Playing Fair

I just returned from an AYSO soccer referee meeting. One of AYSO's mottos is that the game should be "Safe, Fun, and Fair." All three balance out. We could keep kids safe by dressing them up in layers of hockey goalie equipment, but would that be "fun"?

I was thinking about this with the Sandy Berger affair that has come up in the last few days. Here is one article from the Washington Post. One quote stuck out to me.

"This is a terrible experience for him, and he's embarrassed by his mistakes," Lockhart said, "but I think he also feels a sense of injustice that after building a reputation as a tireless defender of his country that many Republicans would try to assassinate his character to pursue their own ends."

This statement does not seem "fair" to me, so I am blowing my soccer Fox 40 whistle and calling a foul. It just might be that Republicans are more interested in national security, and the security of pilfered classified documents, than character assasination.

Of course, as Hugh Hewitt has stated, what if Condi Rice had done the very same thing. Would the press, (NYTimes, LATimes, Washington Post) be defending her character? Or would they be charging moral corruption in the Bush administration?

I do not want to be partisan here, just looking out for what is "fair." If someone does something illegal, they should face the consequences. Especially if what they have done is proved, and not merely suggested. At this point, we do not know what happened to the missing documents, nor what Berger did with them nor why he did it. Was it to protect the Clinton administration from charges that they screwed up in national security affairs? Was it a lapse on his part? We do not know, and it behooves bloggers and journalists to not turn speculation into gospel truth.

What I long for is a truly fair and balanced reporting in the media. Hey, if your person screws up, it is fair game to criticize them. If your opponent does something well and noble, what is the harm in commending them? The current state of reporting, taking things out of context, innuendo, guilt by association, is the work of partisan hacks rather than journalists.

So let's play fair, boys and girls. If we do not play fair, it is neither safe nor fun.

End of rant. Amen.

The Greatest Danger We Face

I have been home a week, now, recovering from my trip. It was moving and memorable, and I so enjoyed spending time with friends Shirley, Marjorie, Adam and Amy. I am grateful for their hospitality to this weary traveler. I will reflect more on PCUSA issues as time permits. But now, it is back to cultural and religious issues.

Pastor Mark Roberts has done his usual excellent job at responding to really insane comments by former Clinton Labor Secretary, Robert Reich, on the most dangerous threat to America and the world. Reich said this, in an editorial in The American Prospect:

The great conflict of the 21st century will not be between the West and terrorism. Terrorism is a tactic, not a belief. The true battle will be between modern civilization and anti-modernists; between those who believe in the primacy of the individual and those who believe that human beings owe their allegiance and identity to a higher authority; between those who give priority to life in this world and those who believe that human life is mere preparation for an existence beyond life; between those who believe in science, reason, and logic and those who believe that truth is revealed through Scripture and religious dogma. Terrorism will disrupt and destroy lives. But terrorism itself is not the greatest danger we face.

Reminds me of a book I read in the 1970's or 1980's, I think, where the author said that the world's only real fear is the "true believer." The book was by Eric Hoffer, and titled, "The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements" Amazon link here.

It seems to me that those like Reich want to domesticate religion. In their view, I would guess, as long as one holds religious beliefs privately, they are OK. But when someone tries to live out their religious beliefs, apply them to real world issues and problems and situations, then religion has crossed a boundary. It reminds me of the comment from a person in a congregation to the pastor who was preaching hard on a particular issue: "Careful now, preacher. You've stopped preaching and started meddling."

I will acknowledge that religious people are vulnerable to "group think", which seems to worry Reich. But secular people are even MORE vulnerable to group think, as their seems to be no allegiance to anything higher than themselves. As Jesus said, they are like sheep without a shepherd.

I am quite sure that Reich is not alone in his opinions concerning religion or religious people. However, I think he is wrong, and barking up the wrong tree.

General Assembly- Days 5 and 6

PFR has a fine update about Wednesday here. I believe the summary of today's (Thursday's) actions will be found here once it is updated.

I attended a luncheon for Fuller Seminary alumni, where I saw some old friends. Clark Cowden is now EP for the San Joaquin presbytery. Clark and I played softball together at Fuller, and had several classes together.

Dr. Rich Mouw spoke about Fuller's commitment to scholarship and mission, and how Fuller is in a unique place in the world scene. He is always inspiring, and a great man. In my classes with him at Fuller, he always started class with a hymn, usually one no one had ever sung before. But he would lead the singing, with great gusto and enjoyment. Sung theology is the best kind, I suppose.

Around the GA, I also saw some more people I knew, Mark Smutney from Pasadena Pres. I saw Randy Lee, a neighbor from South Pasadena. And I kept running into Ken Working, EP from Santa Barbara presbytery.

After lunch, I attended a seminar held by the Presbyterian School of Christian Education (PSCE) here in Richmond. The presentation was on "The Future of Protestant Worship". He emphasized that in Reformed theology, Word and Sacrament were supposed to be together, like two wings of a plane. When one is removed, then other things in the worship service, like music, try to carry the weight of the missing piece. It was intriguing to think about, and made me want to study some more about worship. Unfortunately, I did not make me want to worship more. Still, it was a good presentation. Except for the fact that he contrasted traditional and contemporary worship styles, and used those almost exclusively. Some of us have found a more blended approach far more helpful.

After that, I wandered around the Assembly Hall, looking at the various booths. Then it was time for dinner, so I went across the street to the Marriott for the Presbyterian Men's Dinner. Presbyterian Men is a staunch supporter of the denomination, and a pretty conservative bunch. I went just to check it out, and was neither turned off nor intrigued. It seemed like a style of men's ministry from 40 years ago, when these guys were young. Things, as they say, have changed. But the need to reach men remains the same. And to that end, I was challenged. The former Moderator of the General Assembly, Dr. Fahed Abu-Akel, spoke. He had a unique perspective on the Israel-Palestinian situation. He seemed very passionate about leading people to a relationship with Christ.

Today, Thursday, began with worship, followed by business. I met with San Gabriel Presbytery EP, Tom Rennard, to download some GA documents to his computer. This morning, the preliminary report of the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church was approved by the assembly.

An overture for the Board of Pensions to study the possibility of providing benefits for Domestic Partnerships was approved, with a report due back at the 2006 GA. Some of the more controversial issues will be tonight and Friday morning, including the recommendation that the Authoritative Interpretation of 1978 on Homosexuality be dropped. The proposal for the Local Option of ordination standards will come up, as will the possible deletion of G6.0106b.

The peacemaking report will most likely condemn Israel for its policies, but say virtually nothing about the Palestinian suicide bombers. I find that the height of hypocrisy. I also find the peacemaking committee's hatred of the current administration a bit incongruous with their goals. Disagree? Sure. Criticize? Sure. But the hate speech that flows so easily towards the current administration is not Christian, nor a way of making peace.

I have been struck by the civility of the people in this GA. I guess I had expected a lot of ranting and raving. I have also been struck by how energetic the new moderator is. I will pray that he holds up over the next two years. He reminds me a lot of my friend, Rene Padilla, professor at Creighton University in Nebraska. Rene was young and idealistic and moved to action by scripture, and always pushing the envelope of what could happen.

I have also been a bit overwhelmed by how large and diverse the denomination is, and how many people are here for a business meeting! If I ever go to another GA, I will have to pace myself much better. And I will absolutely NOT sign up for any more $40 dinners. Simply not worth it. Better and cheaper to have Subway!

More tomorrow. I leave after lunch for Jacksonville, Florida, and my friends, Adam and Amy Donner. Adam was a former intern at Faith United, and now Associate Pastor in J-Ville.