EVERCLEAR - Jesus Was A Democrat

I'm glad to admit that I enjoyed the music of Everclear during the 90s. Songs like Santa Monica, Herion Girl and Heartspark Dollarsign were favorites. And, although it lacked the irony and jaded nature of the so-called "x" generation, Father of Mine always hits close to home for me.

Anyway...fast-forward to 2008 (and well beyond Everclear's arc of flight). The band has posted the song Jesus Was A Democrat on their website for free download. I could do without some of the overtly partisan claims (and the shelf-life of the McCain reference will expire in less than 3 weeks). If you take those for what they are (and ignore them as such), there are a few things to consider about Jesus.



Jesus Christ didn't have blue eyes or blond hair
He looked just like all those people that you want to kill
Spin your hell into a heaven you can sell
Make it look like California with a bible belt

Jesus didn't look like the boy next door
Unless you live in Palestine
I wonder what you mean by the golden rule
I think it is a scary play on words
I wonder what they taught you back in Sunday school
I bet you think of him
As a nice clean long haired Republican, nah

He would be all locked up in Guantanamo Bay
If he were alive today
He would have been a revolutionary
Wanted by the CIA

I picture him in all the wrong places
Finding diamonds in the dirt
A star of David tattoo
And a Che t-shirt
Jesus Christ was a left wing radical Jew
Murdered by people like you

If Jesus was a Democrat like the bible says he was
I don't think he's going to want to take the blame
For all the awful things you say and do in his name
If Jesus was alive he would be sad to see
That it is no different than it used to be
Someday he's going to call you out
I am pretty god damned sure ......He is going to be angry
He is going to be angry

You want to know what I think?.......I think Jesus would have been a card carrying liberal
If he was a young man born in the USA
He would not be "fiscally conservative"
And he wouldn't vote for John McCain

All those so called Christians that you see on TV
Maybe they scare Jesus like they scare me
Kick you the hell out of my temple too
Too many elephants in the room

If Jesus was a Democrat like the bible says he was
I don't think he's going to want to take the blame
For all the awful things you people do and say in his name
If Jesus was alive today he would be sad to see
That it is no different than it used to be

Someday he's going to call you out
I am pretty god damned sure......He is going to be....mad
He is going to be angry
He is going to be....mad
He is going to be....mad

You say Jesus loves the little children
And I say I know that's true
I say he loves all the Muslims and the Jews
All the addicts and the porn stars too

You say Jesus died to save us all from a fiery hell
I say Jesus died to save us
Save us from ourselves
Will you save me from myself?

If Jesus was a liberal like the red letters say he was
I know he would have big love for all the killers and the racists
And the bullies in this world
If Jesus was alive today
And you had a chance to meet him face to face
I'm pretty God-damned sure that you and your friends
Would find some way to kill him all over again

You would kill him all over again
Again and again and again
Just like you always do
You do just what you always do

My Neighbor's Health Is Not Yours To Sell To Them

I just finished watching the second presidential debate (transcript) and wanted to publish a public "Thank You"...

...to Lindsey Trella.

In the "town hall" format of this debate, audience member Lindsey Trella asked a question that I found to be the highest moment of this debate:

L. Trella: Senator, selling health care coverage in America as a marketable commodity has become a very profitable industry. Do you believe health care should be treated as a commodity?

I found this question to be framed in such a beautifully important way. It identifies the true challenge at the heart of this issue. It's not about government control. It's not about choice of providers. The issue at stake that needs to be discussed is the troubling fact that the current healthcare industry has found ways to profit off of the medical struggles of their neighbors.

I am not naive enough to think that healthcare-produced revenue is altogether wrong. Doctors, nurses and the people who clean the floor and cook the meals deserve to make a living from their lifesaving work. Piles of money is necessary to fund the research that will find treatments and cures for AIDS, cancer, autism, and the many other infirmities that impact lives every day.

What is not acceptable is any form of healthcare being operated from a profit motive. My wife's health is not yours to sell to her. My neighbor's health is not yours to sell to them. It is not your golden ticket. Refusing care is not a "cost saving measure". If we can't agree to the fundamental truth that a person who is sick or injured must be helped in every way possible, we are in trouble. If we can't accept the moral obligation to demand that every person's right to have their life saved or their illnesses and injuries treated, we have lost our morality.

During the debate, Senator McCain offerred a $5000 credit to pay for health insurance. We already have insurance and that is less than our out-of-pocket most years. My parents have to buy their own policy, and $5000 will get them from January to March. I was glad to hear Senator Obama identify healthcare as a "right" during the debate. It is time for leaders like Senator Obama to be bold and courageous on this issue for the sake of those who need an advocate.

It's time to put divisions aside and agree on the simple truth revealed by Lindsey Trella: the health of our neighbor is not a commodity to be bought and sold. Quality healthcare must not be reserved for the person who can afford it. And if you're making a good living off of the healthcare industry, it better be because you are treating the sick and saving lives...and not because you found a way to keep their money by doing the opposite.

Crying Out A Broken Hallelujah

Every now and then a song just haunts me and won't let me go.



Such is the case with the song "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. It started when a favorite songwriter, Michael Knott, recorded a sparse arrangement of the song and put it on his myspace page. Then author/pastor/teacher/theologian/cool-guy-I'd-like-to-know Christian Scharen announced that his next book would carry the title "Broken Hallelujahs" as it explores faith messages in popular culture (his previous book, One Step Closer, is an awesome theology book based on the music of U2). Here is Scharen's description of why he picked the title "Broken Hallelujahs":

In this life, all we are capable of is a broken hallelujah. We’re only even able to raise a broken hallelujah because of what God has done for us. Knowing that keeps us from trying to please God with our shiny “holy hallelujahs” and allows us to be honest about ourselves, our need for God’s mercy, and our call to join in the God’s mission of mercy in the midst of a broken world. (full article)

Back to the song...

The video with this post is my attempt to reflect the way that this song has kept me up late the last few night playing the guitar and singing. Here's the lyrics:

I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?
It goes like this: the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew that Hallelujah

Maybe there’s a God above,
But all I ever learned from love
Is how to shoot at someone who outdrew you.
It's not a cry you can hear at night
It's not somebody who's seen the light
It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah.

The final verse (in my arrangement) is my favorite. I'd be quite happy to have it be the words I use to sum up my existence if I have the opportunity to do so when my time comes:

I did my best, it wasn’t much
I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch
I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I’ll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my lips but...Hallelujah

Thank you Leonard Cohen.

What do you love about Jesus (in 60 seconds or less)?

Kelly Fryer has started a new group on Facebook around her most recent book, Reclaiming The "E" Word.

Even as a church professional, I find myself wondering often if I'm actually living my faith in real life. I don't get hung up on doing good works or worrying if God loves me, but I do wonder about how being a follower of Jesus is making a difference in how I live.

Kelly just started this Facebook group (and if you're not on Facebook yet, how exactly are you wasting your time these days?) and she sent around a question in hopes that we would actually answer it:

"What is at the CORE of what you believe and why your faith matters to you and what difference you think Jesus makes in the world??? Can you say it in 60 seconds or less??"

Part of "reclaiming the E word", I think, is being able to EXPRESS it simply, passionately, in a way that makes sense to everyday people. As a Christian who happens to be a mainliner or progressive, what IS the core message of your faith. What, in a nutshell, is what you believe? It'll help me - and all of us, I think - to hear your answers to that question.

I really like that idea of not being afraid to share what I believe. Some may be surprised to hear that this is a struggle, even for a pastor. Deal with it. I'm trying to. So I offered the following reply on Facebook, trying to stick close to 60 second guideline:

I love Jesus because Jesus came into our world and announced that there was something better. A new kingdom. Not off in eternity somewhere, but here and now. On earth as in heaven.

I love Jesus because Jesus is totally fine with the fact that we can't accomplish this new reality on our own, but nonetheless calls us to put all that we are into making it happen.

I love Jesus because Jesus always seems to line up next to those on the outside. This gives me great comfort when I don't fit in and challenges me immensely when it's someone else on the margin.

I love Jesus because everything that seems messed up about the way Christianity is lived out today is ususally best exposed not by the critique of others, but by the life and teachings of Jesus himself.

So get over to Facebook and join the group. And then...answer the question. You can post your responses to the question here, too.

In Defense of Mallrats Everywhere....

This past weekend the largest mall in Delaware (i.e. your average shopping mall) began to enforce a curfew on Friday & Saturday evenings. "Teenagers under 18 without adult supervision are being turned away at Delaware's largest mall as of this weekend, as officials attempt to reclaim the center for shoppers, not slackers."

What a load of nonsense. What a steaming, smelly pile of...um...nonsense.

One thing that will consistently annoy me is the scapegoating of youth. Even in this age that is often described as detached, youth remain very good at finding enjoyment in being together. As our society turns more toward isolating ourselves in cubicles and suburbs without sidewalks, there are less and less places that such group socilization occurs organically. It's a sobering thought to think that a shopping mall can become the best option for (according to the mall's GM) more than 2,000 youth on any Friday or Saturday.

If there is a positive side to this, I would suggest that it shines a harsh light on the reality that shopping malls exist for one purpose: to profit from consumerism. The fact that teens aren't welcome to socialize at the mall stems from the same reason that I have to wander down endless hallways into the bowels of any mall whenever I need to go to the bathroom. The mall places a higher priority on our ability to spend than on my physical need to use the bathroom or the need of 2,000 youth to build relationships with their peers. In an earlier article, a spokesperson for the International Council of Shopping Centers had this to say: "What has to be remembered is the mall is there for commerce; it's not a hangout. It's a private property, and it's there for shopping."

If "the church" is alive in Delaware, they will join with other decent and caring people in realizing that young people hanging out with friends is not a problem to be dealt with, but a good thing. They will find ways to foster that desire to build relationships and community. They will give them places to congregate safely, but also on their own terms. They will show youth the respect that they often demand for themselves. They will also wise up to the fact that the Christiana Mall has no additional regard for them beyond their ability to spend and consume. If they must consume, they'll find somewhere else to take their money.

"Truth is Stranger..." - Gas Station Graffiti

I typically don't take photographs in a gas station bathroom (I basically try to keep my name unconnected with the words "conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy"). However, this past weekend was the exception.

The bathroom was as unremarkable and unpleasant as one would expect at a gas station. The walls were covered with your typical bigotry-driven graffiti: anti-semitic, anti-black, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, etc. etc.

I found this one in the middle of it all and snapped a picture with the phone. I'm convinced that it was written by someone who shares my satirical sense of humor. Either that, or someone has run out of people to hate.

Just For Fun: Real Preachers of Genius

This video made me laugh. Enjoy!