Everything That Rises

It's taken me a while to write this entry (mostly because my schedule has been crammed lately), but after having time to "stew in my juices" I hope the following exposition is worth something. In light of the recent tragedy in Haiti, a lot of people have been asking where God fits in all of this. It happens nearly every time there is some cataclysmic event that shocks the world to attention. Not to mention that it's usually quasi-religious people asking religious "authorities" these kinds of questions. The questions usually go something like this (following a typical pattern dealing with theodicy...you can google that word): "Why would God let this happen?" "How could God do this?" "Where is God/hope in the midst of all of this devastation and despair?" These aren't unfounded questions, but it does seem (at least to me) that most of the people who are asking these sorts of questions are comfortably stationed in their (still

As most of you know who read this, I am a Baptist, and that means one thing --you can't tell me what to do! Baptists are natural offspring of the Enlightenment: we (traditionally) cling to our autonomy, and we loudly claim that religion is a personal choice and can in no way be imposed upon an individual by a government, church, ordained clergy, or any other exterior force aside from the Holy Spirit and only then at the acceptance of the individual. (I certainly hope that is a fair assessment of the Baptist tradition, feel free to correct my misinterpretation). While I am a Baptist, I am first and foremost a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ; I am a Christian. As such, I tend to hold certain beliefs that are considered universal across denominations: the divinity of Jesus, his resurrection, the Trinity (though I guess that would exclude Unitarians, Mormons, and Jehovah's Witnesses, but...) the value (authority, etc.) of the Scriptures, etc. However, as a Baptist, this m

[So it's been a while since I've written anything here, but I have several good excuses: the holidays, the increased workload that comes with the resignation of staff members, a slow desktop computer (now replaced with a more efficient laptop), etc. But the most likely reason I haven't written in a while is because I've felt as if the words I would've written here would be little more than digital sawdust (and who am I to say they haven't been thus far?). So I'll take a new stab at writing something semi-worthwhile.] You were born into a family that couldn't afford to keep you, but couldn't afford to get rid of you. You were raised thinking that people with stairs inside their houses and pools in their backyards had to be the richest people in the world. You've always assumed that everyone smelled like secondhand smoke and cheap laundry powder. You thought all hot dogs were red and bologna was the preferred sandwich meat. As you got older, you w