This weblog contains the reflections of Dr. John Wesley Slider on the moral implications of current affairs and the topics discussed on "The Moral Side of the News." The views expressed on this blog are the personal views of Dr. Slider and do not represent the views of WHAS11, WHAS 840AM, other media that carry the program, the Crusade for Children, the Free Methodist Church, its judicatories, or any of its churches.
“If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.” The death of Trayvon Martin is a tragedy--as was the death of a 6-year-old girl named Aliyah Shell, caught in the crossfire of gang violence over St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Chicago.
But Aliyah's story received very little coverage, despite the event being more recent than the Martin tragedy, and despite the fact that it happened in President Barack Obama’s very own Chicago on a weekend when forty-nine people were shot and ten others were killed.
No mention of Aliyah from the president. No public outpouring for a young mother who sat untangling her daughter’s hair as shots rang out. Nothing. And yet... “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.”
Why? Why would the president weigh in on this specific case at this specific time? It’s not about wrong or right. It’s not about justice. It’s not about Trayvon Martin.
“The despair is there; now it’s up to us to go in and rub raw the sores of discontent, galvanize them for radical social change.”- Saul Alinsky
An interesting quote to consider, from the man who shaped the minds of those who shaped President Obama. Now consider President Obama’s former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel’s notorious statement: “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” The meaning is the same. It is calculating and it is dangerous, part of a bigger picture--a multi-faceted war to divide America for the sole purpose of securing Obama's re-election and subsequent radical social change.
Look at the contrived conflicts on the left wing's political chessboard:
Occupy Wall Street: the (self-appointed) 99% versus the 1%
Contraceptive/abortifacient mandates: government versus religion
Sandra Fluke: women versus conservatives
Trayvon Martin: black versus "white" (so-called)
This is not complicated. President Obama is organizing. It’s that simple, and it’s straight out of the radical playbook:
“Once you organize people, they’ll keep advancing from issue to issue toward the ultimate objective.” – Saul Alinsky
This is not about Trayvon Martin. This is about divide and conquer. Hope and Change has been replaced with Us vs. Them. This about pitting Americans against Americans.
Illinois ended its contracts with Catholic Charities this summer after passing a law recognizing same-sex civil unions. The state had informed the organization, an arm of the Roman Catholic Church, that its policy of limiting foster and adoptive parents to heterosexual married couples violates the new civil unions law. Three major Illinois dioceses sued the state, arguing that religious adoption agencies have specific protection under the civil unions law, which is titled "The Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act." On August 18, a county judge in Illinois rejected the lawsuit of Catholic Charities.
In recent years Catholic Charities has handled twenty percent of the state's foster care and adoption caseload. Now Catholic Charities will need to find other organizations to provide for the 2,000 foster children in its care.
What are the issues facing our communities, nation, and world in 2011. I have identified five areas that shall be at the forefront in 2011. The overarching theme for these five issues is the continuing assault on Western culture, values, and democracy. I welcome your comments.
The Assault on the Foundational Values of the American Nation. The values of the American Nation are threefold: "Liberty," "E Pluribus Unum," and "In God We Trust." If these sound familiar, they are printed on our coins. These values are under assault. Liberty, or equality of opportunity, is being replaced as a primary value by Equality, or the guaranteed equal outcome. E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one), is being replaced by political correctness and divisive diversity. In God We Trust, or faith in God, is being replaced by trust in government and an anything-goes I-can-co-what-I-want approach to morality. Issues within this general area will be family, abortion, protection of children, education, marriage, drug-abuse, and religion in society.
The Conflict with Middle Eastern Fascism and Asian Communism. Western Democracy has always opposed and been in conflict with systems that enslave and diminish human beings. Western Democracy has defeated European Imperialism, European Fascism, European Communism, and Middle Eastern Imperialism in the Twentieth Century. The conflicts for 2011 and for the Twenty-First Century are Middle Eastern Fascism (e.g., Iran), Asian Fascism (North Korea), and Asian Communism (China).
Border Security and Related Issues. Illegal immigration, the smuggling of drugs and human beings across the border, protection against terrorists, cyber-terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and the current administrations lethargic and clumbsy response to these problems are a major area of concern for 2011. One of the primary tasks of the federal government is protection of its citizens.
Economic Strains in the US and Western Europe. This area includes the collapse of Western European socialism. In the US there are the continuing conflicts over health care, taxation, national and individual debt, unemployment, and bailouts of large companies and state and local governments. The uncertainties of the housing and financial markets are adding to the problems. No longer will we be able to assume (or hope) that governments will be able to take care of every problem.
Transformation of the Christian Church. I list this area of interest not because it is the least. Indeed, it is the most significant, but will occur over a long period of time. I list it last because it is something we can see God at work and join Him. It is the NewReformation. Mainline denominations (including Roman Catholicism) are collapsing under the weight of their bureaucracies. Those organizations who focus on survival of the institution instead of continuation of the mission are fading. Just as the Reformation of the 1500s and 1600s brought new life and new understanding of the Church and was fueled by new technology (the printing press); so too will this New Reformation bring new life and new understanding fueled by the Internet. Denominational "brand names" will become less important. The focus will shift from social issues to witnessing. Organizations and ministry will become decentralized and local. Mid-sized churches will disappear. Small fellowships, para-church organizations, and mega-churches with satellites (mini-denominations) will flourish.
Christians, when they have lived up to the highest ideals of their faith, have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family.
We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:
the sanctity of human life
the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
the rights of conscience and religious liberty.
Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
These words appear on the Home Page of the Manhattan Declaration. This declaration was made public on November 20, 2009. At this moment (0849 on 24 November 2009) there are 76,430 signatures. I was signature 75,987. In the time it took me to read the declaration over 500 persons had added their signatures.
I encourage you to do as I did. Read the declaration. Pray over it and seek God's guidance. Read it again. If God so leads you, sign it, and share it with your congregation.
Kentucky probation and parole officers have been ordered to violate a state Supreme Court opinion that found it was unconstitutional to retroactively apply a law that restricts where sex offenders can live.The men and women who monitor sex offenders on probation and parole were told not to let the convicts live within 1,000 feet of a school, day-care center or playground even if their crime was committed before the statute was strengthened in 2006.
The Supreme Court opinion is being ignored because Attorney General Jack Conway is seeking to overturn it, said Lisa Lamb, spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections which oversees the Division of Probation and Parole.Conway's spokeswoman, Allison Gardner Martin, said that while it was true her boss was reviewing his options for getting the opinion overturned, he hadn't taken any official steps.
“That is very interesting,” said Richard Tewksbury, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Louisville who studies sex-offenders. “That is intriguing being that the case law now says one thing but yet probation and parole has purposely chosen to ignore the Supreme Court ruling and continue the enforcement.”He said it was disheartening that a state agency is instructing its employees to purposely violate a court opinion.
The strengthened rules became law on July 12, 2006, and were applied retroactively.It is thought that hundreds of registrants across the state had to move before the Supreme Court overturned the retroactivity clause Oct. 1.
With Halloween just a few days away, parents are talking to their kids about staying in groups and only going to homes they know.That can be especially important in Kentucky, where there is no special requirement to identify the homes of convicted sex offenders, as is the case in some other states.In years past, LMPD officers have done house checks to make sure sex offenders are where they are supposed to be, but according to a department spokesperson, that won't be the case this year.
While some sex-offenders who are on probation aren't allowed to participate in Halloween in any way, others on the registry are not forbidden from handing out treats to youngsters.
QUESTION: What are your thoughts on probation and parole officers ignoring the state Supreme Court’s ruling? Do you think Kentucky should have tougher sex offender laws especially during Halloween?
I am torn in my response.On the one hand, as a community we should do all we can to protect our children from sex-offenders.On the other hand, I find it disturbing that an elected official - the commonwealth’s attorney general, is ordering persons who work under him to violate the law.It disturbs me that a person who is elected and charged by the people of this state to enforce the law believes that it is appropriate to make up the law as he goes.
I do not know our attorney general, Mr. Jack Conway, so I cannot identify his motivation in doing this.May I suggest that a possible motivation is to advance his own political career.It is no secret that Mr. Conway has political aspirations.In taking this stand in violation of the law, he creates the appearance of being a crusader on behalf of children - a winning tactic.In the meantime, we need to ask how much it will cost the state of Kentucky after persons who were illegally told they had to move and did so sue the state.
Parents, step forward.You must be the first line of defense against those who prey on children.Halloween activities are no reason to lessen your vigilance.
Do we need tougher sex-offender laws? Yes.Do we also need public servants who obey the law?Yes.
Topic: There is controversy involving a Louisville church ordaining a registered sex offender as a minister. The church in question serves a predominantly homosexual and transgendered congregation but one former member says he's concerned that the new minister could be a threat to the congregation's children. The pastor of City of Refuge Worship Center admits it's the first time he's heard of a church in the United States ordaining someone who is registered for life as a sex offender but he says the man in question has changed and deserves forgiveness.
Comment:
First, let us not confuse this religious group with a Christian church. I visited their website last week and though the site makes reference to Jesus and includes some Biblical passages, there is no statement of what the church believes. As Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord," will enter the Kingdom of Heaven...." (Matthew 7.21) There are many religious groups that quote the Bible and use Jesus' name, and are not Christian.
With that in mind I believe that this religious group can ordain whomever they choose. This group is unaffiliated with any other faith or denomination, so they can make their own rules. The congregation and pastor are certainly exposing themselves to potential problems, but that is their choice.
I am a United Methodist pastor. It would be difficult if not impossible for the individual in question to enter into ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church at this time. I would oppose any attempt within the United Methodist Church to ordain a person with such a background. Ordination in our denomination has the pastoral ministry as its norm, and it would be impossible for a person to function as a pastor in a United Methodist Church with all of the restrictions that are being applied to him in this particular congregation.
We take extreme precautions with everyone who works directly with children. In our tradition pastors work directly with children. Our priority is to safeguard the young people in our congregations. If we err (and I do not believe we do) it is on the side of protecting children.
The pastor of the City of Refuge Worship Center has connected ordination with forgiveness. Having served on our conference Board of Ordained Ministry in the past, I would suggest that forgiveness and ordination are not connected in the sense that being forgiven is not the only requirement for ordination.
Christian ordination requires the invitation of God, the response of the individual, and the validation of the Church. Ordination should not be considered as therapy or validation of a particular lifestyle (sin).
Having said all of that, let me add that as a pastor and as a United Methodist I welcome anyone into the fellowship of the church that I am serving. We do not affirm or validate sinful lifestyles of any kind; but we certainly seek to minister to all who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That means we do not seek to enable sinful behavior. We seek to heal, reconcile, disciple, and offer the Good News of God's love in Christ.
All persons have been welcome in the churches I have served. I do not seek to leave persons where they are in life. Rather I seek to introduce others to Jesus in positive ways; help others mature in Christ; heal suffering in my community; and encourage healthy (Christ-like) families and relationships.
The Supreme Court rapped school officials for strip-searching a 13-year-old girl in a fruitless hunt for ibuprofen, ruling that an investigation based on almost no evidence violated the Fourth Amendment ban on "unreasonable searches and seizures."
The court's 8-1 vote was a surprising victory for student rights, after its 2007 ruling that a school campaign to discourage drug abuse outweighed a teenager's First Amendment right to mock such efforts.
Do you believe this was the correct decision, or would you favor more flexibility for administrators as they battle drugs in the schools? Where do you think the line should be drawn in terms of student rights?
I applaud the Supreme Court's decision. I understand that school officials are attempting to create a safe environment for students, but in this case the school went too far.
I have been in schools when the drug-sniffing dogs have gone through. I have no problem with that. I have no problem with the confiscation of cellular telephones and other electronic devices. I have no problem with schools requiring students to have parental permission and school supervision for taking medications at school.
What disturbs me about this particular event is the strip search of the student. The particulat school administrator (and possibly the school policy) was way out of bounds. If an administrator sees the need to search a student the parents should be called. If there is suspicion of a crime or that others could be harmed, then the police should be called.
The ruling by the Supreme Court is a victory for parental responsiblities and rights. Often times public school officials seek to diminish the parental role. Let us encourage parents to take responsibility before school administrators.
I suppose it is time for me to give an opinion about the public comments by David Letterman about Governor Palin's daughter. There are many people offering opinions who have not seen Mr. Letterman's initial and following comments. Governor Palin has been attacked for her response to Mr. Letterman. Before I add my opinion to the discussion, I thought it would be good to show the comments themselves. It was very hard to find a video report that was not biased. The mainstream (or downstream) media rallied to the defense of Mr. Letterman and used this event as an opportunity to demean Governor Palin once more. Here is a video (the most balanced I could find) to set the stage:
David Letterman's public comments were both misogynistic and racist. They may even reveal some deeper troubles within Mr. Letterman himself. His sexual objectification of an underage female was beyond inappropriate. His excuse was that he meant the joke to be about the eighteen year old, not the fourteen year old. Mr. Letterman presented himself for what he is.
There has been little attention or reaction to Mr. Letterman's involvement of an Hispanic man, Alex Rodriguez, in his comments. Mr. Rodriguez, like Mr. Letterman, is hardly a model of appropriate moral behavior. Neither have behaved in a manner that one could objectively say holds family, marriage, and women in high regard; but Mr. Rodriguez did not deserve to be dragged into this issue. He has problems that he has made for himself. A question to be answered is: "Why did Mr. Letterman choose an Hispanic male to complete his observations about Governor Palin's daughter?" Did you notice the next evening, Mr. Letterman realized that he exposed his racism, so he made essentially the same joke about Governor Palin's daughter with a white male - Elliot Spitzer!
There are several dynamics that are at work in this event:
"Anything to entertain" - It seems that the entertainment industry has no boundaries when it comes to its product, and our society has accepted this "anything goes" mentality. It is time for the entertainment industry to accept some minimal moral standards for its product.
"Anything to stigmatize" - Most of the reaction (or lack thereof) from liberal commentators has been to continue to stigmatize Governor Palin rather than deal with her views on issues. The not-so-hidden message is that she brought it on herself. I think we all would value liberals actually respecting their opponents instead of stigmatizing conservatives as stupid, evil, or (gasp) too religious. Liberals need to engage conservatives on the issues, not on their liberal caricatures of conservatives.
"Anything for power" - The silence of liberal women's organizations and Latino organizations who say they are advocates for their constituents is deafening! It seems that these groups have sold their souls for political power. They give a pass to those voices who will give lip service and/or funding to their views, and excuse or ignore inappropriate behaviors and comments.
"Anything for an excuse" - It amazes me that in excusing Mr. Letterman, the liberal apologists will say, "Well, they all do it;" or "Rush Limbaugh said the same thing." First, they all don't do it or say it (whoever they are). Second, bad behavior is bad behavior no matter who does it. It does amaze me that persons who would never admit to listening to Mr. Limbaugh will quote something he has said as an excuse for someone else saying it.
The underlying issues for us are twofold. First, our society has accepted a low moral standard for behavior out of laziness. It is time for the real adults - persons who are mature spiritually and emotionally to speak up!
Second, our society has accepted a double standard for public discourse. Let us treat one another with respect and stop stigmatizing conservatives. Let us discuss the issues.
Mr. Letterman has a responsibility to apologize to the Palin family. When I apologize to someone I do not do it for credit (or ratings) and I do not do it for additional laughs. Mr. Letterman should go to the Palin's with no fanfare and apologize face-to-face and person-to-person with the young lady's mom and dad present. The apology should not be a part of a monologue.
Mr. Letterman should then make some public gesture such as a sabbatical from public appearances for an appropriate time (one month?). He should also provide a donation of some sort to a nonpolitical agency that is addressing a concern of the Palin family. My suggestion would be some group that advocates for Downs Syndrome children.
Let me add one more thought for liberals who advocate for equality for women and for all races. I have spent a couple of years (as a part of my Christian ministry) coaching and assisting teachers in an "inner city" high school in Louisville, Kentucky. Most students came from the area of the city that was being abandoned in many ways. Eighty percent of the students received free or reduced school lunches. Few parents were involved in the school. The girls were not respected. Vulgar words and actions were common place. In my two years at the school I broke up fights, drug consumption, and sexual activity on campus.
In my two years I noticed that there was one place where the females were not only protected and respected, but were able to excel, and where race or ethnic group did not matter. That was the Naval Junior ROTC program. It was led by a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer - a white man and a conservative Christian. I had the honor to work with him for two years (I am a retired Marine Corps Reserve officer, a white man, and a Christian).
The credit belongs to the CPO. He created a safe haven for every student under his guidance. He worked long and hard. I was honored to be a part of the effort.
Everyone was treated with respect, everyone was enabled to grow and learn, and everyone was safe in his program because he took his conservative Christian values into the classroom. He was a strong male presence in a community where strong adult male models were desperately needed.
I remember once on the campus I stepped in between a young female student who was being harassed by two male students. Afterward, she told me that no one had ever done that for her. Maybe I changed her life. I know I protected her for a moment at least.
Liberals, defend Mr. Letterman if you must. As for me I shall go where the battle is. A fourteen-year-old girl has nothing to fear from me and is safe with me - a old white conservative Christian. The "Lettermans" of the world will have to come through me to get to them.
I am an imperfect follower of Jesus Christ. Semper Fidelis.
“If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.” The death of Trayvon Martin is a tragedy--as was the death of a 6-year-old girl named Aliyah Shell, caught in the crossfire of gang violence over St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Chicago.
