Mosque To Be Built At Ground Zero

If you haven't heard, there are plans approved by New York City to allow an Islamic Center, including a Mosque, swimming pool, culinary school, and an "interfaith" gathering place to be built at Ground Zero. Whether you agree or not, the Muslims in New York have a right to build their mosque wherever the law allows. If there is no violation of building permits, codes, or other such stipulations of the law, they should be allowed to build their center. If the Muslims are denied, the law has presented a case for Jewish, Buddhist, Hindi, Satanist, Mormons, JW's, and/or Baptists from building a place of worship as well.



Of course, legalities and rights aside, there is another issue here, the issue of responsibility. I dare say that building a Mosque on or near Ground Zero is an act of considerable irresponsibility. It would amount to a Shinto Temple being built within a mile of Pearl Harbor, or a Baptist Church being raised next door to the Dome of the Rock. Although my eschatology permits me to loosely consider a rebuilt temple as something of a Baptist Church, I cannot imagine a Crusade Baptist Church being built in a Muslim country as going over too well.



Understand, this is more than a matter of poor taste. It represents a serious misunderstanding of the sentiments of most Americans toward the Muslim faith and a huge gaff in their ability to win some PR points by, having now been legally cleared, backing off. Nevertheless, this is systemic of the Islamic fundamental principle of winning at all cost.



However, whether the mosque is built or not, the most distressing part of this sad saga unfolded today (August 13 , 2010) when President Obama weighed in on the discussion. Once more, as he did by saying the Cambridge Police force acted "stupidly", and then insulting disabled Americans by claiming he should bowl for Special Olympics, he has acted utterly un-presidential. By weighing in on a subject that is best left to the local law and to local officials, he has set the agenda and embolden Muslims to forget decorum and civility, and build their mosque away from an area ripe with racial tension.



Whether these Muslims are of the radical flavor or not is completely beside the point. It was Muslim men who flew those planes into the Towers and Pentagon. It was because of Islam, correctly interpreted or not, that over 2,000 individuals died that horrible September morning. And building a center to celebrate that religion on the spot memorializing their brutal murder is an affront to Western sensibilities. Shame on these people for not recognizing this and acting according to the "peaceful" faith that they attest belongs to Islam. The law may be on their side, but according to research 69% of Americans think they shouldn't build on that site. And it's not like there isn't available real estate in Manhattan that is far enough away from Ground Zero for an Islamic Center to go unnoticed. One would think they could afford a good PR firm and some good will!

********Update************
8/14/2010 7:33 pm
The prez has backed-off Mosque comments:

Obama Extends and Revises his Remarks

So, what side is he on?
BY William Kristol

"Today in Florida President Barack Obama "backed off" (as Politico’s Carol Lee put it) his defense of the Ground Zero mosque. Obama now claims that last night he was only defending the legal rights of the organizers: "I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there. I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding. That's what our country is about. And I think it's very important as difficult as some of these issues are that we stay focused on who we are as a people and what our values are all about."

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-extends-and-revises-his-remarks


***********Update # 2**************
8/14/2010 11:41 pm
The Prez has backed-off his back-off statement of Mosque

The White House on Saturday struggled to tamp down the controversy over President Barack Obama’s statements about a mosque near Ground Zero — insisting Obama wasn’t backing off remarks Friday night where he offered support for a project that has infuriated some families whose loved ones died in the Sept. 11 attacks.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0810/41069.html

Great Thoughts On Reading

Check out the link below.

Alicia Hope Wagner


I follow her blog, HERE, and she recently had a blog post published by Thomas Nelson. Definitely worth the read.

Thank You Jesus, It's Not South Carolina

I am very happy to report that this picture was snapped in NORTH Carolina!

Darn Yankees!

Shcool

Bo Duke vs Superman's Dad

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So I took my daughter to register for classes today. Afterwards we went to grab some lunch, and the conversation turned to TV. Stevie asked me if I had watched the latest Leverage episode, the one that stared the actor who played "Jonathan Kent." If you don't know, said actor is John Schneider, and he was in Smallville playing teenage Clark Kent's daddy. So. When did John Boy here become Superman's Dad instead of Bo Duke? Did I sleep through the last decade? Was there a SAG strike at some point that forced the populace to keep actors from being stereotyped? Or has the culture turned so relativistic that an iconic character portrayal is abandoned after a mere thirty year hiatus?



***sigh***



Getting old is no fun. I can barely type with two fingers, and now I have to text on that wee little keyboard. Although, for an introvert like me, texting is a far better communicative process than talking on the phone. And blogging is a wonderful help to sermon block. And this week I became "friends" with someone I have been friends with for thirty years, but haven't spoken to in ten. Thank you Facebook. I guess in my "old age" I am learning that some new fangled thingys are not so bad. After singing along with Margaritville for most of my life, I just learned today that it was a "pop top" that Jimmy cut his heel on. Not a "pied pot," which for three decades I took for either a Mexican confectionary device or some sort of sweet, yet pointy/sharp marijuana. I am almost afraid to do a Google search for Cheeseburger In Paradise, Lord only knows what that might turn up!



Of course, this is nothing astoundingly new, brilliant, or even revelatory for the Theologian Steve. The Bible has known for millennia that age is not the only conveyor of wisdom. Job said, " It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right." (32:9) So maybe we old dogs need to learn a new trick or two.



Hmmm.                  "John Schneider staring as Jonathan Kent. Superman's Father!" (said in that movie guys voice over)


Nah. I still like Bo Duke. He always has been, and bless his heart, he always will be. Right, Job?

The True Riches Of Believing

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I recently read an article about a pastor who was preaching in view of a call. As he got up to approach the pulpit, the chairman of the pulpit committee told him to notice an elderly lady sitting on the front row. She was dressed rather shabbily with several patched holes in her dress, and the leather of her shoes had begun to separate from the soles. The preacher later remarked about his distress for her, and wondered if she was in need of financial assistance.



Then the story was told. She and her husband were sheep farmers and lived in a small cabin and owned an old, but reliable truck. One day oil was discovered on their ranch. Contracts were signed and wells put up. However, before the first royalty checks arrived the husband died. Between her grief and timidity, the woman chased off the lawyers and never signed any additional papers. The wells continue to go up, and she continued to refuse the papers, and so the royalty checks kept amassing; never cashed. She was a millionaire on paper, but a pauper in existence.



Likewise, I am convinced that too many of us that call upon the name of Jesus live in want because we have chased away the Holy Spirit. It is not always intentional, but it is a reality. How do we grieve (chase away) the Spirit? Perhaps we are like the farmer's wife and we are too timid. The Bible says that we are not given a spirit of timidity, but of power, of love, and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7) Many believers don't accept what God has in store for them. Or, even sadder, they won't accept the challenge that God gives them.



The inverse is also true, however. Some seek position and prominence in the church. This also grieves the Spirit. The Lord does not like a haughty spirit, or one who is puffed up. In-other-words, full of themselves. (See Proverbs 6:17) When a Believer seeks prominence, instead of allowing God to call them to some task, they are running ahead of God. This comes through most obviously, to me anyway, in some men who have an "itch to preach." No, you have an itch to be scratched. If you stand before God's people to deliver God's words, you better make sure you have been called. Many good intentioned men have taken churches down roads of irreparable harm because they felt an itch, which could have been scratched by teaching a Sunday School class.


All in all, though, the basic idea is that we are missing out because we grieve the Spirit. I cannot help but think about so many Believers that are this way. Jesus said that we have not because we ask not. (Or that when we ask, it is of the wrong spirit.) We are millionaires in the heavenlies, yet we live like spiritual paupers on earth. That is the whole point of victorious Christian living. Instead of us feeling empty, and tired, and bankrupt, we should be freed to live like the victors that we are. Life will not always be easy; we will not always have our wants fulfilled; but we can be victorious in the life that we lead! If we will seek His will, His face, and suplant our desires with His.

Drama

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Much drama at church today. One of my sweethearts fell out during my sermon. No, no…none of that charismatic stuff. We are a Baptist church. I’m not exactly sure what happened. The doctors told us that she has a bladder infection. She is just back from convalescing from a six week hospital stay and 2 week nursing home rehab, so she is obviously weak to start with. I was preaching on death, and once we knew she was OK it became a bit of a joke that we were in cahoots and staged the whole thing for dramatic effect.



I was right in the middle of the story of Lazarus and the rich man, but I guess I'll move along. So... much drama at church today.  But trust me on this…with Nominating Committee and Deacon elections coming up, this drama was a welcome change. Thank you, Lord, that Ms Vuadearie is at home and resting, and that I don't end every Sunday morning by following an ambulance to the hospital.

Back To School With The Leigh's

Well, I suppose it is official now. I have been accepted into the Doctoral program at Luther Rice Seminary. Classes start September 7th. This is something I have wanted to pursue for some time now, and so I am excited to get started. Patty starts her new job on Monday. She has waited for a long time to have her own library, and the folks at Baron DeKalb Elementary are lucky to have her. Luke starts band camp Monday as well. He has taken to the trumpet like a fish to water, I just hope his sax doesn't suffer from the new attention. I think he will be a sax player in the band, with a minor part with the trumpet. We'll see. Stevie starts back to college on the 23rd. As far as I know, Shea has already started back at ASU.


So we are a schooled up family. Yes, schooled, not screwed! Pray for us as our endeavors take us on more journeys for Jesus.