I heard from Jared (through Facebook) that singer/songwriter Ray Boltz has publicly announced his homosexuality. I guess he doesn’t perform much music anymore, but it’s still a disappointing revelation.

“This is what it really comes down to,” he says. “If this is the way God made me, then this is the way I’m going to live. It’s not like God made me this way and he’ll send me to hell if I am who he created me to be … I really feel closer to God because I no longer hate myself.”

I think I can understand that feeling, but it doesn’t make him right. God did not make him homosexual, and the Bible has strong words against homosexual acts.

But I wonder if the grace of salvation cannot overcome bad theology like this. That’s probably a fruitless debate. The larger point is that Boltz, like all of us, needs to repent of what God’s law clearly condemns (1 Timothy 1:8-14). I’m disappointed he didn’t get the sound Bible teaching he should have received all these years.

Have I talked about dancing on this blog yet? I probably have. But if so, it was long enough ago that I’ve forgotten about it.*

My earlier post about that appalling video from Jared at Thinklings got me thinking about the old dancing taboo. I suspect a number of us grew up with it, and those who didn’t wonder how such an odd rule came to be.

My own childhood church was in no doubt about the sinfulness of dancing. (This is kind of unusual for Lutherans, by the way. Lutherans in general tend to be party animals, a lot like Italians, only less outgoing. Just substitute beer for wine. The dancing is different, but the spirit is the same.)

But I come from the Scandinavian Lutheran pietists, who objected to dancing on two grounds: Continue reading I won’t dance; don’t ask me →

I’m not sure where this post is going. I’m thinking through a thought I had this morning. I hope it will be short.

So I’ll do my best to be superficial.

It seems to me, too often in the church, we disagree in the wrong way. When someone suggests a new thing, our response tends to be, “This is un-Christian. It’s unscriptural. It’s heretical.”

In fact, very often the idea is just stupid.

(These thoughts were inspired by this post over at “Stuff Christians like.”)

Wouldn’t it be better to say, “That’s a stupid idea,” than “That’s a heretical idea?”

It would move the disagreement out of the realm of matters of faith, into matters of judgment.

We’d just be insulting the other person’s intelligence.

I guess that doesn’t help much.

Conflict resolution has never been my strong suit.

Thanks to Dale for sharing this link.

Ain’t it great to live in a rational world, where the old, dogmatic religious superstitions have been swept away?

Harrison Scott Key says, “I’m just not convinced that the Protestant Evangelical Church can do art.” He lists several problems.

On this subject, I came across this passage in Les Miserables last night, which I believe gets to the heart of the matter.

We must say, by the way, that the hatred of luxury is not an intelligent hatred. It implies a hatred of the arts. Nevertheless, among churchmen, beyond their rites and ceremonies, luxury is a crime. It seems to disclose habits which are not truly charitable. A wealthy priest is a contradiction. He ought to keep himself near the poor. But, who can be in contact continually, by night as well as day, with all distresses, all misfortunes, all privations, without taking upon himself a little of that holy poverty, like the dust of a journey? Can you imagine a man near a fire, who does not feel warm? . . . The first proof of charity in a priest, and especially a bishop, is poverty.