I Like This…
August 25, 2008
Posted by Tony 
Posted in Bi/Partisan Politics, Current Events, Posts by Tony 
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I’m Ok With Biden…
August 23, 2008
I think Obama’s decision to choose Biden as his running mate was a wise - if even not the best - choice. I like the fact that there is, finally, someone to focus on besides Obama - who is becoming quite uninteresting - due to his move to the center. I do think Biden anchors Obama’s campaign.
Having said that, there is no reason Biden should have been chosen over Clinton. We are learning Clinton was not vetted - properly. In addition, the fact that Obama sent the text announcing his decision around 3am gives the impression Clinton was, again, being dissed by the Obama camp. Clinton would have anchored Obama and produced excitement. Biden does one of things. Biden does not guarantee a win.
Posted by Tony Posted in Bi/Partisan Politics, Current Events, Posts by Tony 6 Comments »
Obama/McCain
August 23, 2008
I wanted to take this opportunity and comment, finally, on the Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency - hosted by Rick Warren. What has come to interest me most about the forum are the points of agreement between McCain and Obama on several issues. I will focus on one.
Warren: DEFINE MARRIAGE.
Posted by Tony Posted in Bi/Partisan Politics, Current Events, Posts by Tony 1 Comment »
VP speculations
August 20, 2008
I just want to go publicly on the record in saying that I think tomorrow Barack Obama is going to surprise all of us with his VP announcement. Increasingly, I am thinking he needs to dramatically alter the narrative trajectory of this race before story lines begin to harden. In order to do that he needs to choose a VP who will create waves. Announcing Hillary or Gore would certainly do that although I’m not sure how realistic either of those possibilities are at this point in time. I am underwhelmed by Bayh, impressed by Biden, and skeptical of Kaine’s inexperience. I am increasingly thinking Hillary wouldn’t be such a bad political move. Remember all that talk of being like Lincoln and seeking peace with your enemies? This might not be a bad place to start. I think questions about Obama’s inexperience are becoming more daunting which potentially neutralizes the “hope and change” element of his candidacy. The real strategic challenge is to counteract the inexperience charge with a VP choice who possesses the diplomatic/international experience to shore up the ticket without undercutting the message of transformation. This is why Gore or Hegel would be an interesting choice. Being overly conservative and choosing Bayh, I think, would be a real strategic blunder and a lost opportunity. But we shall have to wait until tomorrow, me thinks.
Posted by MATT Posted in Bi/Partisan Politics, Current Events, Posts by Matt No Comments »
Reflections on Matthew 19
August 20, 2008
Recently, I have found myself pouring over Matthew 19:3-12 in reference to Jesus’ interesting discussion of the eunuchs which is often taken as a commentary on celibacy. I recently stumbled across a post that the evangelical NT scholar Ben Witherington wrote in reference to Rob Bell’s most recent cross-country book tour. Witherington criticizes(scroll down to 2/15/07 if you follow the link) Bell’s more supportive reflections on the status of gay relationships.
The relevant passage in Mt 19 is prompted by the Pharisees’ question to Jesus: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause” (Mt 19.3) Jesus responds that male and female were created such that each would leave their parents and become joined together as one flesh (Mt 19.5) In contrast to Deut. 24.1, Jesus states “what God has yoked together, let man not separate” (19.6) Consequently, Jesus apparently understands Moses’ deviation from this original ordination concerning marriage to reflect a concession to the fallen state of human beings. Christ then is attempting to re-establish the original ordination which leads him to answer the Pharisees’ question: “Whoever divorces his wife, except for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her who has been divorced commits adultery” (Mt 19.9)
After this response, the Pharisees conclude that it “would not be profitable” for such a man to marry, if one were to follow Jesus’ teaching. However, I find Jesus’ answer in Mt.19.11 endlessly interesting: “Not all men can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given” (19.11) The implication here is that many human beings could not refrain from marriage and therefore would need God’s gift or blessing in order to withstand the temptations that would assuredly envelope the non-married person. In this sense, celibacy is not so much chosen as discerned. As a parallel, I would equate this process of discernment as paralleling that of ministerial vocational discernment. The individual is not merely enacting his/her own desires but rather coming to understand God’s will for their life. So this all raises a question: Are we to assume that any non-married person has received the gift of celibacy?
Even posing this question is somewhat odd within our culture. First, celibacy is not taken seriously as an ascetic discipline or task because it is generally assumed to conceal some deep psychological dis-ease. Second, we so idolize marriage-yes, it has literally become an “idol”—that many people find it difficult to indulge the possibility of a full, meaningful life that does not include marriage and the rearing of children. On the other end of the spectrum, marriage has become a marker of faithful Christian belief such that having a spouse and children and living in the suburbs is an accomplishment that imbues a person with some sort of moral authority. In our context, the man who “heads a household” enjoys more legitimacy as a church leader than assuredly a celibate person would. How many pastors of the fifty largest churches in America do you think are celibate? I think “possessing” a family–and it is often wielded like a possession–is foundational to the perception of pastoral authority in most evangelical Protestant contexts. For a man to be unmarried and childless would conflict with our idolization of marriage and severely undermine the capacity of such a person to be perceived as worthy of church leadership. Sad and un-biblical, but I think, quite true. Behind all of Willow Creek’s protestations to the contrary, I don’t think they–or 99% of churches with similar demographics–would for one second consider a celibate gay person as a teaching pastor.
Posted by MATT Posted in Posts by Matt, Queer / Theology, The Church No Comments »
