American Press +2 Freedom of Religion -2

I am profoundly saddened by the news Senator Barack Obama and his family have resigned from their membership at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. As I understand it, this was the church where Senator Obama came to faith in Christ, where he was married, where his children were baptized, basically where the significant milestones of a person's life are celebrated and blessed in faith.

What has caused this withdrawal seems to be two things: first, the retired pastor was given to fiery language when speaking of America past and present. Apparently not every preacher in America thinks about America like James Dobson or Pat Robertson--although not every TV preacher has called for the assassination of another head of state like Robertson did in the recent past.

People outside the Black church (count me way outside) and people outside the Protestant church (count me in on that one) don't understand that what is said in the Pulpit is not the official policy of the church. In fact, there are deep roots in Protestantism and I suspect in the Black church of a "free pulpit." What that means it the minister is "free to say what he/she believes God wants said," and the congregation is "free to accept or reject what is said from the pulpit." My experience is that more is rejected than accepted but that is just my cynicism showing! Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., now the retired pastor of Trinity said some pretty outlandish things during his tenure as pastor, and some may have believed him, but there is no indication that Obama did. Rather, what we have in Obama is a well-rounded, balanced, thinking American of faith who believes America has a future that includes everyone. I just regret he has felt it necessary to withdraw from a congregation that is a model of social ministries in Chicago.

There is another reason why I believe he has withdrawn his membership from Trinity and will not join another church until after the election. Sometimes love compels us to do the noble thing, the loving thing. Obama knew the latest crowds came to Trinity for one reason: Barack Obama. If he is not there any more, the one church he cares about more than anything else in the world can continue their work in peace. It is vital work for Chicago and for the world. So Obama becomes the scapegoat and leads the reporters away even though it means severing ties with his family of faith. I have little experience with the press (may it ever be so) but they are the rudest, most self-serving profession around. They will disrupt, distract, and push themselves forward for the line, or picture or story. I cannot imagine a more noble thing than Obama's decision to spare his church family that, while the family suffers in pain over their loss.

Senator Obama, I admire your actions, and deeply regret there is not a place where a public family can share a private moment with their spiritual family and with their God. Perhaps, some day, we will grow up enough to declare churches and homes "press-free" zones. Especially, since we put so much emphasis on our candidates being people of faith.

Medicine Done Stupid!

Some years ago, the government decided the average person needed help with their medical bills because they were stupid. Thus, Medicare came into being. It was so well done that over years, insurance companies have followed the lead of the government. It is worth noting this is the same government that built Washington D.C. without parking lots. That is unless you are dead and that is where we found the only parking lot in our visit to the Capitol. I left my car at Arlington National Cemetery because there was no other place to park. I sort of thought that cemeteries by their very nature were where people went to be permanently parked.

However, this government did so well with Medicare that insurance companies couldn't wait to jump on a bad idea. As best I can tell the AMA said nothing. Now we live with the insurance company in the room when you go to see the doctor. In fact, in the small waiting rooms I have been pushed off into, by the time you get the patient, the patient's spouse, the lawyers who might sue, and the insurance company who would like to tell the doctor how to practice medicine, there is hardly room for the doctor. I guess that is what the K-Y Jelly and the tongue depressor are for.

One of most onerous additions to Big Brother medicine is the formulary which I prefer to call "medicine done stupid." The formulary is really an extension of the "take two aspirins and call me in the morning" approach to medicine. For the most part--actually for every part, it is a pack of myths only believed by government bureaucrats and insurance company bureaucrat groups, many of which have serious genetic inbreeding in their backgrounds.

What is a formulary? It is a hierarchy arbitrarily constructed--did I say arbitrarily? I meant, constructed at levels to give you the cheapest medicine the pharmaceutical company can coerce, bribe, or as a last resort buy. These medicines are arranged by tiers. Tier I is mostly generics or those drugs that have been arm twisted into kickbacks for the company. Some were found in toxic waste dumps, but still usable because they are not beyond their expiration date. Tier II is the second level. Perhaps the arms don't twist as much, or the kickback are not so great. Tier III is medicine that may be getting to the modern era but you aren't going to see much of it. Tier IV and V, just makes the pharmaceutical company laugh and bring tears of merriment to their eyes.

What is the myth of the formulary? I am so glad you ask. I can think of several.
1. Formularies assume we are all the same age, the same sex, and respond to all medicines the same.
2. Formularies assume we all have the same degree of health and the same illnesses at the same time.
3. Formularies assume our illnesses present with the same symptoms and respond to the same medications in exactly the same way.
4. Formularies assume we are all taking the same drugs and are tolerating them equally well.
5. Formularies assume we have the same allergies.
6. Formularies assume we are all complete fools, and won't reach a point where we rise up and tell everyone to get out of the room except for the doctor and the patient whereby the doctor is the doctor and the patient is the patient.

The rest can leave the room wearing those funny green paper suits that make their cheeks look oh so rosy!

A Nice Hand Slap for A Not So Nice Agency!

As I understand it, the Texas Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling that affirmed that the Tom Green County District Court overstepped it legal bounds when it approved the Texas Department of Regulatory and Family Services(CPS)removal of over 460 children from the YFZ compound last month.

Yea! Yea! Double Yea! While I would never approve of polygamy, or 12 year olds having babies of 50 year old men, I am absolutely confident the state of Texas(CPS) took action with the wrong end of the shovel. CPS does that a lot.

If children were in danger because of the men in their midst, why were the men in their midst not taken into custody? When have you known of the "rapee" being taken into custody instead of the "raper?"

More than that, why did CPS believe it had the authority to remove every child of the compound without proof that every child was in danger? Well, that is the way CPS works. Top down,(including legislative supervision) these are the most reckless, irresponsible, autocratic, unreasonably arrogant agency in the state of Texas. I am so grateful that the top courts in Texas have slapped the hands of rubber stamping judges and reckless authority that separates families on the flimsiest of accusations.

Count me as one who has been forced to deal with CPS (as any professional in Texas is required to do) and does so holding his nose loathing every moment. The drama that has played out on the YFZ Ranch is just an example of their barging in, trampling the Bill of Rights, ordering families into counseling(yet to be proven they need) all the while leaving this family in crisis totally out of reach with CPS except by phone . If one has the misfortune of talking to some snippy caseworker, they are treated like they are both stupid and a criminal just waiting for their conviction and sentence. All the while, their children are pushed into overcrowded foster care homes, a few of which are worse than the homes they left--again thanks to CPS.

I hope and pray this serves as a wake up call to everyone who has anything to do with the oversight of CPS. This is another black eye that Texas does not need--and it is all because Texas wants to take the cheap way when dealing with families and the poor.

Well, this is what cheap gets!

Where are all the old folks?

Mom has a question growing out of all the YFZ Ranch affair, and all our family's assurances have done little to convince her that her concerns are not justified.

Just for the record, I am a chip off the old block and the old block is still around. At 83, she is sharp as a tack and she notices things. I guess I am to blame for that. When she developed cataracts, I helped her get new eyes, so now she really notices things. She noticed in all the stuff about the YFZ stuff that she has not seen one woman past child bearing years--not one. She smells something fishy and her smeller is still pretty good--while we are at it.

Now, Mom is a little sensitive about this issue. It's alright for her to wonder if people under 80 have a right to live, but not the other way 'round. I have been with her when some little smart thing whipped into our parking space, or got ahead of her in the grocery line.

What the years have done is loosened her lips. When she was younger, she did a better job of keeping them together when she was offended. Not now! She seems to feel that she is entitled to comment on everything and since her hearing is just a little bit frayed around the edges, loud enough so the offending person can hear.

So, if you know about where the women are above child bearing age in this cult, let me now. Mom is not thinking of joining them, but it will ease her mind to know that they are not killing off their old folks.

Who would ever have let that thought cross their mind?

The health of the minister

It is curious to some church members when their clergy get tired, sick, depressed, discouraged or burned out. Somehow, there is a small group of folks who believe their ministers aught to be above it all: the sordid money, greed, anger, frustration, weariness, and impatience.

Sadly, there are some ministry students who believe they, themselves aught to be above it all. My job as a field work supervisor with the local seminary is to help them see why they won't ever be above it all.Not only that, but if they don't change their thinking, they will be "under" it all. So, they get sent to me.

As a field work supervisor, I believe in the beauty of the ministry and the meaningfulness of the ministry when viewed through the proper lens. My lens have never been rose colored lens because I grew up in a service station in West Texas right down the street from one of the bigger Baptist churches. I won't say that I have seen it all from religious people, but what I haven't seen, I had just soon pass by on the other side.

For better or worse, churches are composed of people. And therein is the problem. Some of the people are the embodiment of Jesus Christ. They are the people you aspire to be at some point in one's life. They have the right amount of love, grace, forgiveness, and toughness for life. They inspire and encourage. If every church could be full of these people, well, ministers would give their salaries back to pastor these kind of folks.

However, my experience is that such people are like salt sprinkled over the church to make the others endurable. There is probably a parable there about how God feels about us all, but on we move. The rest of the lot can be a pretty dodgy group. Depending on the church, they may be family inbred, they may be theologically inbred, they may be historically inbred, or they just may be inbred.

Family inbred may be the worst. These are the folks that throw hymnals at each other both inside and outside the church. They are all family, you see, and all the family issues are always right in the presence of the gathering whenever the gathering gathers. Snubs at weddings, arguments over land, divorces and remarriages, they live on in the family church.

One of my personal favorites is the theologically inbred. You know you are in this church if when one enters the building, everyone is clutching their King James Version of the Bible. Tradition, theology, culture, and "the way we've always done it" get mixed up into this crazy mix of theological goo. One does not not even know where to begin to unravel the mess or more appropriately, mop up the goo.

Then there is the historically inbred. These tend only to be an issue at "First Churches." Their history is deep in the community and there are certain standards expected of the church. They have nothing to do with the Gospel or the Bible or Jesus Christ, they are just a part of being the "First Church" in town. I pastored one of those. (The leaning brick church sign should have given me a clue everything was not up to plumb!) And if God is gracious, I shall never, never, have to put on the top hat and whistle and try to bring sense out of such a circus again. Perhaps what gives me a little joy in my life is knowing that everyone was laughing at them behind their backs. All the while, they were busy playing at being church.

Finally, there is just the inbred. They are a mix of age, family, theology, history, and all those things that don't count for anything. In some ways they all become an excuse for doing nothing but keeping the organization going. What that includes is changing nothing. No leadership is ever changed. No worship style is ever changed. No seat is ever changed(unless by chance some erstwhile guest sits in the wrong seat--which won't happen again). On a tour of the building, they will tell you they have have the same red carpet in their auditorium for the last 50 years. It smells like 50 year old carpet and toward the front you can definitely smell where thousands of sermons have died painfully slow deaths.

Yes, it is the work of the field work supervisor to help his student see the world of ministry into which he or she goes. You may think it sounds cruel, but cruel is letting them believe the church is one step below glory. To do so will crush their health and perhaps cut short their ministry. Frankly, ministers cannot be above it all; they will not survive if they end up buried under it all; they need to learn how to survive in it all!

The Future of Texas Baptist Committed

The Baptist General Convention of Texas(BGCT) is not the only entity with an uncertain future. I would say the same is true for Texas Baptist Committed (TBC).

In its infancy TBC was heroic in its efforts to block and expose fundamentalism for what it was. Texas Baptists were better off because fundamentalism did not take over the BGCT.

Times changed and TBC moved into its adolescence. It is in its adolescence that it has stumbled badly and perhaps even fatally. Now it is important to understand that Dr. Currie is the Executive Director of TBC. Behind him is a Board of Directors whose counsel and consensus he seeks. Behind them are thousands of TBCers. I count myself as a marginal member which is why I am so distressed at TBC's failure to act in the debacle we have just moved through. Dr. Currie and I have been acquaintances and friends for many years. I deeply respect David and his contribution to Texas Baptists.

However, I cannot turn away from the failure of TBC to stand up to the weak, corrupt, and incompetent administration that has almost shipwrecked our cherished convention. It became obvious to some that the administration past was two hearts too small for the task they were asked to do. TBC could see the warning signs and yet, year after year passed. It wasn't enough that the Valleygate affair finally broke. TBC functionally did nothing. It did not withdraw its support, it did not take a public stand against the administration, rather it just quietly encouraged incompetent leadership to think about retirement. Money was disappearing, fault was being shifted, more money was being misappropriated, funds were being put into dodgy projects, trust in the churches was eroding, giving was beginning to dip and still TBC did nothing. Now, with a new administration, we are learning the full extent of how much money, talent, and time we have lost.

I fault TBC for much of this. It was not their fault that incompetent leadership came to the BGCT. It was their fault when they became aware there was a problem, they failed to speak as courageously to the BGCT leadership as they had to the fundamentalists. It was their fault they failed to withdraw their support for this failing administration. It was their fault that some allowed friendship to stand in the way of prudent, prompt action. It was their fault that the TBC that went toe to toe with Patterson-Pressler was unwilling or unable to go toe to toe with the leadership that was destroying the convention TBC came into being to protect. Incompetence, mismanagement,and mistrust are as destructive to an organization as is fundamentalism. TBC was proactive in dealing with the theological foes of the BGCT, yet was strangely silent as the BGCT was stripped of it fiscal reputation during Valleygate, it stellar staff (just name someone who has exited the building during the last administration's first years), and its capacity to start real churches in real places with real pastors. It was also silent as churches began to doubt the leadership of the BGCT, both elected and employed. Reorganization was a disaster and yet, TBC was eerily silent.

Recently, TBC has attempted to find a new relevance by touting the two code phrases so often an indication of weakness and pending irrelevance: "supporting the BGCT and fighting fundamentalism."

I want to know if the TBC that came into being and gave the BGCT a future, is willing to commit to a course of action that requires them to be equally vigilant about integrity in the BGCT; openness to free and open discussion; and the absolute refusal to ever be a part of the Middle Ages through which the BGCT has hopefully moved?

Congratulations! It's a kidney stone Part II

I had the misfortune of riding in a lead funeral car recently with three (myself included) survivors of kidney stones. In some ways it felt like 10 year old boys telling lies about whose ball went farther, whose throw was hardest, whose running was the fastest.

There is room for competition in kidney stones, and perhaps, just perhaps because it helps us feel better it is good therapy. "Now what," you may ask, "can three men riding in a funeral car find to compete about related to the passing of kidney stones?" Well, actually there is quite a lot for such a short trip.

First, there is the pain at onset. Everyone agreed that theirs was the worst. "I was on the floor in 5 seconds curled up in a ball." "I was down in three and it took a crow bar to get me untied." "Well, I was dropped like a deer shot through the eyes. The pain was so bad, it took two trucks and their strongest chains to get me straightened out again."

Then there was the waiting room. "Well, I was there for two hours before I ever got to see a doctor. I was doubled over in pain all the while. It was horrible." "Two hours, why I was there through two shift changes. I spent most of my time either throwing up or passing blood, and curled up in pain like a pretzel." (For the record, I have tried to reproduce that position but I guess you have to be passing a kidney stone to contort the human body into such a position) "Not me, I was in the waiting room so long, security served me with a notice of eviction, thinking I was homeless!"

Then, we talked about the stupidest thing said to us by a hospital employee. "Well, after I had been in intractable pain for three hours, the triage nurse asked me if I knew my blood pressure was up a little?" "That's nothing, my triage nurse told me that since there was no running blood or chest pains, my intractable pain was not sufficient reason for me to be put to the front of the line. I asked her, in quite reserved tones I thought, 'Your blood or mine?'" She called security! The third one said, "Well, I didn't have any problem at all, I just walked in and they put me in a room." At that point, I suggested whatever part this person had at the graveside service, I would take it and we could leave them on the side of the road. When the person pointed out they were the funeral director and owned the car, I calmed down.

We all had the same experience behind the locked doors: slow motion nurses, doctors, technicians and of course, the myriad of tests. I believe there is a ratio of necessary tests in direct proportion to the quality of your insurance.

People with no insurance get the once over by the nurse with the diagnosis: "Yep, you got a kidney stone. There's nothing you can afford to have done. We'll give you a water shot and send you home!" "Will the water shot help?" "Well, honey, do you want it to help?" "Well, yea, right now I would take anything to make the pain go away!" "Well, Darling, this shot will help!"

If you have great insurance, they have to make absolutely sure of the diagnosis. Even though this is your 7th time to the trauma center with similar symptoms. One keeps hearing, "We just need to make absolutely sure!" "When you say, I just don't understand why I have to have an MRI of my brain when its hurting way, way lower in my body?" To which one always gets the inevitable, "Are you a doctor?" And then they say that again, "We just want to make sure!" "Sure that I have a stone?" "No darling, sure that we have drained your insurance. You don't think they give this great care away do you?"

Then there is the pain medicine after they are sure you have a stone. "Well, it took quite a bit of morphine to ease my pain!" "I had to have morphine and Demerol to finally ease my pain." "Why, they brought in a tranquilizer gun from the zoo for crazy bull elephants to give me. It helped a little. They tried a second shot and hit the big, sassy nurse, took her down--well, like a bull elephant--yea right to the floor! Suddenly employees appeared from nowhere, moving at lightening speeds with pillows and blankets to make Sassy comfortable. They pushed me off the gurney, took my sheets and 12 employees lifted her to where I had been laying.I had enough tranquilizer in me that I just curled up in the corner and felt better. I do remember looking up through blurry eyes watching everyone pat her hands and face and bring her warm blankets."

And then there is the treatment. "They went in and got mine!"(Collective ohhhh!) "I was blasted, and then got to pass the little bitty grass burrs."(another collective uhhhh!) "Well, they wanted to take a garden hose and put it up you-know-what and run it up you-know-where so that it would theoretically make the stone easier to pass. I told my doctor, I will undergo this procedure if he would. We quickly talked of other options."

Yep, there wasn't a sandlot present, but we all felt better when we reached the cemetery. At least we weren't riding horizontal in the hearse behind us!