Leave the cases cold

While watching CNN yesterday, I saw a story about a new Justice Department office that would investigate and prosecute ''cold case" murders from the civil rights era. The goal of this office would be to investigate and then attempt to prosecute unsolved homicides motivated by racial hatred that occurred before 1970. The annual budget is $5 million.

The bill was inspired by efforts to reopen the case of Emmett Till, a 14-year old black youth who was murdered in 1955 after being accused of whistling at a white woman in Mississippi.

Senator Jim Talent, Republican of Missouri stated, ''We want the murderers and their accomplices who are still living to know there's an entire section of the Department of Justice that is going after them. We need to unearth the truth and do justice, because there cannot be healing without the truth."

I disagree with a few things. First, I don’t think that unearthing the truth will go very far in the healing realm. In fact, all I see it doing is bringing back feelings of racism and cruelty. I can see picketing by the KKK at these trials, and more confrontations that will stem from these prosecutions.

In addition, most of the men who have perpetrated these heinous crimes are over 60, many in their 70s and 80s. There the story highlighted a man who had just been found guilty of a crime, and he could barely stand up. He received 60 years in prison. I will be surprised if he makes it 5. I am all for justice, but it seems ludicrous to attempt to meet out justice in this way.

Finally, I am concerned with the waste of money and effort that this new branch in our government will cause. Really, all that money for what? To really prove how far we have come as a society? I don’t buy it and I wish there was something I could do to stop it. How about we use that money to deal with modern problems? It is time to move forward and stop trying to rectify the past.

Racism Overreaction

So I hear that the Air Force Football coach, Fisher DeBerry, made some “inflammatory” remarks after their big loss to TCU. To sum up, he basically said that black athletes by and large seem to exhibit more speed on the football field. As he looks at it, his team needs more speed (i.e. more black players), especially based on the thrashing his team had just taken. He didn’t say that other races weren’t fast, indeed he made a point to say that they too had good athletes. But by and large, black athletes seem to be faster.

As I watched “Around the Horn” on ESPN yesterday, 3 of the journalists were incensed that the coach said something like that. They were calling for his head and his immediate firing. They said he was a spokesperson for not just the university but for the country. The only one who stood up for him was Michael Smith—an African American journalist.

Now I am what you might call sensitive to political correctness. I think that refraining from using words that disparage races and people is vital to fostering peace and unity among people groups. But give me a break. This coach just put to words what every coach thinks, what scouts look for, and what fans have accepted for years. Though he may be politically incorrect, he is still correct.

Let’s look at the speed positions in football
Name one wide receiver that isn’t black. I thought of Jason Seahorn. That’s it.
Name one running back that isn’t black. I thought of Alstot. That’s it.

There is a reason why there is a movie called “White Men Can’t Jump.” There is a reason why white farm boys freak out when they play a team of black players. There is a reason why it is tough for you to name white “speed” players. Black players dominate those positions.

So were DeBerry’s statements racist? I guess, BUT HE WAS COMPLEMENTING THE RACE!! There are times when people say things to disparage a race, especially the African American race. This is not one of those times. Give the guy a break. He was only speaking what everyone was thinking.

Busy Bee

Well, it has been a crazy last few weeks. The number of activities I have been in charge of or involved in has almost been overwhelming. But, we got through, and now have a short respite with only the normal responsibilities.

This past weekend was our annual youth retreat. I thought it went well. The students seemed to grasp the concepts. I made it a point to really challenge them this year.
I challenged them in regard to their selfishness as it comes out in their spending and possessions.
I challenged them in regard to their relationships, reminding them that God has given them a fresh start and they should treat one another in the same way.
Finally, I challenged them in regard to their purpose in life, encouraging them to find God’s will for their lives and then live it out.

Hopefully the seeds have been planted. Now I leave it in God’s hands to produce the growth.

Sacrificial Worship

I was teaching my Old Testament class this week from 1 Kings, and came across the story regarding the split in the Kingdom. Rehoboam was unwilling to ease off the people’s labor and caused the Northern Kingdom, led by Jeroboam, to begin a separate monarchy. But what is most intriguing is Jeroboam’s shrewdness in keeping the people from returning their allegiance back to the Southern Kingdom and Rehoboam. The law required all religious activity to take place in a central location in Jerusalem. Thus, people from all Israel were supposed to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem 3 or 4 times a year to offer up their worship.

Jeroboam realized that if the people returned to the Southern Kingdom they might waver. So he set up 2 golden calves in Bethel and Dan as worship centers for the Northern people. This way they would have no affinity for the South or reason for returning. He made worship convenient. Much of the sacrifice was taken out of the equation. The result was apostasy and idolatry.

As I read that story, I began to wonder: “Is our worship too easy? Where is the sacrifice? Have churches made worship too convenient?” I made it personal and tried to list the elements of the Sunday morning worship service that are sacrificial. I came up with very little. We talk about offering up a sacrifice of praise, but it seems to be a bit of a misnomer.

Instead of sacrifice, we do the exact opposite. We put time limits on the service. We try to appease everyone as much as possible. We make the service as convenient as possible. It seems wholly unlike the Old Testament or the few snippets we get from the New Testament. So I wonder, should our worship services be more sacrificial or is what we are doing satisfying to God? If you agree that there is not enough sacrifice, how can we make it more sacrificial?

In Memorial

I’ve been meaning to write this all week, but have not had the time. Our church suffered a huge loss this past Saturday. The chairman of our eldership, Larry Smithson, passed away suddenly of a massive heart attack. He was only 61 years old and was the catalyst for much of the growth and positive activity that occurred in at Central Holston Christian Church. He was committed in so many ways and was one of the hardest workers I have ever met. His presence, influence, sacrifice, and work will be thoroughly missed by the Kingdom.