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Introduction To The House of Carr
Introduction To The House of Carr

Now That It's Over

Still wrapping up from Tuesday's election, I just wanted to touch on a few of the referendums that Ohioans voted on. I withheld comment before the vote, trying not to give "endorsements" but feel a little more liberated to speak after the fact. First, I think this election showed that voters were truly informed on what they were voting on. For instance, locally there was an issue up for a new jail in Hamilton County. One problem: nowhere in the language on the ballot was the word prison/jail used. It was rather ambiguous and merely referred to the sales tax increase being allocated for "law enforcement needs." Pretty shady. Voters, however, saw through that and voted it down. Same thing for the gambling initiative in the state of the Ohio. I don't think people are necessarily against gambling but the terms of the issue and the manipulation of the voters was extremely deceptive. Again, people saw it for what it was.

And the biggest proof was Ohio Issues 4 & 5, both concerning public smoking. Big tobacco companies were behind Issue 4, a constitutional amendment called "Smoke Less Ohio" while the total smoking ban [Issue 5]was a referendum backed by "Smoke Free Ohio." If Issue 4 passed, it would've trumped Issue 5. Voters knew the difference, defeating 4 and passing 5.

But even though voters were informed what they were voting on, I'm not sure if they really examined the ramifications of them. Let's take the smoking ban, for instance. The majority of the state thinks it's good for no smoking in public places and restaurants. It's understandable; I have some family members who get physically ill when around smoke, so you want them to be safe. This wide sweeping law makes smoking illegal practically everywhere, including bars. Again, it's no big deal for most of the state . . . except here in Cincinnati.

If you're in Columbus and there's no smoking, then there's a level playing field. I highly doubt that people will move from a city because of such a ban. And they're not going to drive to Pennsylvania or Indiana to hit a bar across the border just so they can get a drink a puff on a cancer stick at the same time. The same is true in Cleveland and Akron. But here in Cincinnati, patrons can easily cross the borders to two states where they can have their cake and eat it too. So of all the major cities in the state, Cincinnati takes the groin shot with this one.

Similar to the gambling issue, it's not that a smoking ban was a bad idea, but the way the referendum was worded wasn't the best to get the job done. But apparently we've now discovered the today's most despised minority: smokers.

In a similar vein, our state also passed a new minimum wage law; another "good idea, poor implementation practice." Notice that in all the craziness of political ads, there was little mention of this initiative. It's something that a lot of people can get behind without motivation- helping out the people who need the most help. Seems simple. What voters didn't realize is that this new law will prove more costly than a sales tax increase.

Who eventually pays for the increase? The consumer. The wage increases will be added on to everything you purchase. And as the lowest wage earners increase, everyone else on the scale will increase as well. And tacked on to this was a continual cost of living increase in the minimum wage, so that $6.85 isn't the stopping point. So as we all get "pushed up" through the pay scale for doing the same amount of work. And this, friends, is how we get inflation.

And the thing no one talked about is that now all state employers must keep detailed records of all employees for up to three years after they stop working for you. And, according to this new law, you have to provide that documentation to practically anyone who asks. This was a stunt by the unions to get their hands on information formerly out of their reach. So more paperwork, more expenses. Who pays for that? We do.

Again, it's not that a minimum wage raise wasn't a good thing but it needed to be done properly. It should be done, but more incrementally and with fewer strings attached. Now we're stuck with something that could hurt that state's economy even before the new state administration takes office. Hunker down, fellow Ohioans, it could get sticky.

While everyone viewed this results of this past Tuesday as a message sent that it's time for sweeping change, voters probably didn't realize that their most important decisions weren't even for a particular candidate.

Vote The Rock

I was almost disenfranchised this afternoon. As I had today with Kaelyn, I was following some of the news coming out about today's election. Local congressmen Steve Chabot was refused a ballot because his valid driver's license had a different address on it than he was registered at. He promptly went home claiming, "that's the law" and got a bill with his name on it to prove it.

First voting observation: is there anyone in Cheviot who doesn't know Steve Chabot? Isn't the point of requiring ID to make sure that the person is who they say they are? This is just a blatant example of how voting scandals have made the system a mockery. Also, this is an example of poll workers on a power trip.

Once I heard this I called Kelly and reminded her to get a bill when she got home, as we were voting this afternoon together; my driver's license still has our Maineville address on it. I began to think how stupid this was a looked it up on the internet to see this law for myself. Apparently Chabot was wrongfully turned away. I found Ohio State revised code 3505.18 which states, "Voters must bring identification to the polls in order to verify identity. Identification may include a current and valid photo identification." The state of Ohio website also states, "You may also use your Ohio driver's license or Ohio photo I.D. -- even if it shows a previous address."

I was ready to go.

I memorized the number of the law and went with Kelly to the polling place. Of course, they ask to see my ID and I show them my license. I show them. And this is how it breaks down:

"Is this your current address?"

"No ma'am, it isn't."

"You're going to need another piece of information if you want to vote."

"Ma'am, Ohio Revised Code 3505.18 states that . . ."

Pollster rolls her eyes and cuts me off

"We've been hearing this all day."

"Ma'am, you've heard it because it's the law."

I'm getting warmed up. I'm ready to be disenfranchised. Wonder what it will feel like.

At this, my wife pulls out an electric bill and hands it to the lady. She remembered to pack it with her like I asked and had no desire to see me argue the finer issues of the Ohio Revised Code with a senior citizen. So my disenfranchisement was avoided because Kelly felt we had better things to do with our time. I was ready to call the police and report a crime. But my wife reminded me that we're in a part of town where the police have better things to do. Fine. Where are Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton when you need them?

Second voting observation: the ballots in Hamilton County are ridiculous. It's a scan-tron type sheet the size of a legal document. When the poll worker assists you in feeding the sheet into the electronic scanner they can totally see who you voted for. So in order to solve the problems stemming from the past couple of Presidential elections, the best they can come up with is a worse version of standardized tests I took twenty years ago in elementary school. Isn't that special?

Democracy in action: it's like killing your own dinner.

Gone Country

I don't watch the Country Music Awards but I might have to start if Faith Hill is going to lose it every time she loses an award. After losing Female Vocalist of the Year to Carrie Underwood, Hill showed her disappointment by yelling "What?!?!" into the camera and walking away.

Apparently Hill left some of her solid country fans disillusioned when she went mainstream. She's been trying to make a comeback in country circles, knowing that it's where the consistent money is at, and she loses a major award to an American Idol. Only a blaring extended middle finger could've been more succinct.

Of course, the spin has begun. Faith said it was all a joke and that she'd never disrespect another artist that way. Here's a link to a close up of her reaction. You tell me if she was just kidding.

I, for one, don't buy it.

Am I A Poser?

Yesterday I did something I'm ashamed of: I led patriotic songs in a worship service.

I've been helping out my home church during the past few weeks. They're currently without an associate minister so I agreed to lend a hand. It's a good gig for a few extra bucks per week. I'm not leading with a guitar, but singing hymns and choruses while a band plays instruments. I'll admit that it's been kinda fun to scan the hymnal for songs I haven't sung in 10+ years. Not quite my style overall, but it's gone rather smoothly. Except that . . .

Yesterday's focus of the service was preparing for the election and they wanted patriotic songs. If you know my philosophical leanings concerning American Christianity, you know I'm not a fan of pro-America songs during worship services so I was faced with a dilemma: take a stand or fold. Well, you know what they say, "God Bless America."

I know some people pride themselves on being "real." They wouldn't dream of going against their personal principles, no matter what the venue. Me: not so much.

We all sell out a different points in our life. Otherwise we end up in jail, unemployed, or alone. We just insist on deceiving ourselves that we're James Dean on a motorcycle. But I'm not going to pretend I'm a maverick. I did something I didn't want to do yesterday. But there are worse things in life.

I love the life we have now as we're starting Echo. I'll do whatever it takes to keep it going. People have sacrificed much more in order to make their dreams a reality. If that means a blaring out a couple of verses of America The Beautiful, then strike up the band.

Selling out definitely beats some other jobs.

Who D'oh!

Things aren't looking good in Bengals land. Cincinnati's at 4-4, two games behind the Ravens. If you check out the local media, people are jumping off the bandwagon as if we're hauling anthrax. I'll admit: I'm nervous, but I still think a play-off berth is possible. Both Baltimore and Cincinnati have three games until they play each other again. The Bengals have a more difficult stretch [San Diego, @New Orleans, @ Cleveland] while the Ravens seem to have a cake-walk [@Tennessee, Atlanta, Pittsburgh]. If Cincinnati could sweep these next three, difficult but doable if they're really going to compete for the play-offs, then they're right there. I would doubt the Ravens will go undefeated in that span [a five-game winning streak?] which would make the Thursday night against Baltimore in Cincy a chance for the Bengals to equalize in the division.

I know, sounds like a lot to happen, but this is still the modern-day NFL. Parity reigns supreme. There's always a sure-fire team that fails to make the play-offs [I think New Orleans]. And there's always be a team that everyone writes-off that makes it there [re: Cincinnati]. I'm cracking up that all these people are ready to bail on the Bengals. They haven't played a consistent game all year. They're due. If they can bust one open next week against play-off bound San Diego, then it'll get things rolling.

Ye of little faith.

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Sad

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I took the night to think about the news that broke yesterday about Ted Haggard. He's a megachurch pastor in Colorado and President of the National Association of Evangelicals. Haggard has been accused of carrying on a three year relationship with a male escort. I thought about throwing out some thoughts here last night, but wanted to be patient to see if today brought forth any additional information. You had to figure something happened since he stepped down from both these positions; even if you're innocent, immediately resigning never looks good. Apparently there is more.

Whereas last night Haggard denied ever being unfaithful, this morning we read that he's admitted to "some indiscretion." I'm sure that, by the weekend, there will be a much clearer picture of all went on. This will allow for this story to blow up by next week, right before the election. This becomes an issue as Haggard was involved in Colorado's fight to ban gay marriage, so expect to see much more about it.

Much will be written about this incident on the web in days to come, but allow me to make a few observations:

1) I wasn't surprised. It's not like I go around betting which guys will cheat on their spouse, however, it's become a fact of life: ministers are human and still sin. If allegations prove to be true, this could be the highest profile fall in American evangelicalism in twenty years. I guess we should be surprised it lasted this long without an incident.

2) Mega-problems. Even though the majority of evangelicals seem to prefer the megachurch, it becomes a beast. They're usually born out of the personality of one individual who is followed as an ultimate spiritual guide. But when all eyes are focused on one man, the pressure can become suffocating. I'm not excusing what Haggard did, but does the same thing happen if he's pastoring a church of 150 instead of 15,000? Perhaps, but I think the odds become much less if his face isn't constantly in Time Magazine. I'll be curious to see what happens at New Life, the church Haggard pastors. How will they move on after all this?

There's nothing wrong with us having megachurches but I don't think we take seriously enough the awesome responsibility surrounding pastors of such large flocks. It puts a lot on one guy. Again, it makes you really appreciate the life of Billy Graham, how he was able to reach so many people and avoid all the controversy. That in of itself might be the most amazing thing about his ministry.

3) Check myself. I'm madly in love with my wife, but I can't ever get too cocky to think it could never happen to me. As a minister, you deal with some of the most private, intimate moments in people's lives. You're supposed to empathize and reach out to vulnerable people. That creates awkward situations that can quickly morph into improper relationships.

I do my best to guard myself of even having such situations present themselves. At all cost, I will avoid being in the same room/automobile alone with someone of the opposite sex. I love my wife and my ministry and would like to keep both.

4) Disappointed in Dobson. Despite all the pieces of this scandal, I find it most embarrassing that James Dobson felt the need to immediately come out and defend Haggard. It's not that he supported him, but went as far to say it was all made up. Dobson said,

"It is unconscionable that the legitimate news media would report a rumor like this based on nothing but one man's accusation . . . it appears someone is trying to damage his reputation as a way of influencing the outcome of Tuesday's election."

How does Dobson know this is a conspiracy? What if the accusations are entirely true? He's willing to bet Focus on The Family on it? And is it truly all about the election? I think Dobson will regret his quick response to this one. And I believe this will be a catalyst towards . . .

5) The Transformation of American Evangelicalism. I could be wrong on this one, but I've really sense it coming. The past twenty years of Evangelicalism have been dominated by the Christian Right. Believers were sure that if we could control the American political landscape that God would bless our nation. Within the past ten years, that wish was granted as all three branches of our government became conservative. And yet we discover that we're really not better off than we were before the movement began.

The emerging generations of Christians aren't as interested in transforming US politics as they are changing their world. They're more interested in AIDS in Africa than they are Red State vs. Blue State. I'm not saying it will be perfect, but new leaders will rise to set the course as voices like Dobson and Falwell are totally ignored. For the shift to begin to take place, the foundation of present American Evangelicalism needs to be rocked. This could be that event.

All in all, it's incredibly sad incident. Thankfully, our allegiance is to a perfect God rather than to imperfect men.

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Ben Witherington made some excellent observations about the Haggard situation, most of which I agree with. Definitely worth checking into.

None Of The Above

We're at six days and counting until we can collectively move on with our lives. First and foremost, I do hope you plan on voting next week. I don't care who you vote for, but the representative democracy system is a pretty good one [although I'd like to try a little anarchy sometime] so we should support it.

That being said, this has been one of the most painful election seasons I can ever remember. I've never seen so many accusations levied back and forth. It's not enough that I have to watch it back-to-back during every commercial break [including the cable channels] but that we're bombarded over the phone and direct mail. I need to attend someone's election celebration to get my hands on free boos so I can self-medicate from the last few months of craziness.

While I'll spout some political observations here from time to time, I'm leery of coming out and supporting certain candidates/parties/issues because it's not my thing. You might disagree, but I think it's a good idea for clergy to remove themselves from political endorsements. Each party has its own agenda, none is above reproach, and I'm not sure we would ever hear, "I'm Jesus Christ, the risen Savior of the World and I approve this message;" So allow me to sit back, relax, and throw out a thought about this midterm election.

Obviously, the issue looming large over this election is the Iraqi war. The Dems are piling on the GOP this fall, saying they led the country into another Vietnam. The authorization for the war was granted in Congressional Joint Resolution 114, which passed the House 296-133, and the Senate 77-23. Believe it or not, this vote was taken over four years ago, in October of 2002.

Do you remember what life was like then? They were excavating Ground Zero. The nation still longed for revenge. The President continually urged us to "get on with our normal lives." So we invaded Iraq and won the war very quickly. But the peace still has not been established and the US military death toll now approaches 3,000. Americans have forgotten the sick feelings surrounding 9/11 and turned on this war, wanting it over and done for.

But the reality is that, regardless of who we elect this week, it will not hasten the American withdrawal from Iraq. Even if the Democrats take both House and Senate [I predict they will get only the House], it won't change the current state of the war. We're there for a little longer no matter what happens next Tuesday. So the fact that both parties are exploiting the war and surrounding issues in order to sway voters is ridiculous.

It was popular to want to attack Iraq four years ago and now it's popular to bash us for going there in the first place. Just like the Republicans used pro-war commercials in '04 and kept the White House, the Democrats are rolling at the war for their cause and will see success in '06.

But here's the deal: check the links above for the votes on Resolution 114 and you'll discover that quite a few Democrats crossed the aisle to support the measure to invade Iraq. Regardless of how much these congressmen disagreed with the conflict, they felt it was a better move to side with patriotism and give the go ahead for war. If more of them had stuck to their guns and help party lines, the entire political landscape would be different today.

My take: if John Kerry had voted against the Iraqi War, he wouldn't be making dumb comments this week in California; rather, he'd be saying ludicrous comments from the Oval Office. If Kerry votes "no" on 114, he wins the Presidency in '04. His "yes" vote neutered his criticism of Bush and he didn't have the issue cornered. And if the Dems had stuck together, held their ground and voted "no," as well, they would have nailed down both Houses of Congress this year. That resolution could've changed political history. Instead, the Democrats left the GOP with some life, opening up the opportunity to keep some power in Congress and form a good run for the White House in 2008.

I think history will show that Iraq wasn't the best decision, but at the time there weren't many other options. Unfortunately politics muddles the issues and doesn't allow us to objectively look at the situation. The best intentions for our country will never be realized as long as we're stuck in a two party political system. That's just politics.

I know this sounds unlikely, but I think the events of this decade will lead to the establishment of a legitimate third party in American politics. It hasn't happened in over 100 years of American history, so it might seem unlikely, but it could be time. Ours and the next generation has been given too many choices for too long to be content with only two parties. And as people are more educated than ever before, and that the internet makes it possible for people to become celebrities overnight, the time is ripe for it to finally happen. Somewhere, someone will emerge to cast the vision that neither party is hitting. Maybe it's time for Monty Brewster to step up.

But one thing I know for sure: next Wednesday morning we'll wake up and go about our days and the world won't be different, regardless of who was elected this week. But Jesus will still be King.

Bring On Some Hoops

College basketball's back, and I'm glad. Sure, this might be the worst season of UC basketball since Tony Yates coached, but I'm rather excited about it. Anything this team of hastily recruited team of misfits does will be a bonus. Following last year's team was heart-wrenching because they had the talent to perform but injuries, transfers, and academics all played into the disaster. This year the Bearcats will be total underdogs. Heck, they could actually lose their exhibition to NKU tonight.

But I'm still looking forward to it. Mick is going to bring a National Championship to Cincinnati again, I just know it. And it all begins with tonight's new page being turned.

I should get off my butt and go to the game tonight.

Hallowed Eve

Memo to Satan: we're taking back this holiday. I'm a huge believer in cultural reclamation; when at all possible, we need to redeem culture to use for Christ. Halloween is one of those things. Unfortunately many churches feel that it's the devil's holiday so they develop alternative Halloween opportunities for their Christian kids, separating them from normal society while [unintentionally?] condemning people who let their kids trick or treat. Plus, they miss out on a golden opportunity to get to know the people in their community. So at Echo, we use Halloween for all it's worth and set up a trunk 'n' treat type area right at the Walnut Hills Christian Church parking lot. It was a good experience.

First, our people brought the good candy [no pennies or Bible tracts] and engaged all the kids and adults who came by. Second, as I told our people Sunday night, God promised me it wouldn't rain tonight, even though the weathermen called for it all week [I could be a prophet]. Third, I got the chance to meet a few more people who live in the neighborhood. I was able to introduce myself as the pastor of Echo and learn a little bit about them. And also, I was able to hang out with friends who are sharing this journey with us and have our mission to this city reinforced.

But the thing that made me smile the most is that this is our church's first tradition. It's fun to be able to say, "remember last year when . . ." It reminds me that we've made it this long- that we survived a year. And we even had a few people stop by that remembered that we did this last year. Slowly we're planting roots in this community.

Tonight was very cool.

What The Fore?

How can two ministers go to a golf course on a beautiful day and almost get in two fights? I'm still not sure myself, but it almost happened today.

Aaron and I decided to take the afternoon off and squeeze in nine holes at a nearby course. Obviously, we weren't the only ones who had the idea. A beautiful day brought out all sorts of golfers, backing up the course [it doesn't help when the old men in front of you line up every putt as if it's the Masters]. After twenty minutes on the 300 yard par 4 1st hole, the starter drove up to us and asked us to pair up with the people behind us. That's odd in of itself, because the people behind us weren't even done with their hole and the guys in front of us were teeing off. Aaron logically asked if we should pair up with the older gentlemen ahead of us and the starter replied, "whatever."

Right as we started to hit our balls a greenskeeper decided it would be a good time to blow some leaves of the green of the par 3. While we waited for the dude on the green to move, the old farts got ticked off and sped off in their cart muttering, "we're not going to wait on you guys. Play by yourselves." Aaron tried to yell back at them as they were driving off, but they were half-way to the green. Turds.

So then we paired up with the rednecks behind us. These guys were in cut-off jeans, mullets, and had no less than fifteen cans of Budweiser in their golf cart [no exaggeration]. When we told them the story about the old men they proceeded to hit their golf balls at them while they were still on the green. I cautioned the guys, lest we get kicked off the course, to which one responded, "wouldn't be the first time. I got kicked out off Hartwell, Glenview . . ." and he proceeded to list a few other courses he could no longer play at. At least these guys were entertaining.

So a few holes later, we were again waiting on the old man whores in front of us to take their shots [sounds cruel, but we were continually around these guys and they never said a word to us or even looked at us]. The rednecks were in their cart by the tee box, right on the edge of the cart path. It needs to be noted that while they weren't fully on the cart path, they were on the grass/dirt part right before the path started. So another set of old guys playing behind us finally catch-up with us and proceed to yell at the rednecks to get their cart on the cart path. Apparently being four feet from the paved section of the path was too far for these gentlemen to bear and they made it known by barking orders as if they owned the course. Aaron and I hit our balls and walked off as the new old guys were still yelling at the rednecks.

It was then that we decided we were done playing golf for the day.

I've never left a round of golf early, no matter how bad I was playing, unless it was pouring rain. It was surreal, truly a good walk spoiled. I'm not sure if there's a lesson to be learned here, except it sucks to be playing golf around old people. They can do/say whatever they want to you and pay no penalty. I mean, you can't really get into a fight with them because, if you do, you'll end up making the news as the crazy guy who punched an old man on the golf course.

At least the old people couldn't affect the weather. It was gorgeous out today.

I Speak The Truth

Newspaper endorsements are dumb. I don't care to elaborate, but the Enquirer is looking ridiculous with the arbitrary nature of their picks. Do people actually decide on who they'll vote for because their newspaper thinks they should? In case you were confused about my election prediction from the other day, the man I believe will win the Presidency in 2008 is Barack Obama. Despite the odd resemblance of his name to one Osama Bin Laden, I think he's golden.

Tim pointed me to this article written by Charles Krauthammer [which I ironically read a few minutes early] saying the Obama should run but claimed "he will not win. The reason is 9/11. The country will simply not elect a novice in wartime."

I think he's dead wrong. Like Colin Powell, it's his if he wants it. You have to examine the full picture.

There's no way in Hades that the Republicans keep the White House. Bush was gifted a second term when the Dems ran a boring Kerry at him; if they even had a decent candidate, it would've been theirs [likewise, if the GOP had ran anyone but Dole against Clinton in '96, they would've ousted him]. People will be ready to switch the Presidency to the other party, so if Obama can run the primaries, he's golden. Since it looks like Hillary will be his main opponent, things look even better. And Barack's religious background will play well enough among the many in the valued conservative Christians demographic that they'll give him their vote.

These are different times. Image is everything and there's such a deficiency of articulate public speakers that Obama is the logical choice.

So does he want it?

Gotta' Serve Somebody

I recently read about a church that canceled its regular Sunday worship gathering to go out in the community and do an Extreme Makeover Home Edition type thing throughout their community. They thoroughly marketed the event in their community and helped do repairs on 60+ homes as part of their Big Event Outreach. On the website describing this church event, I read many voices that chimed in stating that this was an excellent idea. The only criticism was that the Event took place in an affluent area of their town. That's neither here nor there as far as I'm concerned, for I'd like to go deeper to the root of the situation:

Should we cancel a regular worship service to do service projects?

I'm not wanting to dump on and question the motives of the church who tried this; I think they were totally sincere in this decision. That being said, I'm not sure this event is something that would've been imagined just five years ago.

I'm only thirty but I've been around long enough to figure out that the American church is suseptable to trends. From flannel-graph and church buses, to Purpose-Driven Lives and worship bands and, most recently, marketing and social justice. We have to be honest that service-oriented outreach is becoming trendy. Some might say that it found its resurgence here in Cincinnati. Will it end up being more than a trend? Difficult to say. Serving is great, but we have to decide what role it should take on in our churches.

Now I wouldn't argue against a church that wants to be out in the community showing God's love through service. However, I'm not sure that replacing a normal worship gathering to do sends the proper message. Why cancel "regular worship" for this? Is it because that time provides the best numbers? If that's the case, that the only way we can get a good response from our people to do good works is to do it when you usually celebrate God corporately, then maybe our church needs a reality check.

Is it to make a good impression on outsiders? Then we truly need to reevaluate our motives. Is it because we believe this is what God is calling us to do? That's a tough reason to argue against, but I would attempt to hold it up against Scripture and history to determine if we're respecting those who've gone before us.

Why do we worship every Sunday? Scripture indicates that it was to gather together to give God praise. Most notably, it's so we believers can celebrate the risen Jesus through communion [Acts 20:7]. This 1st century tradition carried on. In the Didache, written sometime in the 1st or 2nd century, we get a glimpse into how the early church worshiped:

"But on the Lord's day, after that ye have assembled together, break bread and give thanks, having in addition confessed your sins, that your sacrifice may be pure." [14:1]

Again, we see Christ and communion as center of the gathering. While specifics of worship have changed/evolved throughout the years, the focal point has stayed consistent for almost 2,000 years. So is canceling service for service project right? Not sure; it's difficult to develop an airtight case against it so it's probably a gray issue.

But I would just advise that, if we're going to cancel/transform our weekly worship time, we should make sure to do some soul-searching and see if our theology matches our ecclesiology.

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One Reason The City Is Better Than Mason

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Jennifer Miller, a Mason school board member is demanding that a couple Muslim students observing a Ramadan fast not be allowed to stay in a separate room during the lunch hour. Ironically, the two Muslim boys never used the separate room, choosing to go to the library instead. So the non-issue becomes an issue. Miller's quoted as saying, "We are a Christian nation, not a Muslim nation. Our Christian values have declined and yet we allow other faiths besides Christianity to have precedence in our schools."

Yes, friends, this is the biggest problem in Mason, Ohio. This lady is totally delusional. Just a few reasons why:

1) In my three years living there I heard of tens, if not hundreds, of incidents where Mason schools played favorites for students and particular issues. But Miller wants to single out some Muslim kids [who I'm sure aren't singled out because of their faith anyway] because that's obviously what Jesus would want. I'm sure they'll be way more open to the Christian faith now that you've warmed them up to it.

2) We aren't a Christian nation. This topic is an entire post in of itself. And even though some of you would deny this, it's the truth. Judeo-Christian values were centric to the development of our country's laws but that doesn't make us Christian. Slavery was part of our history for almost 100 years. That's the kind of thing a Christian nation would do, huh? The minute we realize this, the better we're able to live out our faith in America.

3) It isn't as if Muslims are the only faith group given preferential treatment in our schools. Living on the westside, attending a public school, I hated the cafeteria on Fridays; all they served was fish. This wasn't a coincidence, as they were helping Catholics adhere to their regulations of their faith. And what public high school that you know has classes on Good Friday or Christmas?

4) Miller may be correct when she asserts, "our Christian values have declined." 'Tis true. When believers roll around in Hummers, vacationing in tropical locations, maintaining million dollar homes, worshipping their children, all while ignoring the issues of the poor and needy- perhaps our values are in need of reevaluation. Oh yeah, I went there.

Don't get me wrong: I loved our years up in Mason; I have many wonderful friends living up there who are doing all they can to live for Christ as best as they can. But there are a lot of people like Miller in Mason who are less concerned about living a life of true Biblical discipleship than they are about dwelling in a Christian nation. Maybe that's why our values are lagging behind.

No, I'm good right here, thank you.

iPurchase Because iCare

Red is in. If you haven't noticed, there's a huge marketing campaign pushing the purchase of certain red objects in order to support the fight against AIDS in Africa. The most notable is the Apple's sale of the new Red iPod. Their website entices consumers noting, "You make choices every day, from the clothes you wear to the music you play. Now making a choice means making a difference." The purchase of one of these iPods yields $10 to the Global Aids fund. Many other "hip" companies are marketing similar "red" products in support of the cause.

You might think that this is a great idea- that these companies actually care about something other than making a profit. But, paint me red and call my cynical, it's just not true.

A recent study shows that Generation Y [or the Millennials, or whatever you want to call this emerging generation], expects these type of moves by the companies from which they purchase. The study concluded:

"An overwhelming 74% surveyed indicate they are more likely to pay attention to a company's overall messages when they see that the company has a deep commitment to a cause. Nearly nine out of ten Millennials surveyed, ages 13-25, stated that they are likely or very likely to switch from one brand to another (price and quality being equal) if the second brand is associated with a good cause."

In short, if you claim that your product donates some profit to a worthy cause, then young hipsters will run to buy it.

This brings about an interesting paradigm shift in marketing. Even though we're still in the midst of a consumer-driven society where your purchases define who you are, people are starting to realize that there's something more to life than serving self. There are people in the world who are in desperate need, which leaves us feeling guilty for buying things. Therefore, if you can tell us that our purchases make the world a better place then not only don't we feel bad, but we're actually being productive.

Hence [I should copyright this]: iPurchase Because iCare.

Do you see how demented this is? It's a "have your cake and eat it too and while you're at it, eat that starving kids piece of cake" mentality. And numerous companies are already starting to use this fact to woo shoppers.

Example 1: Last month I saw a commercial for Macy's with Susan Sarandon telling about a unique sale the story was having. On a given weekend, the store was donating a certain percentage of their profits to a cancer fund. She encouraged us to "make a purchase to save a life." Well, your husband was in Shawshank Redemption and you were in Thelma and Louise, so if you say so . . .

Example 2: Last week, on my off day with Kaelyn, I was watching TV and caught a glimpse of the Rachel Ray show [had to watch a couple of minutes because this chick is being called the Oprah of Generation Y]. She was telling the audience that they should pay $100+ dollars for a pair of jeans so they could help fight breast cancer. Selfless. You gotta believe that no more than $5 per pair would go the foundation. So if you're that passionate why not pay $30 for a cheap pair of jeans and give the rest to the charity. Or get even more pious and keep wearing your old jeans and give the whole enchilada to the cause?

I'm not overtly idealistic here; I'm not advocating that we all need to adopt a ascetic lifestyle. But let's be realistic here: we're being duped by these companies into believing that they care. The M.O. of for-profit companies is to turn a profit. And if they can do so by getting you to believe that you're making the world a better place by purchasing their product, they'll do it in a heartbeat. "I'd like to teach the world to sing . . . "

Don't get me wrong: I'm a Mac guy. I love using Apple products. But I just won't buy [pun intended] their whole "we care about the world" schtick. This trend signals that we're entering into a new stage of marketing: the "we're more pious than our competitors stage." It should be interesting to see where this takes us.

So red isn't really what's in. It's still green.

Uninspired

I really want to leave an intelligent blog post. Honestly I do. But I just can't; it's just not there right now. I'm not quite sure why. I suspect it's because my mind has been all over the place the last couple of days. I've been deep in thought. Thinking about a lot of things recently, such as . . . - Why won't people at least try raising their kids in the city? - Hospitals are boring. - I'm typing pretty well right now but it has nothing to do with the dirt on my typing hand. - Kaelyn having a cold is the saddest thing since she had IV tubes in her head. - "Doppelganger" is the new "plethora." - I might watch 24 this season. A two-year hiatus is enough. - If a politician would use a political attack ad to call their opponent a "filthy whore" I would vote for them in a heartbeat. Until then, I refuse to pay attention. - My brother's in Mexico. Will he bring back some Cubans? - Remember the Seinfeld when Kramer has Jerry bring back Cubans from Florida? - I don't need a car to parallel park for me, thank you. - How will we look at Iraqi War vets in twenty years? - Throwing the long ball on 4th and 1? Ballsy. - My wife is freaking awesome. - If Madonna wanted to adopt me I don't think my father would mind. - Why did we skip fall and go straight to winter? - If 30 Rock isn't good tomorrow, I'm writing it off. - William Tyndale doesn't get enough credit today. - I could shop at Lowe's everyday. - "Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven."

That's all I've got.

And Yet Another Thing . . .

I've not written much about the Buckeyes lately, but it must be said that things are setting up nicely. Michigan is now #2, and as both teams play out the cupcake portions of their schedules, I think we're looking at an epic rivalry game. In years past this would make me nervous, but I have no doubt in Jim Tressel's ownership of Lloyd Carr [absolutely no relation]. It's humorous that last year's team was probably much better but because of an early season loss to the eventual national champion, they never got the chance to prove it.

Perhaps karma does exist . . .

The Amazing Oaf

We're watching the DVR'd episode of this week's Amazing Race. I need a witness about the guy who's the partner with the girl with one leg [did that make sense?]. Anyway, he's gotta be the biggest A-hole on reality television since Omarosa. Anyone? Anyone?

Update: there is justice in this world- the dude was kicked off tonight. Too bad for his partner; as much as he was a turd, she was awesome.