Respect in Diversity is a Good Thing

Much adieu has been made about Rick Warren being asked to pray the invocation at President Obama's inauguration. Some celebrities, our brain trust!?!?, have even protested, suggesting that they would turn their back to the dais when Warren prays.

We now we have heard the prayer. Some media outlets have suggested that while the prayer was fairly ecumenical, it was still "overtly Christian." Well..... of course! Not because a "Christian" prayer is the only prayer that should be prayed, but because Rick Warren is... a Christian.

If a Muslim is invited to pray I expect them to pray based on their tradition. If a person is Jewish I expect them to pray from their Hebrew tradition. We (all of us conservatives, liberals, Christians, atheists, agnostics, and anyone from any tradition) really need to get past being offended when someone is being true to their culture, ethnicity and spiritual tradition. All that I request would be respect, but even if I wouldn't be offered respect as someone is being true to their tradition, I would still offer it to them!

The prayers at the inauguration were diverse and each person who lead them seemed to be respectful in their offerings, and that includes the prayer lead by Rick Warren.

It's important to understand how God views people's choices. He offers Himself to us, but He does NOT force Himself on anyone. In this freedom we carry the entire weight of our choices. And for those of us who are Jesus followers we are to RESPECT God's offer of choice. Rather than offer judgment on people's choices we should be examples of what the biblical figure, Paul, referred to as a more excellent way (the way of love described in 1 Corinthians 13).

I'm not surprised when people (both Christian and non-Christians) require others to be tolerant, while at the same time refusing to offer tolerance to others. But that inconsistency in others will not turn me into an intolerant person. Jesus offered people another way, and allowed them to choose. We should do the same.

Kurt!

New

New.  We all like "new."  New clothes, a new car, a new friend, a new this or a new that.  We like new.  It makes sense in some ways.  "New" looks good, smells good, and usually doesn't have any broken parts because new is, well, new.  Part of the illusion of new is that we get a "second chance" at keeping whatever is new, new.  But nothing stays new.  At the end of December 2008 I noticed several articles about how different groups were "glad" to see 2008 "go."  But wasn't 2008 at one time new?  "But, Kurt the war, the economy, global warming were all part of 2008." Well, yes, and those things are all part of TODAY.  There will always be challenges.  The illusion is that new is the solution.  The reality?  New, is just new, it's not better, it's not easier, it doesn't mean we've turned some corner toward a happier outcome.

A more preferable concept might be "now."  We can change now, by rethinking.  We change change now, by making better choices.  We can change now by using forgiveness regularly.  We can change now, by saying "no" to bitterness or to being "offended."  We can change now by earning all we can, saving all we can and giving all we can.  We can even treat old things, old values, and old friends better now, and perhaps repair old things, old relationships and even make them better than new.

And that's all I have to say about that...

Kurt!