Reflecting on the Decline of The Daily Paper

I have always been a newspaper guy.  Growing up in Detroit our family subscribed to two daily papers; the morning Detroit Free Press and the afternoon Detroit News.  My primary focus was usually the sports section, reading the baseball box scores and tracking the leaders in the various categories.  I also read the front page and metro section.  Fall was always an exciting time in the Motor City and the papers featured the first images of the new models from the various manufacturers. 

While in high school I delivered the Detroit Free Press.  I arose at 5:00 AM and retrieved the papers that had been delivered to our front porch.  I folded all 150 papers and then placed them in a canvas sack that could be hung from the handlebars of my Schwin Bike.  I took my responsibility seriously.  The people on my route depended on me to provide them with the latest news.  There was an added benefit; I also perused the paper as I folded them.  I had a technique; my work area was the rear stairway where I would sit on the steps folding the papers, with the sport section tacked to the wall across from me. 

Barb and I still subscribe to the Dallas Morning News.  I sense we are a dying breed. We might be the only people on our block to still get a daily paper.  I am holdout and recently renewed our subscription for another year.  I know I could get much of the same information via television or radio (KRLD- News 1080) but there is something about reading the news and processing the information.  I also read the editorial section and while I do not always agree with the opinions expressed, I have learned the value of listening to alternative voices. 

Today, people have a choice when it comes to how they get their news.  For young folks, social media has become the top choice.  In my opinion, the problem with using social media as the primary source for information is two-fold; the individuals and sources within our social network often share our opinions or perspectives, and there is no filter on social media so it becomes difficult to distinguish “factual” from “fake” news. 

I would like to propose a solution to this problem.  We need to first acknowledge the power of social media and with it the reality of “fake” news.  At the same time we must 1) stay informed and 2) become engaged with those who might disagree with us.  That is not easy to do because our network of friends and associates usually is made up of people who are like us and often share our opinions.  It begins when we engage in discussions with those who represent other generations and opinions.  It requires stepping outside comfort zone on where we hangout and who we talk to.  Our church family is a great place to start.  If you have young folks in your congregation, get to know them and learn to listen to them. 

Father's Day: Memories of Dad

Today was Father’s Day.  I must admit I still miss my dad.  He died in August, 2004, a victim of cancer of the esophagus.  I got to spend a week with him about a month before he passed. We shared a lot of memories during that week.  I knew dad was slipping because one of the things on our agenda was watching the baseball All Star Game.  After the second inning dad informed me he was tired and needed to rest.  Dad had rule; you never left a baseball game before the final pitch.

Dad was member of Gideons International.  That week, each time I asked him what scripture he wanted to hear his response was the same; Judges 7.  When I asked him why he wanted to hear the story of Gideon defeating the Midianites over and over he said it was because of the lesson that you could do much with a little.  Dad was a living example of that.   He grew up during the Great Depression in a very unstable home environment.  He was raised by aunts and uncles on farms north of Detroit.  He did not graduate from high school until he was in his early twenties.  He served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II.  Dad was stationed in Detroit, and that is where he met my mom. 

After the war dad went to school to learn accounting.  We was a bookkeeper for a number of small companies before spending twenty plus years working for a gas pipeline company.  Dad was involved at church.  I remember him best as the Sunday school superintendent but also served as congregational president and treasurer.  He and mom also sang in the church choir.  Church was not an option in our family and it not surprising my one brother ended up a pastor and my sister a Lutheran school teacher.  Our youngest brother is also very involved in his church.

We moved into our first house when I was four.  It was a “small” bungalow.  My dad built the garage and then finished off the attic so that my brother Jim and I would have a bedroom.  Yes, dad was a handyman.  He was also a collector.  Our basement always contained a collection of old parts.  He had a special fondness for washing machine motors.  He turned them into table saws and grinders. 

Dad was a bowler and one of our favorite stories involves a shipment of defective bowling pins the bowling alley had received.  Dad claimed them and soon everyone in the family had a bowling pin lamp.  After I was married I was home visiting family and stopped by to see Pastor George Kurz who was the only pastor I knew growing up.  Sure enough, there was bowling pin lamp on his desk. 

All this leaves my wondering what kind of stories our kids will tell about me.  I am not the handyman my dad was.  I did not inherit my dad’s accounting skills; I am not even allowed to touch the checkbook.  He did bequeath me his love for music, although he was a tenor and I am bass.  If I have a servant’s heart, you can credit my dad.  There were no strangers in my dad’s world.  I credit him as the reason he and mom lived in the same house on the eastside of Detroit for over forty years.  Color of skin or economic make-up meant nothing to my dad.  Everyone was his neighbor.

My dad was an example of discipleship.  I pray that is the legacy I am passing on to Peter, Mark and Katie. 

Reflecting on 50 Years of Marriage

This weekend Barb and I are celebrating fifty years of marriage.  Our actual anniversary is June 14 but to accommodate family schedules we are celebrating the weekend before.  We are blessed to have so many friends and family members from various parts of the country join us for the festivities.  

In January of 1967 my life was in shambles.  A month earlier a long-term relationship with my high school sweetheart had come to an end.  I was also struggling academically.  My grade point average was so low there was a good possibility I would not be allowed to return from my junior year in college.  The “Great Snow Storm of 67” led to a turning point in my life.  Classes were cancelled but the student leaders seized the opportunity to plan the first on-campus dance in the history of the college.  I was living in an apartment off-campus but found a way to walk the two miles so I could attend the dance.  At the end of the evening my buddies informed me they were escorting a group of girls to their off-campus homes.  Everyone had paired off but there was on one to walk with Barbara Brown.  Little did I know how my life was about to change. 

Barb became my helpmate almost immediately.  She was an honor student and she was not going to allow me to fail.  Study dates became part of our routine.  She also offered to proof-read any major paper I wrote.  By the time we graduated my GPA was high enough to get me into graduate school and I had even made the Dean’s list.  We both graduated on Memorial Day Weekend in 1969 and were married three weeks later.  On July 1^st we began our ministry together at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.  Our ministry would take us back to the Chicago area for sixteen years and eventually to Texas. I had a career in youth ministry and Barb found a way to use her musical talents.  Along the way we were blessed to have three children and create lots of memories. 

Marriage is a life-long commitment.  Even our marriage has had its ups and downs but we remain dedicated to each other.  My prayer is that others might see that in our relationship.  The commitment that Christian couples have to each other might be the strongest testimony we can give to a world that often does not share our perspective; God’s plan is for one man and one woman to be joined together in a life-long journey. 

HALF OF AMERICANS DO NOT BELIEVE HELL IS REAL

According to a recently study, only half of Americans believe that hell is a real place.  The research was done by Baylor University and published in Christianity Today.  From my perspective people struggle with the concept of hell because we have not only trivialized hell but the devil.  It puzzled me how a faith based university could have a Blue Demon as its mascot, and why one of my favorite coaches is leading the Blue Devils.  It’s not surprising people do not believe Satan is real.  We have turned him into a caricature with a pitchfork.  We might even chuckle at cartoons where people are sitting surrounded by flames shoveling coal to keep the fire going. 

Having grown up in an environment where it is all about “fairness,” it is easy to understand why Millennials and Gen Z’s struggle with the existence of a place where people are punished eternally.  Remember, “It’s not fair” is one of their favorite expressions.   Many young people are Therapeutic Moralistic Deist.  If all roads lead to the same God, then Heaven is the place for all “good” people.  Such a perspective does not leave room for punishment.

In the past many Christians have used the “Turn or Burn” approach to bring people to faith. I see that being part of the problem.  When the church comes off as judgmental or accusatory we run the risk of turning people off. I would suggest rather that we love people into heaven. When we exhibit grace, we are opening the door to a possible dual relationship.  People are going to be more open to a long term relationship with us.  That provides us the opportunity to introduce them to Jesus.  That could lead to another long-term relationship.  As they explore God’s Word the realities of both heaven and hell will become more real. 

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Remembering Rachel Held Evans

Rachel Held Evans died yesterday.  I grieve her loss.  She was only 37 and the mother of two young children.  She was also a Millennial who addressed the issues of faith and culture from that perspective.  Rachel Held Evans grew up, and still lived in, Dayton, Tennessee and graduated from Bryan College (Think Scopes Monkey Trial).  She wrote about growing up in that conservative environment in her book Faith Unraveled: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask Questions.  Another book I would recommend is Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving and Finding the Church. 

It is ironic that in her last blog, posted on Ash Wednesday, she reflected on death.

“It strikes me today that the liturgy of Ash Wednesday teaches something that nearly everyone can agree on. Whether you are part of a church or not, whether you believe today or your doubt, whether you are a Christian or an atheist or an agnostic or a so-called “none” (whose faith experiences far transcend the limits of that label) you know this truth deep in your bones: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.”

“Death is a part of life.”

“My prayer for you this season is that you make time to celebrate that reality, and to grieve that reality, and that you will know you are not alone.”

Lord, I thank you for the life of Rachel Held Evans.  My desire is to live her legacy and be Jesus in a broken world.

The Living Bible

The American Bible Society, in partnership with The Barna Group, annually published a “State of the Bible” report.  While it is easy to be discouraged to learn that almost half (45%) of those polled are “disengaged” with the Bible, there are many positive things to be drawn from the most recent research.  Overall, the percentage of those who are “disengaged” from the Bible has decreased by 9%, from 54%.  More significant is the research that underscores the way the Bible is making a difference in the lives of those who are engaged.

The study identifies a number of a number of ways the way the Bible impacts those who read the scriptures regularly.  Six in 10 U.S. adults (59%) believe the message of the Bible has transformed their lives.  Almost half (49%) report the Bible positively impacts their relational and personal spiritual growth. People who are engaged with the Bible also are more benevolent.  Seventy percent (70%) report giving to charity, with the average annual contribution around $100.  Those who are engaged with the Bible give five times that amount, averaging $500 a year.

While the new study does not break down engagement with the Bible by age, other research by the Barna Group does give us some insights into members of Generation Z, today’s teens.  In response to the statement “The actual word of God should be taken literally word of word” only 22% of the teens polled responded yes.  An additional 34% agreed with the statement “The Bible is the inspired word of God and has not errors, although some verses are meant to be symbolic rather that literal.”  The balance of those polled, about 45%, have a less favorable opinion of the Bible, saying it contains historical errors or even not being inspired by God. 

The same study provides some encouragement when it comes to “Engaged Christian” teens.  Eighty-seven percent (87%) of those “engaged teens” agreed “The Bible is totally accurate in all principles it teaches.  Not surprisingly, 93% of the same teens believe “Faith in Jesus is the only way to God.”  Similarly, 99% agreed “Jesus is the divine Son of God.”

All this says to me is that all Christian, regardless of age, need to be living testimonies to what the Bible teaches.  That especially comes when to the way we treat those who are outside the faith.  We need to be messengers of grace and forgiveness.   We might be the only version of the Bible some people read. 

Easter: All Doubts Aside

Peggy Wehmeyer is a regular contributor to the editorial section of the Dallas Morning News.  My first contact with Peggy Wehmeyer was when she was the religion reporter for the ABC affiliate in Dallas, WFAA.  She went on to fill a similar role for ABC News.  Peggy Wehmeyer is a Christian but she covers religion from various perspectives.  Her column that appeared on this Easter Sunday was titled The Mystery of Faith.  She writes of how she continues to struggle with the question: How do I keep believing this?   She shares conversations that she has had over the years with a psychology professor at Harvard, and journalistic colleagues.  She recalls the number of times she was asked, “Why are you a Christian?” 

She concludes her editorial with the following:

“The 17^th Century scientist Balise Pascal once said, ‘In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t.’ 

Easter can be blinding.  Christianity rises and falls on whether it’s true-on whether God supernaturally intervened in human history and raised his son from the dead, or whether the story is just one more religious fable.

So which takes more courage?  This Easter, I want to lay that question to rest.  If I’m wrong, I’ve got little to lose. If I am right, I have everything to gain.”

I appreciate Peggy Wehmeyer’s insights and honesty, but my faith takes me a step further.  I am an Easter person.  As a hospital chaplain I see people’s faith in the Resurrection lived out on a regular basis.  There is no doubt that those who put their faith in Jesus and his Resurrection victory have everything to gain.  I have total confidence in that.   All doubt has been erased.

And it is not just me.  The strongest testimony comes from St. Paul who went from boldly arresting Christians to becoming one of the most influential missionaries of all time.  Paul met the risen Christ face to face.  That moved him to proclaim, “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For in Adam all died so in Christ all are made alive.”  (I Corinthians 15:20-22)

We are Easter people and Hallelujah will always be our song.