Author: mhelbert

Actions Reveal the Heart of a Person. Until They Don’t.

Published by mhelbert on July 16, 2023

This image has nothing to do with the essay. But who doesn’t love a Happy Dog!

Actions reveal the heart of the person.

That’s a truism that we in the West know very well. A person’s actions are linked to who they are, we say. I hear and read that a lot as I safari through the internet jungle. Usually, though, it’s not about other people that these comments are directed. They are toward God. They say, “Look at the Bible! God is a violent, vindictive Bully! Why would I ever accept and believe in a God whose moral character is no better than mine!”

Actions reveal the heart of the person.

I see a young person acting out in a store. I know that either that person is nasty or that their parents have failed to control them. Where are the parents, anyway?

There is a person who is banging a fist on the table and yelling at the waitress for not bringing the lemon for their water. What a spoiled American.

I can feel confident about my assessments because I know that what a person does reveals who that person is.

That is until I learn that the young person in the store is on the Autism spectrum and really has no control over what they are doing. The confusion of all the people and the bright lights and colors have triggered these actions. Their mother comes with hugs and assurances that everything’s ok as she guides them from the store.

The other person just found out that the job they had held for 15 years has just been handed to someone who will work for less compensation. His wife left him and took the children. His ability to hold all that together has snapped. Later he apologizes to the waitress and leaves a large tip. However, we didn’t get to see that.

Actions reveal the heart of the person.

Until they don’t.

We can only know the heart of a person by really Knowing that person. We must be in some kind of relationship with that person. Others who know that person can testify about his/her character. A one-off glance at an isolated action will always prove to be lacking in accuracy.

One other thing, we humans seem inclined to focus on the negative actions of others above any positive ones. That’s a story for some other time.

In the Bible study that I help with we’ve been discussing violence in the Bible. Particularly, that violence where God is the subject. BTW, there’s plenty to look at. From the banning of the first couple from the Garden to the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah to the Judges, and especially in the sacrifice of God’s own Son on a Roman cross. God is demonstrably a bloodthirsty monster deity Who is not worthy of our attention, let alone our worship.

I could end this now by simply stating that God is God, and we are not. God is, after all, the Supreme Being. Who are we to judge God’s actions? Our puny, little brains are insufficient to see the wisdom behind what God does. That’s the common fundagelical line. God is Sovereign. God is Infinite. God can do whatever God wants. Who are we to question God?

I won’t stop there because that’s all pretty much religious sounding bullshit. That’s not God. I wrote above about two different people who were acting in ways that we would not deem correct in our society. I also wrote how easy it is to misjudge the situation. For us to truly know them, I wrote that we would need to have some kind of relationship with those people. Or, at least a relationship with someone who is an eyewitness to how they actually are as people. Someone to testify to their character.

The same is true for God. We discussed in our little study that whenever we read about God inflicting violence on the world we need to look and see ‘what else is going on.’ Billy Graham’s famous saying, “The Bible said it; I believe it; That settles it” is inadequate at best and alarmingly naïve and harmful at worst. In Graham’s view, all we need is what he called a “simple reading” of the Scripture in order to know what God wants. Again, religious sounding bullshit. That’s what I expect from a person who doesn’t really know God. Someone who wants to justify himself. Perhaps, someone who wants to earn a living. I’m looking at you, Graham Junior.

Anyway, I digress.

If anyone really wants to know God and why the Bible ascribes so much evil to God, that one must try to know Who God Is. That requires a relationship with God. Not a simple task. It is one that is truly worthwhile engaging in. Or, that person’s gotta talk to an eyewitness. Someone who knows God and can testify accurately about God’s character.

‘In that Bible study, I tell the folks who show up that I want them to become better readers of Scripture. I desire that they learn how to sit with the text and consider it within the historical and cultural contexts within which it was written. I really want them to do more than Graham ever said.

I’ve found that even that’s not quite enough. Yeah, we can read the texts critically and learn a lot about them. We can understand the mindset of the writers and the original readers a bit better, perhaps. That’s good in its own right.

What I’ve learned, though, is that it’s more important to Know God than to know what the Book says about God. If we know God as God desires to be known, if we seek God and build a relationship with God, then the stories in Bible begin to make sense. We can reliably know that God is NOT what the surface reveals. There IS something else going on. We can see it and know it. If we want to.

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More on the Letter that Kills

Published by mhelbert on July 14, 2023

Those of us who live in Ohio are becoming aware that this August 8 there will be a special election. The issue to be voted on will change the Ohio Constitution making it more difficult for certain constitutional amendments to pass. Currently, the threshold for approval of an amendment is 50% + 1. For those of us who struggled with math, let’s just call that a Simple Majority. That’s kinda how majority rule in a democracy works. The folks who put this amendment on the special election ballot want to change that to 60% of voters necessary to approve. That’s called a Super Majority. That creates a higher bar for any amendment to the Ohio Constitution to receive approval.

Now, I know the ramifications of this particular vote. I’m not going to get into that. I know how I’m going to vote. You all are intelligent folks who are capable of making a reasoned decision. Just make sure that you get out and vote!

What I want to address today is a sign. A sign that I saw in someone’s front yard. An election sign. Whoever put the sign in the yard apparently wants everyone to vote Yes on the issue this August. A yes vote will change the constitution to require that Super Majority thing I mentioned above. The subtext of the sign reads, “Protect the Constitution.” Ok, I get it, I think. Make things harder for special interests to change the constitution. Of course, special interests are supporting a Yes vote. But that’s a story for another time.

What struck me was the subtext. Why do we need to protect the Constitution and not the people whom that document is meant to serve and protect? Why are people concerned about legalities when ethics are tossed to the wind?

That, too, I think I understand.

So many folks in this country talk about how the U.S. is a nation of law. We tout the idea that no one is above the law. If people just obey the law everything will go swimmingly. The law is considered the bedrock of our democracy. We need to protect it at all costs. Just look at Jan. 6, 2021. We shouldn’t be surprised by this. While this country was not founded as a Christian nation. (Anyone who says otherwise is simply ignorant. You can walk away from them.) It was built upon a Protestant ethic. The reformers, particularly Calvin and Luther, set in motion the importance of the written word and the Law. Luther famously touted “Sola Scriptura”! Scripture alone is all that is required to know about salvation. The written word of God. Calvin carried the ball much further down the line. He established the criteria by which people could live and prosper. He even tried to establish a theocracy in part of Switzerland. The Law of God would rule people justly. Of course, that’s until people actually get involved. That, too, is another story for another time.

In time, this reformed notion of the written word morphed into legalism. The importance of the written law was finally established right here in the U.S. of A. From the very beginning the law and the courts became the final arbiters of what is right and what is wrong. Human ethics and morality became less important than the letter of the law. I hope that you can see where I’m going with this.

We, as a nation, have decided that it’s possible to legislate morality. People are set aside for a legal declaration of what’s good and proper for people’s lives. Rather than encouraging and teaching ethical behaviors that lift communities and empower people to live their best lives, we clamp a lid on that with laws that cannot do anything but hold people down and oppress them.

It is written, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” That comes from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. I wrote a bit about that here. Yet, people are putting signs in their yards so that we will protect the letter. They would have us abandon our humanity and our conscience so that a piece of paper filled with words can continue to hold people down rather than seeking ways to lift people up.

On August 8 there will be an election.

Please vote with your humanity and your conscience.

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When Happiness is Not Happy

Published by mhelbert on July 13, 2023

Every once in a while, in the quiet, stillness of the early morning, I find myself transported back in time. Before my mind begins the work of milling the grain of thought as the day progresses, my personal Way-Back Machine spirits me to points in my past.

One trip, not so very long ago, took me to Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church in North Olmsted, OH. The pastor was a guy named Ward Potts. And, at least to all outward appearance Ward loved God. Even though the church was Lutheran, the Gospel that was preached was clearly Calvinist. If you’ve ever been around evangelical folks, you’ll know what I mean. The 4 Spiritual Flaws and the Roamin’ Road were top of the list evangelism tools.

Anyway, I digress…

What the trip back in time showed me was one particular Sunday when Ward was preaching. During his sermon he made a distinction between “happiness” and “joy.” In his mind happiness was a worldly counterfeit to Joy. Joy is a gift from God. Joy can be experienced even when the world is in a nosedive toward certain disaster. Joy is NOT contingent on circumstance.

Happiness, on the other hand, IS contingent. It’s a feeling that we get when life is going well. When the ice cream’s cold and the coffee’s hot. Warm and fuzzy happiness is a human, (re. ‘worldly’), construct. A counterfeit to the reality of God’s Joy.

The sad thing is, we all said, “Amen”! The concept seemed valid to us. After all, Godliness and worldliness are antagonistic to each other. Antithetical. Diametrically opposed. So, if Joy was from God and happiness was worldly…well, you can see where that’s headed. The net result was that there was a church full of people who were afraid to admit that they were happy. If you’ve never been there, you can’t imagine the existential tap dancing one needs to do to live like that. Joy equals Good; Happiness does not equal Good.

In fact, joy and happiness are fundamentally different. They’re not in opposition to one another. It’s like comparing apples and mangoes. Completely different fruit. Both incredibly delicious.

Fortunately, I escaped that bondage. I wrote in some other place about the beginning of my deconstruction from Fundagelicalism. How, link by link, I have dismantled the chains that bound me to, and within, that world. A world where happiness is suspect. A world where love of neighbor depends on what that neighbor thinks about abortion or LGBTQ+ folks. A world where truth is lies and lies are truth.

Happiness IS a gift from God. It’s not only OK to be happy, it’s GOOD! Even Jesus said so. The Beatitudes in the Gospel According to Matthew are traditionally translated, “Blessed are the Fill in the Blank.” That’s actually a poor translation of the Greek text. The language is better translated, “Happy are you when…”

The Poor, those who mourn, the meek, the peacemakers, all of them are told to Be HAPPY! For God sees the needs of each of them. God will meet them in their need. It’s a time to rejoice and be glad!

So, Ward, wherever you are, you were wrong. Very wrong, indeed. I hope that you have also had an encounter with Yahweh that has revealed the truth.

Happiness is Good!

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Myth of the Strongman. And, I Don’t Mean Hercules

Published by mhelbert on July 10, 2023

The Pillars of Hercules shutterstock_2214295633

“Hail to the Chief” is a song that the Marine Corps band plays when the President of the U.S. appears at certain functions. I guess that’s ok. Although, I really don’t like the tune. It might be better if, say, Metallica played it. I’m still waiting, though, to hear a song called, “Hail to the Senator,” or to the Congressperson. Maybe, “Hear Come Da Judge” for the Supremes? This isn’t a post about bad songs. It’s about why we Hail the Chief. It’s about why we view the President as the tippy-top point of the Power Pyramid. Not to provide an answer. Rather, to ask that question. Why do we look to that one person who holds the office of President to have the solutions to our problems? What is it within us that seems to need that One Person?

Since the 2016 election for president, there has been a lot of talk about authoritarianism in the U.S. and around the world. The last decade has seen an alarming rise in these so-called Strongmen to positions of world power. Pictures of Donald Trump with a Romanesque image of Jesus standing behind him. Other images of him with armor or weapons photoshopped in abound in certain circles. A golden image of him was actually created. He is still ‘worshiped’ in many circles as the only person who can ‘save’ America. Why?

I’ve read opinion stories, essays, blog posts, tweets, and Facebook posts from liberal and progressive folks who cry that conservatives are playing into the authoritarian hand of Trump and his people. “They’re fascists!” they scream. “This is exactly what happened in Italy when Il Duce came to power!” they warn. And I can’t see that they’re entirely wrong. Misguided nationalism mixed with religious overtones does seem to be a repeat of the same mistakes made in the last century. If you look closely, though, you can see this has been repeated century after century after century. Authoritarian strongmen have always been the populist choice. Someone who can grab the reins and Git ‘er Done!

Those who profess a more liberal point of view decry such action by conservatives. Yet, while they’re wringing their hands and crying foul, they are doing much the same. How many in our time look to President Biden for their deliverance from, say, student loan debt? (Hey, I could use some of that myself!) In the 2020 election the left was cheering just as loudly as their conservative counterparts did 4 years earlier. “Joe, Joe, he’s our man! If he can’t do it Nobody can!” I know that some of my readers may take exception to this. After all, progressives aren’t calling for armed rebellion. That’s true. It’s also not my point. My point is, no matter where we fall on the political spectrum, people tend to focus on that one person at the top who they hope can “save” them.

I’m calling this the Myth of the Strongman. If you Google that, you’ll find stuff about Hercules and maybe Samson. Different kind of strongman. It’s a myth. We may even go so far as to call it a complete falsehood. But more on that in a minute.

As I considered this another kind of societal need popped into my head. I don’t know if any of you have read René Girard’s scapegoat theory. In a nutshell, it claims that when a society finds itself in distress, they are likely to find one person or thing to focus their distress on and sacrifice it. All the pent-up emotion in the community is spent on that one act. As a result, the community fear or whatever negative emotion it was is assuaged and peace can return to them. I know, that’s way simplistic. But it is essentially accurate. We can again turn to the current news cycle to see who or what is bearing the burden of the community’s fear and wrath. The Woke left, LGBTQ+ folks, White, Christian Nationalists, teachers, politician, banks, the courts, etc., etc. ad nauseum. Someone or something must be responsible for whatever perceived mess we’re in. If we can banish these curses from the community, then peace will ensue and all will be well with the world. Of course, that’s just so much bullshit. But you get the gist.

In the Bible there are examples of both the Strongman myth and the Scapegoat. In the Law of Israel, the Torah, God told the people that on the Day of Atonement two goats would be selected. Lots would be cast. The goat that the lot for the Lord fell was sacrificed as a sin offering. For the goat that the lot fell as the scapegoat was sent alive into the wilderness because all the sins of Israel were laid on it. It had to be sent away from the community. In this way, sin was purged from the people.

Also, from the Hebrew Scripture there is the story of King Saul, the first king of Israel. As the story goes, Israel was governed by Judges who were raised up by God. These were people, men or women, on whom God’s Spirit empowered to lead and protect the community. Over time, though, the people of Israel decided that they should have a king, just like all the nations around them. They wanted a strongman who could lead them into battle and govern them. “Hey, God! Why can’t we be like everyone else? They have kings and everything. We want that, too!” God obliged them. But, as God did, he told the prophet and judge, Samuel, that the people had not reject him. They had rejected God as their source and power.

Both strongman and scapegoat have been with humans since the beginning. None are immune to it. Liberal, conservative, something in between. It seems that humanity is always looking for that which they can’t have. A savior of their own making. A victim to carry their sin away from the camp.

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Holding Thoughts and Ideas Hostage: The New Politics

Published by mhelbert on May 2, 2023

I try to stay out of political issues as much as I can. They can be way too divisive and hostile. And, for what good purpose? So that one group can have power over others. There seems to be way more greed and power lust than any attempt to govern. It’s not really the hill that I’m willing to die on. After all, this blog has been primarily a platform to unmask the hidden dangers of certain religious traditions. Those traditions that are more concerned about greed and power lust…uh, wait a minute. That sounds familiar. “Greed and power lust.” Hmmm…Maybe I’m not too far removed from the language of modern politics.
Ok. Politics it is. At least, for today.
For the last 4 decades, or so, there has been a concerted effort on many to fan the flames of the so-called ‘Culture War.’ For those uninitiated, Culture wars are what happens when what I think is good and proper behavior is what you consider evil and decadent. It’s the old timey Blue Laws that prohibited alcohol sales on Sunday. They are the battle for the bedroom, (and, the bathroom). These culture wars are at the heart of anti-LGBTQ+ people and anti-abortion rights. They want to control everyone’s behavior based on one particular moral standard. A standard that really isn’t standard. But, these culture warriors don’t want to admit that.
In the U.S. these battles rage over a clear line of difference. That line is One Particular Interpretation of the Bible. That tosses these political issues convincingly into my wheel house. That O.P.I.O.T. B. is a staunchly conservative one. This view is commonly aligned with some flavor of flag-waving patriotism that mixes the Bible with nationalist fervor. This mixing of religion and politics, something that everyone knows should never be mixed at Thanksgiving, is like mixing gasoline with fire. Nothing good can ever come of it. This mash-up destroys both religion and politics. This grotesque hybrid is an abomination that should have been stillborn. Yet, it lives.
Now, I’m not just writing this stuff because I need to vent my spleen about the state of our union. That would be too simplistic. No, I’m concerned with one small skirmish that seems to be going mostly unnoticed by the MSM. In the midst of this lawsuit or those indictments and all of the attention turning toward an election that’s A YEAR AND A HALF AWAY, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! this little attempt to censor free thought seems relegated to a side issue.
This is the problem with banning books.
Yeah! You heard me right! Right now, in 21st century U.S.A. people are banning books. Why, you ask? Because they are afraid of the ideas that some books espouse. These, mostly conservative and reactionary people are taking a page out of an ages old play book. Censor the ideas that are different than mine. Ideas are dangerous. They allow people to think. And, of course, we don’t want anyone to do that! Keep the populace dumb and in their place in order to serve their masters, er, those better able to understand things. Little Ronnie de Santis in Florida has spearheaded this in his state. He claims that he is taking a stand against ‘wokeness,’ whatever the hell that is. I think it’s a dogwhistle to like-minded people to signify ‘anything that could possible be considered progressive.’ So, it’s a pretty broad area of discussion. Rather than having intelligent and respectful discussions about the topics that these books cover, let’s just outright ban them. Maybe, if enough people like this, we can start to burn them! Won’t that be fun! So far there have been nearly 1,000 titles banned in several states. Boards of education all over the country are being assaulted by conservatives who want thoughts and ideas controlled to their advantage.
There is a problem with this, though. Besides the obvious attack on our intellectual freedom, that is. The biggest problem is that it never works. Banning books and any other way of spreading ideas is dead on arrival. No one can contain thought. It must always find a way.
Why not just ignore the issue until people wise up and the problem goes away?
Well, it never just goes away. There is usually a steep price to pay in order to keep our thoughts free. We can go all the way back to Socrates if we want to. The powers that be didn’t like what he was saying. So, he got to enjoy a hemlock smoothie. Throughout the middle ages books and the knowledge that they contained were restricted. It seems that there are always people who think that they know best for everyone. There was that one time, however, that overshadows every other attempt to censor free thought. That began in 1933 with book burnings in Nazi Germany. We all know how that ended.
So, no, ignoring the issue won’t do. It won’t do at all. There is too much at stake to simply stand back and let nature take its course. That’s why I’m writing this. I’m really pissed off that we still have to deal with this kind of idiocy at this point of civilization. I think that I’m more afraid of what may happen to people before this current fear of thought ends. Will bookstores be targeted? Public libraries? Schools in many places are already under fire for what they offer students. Will roving bands of book vigilantes in brown shirts stop students and check their bookbags for contraband titles? Don’t laugh. People laughed before and many suffered. Do your due diligence to find out what’s happening and where. Is there a movement in your community to force school boards to limit the educational resources that your children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren have?
Keep watch and be vigilant. Book banning have historically been only the first salvo in a much larger, bloodier culture war.

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To the Hidden Evangelist: Olly, Olly Oxen Free!

Published by mhelbert on April 27, 2023

Yesterday I had an experience that, truth be told, I would never have expected in a million years. That’s not hyperbole! This struck out of the blue without any warning. It left me with a crinkled brow wondering, WTF? Now, it may sound like some earth shattering event took place. Something that completely rocked my world. It wasn’t. Not by any stretch. It was a surprise, though. A scratch-your-head-and-you-head kind of surprise.
I received a piece of mail. Yeah, just an envelope with stuff inside. It was addressed to me. It looks like the sender used a home ink jet printer to address it. The return address simply stated, “Narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, few there be that find it.” That’s it. No real return address. No name. No nothing except some King James verse without any context. Inside of the envelope there was no note or letter. There was, again, nothing to identify the sender. There were simply 2 religious tracts produced by a guy named Jack Chick. Now, for those of you who don’t know, Jack Thomas Chick was a fundamentalist cartoonist who produced small comic-like tracts with some kind of pre-millenial gobbledy-gook. These were designed to instill fear into the reader that would force the reader to make a choice to follow Jesus and avoid whatever mean and hateful future awaited them.
At first, I was a bit miffed. Apparently, the sender has so much concern for my immortal soul that he/she was willing to look up my address and spend postage to send these. If you’re reading this, thanks for that. I guess. But, what initially ticked my off was that the person appears to be a coward hiding behind the veil on anonymity. Not afraid to perhaps offend someone. Yet, too afraid to stand up and be accountable.
That was my initial reaction. Then, I laughed and tossed the stuff in the recycle bin.
However, as I reflected on this I realized something.
This was me 50 years ago. Way back then, when Chick was still alive and producing his nonsense, I was that guy at the mall or at the park quietly walking up, and with shaking hands, handed Chick tracts to anyone who would accept them. Of course, we were supposed to then engage with those folks and explain to them the Four Spiritual Flaws or the Roamin’ Rode way to salvation. Because, we knew that unless these poor unbelieving heathens confessed their sins and recited the magic words that we told them to say, they would be lost to eternal flame and torment. We didn’t wait. We handed of our treasure and trusted that God would miraculously touch their hearts when they read about the coming apocalypse of the inevitable ending of their misguided life. Remember the “narrow way” thing? I put my heart into that kind of ministry. Either as a performer on stage, (again separated from real people), or dropping hate filled missives to people I thought were in the gravest of danger. I think that all of us who were caught up in that time felt like we were doing our job as true disciples of Christ. We were doing the work of the evangelist. We were the Watchmen on the wall warning the poor, ignorant, unsuspecting multitudes of the impending doom that was coming over the horizon. We were deadly serious about that work. We were also cowards who really never wanted to engage with people. So, we timidly passed out our tracts. Or, we hid them in library books so that someone might actually find it and read it. I know some that went to adult bookstores just to place the tracts in the merchandise that these ‘angels of hell’ were distributing.
So, I can sympathize with my anonymous friend. It’s hard to look someone in the eye and tell them that they are in danger of hell’s torment.
Or, it may be that, like me, this person has doubts about that. Is this truly the way things will work out? Will a Just and Righteous God actually condemn people, most of whom are completely unknowing about our God? Does this person feel a tinge of embarrassment about intruding on a complete stranger’s life? Maybe a bit of all of the above.
I have no ill feelings toward this person. I would, however, sit down for a cup of coffee and chat rather than deal with all of the cloak and dagger stuff. It’s always better to talk about things than to make untrue assumptions about others. At least, that’s what I’ve learned over the past 50 years.
If the person who sent these to me is reading this, I extend that invitation to engage. After all, didn’t Jesus tell us to love one another? I’m neither you enemy nor you mission field. If you don’t want to talk. That’s OK. I’ll continue to lift you to God in prayer. I will also ask you not to waste your postage on me. Chick tracts are by far the worst evangelistic tool ever invented. I won’t read them.

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For the Letter Kills, But the Spirit Gives Life

Published by mhelbert on April 24, 2023

A couple of weeks ago in Akron, Ohio, a grand jury made a decision that was legally correct. They decided not to bring charges against police in the shooting of Jayland Walker. For those who aren’t familiar with this case, Jayland was driving a car with a tail light out and a missing license plate light. When police tried to pull him over, he fled. During the chase, Walker fired a shot from a gun out of the car window. When he finally stopped, he jumped out of his car and ran. He was apparently wearing a mask on his face. At some time during the chase Jayland appeared to turn and move his arm in a manner that the officers interpreted as reaching for a weapon. Eight officers then opened fire. More than 90 rounds were fired. Over half of those rounds struck Jayland killing him.
Rightly, I think, most people thought at the very least that was excessive. Ninety + rounds? For a broken tail light? Ok, there was the apparent gun shot early in the chase. And, a gun was found in Jayland’s car. But, not on his person when he was shot. I’ve never been involved in anything like that. I cannot even imagine the fear that filled both Jayland and the eight officers. At times like that, with adrenaline pumping by the gallon, rational thought flees and the amygdala takes over. Fight or flight? In this case both were present in shooters and victim.
The grand jury considered the use of force and found that it was reasonable in those circumstances.
I think that was probably the correct LEGAL decision.
But, was it the correct MORAL decision?
Of course, the law doesn’t give a flying fuck about morals. You can’t judge morals. Laws are easy. They’re black and white. A person either follows the rules or they don’t. When they don’t, well, there are consequences. Our country is proud of its Rule of Law. No one is above the Law! Well, maybe a lot of people find themselves pinned under the law. Jayland Walker was one of those people.
One of the things about the Rule of Law is that sometimes, (many times?), people equate following the letter of the law with being right or moral. If I follow the law, even if I act in a morally reprehensible manner, I’m OK. No harm; no foul. The law vindicates my actions. Look at Me! I’m a Good Law-abiding Citizen! Yay, me! I think that’s part of the problem with the Rule of Law. It gives law enforcement, in particular, the illusion of having the moral high ground. Almost anything that law enforcement do can be justified legally. After all, they represent the People. Right? And, as such they are given almost complete discretion to act in ways that they interpret as in the public’s interest. That’s a very large canvas to paint on. Any decent lawyer can come up with some argument to show that no matter what law enforcement does is in the public’s interest.
I think that this is grossly abused by the powers that be. Laws are written and interpreted in order to vindicate the use of force, many times deadly, so that almost any act can be justified. It is Morally Wrong. We can never allow what is simply correct by the letter of the law to stand higher than the Moral mandates of being human beings in society. We’ve stood by and watched abuse after abuse, particularly to those who are the weakest and most marginalized in society. And, time after time after time the abuses have been blown away like smoke on the wind. The unimaginable inequities that allow the powerful to get away with murdering, executing, people who the powerful don’t give a damn about must end. Somehow. I don’t have a clue how to see that happen. Do we vote? Do we protest? Do we write blog posts?
Paul the Apostle wrote to the Church at Corinth about this. Even in ancient time people hid behind the law. It gave them the so-called freedom to do anything that fell within the bounds of that law. Paul, however, clarified some things for those folks. He wrote that God has made us adequate, not be the law, but by the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit give life. The letter is written, says Paul, not on tablets of stone, but on the tablets of the human heart. If anything is this rant makes sense, I hope it’s that the Letter of the Law cannot justify acts of immorality against other human beings. It is not capable of that. It was not created for that. Even though the powerful write laws to protect themselves, they cannot write away the love of God that demands we treat one another with redemptive justice.

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How Did We Get Here, Old Friend?

Published by mhelbert on April 16, 2023

I enjoy walking around our city. I think that at one time or another I’ve covered every street within our boarders and some of our neighboring burgs. I started doing this when I was still in high school. Back then, I’d walk at night. Alone with my thoughts and feelings swirling around my mind like Poe’s Maelstrom. In those days I had all of the tensions that come with being no longer child, not quite adult. It’s a wonder that our species has survived, let alone flourished, when such violence rages within the minds of so many of us. Yet, survive and flourish we have.
Now, in my so-called Golden Years I continue to walk the many miles of the city. I don’t go out in the evenings any more. Such has life chosen that those hours be spent trying to unwind and prepare for a long evening’s sleep. Even that can be difficult for those with gimpy prostates. But, that’s another story. When I walk today, especially in those old neighborhoods that I grew up in and around, my mind draws me backward into that age of restless energy. I recall the sights and smells of a much younger and less developed city. When fields and woods stretched out forever. Within those wild lands lay adventures and mystery. We explored them with the stealth that only a child may think is actually ‘stealthy.’ We built forts and brought sandwiches and apples so that we could truly live in those fortresses of cleared ground with ramparts of dead leaves. Such is the world of the very young. Temporary. Transient. A passing vapor.
When I got older I was an aspiring young freak. I played rock-n-roll and hung out with other rock-n-roll wannabes. We laughed. We got high. We made pretty good music. It was always hard for me to have friends. You see, I can be a pretty assy asshole. My assholery in those days was unmitigated by the erosion of age. Sharp-edged assholing can get pretty nasty sometimes. So, for me to have these band-buddies was a wonderful thing. Of course, being an asshole meant that I sometimes pushed the boundaries pretty hard. Fortunately, there was one guy who never put up with my assholing. He, of course, became my best friend and brother from another mother. Eventually, this age past as all do. One day we all found our paths diverging. I saw a light and followed it. My friends, my mates, my best friend chose to let me. And, I chose to leave them.
The reason I’m writing this is that recently, as I’ve walked the streets of the city, old and new, my mind has gone back to those days. The memories of growing warts on our feet in the middle of one street. Of climbing trees and the cliffs along the lake shore. Chasing butterflies and the elusive “Beatles chords” on the guitar. The thoughts flood back into my mind stirring up those old currents that once flowed with power and evidenced the change of life that always follows.
Perhaps this little melancholic trip down that good ol’ Memory Lane was inspired by a poem that a friend shared on social media a short while ago. The poem, “Our Nature,” by Rae Armantrout takes a hard look at the changes that we all wander through. The old photograph seen. The realization that all of that has changed. Disappointment is real. Where did we all go? While the poem doesn’t fit my own thoughts and reflections like my well-worn t-shirts, it does provoke the mind’s searchlight to scan the horizons, the peaks, the valleys trying to see any shadow or vestige of what once was.
All of that to say, I miss you guys. I miss you desperately. I don’t know where you are, save one. I don’t know whether you live still or have walked on, again, save one.
So, to Bruce, Craig, Ted, Dave, Greg, Jeff, and the other Jeff, I love you guys. You’ll always be jammin’ in my heart.

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Good Friday: The Story Begins

Published by mhelbert on April 7, 2023

I have all sorts of things to write about. Today, though, there is only One Story to tell.

53 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth. (Is. 53:1-9)

¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
² O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.
³ Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
⁴ In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.
⁵ To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
⁶ But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
⁷ All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
⁸ “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
⁹ Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.
¹⁰ On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
¹¹ Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.
¹² Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
¹³ they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.
¹⁴ I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;
¹⁵ my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.
¹⁶ For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—
¹⁷ I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me;
¹⁸ they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
¹⁹ But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
²⁰ Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog!
²¹ Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
²² I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
²³ You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
²⁴ For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.
²⁵ From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
²⁶ The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever!
²⁷ All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.
²⁸ For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.
²⁹ All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive.
³⁰ Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
³¹ they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it. (Ps. 22)

Today is Good Friday. We remember the death of God.
If you read this far, you saw that the end is NOT death. For, “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord…”

Blessings to you all.

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Do I Act Like I Have a Soft Heart?

Published by mhelbert on April 5, 2023

During this Lenten season, some of us from St. B’s have met on Sunday evenings for discussions on The Way of Love. This is something that the Chief Cooks and Bottlewashers of the Episcopal Church prepared for us. Basically, there are some prompts during the week and a video to watch. On Sunday, we met on Zoom to talk about them. It is a Spiritual Formation thing that enables us to stop and think a bit about the direction of our lives as we relate to God and each other. Well, that’s what Spiritual Formation is all about. So, I guess it’s appropriate. Anyway, (I use ‘anyway’ a lot), a couple weeks back we talked about “Blessing.” Of course, this was prepared by Progressive Christians, so the Scripture text that we used was stretched almost beyond recognition in order to fit what they wanted us to see.
Excursus:
Conservative Christians tend to read the Bible literally. There were 6 actual 24 hr. days of creation. Noah really built a big boat and floated around to escape a world-wide flood that destroyed all life on the planet. They do this in order to protect a predetermined belief system that they think will fall apart if they question this “doctrine.” Ok, they’re allowed to think what they want.
Liberal Christians like to start with belief and practice. They, then, interpret the Scriptures so that they will fit into that neat little package. Again, this is a reaction to the Conservative practice. Jesus and the Bible talk about love and peace and all kinds of good stuff. So, our interpretation of the Bible must be love and peace and all kinds of good stuff. Ok, nothing wrong there. The Scriptures are able to be interpreted in lots of ways that are not out of bounds. Both of these ways, though very different, fall within the playing field.
Ok, now that the excursus is over, we can get back to the main point of this blog post thing.
The person on the video went on to talk about baptismal covenants and sin and stuff. Many sentences and speculations later, she got to what I believe was the point of all of that rambling. The text we were instructed to read was from the Prophet Ezekiel. While speaking to the Israelite refugees who had been shipped off to Babylon, Ezekiel said that their days of captivity would one day end. At that time, God would, “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezek. 36:26).
A new heart. One that is flesh and not stone. Our discussion landed on that thought. What does a heart of flesh mean? A heart of stone? And, what does any of this have to do with Blessing?
As we talked folks started talking about benevolent practices. Feeding the hungry, supporting the marginalized, etc. Now, I think that I may have mentioned once or twice the influence of the Fundagelical world on me. One of the things that we were big into was the difference between being ‘spiritual’ and ‘worldly.’ For us, ‘worldly’ was a bad word. It was something that no self-respecting believer would ever allow themselves to get sucked into. And, it just so happened, benevolent practices fell under that rubric. Yeah, it was ok to be nice and help folks out. It was way more important to preach the gospel and get them saved. So, we didn’t really help anyone out unless they were 1. One of us. Gotta support the brothers and sisters. Paul said so. 2. So called, “Unbelievers” and we could get them to sit down and listen to a “message.” We’ll fill your belly if you’ll sit and listen to us try to fill your spirit. Actually, it was pretty much just a bait and switch con that we could justify with a veneer of spirituality.
Anyway, (there I go again!), as we talked I realized something. Having a new heart of flesh is pretty conclusive evidence that the person with that heart is living according to God’s will. The need to get all doctriney about preaching and saving and all of that does not prove a thing. Well, other than the person doing all that doctriney stuff is a jerk. No, the real proof of the Godly person is whether or not they have a heart that is soft and fleshy. Stone hearts are for statues and idols. There will come a day, so the Scriptures say, when all people will stand before God and give an accounting. Of what? Of what they had DONE, not what they merely thought or believed. A person with a soft heart DOES the work of God whether they believe in God or not.
Think about that for a minute. After you pick up the pieces of your brain, think about it some more. The Apostle James wrote, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (Jas. 2:18). If the stuff that we do is a reflection of who we are, and I think that it is, then it is in the Doing from a soft heart that is what is important.
Please don’t burn me at the stake! I’m only the messenger.

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