The Gilbert, AZ government is catching a world of grief over a recent ruling by the city’s zoning board that a group of Christians may not legally gather for church services in their private residences. Interpreting a section of the zoning code which states that “religious-assembly uses are not permitted in single-family residential structures,” officials issued a cease-and-desist order to a group of seven individuals who had started a home church called Oasis of Truth.
The Mayor and City Council have been in damage-control mode since this story broke, and the zoning board is not currently enforcing their order against the group, so it looks as if justice will prevail and Oasis of Truth Church will be allowed to conduct its activities unmolested by the city. However, the happy outcome for this particular situation does not negate the serious implications of the fact that this situation arose in the first place.
Why on earth would zoning officials feel compelled to ban private citizens from gathering in their homes for religious purposes when we are free to gather for any number of other associative activities? According to the story there was apparently a concern about cars parked on the street, but again, this does not pose an issue for other private gatherings so long as no parking laws are being violated. On any given evening in Gilbert, it’s a certainty that seven or more individuals gather in private homes for any number of reasons. They could be gathering to watch a sporting event, or Desperate Housewives, or Lost. . . a group of ladies might get together to buy and sell jewelry or Tupperware or lingerie, or a group of men for a game of poker and a good cigar. None of these private residential “uses” offends the sensibilities of the zoning officials in Gilbert. So long as parking rules are followed and there are no complaints from neighbors, everything is kosher in their eyes. Interesting how their perspective changes when it’s a group coming together to worship God’s son and read His Word.
There is no rationale under the sun that could justify such a shameful misapplication of the law. The question remains why a random group of public officials would harbor such animus towards religion. You’d think there would be one sane board member among the group that would speak up for reason in this situation.
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The Democrats are gearing up for a final Health Care Reform push. Pelosi is proclaiming that there is no more room for compromise, editing, or dealing (read it here). And Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is happily predicting a passage by the end of the week (read it here).
Yet several Democrats have already stated their opposition to the bill as it stands now (read it here). Nor is the public supportive; a CNN poll (find it here) a few weeks back shows:
Twenty-five percent of people questioned in the poll say Congress should pass legislation similar to the bills passed by both chambers, with 48 percent saying lawmakers should work on an entirely new bill and a quarter saying Congress should stop all work on health care reform.
With all of this opposition, a bill pushed through like this is bound to produce major blowback in the upcoming elections. You would think enough Democrats would be worried about saving their seats to stop this. If not, this bill could hurt the Democratic Party over the next few decades, depending on the fallout.
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Ross Douthat has written an excellent op-ed on mysticism or religiosity in our modern culture. His basic argument is that we’ve come to embrace mysticism in a highly individualist, highly relativist manner. This has led to an increase in belief in the supernatural with a simultaneous diminishing of religion’s role outside of the individual’s personal sphere. One great part of the piece (which you can read here):
By making mysticism more democratic, we’ve also made it more bourgeois, more comfortable, and more dilettantish. It’s become something we pursue as a complement to an upwardly mobile existence, rather than a radical alternative to the ladder of success. Going to yoga classes isn’t the same thing as becoming a yogi; spending a week in a retreat center doesn’t make me Thomas Merton or Thérèse of Lisieux. Our kind of mysticism is more likely to be a pleasant hobby than a transformative vocation.
This is a trend I’ve been expecting for several years now. Our postmodern age has produced a double-edged sword in regard to religion. We now accept religious views or experiences far more than the past two generations, but we’ve also come to see religion as a purely private matter with no broader implications. This mentality boils down to “I’m glad you found something you like – just don’t try to share it with anyone else.”
I’m torn as to whether this mentality is any better than the science-minded modernism that preceded it. On the one hand, it is good to see an increased openness to religion and the supernatural. On the other hand, what good is this openness if it amounts to nothing more than a hobby. What do you think?
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I was discouraged to hear about Glenn Beck’s recent tirade against “social justice” (listen to audio here and read more here). We at the Center for a Just Society have been working for years to educate people about what “social justice” truly means. The idea of social justice has strong roots in Catholic social teaching. It is based on the idea of a community of people working to love their neighbors as themselves and provide for the needs of their own community. Traditional social justice has nothing to do with socialism, progressivism, communism or nazism.
The Left has co-opted the phrase in recent years and redefined it to mean merely “government provision.” Social justice is a broad concept that goes far beyond government action, and many (though definitely not all) of the churches who do “social justice” projects are seeking to fulfill their proper role of being a benevolent influence in their communities.
Beck’s dismissive take on social justice merely reinforces the Left’s redefinition of the phrase at great cost. Social justice properly understood is gravely neglected in our modern society. In fact, it is an idea that has largely been lost on both sides of the political aisle. To dismiss it as leftist rhetoric is to miss the big picture and hurt communities all over the world. I just hope that Beck does a bit more research and careful thinking before his next tirade.
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A Christian ministry called Answers in Genesis has launched a media campaign (along with an interactive website/blog) to share their faith in the Gospel message with the world and demonstrate that the Christian faith is one that includes believes from all races, cultures, nationalities, and walks of life.
From the Christian Post:
The theme of the campaign, “I Am Not Ashamed,” is inspired by the verses found in Romans 1:16: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jews, then for the Gentile.”
Organizers said they felt this is the message that America most needs to hear right now.
Notably, the theme of the newly launched video Bible campaign is reminiscent of the message that evangelist Franklin Graham gave at the beginning of this year. Graham began 2010 by declaring he is not ashamed of the Gospel and predicted there would be greater obstacles for Christians who want to share their faith.
“I am not afraid or ashamed of the Gospel,” Graham wrote in a commentary posted on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website in January. “We will proclaim the Gospel of Christ’s sacrificial death for sin and His triumphant resurrection as long as we have breath.”
I think this is a good thing. Unfortunately, it is becoming harder and harder for Christians to share the Good News in the public square. For some reason, it’s the only religion that our postmodern, relativistic culture is unwilling to “tolerate.” More and more people find themselves alienated from their friends, colleagues, even their family, because of their faith in Christ. While we know that we are to speak our faith boldly, even in the face of criticism or, heaven forbid, persecution, it’s not always easy to do. But there is strength in numbers! So if Christians from across the globe can unite together in strength to proclaim what might be difficult to say alone, more power to them!
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