect person to ever live, loves a murderer it seems like we don’t have the right to cast judgment.

Class project

I am currently in an upper division English calls called Writing for the Web.  For this class we have been asked to investigate a topic and I am choosing to look at the relationship between homosexuality and religion.  For class I will be looking at it from an academic perspective and probably focus on the town of Laramie, Wyoming.

I will also be posting about the topic from my own perspective, experiences and the Bible.  These posts could include ideas from books as well as ideas from conversations.  I may play some devils advocate in trying to have a more rounded conversation.

Oddballs: Part One – No Oddballs Allowed (A Brief Description of Old Testament Rules)

The Old Testament is composed of many types of writing and various topics such as prophecy and laws (The Law). Many of the laws separate the Jews from the Gentiles (all other races) and Pagans (non Jewish). These laws include not eating certain things and determine who can sit where in church. There are many reasons that God may have given the specific laws that he did. Some of these reasons include the health benefits such as avoiding certain diseases and overall bodily health (the Jews were the healthiest people group in the world in Bible times). The laws may have also prevented people from getting mistaken for Pagans because some Pagan rituals involve eating certain animals.

In Philip Yancey’s What’s So Amazing About Grace there is a chapter titled “No Oddballs Allowed.” This chapter proposes that the animals that the Jewish people could not eat were the animals that are different i.e. one cant eat land animals that don’t walk on 4 legs or birds that don’t fly. In addition to not eating these animals, the Jews could not sacrifice the imperfect animals to God. God could only be surrounded by the best and the same went for his Jewish followers.

In addition, this idea seems to explain how people were treated and interacted. The ones that were not perfect were not “clean” the same as the animals. The Jewish men prayed daily, thanking God “who had not made them Gentiles, who had not made them slaves, and who had not made them women.” Even these Jewish males could not commune with God directly even though they were toward the top of the spectrum. Only the one person (a priest) a year could talk to God by entering the Holy of Holy’s, the room that God lived in.

Philip Yancey's website