Crystal Renaud is a nose-pierced, tattooed and at times pink-haired girl who loves God, the Church and helping the broken find restoration. She is on staff at Westside Family Church in Kansas City. She is also the author of the book, Dirty Girls: The New Porn Addicts (check it out!) and you can find her on her blog, PinkHairedGirl.net and on twitter @pinkharedgirl.
1. Tell us something God's been talking to you about lately. In my LifeGroup, I am reading "The Search for Significance" by Robert McGee. I have a love/hate relationship with this book so far because of the questions it is forcing me to ask myself. But God's definitely showing me how much I rely on and value the opinion of others, rather than His own opinion of me. It is a hard lesson.
2. Please tell me you're not a Chiefs fan - are you? Haha, I honestly say I am not a Chiefs fan. I mean, how could I be? I do find that I try and cheer them on if they are playing, but I don't have high expectations of their winning. But with a new coach coming on next season, anything's possible.
3. Regardless, catch us up to speed on this whole women-being-sexual-addicts-thing. These type of struggles are so synonymous with men in our culture and the Church. Well, the women being sexual addicts thing is a big deal. A big deal that unfortunately not many are talking about. While seen primarily as a problem for men, statistics are showing that every 1 and 3 women have a porn addiction. And that's just the women willing to admit it. Many count women out for being sexual addicts because they aren't known for being visually stimulated. But what women have that puts them into a whole different field are their emotions and they will feed an emotional need with any means necessary.
4. What are some of the eye-openers you are learning through the surveys you host on your blog?
The surveys haven't opened my eyes so much as they have confirmed the hunches I already had. Particularly as it relates to women and the relationships with their dads. I would honestly say 90% of the women in my surveys shared that they have poor to non-existent relationships with their dads. Porn and/or sex generally enters in as a form of intimacy that they didn't receive from their fathers. That was true in my own life. It is heart-breaking and is why I am such an advocate of dads not just being providers to their daughters but actually being daddies to their daughters. It wasn't until I accepted my Heavenly Father that I truly understood what the role of a dad was always supposed to be.
5. One of the things you talk about is how impacting it was to find out you weren't alone - expound on that for us.
When I first began viewing porn, I was only 10 years old. A little girl. I didn't really even understand what sex was, let alone really know what I was looking at. I was ashamed and because of that shame, kept what I had seen and was I doing to myself. The shame grew as the addiction grew and the bigger the secrets became. I was alone because I never said anything. When my friend told me that she too struggled with a porn addiction, it was so freeing. No one before then had even talked to me about porn, let alone admitted they were in the same boat. Blogger Jon Acuff calls this the gift of going second. She went first so I could go second. And it has been my goal since then to always go first so other women can go second.
6. One of the hardest lessons for me to learn in recovering from my own addiction was that I had to let go of others opinions of me. When I got fired from the church I worked at, it was a real battle to learn to let go and realize that if people judged me, that was between them and God. What was the toughest lesson for you?
The toughest lesson for me is quite similar. As I said in answer #1, the opinion of others has had a hold on me for as long as I can remember. The opinion of others is a major contributor to what kept me in my addiction for as long as I was. I think what makes this easier to deal with now, is all the positive feedback I receive but more importantly the blessing that comes from being obedient to what God is asking me to do with my story.
7. I know a hard thing for me, looking back, was how silent the Church was on sexuality and the beauty of God's gift, let alone porn and masturbation. Where do we go from here? What can churches, pastors, leaders do to build healthier communities and an openness about struggle and sexuality?
The first step is to STOP LYING TO YOURSELVES that porn, sex and lust aren't problems in your churches. You are doing a disservice to your congregation and yourselves by being silent about such a widespread problem. Use the platform God has blessed you with to show love to the broken and provide a safe place for restoration. It can be as simple as providing recovery groups and resources. But I think the most powerful thing churches can do is speak honestly about these topics from the stage. It might not be glamorous or fit into a nice message series package, but consider the lives that could be changed. If we as the Church don't speak out against the bondage of sexual sin, who will?
8. What can loved ones and those struggling do? Where should they start if they want help?
If you're a loved one of an addict, the gift of unconditional love is the greatest thing you can give them. An addict is already living a life of shame and regret, with the expectation of judgment. Show them you're a safe place to fall. If you're an addict, find someone you can tell. There is freedom to be found in being honest about your struggle and placing your burden on Jesus Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 25:11, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." He is there to carry you. Accountability is also a vital part of recovery. Having someone in your life who will ask you the tough questions and be there for you when you are tempted. Also, if you're a woman who has or has had a porn addiction, please visit www.thenewpornaddicts.com and take a survey today. These surveys are being used as research for the book, Dirty Girls: The New Porn Addicts. A resource for women struggling with a pornography addiction.
Meet Adele Sakler! Her and I set this interview up to intentionally force a conversation - not a debate - about Christianity and Homosexuality. Her and I's hope is to help those of us conservative minded Christians to at least hear from the 'other' side.
Adele currently resides in Richmond, Virginia and blogs as the Existential Punk and is the creator and site administrator of Queermergent and you can also find her on Twitter as well. She is currently going through long-term treatment for Chronic Lyme Disease, other tick-borne diseases, and heavy metal toxicity.
Adele has been a Christ-follower for 20 years and an “out” queer woman for two and-a-half years. Her involvement with the emerging church and Emergent Village has filled the better part of 10 years. You can listen to a recent interview with Adele on Irreligiosophy and read a recent article she published on The Ooze.
1. Tell us a little about yourself, your partner and what you're up to right now in life.
I have been a Christ-follower for the past 20 years and involved in the emerging church conversation for a better part of the last 10 years or so. I attended XavierUniversity in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I was born and raised, getting my BA in Communications/PR & Advertising. I attended RegentUniversity to pursue an M.Div, but disliked the program due to its overly intellectual focus. I struggled with deep depression and attempted suicide at one point because I was told I would go to hell if I pursued being gay. I then entered the CommunicationSchool at Regent and received my MA in Film. In 1997 I moved to Los Angeles to work in the entertainment industry. In 2002 I moved to Richmond, VA to live with a friend for 5 months to save money before moving to N. Ireland for 2 years to work with YWAM (Youth With A Mission). I returned to Richmond in 2004 really ill and was diagnosed in March 2005 with Chronic Lyme Disease and other tick-borne diseases that I had since I was around 7 years old. In September 2006 I finally came to peace with myself in relation to my sexuality and at peace with G-D. I came out and have been the happiest, most joyful ever in my life.
I met my partner that following December and we just celebrated 2 years in December. This past October we were married in California before Prop 8 passed.My partner is a wonderful friend and care-giver. She teaches scuba diving, First Aid with the American Red Cross and aquatics classes at a local gym. We have a small travel business that she mostly runs.
I am currently going through long-term intensive treatment for my Lyme Disease, other tick-borne diseases and heavy metal toxicity. I am unable to work due to the nature of my illness as it affects my energy, joints, muscles and cognitive such as short-term memory loss, word-finding problems, brain fog, etc.
To keep sane I blog, Facebook and Twitter. I am hoping to write my memoir and have some upcoming possibilities of being involved with some other writing possibilities for books.
2. Summarize for us your journey in life up to this point.
I grew up Presbyterian as my mom was an elder in our church. My dad was a non-practicing Jew who only attended our church at Christmas and Easter. My Jewish grandparents paid for me to attend Catholic private schools starting in fifth grade. My father was emotionally and physically abusive and so I saw G-D as a mean old man sitting up in heaven waiting to punish me for every wrong move I made. During my junior year in high school mu father became deathly ill with an incurable cancer. From diagnosis to death, which occurred three weeks before my 17th birthday, was five months. Nearly three months to the day after he died, his parents and grandmother, the Jewish side, were killed in a fire in their home caused by faulty wiring and a faulty alarm system wherein the house was struck by lighting. I complete lost my faith in G-D for over a year until a desire started coming back towards the second half of my senior year. My Catholic high school showed me great love and support and I believe this was the catalyst that drew me towards the Divine once again.
Twenty years ago this month I had a ‘born-again’ experience at a charismatic church where an American missionary to S. Africa was speaking. Hell was one of the topics being preached, so at the end of the evening I went forward for the altar call to ‘receive’ Jesus into my heart. I did this because I was afraid of going to hell. Thus, I was purchasing my ‘fire insurance’. I attended Pat Robertson’s graduate school in Virginia Beach, RegentUniversity, to obtain an M.Div so I could be a youth pastor. I began to seriously look at my life-long struggle of same-sex attractions. The school and my therapist along with my charismatic church back home always communicated that being gay was a sin, a choice, and those who actively pursue it will go to hell. I was shell-shocked and confused. I attempted suicide and spent a month at two different times in a psychiatric hospital. I even did reparative therapy and attended ex-gay ministries to 'pray away the gay', which never worked.
In 1997 I moved to Los Angeles and began living a double life as a Christian and as a gay woman. I began to read Brian McLaren and found him writing things I had felt inside but was very afraid to express outwardly to anyone. In 2002 I went to Northern Ireland to do a DTS (DiscipleshipTraining School) with YWAM. I met the great Peter Rollins and we developed a great friendship. His teachings and writings on postmodernism and Christianity radically shaped how I viewed my faith. I could no longer hang onto certainty with regards to interpreting scripture. There were more important things in kingdom living than where we go after we pass from this world to the next, like poverty, AIDS, the environment, etc. About 2.5 years ago I FINALLY came to terms with my sexuality. I found peace with myself and with God. Coming out was fairly painless with the exception of a few people who still think I am in sin and going to hell. I no longer hold this view and I am ok if people think that about me. I hate labels as they are so limiting, but are sometimes a necessary evil. After being a right wing Republican most of my voting life, I now consider myself an independent that leans more liberal than moderate.
3. My hope here Adele is that the one side, the more conservative Christian side, can hear from the other side, the more liberal. I think a lot of Christ followers have a hard time understanding how you can say you're a lesbian and actively living that lifestyle and at the same time say you are a follower of Jesus. Explain that.
I do not see being queer anymore a lifestyle than straight people see themselves living a lifestyle. I do not see being queer as a sin and the way I understand and interpret the scriptures used to speak against homosexuality is different. I lived many years thinking and believing the way conservatives view scripture and gay people. Yet, through my journey I have come to the conclusion that those scriptures are taken out of their cultural and historical contexts. I see the Bible as a story of G-D's relationship with people and not a 'how to' manual meant to be used for all time. I cannot help that I am a queer woman and I would have never chosen this way of life due to all the hatred towards us. I could ask all the people who call themselves Christ-followers how they can be Christians when they act so diametrically opposed to Christ with their unloving and hateful actions and attitudes to those they disagree with on whatever issue it mat be. Yet, there is a G-D who love us all unconditionally and extends grace and mercy to us all. I get it more wrong than I do right but I love G-D and Jesus and do my best to follow G-D and Jesus. Could I be wrong? Sure, but I am living my life as best as I can and at the end of the day, it is between me and my maker and nobody else. What gets me though, is how certain many conservatives think they are in their beliefs and interpretations of Scriptures. In my opnion, none of us has a monopoly on what G-D's full intent for our lives is as we only use 10% of our brain capacity. G-D is knowable yet is a mystery too.
4. Many Conservatives believe that you are not born gay, but rather that you are choosing to live a lifestyle that is both unnatural and immoral - what is your response to that kind of thinking?
Heterosexuals do not choose to be heterosexual anymore than gays choose to be gay. I do believe a genetic component is a part of it. Why would I choose to be gay when there is so much hate directed to my community? I look at my being queer as a gift and am happy even though it is a tough road to walk because of all the insensitivities expressed towards us queer people. I think they are uninformed and ought to get to know some gay folks for who they are rather than just pass on simple judgments.
5. My side of the fence, if you will, is constantly being asked to be more open minded, but that is a two way road. I believe you and I can believe fundamentally different things about God but still be in relationship with one another, still be friends. But what do we do to bridge the gap between my beliefs, which sees homosexuality as a sin and yours? How do we both find a middle ground?
I agree we can believe different things and still be friends. I have several conservative friends who have issues with this topic. I respect their beliefs but where the rubber hits the road is that they love me unconditionally and do not hurl insults at me. We agree to disagree. Not everyone has to come to my way of believing and interpreting scriptures. I just ask us all, conservative and liberal, to hold our beliefs loosely and to show respect and love. Just a word of note: Those in the LGBTQ community have often been deeply wounded by hurtful hateful and hypocritical conservatives so we are raw and reactive at times due to this. I think conservatives need to recognize this.
I also think we need to begin looking at the planks in our own eyes rather than looking at the specks in the eyes of others. We need to find common ground and have dialogue from those point of interest. To tell someone they are not a Christian because of X, Y or Z is very unhelpful and extremely arrogant. G-D is the only judge of that issue!
Circular arguments of repeating mantras on either side must stop and true listening must take place. That is where getting to know both sides - real human beings - is very important in my opinion. Tearing each other down gets us nowhere and I think brings Jesus to tears.
6. Another big point of contention, most recently emphasized in Prop 8, is the legalizing and redefining of marriage. Explain your stance on gay marriage and specifically why you think domestic partnership and marriage are not equal.
I am all for gay marriage. Conservatives say we are trying to redefine traditional marriage. Traditional marriage as we know it today was redefined from a long time ago. In Biblical times marriage was where a man owned the woman as property and there was not much love in those relationships. Gay marriage does not threaten marriage but rather strengthens it. We get yelled at by conservatives that we are living together out of wedlock but when we want to marry, we are told we are a threat. How illogical this argument is to me! My wife and I have the same ups and downs, struggles and enjoyments of any married couple. We pay taxes and should have all the same federal benefits as straight married couples. We were married in California in a civil ceremony. To me it is fear and ignorance to say we threaten marriage. Gay marriage has been around for many years in other countries and those countries have not broken down and fallen off the face of the earth. We live in a country where it is NOT a theocracy and where there is separation of church and state. We are all created equal under our nations Constitution and religious entities cannot impose their beliefs on society at large. Domestic partnerships are not offered in every state and where they are offered, differ on the rights afforded people. We must pay attorney's fees in order to get medical directives and power of attorneys and we still do not have the over 1100 Federal rights afforded Heterosexual married couples. States do not have to recognize marriage or domestic partnerships from other states under the federal DOMA(Defense Of Marriage Act).
Here is a very true but sad story for you to consider: A lesbian couple from WashingtonState, who have children, had all their ducks in a row with regards to power of attorney, medical directives, etc. They went on a Rosie O'Donnell family cruise leaving out of Florida. While on the cruise, the one had a stroke and was flown to a hospital in Florida. The partner had her paperwork faxed to the hospital but the hospital would not allow her or their children in to see their family member. The woman ended up dying. If there were federal protections for gays, we would not be having to hear about this very sad story.
A big thank you to Adele for taking the time to answer my questions and for the courage to do this. Please respect Adele, me and yourself and do not leave ignorant, empty or hateful comments. We all need to move from debating to conversing and modeling the Christ we follow - the same Christ who was only ever abrasive and spiteful to the know-it-all folk of His time. No anonymous comments will be accepted on this post - if you don't have anything nice to say, just keep it to yourself.
I sent this out on Twitter last week some time, but the message keeps ringing in my ears. I love anyone who has musical talent and something to say at the same time. K'Naan is cool because he wants to not just make music, but raise awareness of his country and their war.
But, the message of this was really good - very pointed. And it's not just for the Eminems and 50Cents of the world, all of us think we have earned our stripes in different areas of life and though we probably don't think of our self as hardcore, we do think we're awesome. It's good to gain new perspectives and realize how good we really do have it here.
This was my first audio book - which feels a little like cheating, but was a nice change and filled the often silent void of my 2 hour daily commute. But this was a great book. I initially wanted to read it because I've heard people speak so highly of Ayn Rand and her work and I thought, then I must figure out what she is all about. And though I don't buy into her Objectivism philosophy, the story was very well written and captivating.
What I would love, if there are any Ayn Rand guru's out there, is to find out how the philosophy plays in our current, more postmodern culture. In particular, I'd love to know how Ayn Rand would interpret what Quantum Physics has brought about in recent years - it seems to me that Objectivism has be deconstructed by it.
Anyway - I would definitely recommend it to you - it was a good challenge to me on how I interact with the world and why.
I have never partook in the Lent season - mostly because it was not a part of the traditions of my religious upbringing and because I didn't really want to.
I didn't even know what a Fat Tuesday was until I moved to Michigan a few years ago and I've never had ash, smudged in the form of a cross on my forehead - but I have hunted for eggs, which has about as much relevance to Easter as Santa does to the birth of Christ [reminds me of Jim Gaffigan's take on religious holidays].
But this year I have decided to challenge myself to give up a bad habit for 40 days (in hope to rid it or at least get it under control). If you know me, you probably know I have an addiction to candy that is humorous and ridiculous. I honestly am addicted - I love sugar and eat it all the time, with 2 root canals in the past 12 months to prove it. But because I don't have to stop, I don't - my wife genuinely is scared I'll become diabetic because of it.
So, I am giving up candy for 40 days because I can, because I don't need it, because I'll be healthier for it and because I compulsively eat it all the time (no lie). So I don't know much about Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and I don't get the Easter Bunny, hollow-chocolate-shaped things, plastic-candy-filled eggs and especially those gross marshmallow peeps, but I do want to be a disciplined person and pursue God's best for my life. Not that a lack of candy is that, but it is a means to that for me.
I started reading a new book that I've really been enjoying called Transformational Architecture by Ron Martoia. So far it has been really good. Basically he is setting out to recapture the narrative of God's story and replace the abbreviated version we often live by.
But one of the analogies he uses is that of a gerbil wheel and how the American Dream is always spinning and at work as the background narrative in our lives. He builds a simple, but profound description of how we are always chasing it, but it is never fully reached and is never able to give what it promises. It is interesting to note that despite your religious background, gender, socioeconomic status - we are all affected by it. And like a gerbil on a wheel, we all stand the chance to look back on our life and realize we ran hard but got nowhere. Here's how Ron says it,
The universality of this dream is precisely what makes it so difficult to identify as a motivator of human life. The American Dream is quiet but powerful, an enormous daily motivator and yet hidden from our eyes because its presence is so obvious and accepted as the "way things are."
It took me back to this post, 'Inconvenienced by Convenience' and my struggle to align my life goals with something greater than the American Dream of having and consuming. I'm working hard to be more conscious of what I let define my success and who I seek approval from - but it is a hard thing to get out from under this American Dream. I want the narrative of my life to be written by the hand of God and His faithfulness, not patched together by being someone I'm not in a culture that is so often empty.
So there is an epic debate across our land that divisively splits between the White Castle Haters and Lovers.
I have several friends, who I love and respect very much, who persist to not only consume this vile, greasy, grossness - but maintain that it is heavenly! Now I know what you are thinking, 'They must be white trash!' But they're not, in fact, one of them isn't even white. They are decent men, hard workers and one of them is even a pastor - I know!
Outside of these specific few friends, everyone I've ever met who loves White Castle is a pot head - and under the influence of drugs, maybe then I would consider allowing these slimy burgers into my body - but I don't smoke pot, I don't do drugs and I feel embarrassed for my friends.
Many-a-time these dear friends have been at my house and said, 'Hey, let's get some WC,' and I'm like, 'Yeah, lets pack our arteries full of grease, then poop our pants and spend the night in the ER!' That sounds like fun - I mean seriously - the only reason I could see going to a WC is to intentionally associate with the lowly of this world, because that's what Jesus would do.
The photo below is courtesy of the She's So Ghetto blog and takes the debate to a whole other level. Yeah! They are getting married at a White Castle - wow!
Anyway, I do pray for my friends and hope to be a positive influence in their lives and help deliver them to higher standards in fast food providers. Please join me in praying for them.
I can't imagine that there is any one reading my blog that would seek to defend WC, but that's what I thought about cowboy boots too?
This is not a slam on Pentecostals - not in the slightest. In fact I did a lot of spiritual 'growing up' in a Pentecostal/Charismatic church - and I think we all have our experiences for a reason. So though this is not a slam, it is critique and an honest confession of why I haven't missed my charismatic past.
Depending on which side of the fence you are on the above video is either offensive or embodies the exact reason you think the charismatic types are crazy. For some it is too much, seems too contrived - but for others, it's what excites you about God, that He acts and moves beyond our comfort zone and understanding.
Here's the truth. I've had some crazy charismatic experiences. Some crazy because I know God showed me something through it. Others, crazy because I know that well intentioned and honest people can try to force a God experience on their own. What I love about Pentecostal people is that they are open to God and looking for Him - they are in pursuit of real experiences. They say, if God is a real God, then He can really show up and move in our lives. What I do not like about the Pentecostal environment is the tendency to abuse it in what I call hyper-emotionalism.
I have seen not just awkward, but flat out crazy things in the name of 'God moving.' I will not pretend to be able to speak for God on this one and I can not, nor do I want to, legitimize Benny Hinn and the like. Those people in that crowd are searching and seeking for something real - and that is between them and God. My point is simply that I have not missed the hyper spiritual sensitivity that I experienced. The constant 'I believe God is speaking to me' and 'I've got a word for you.' It got old - it got abused - it rarely spoke on behalf of God for me.
But what I won't do is shut out the mystery that is God - that He is way beyond me and what I'm 'comfortable' with in this life. I thank God for my experiences - both the good and the bad. I hope you can say the same. I hope you can see the good in the bad and the bad in the good of your life and your experiences with God.
Open mindedness is spoken of a lot in our culture. I have many friends who speak of their ability to be open minded like the ancient Greeks used to boast of the highest virtues. In fact, I consider my self to be pretty open minded, at least on some level, but as of late I'm struggling with what people really mean by it.
I believe most people would define open mindedness as the ability to be open to new thoughts, beliefs, people and experiences without prejudice. The idea of being inclusive and not exclusive - speaking of truth from a personal perspective, not a universal or absolute one. But can truth be personal? Can truth be subjective?
I get that our culture doesn't want to talk about who's right and who's wrong and instead focus on working together. I get that - but that can not mean that everyone is right. Can it?
Yet, regardless of how subjective you believe truth is, death is absolute - you will die. And upon your death absolute truth will be known - either it will be absolutely true that nothing happens, or absolutely true there is a heaven and a hell, or you'll be reincarnated or whatever - but it will be true. It will be reality - and not how we sought to define it or believed it should be, it will just be.
So there is a right and a wrong. I mean, we all believe what we do not because we think it doesn't matter but because it absolutely matters and we think we're right. We all grapple with our own existence and the existence of God because we want to know what is right - what it should look like, what we should do with it. We are all seeking reality, not our own form - we are seeking the truest reality we can find. But what we often find is our own form of reality, which is where I submit to the subjectivity of it all - but it does not rule out absolute truth.
Taking it a step further, if we assumed truth is at it's core subjective to the individual, then we could not punish crime. Evil would be only in the subjective eye of the beholder. Is rape ever right? The same person who argues that truth is subjective, also makes a stand for the wrong done them in life and the right they want to see. How is that possible if truth is really subjective? Being open minded can not mean that everyone is right.
But an acceptance of absolute truth, though subjectively and often wrongly interpreted into everyday life, make sense of this whole thing. We all seek the better because truth does exist, because there is a right and there is a wrong. That truth is Love. No one argues with Love - when you see it and when you experience it you know it is Right. Truth exists - we all just need to chase it, pursue it, live it, be it and seek its purest form. Because the believer in God can just as easily justify their actions 'rightness' as the non believer can. Maybe we're all just afraid to be wrong? But the Truth and Love I believe in transcends all my finite understandings and exist independent of them. I'm just trying to live within reality where love and truth best co-exist.
Yes, this is a real product - and I bet some of you are even saying, 'Hey, that's not that bad of an idea?' To which I say, 'You've gotta be kidding me?' Why is it we Christians love to make ourselves a subculture? Why do we rip off ideas from the world around us in an effort make 'our own' products? Maybe it's just me, but it bothers me and it's cheesey.
Since the last series of 'You've Gotta Be Kidding Me...' went so well [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3], I thought I'd share what I found while perusing some flickr photostreams and had to laugh. Not only is it the wrong voice for Christians to have - it is a warning of impending judgment for 'Sports Nuts'?
So, I guess you can consider your self WARNED all you sports nuts!
I couldn't help myself and I couldn't fit all my hate on just one banner...
Saw this over at Taylor Lyall's blog and it really affected me.
This video comes at a time when I've been wrestling with my responsibility in this world I live in. I do feel that my inaction adds to the problem and that my comfortable life too often pretends everyone's life must be comfortable too. And though I do care, the life style I live says otherwise.
I often wonder why I was so lucky to be born in affluent America, why did I deserve that? Why do I get to make more in a day than most people make in a month? Why are my concerns more about wants, while so many struggle for needs? What am I supposed to do with this dilemma?
[art work from illustrator Andre Bergamin's Flickr portfolio entitled, 'Consumerism Burn']
When I think of stories from the bible and their lessons, their value comes not just in that they happened, but that they happen. If the story of Moses, the burning bush, the 7 Plagues, the freeing of millions of Hebrew slaves from Pharaoh, ect, is currently happening, it is seen in God's constant pursuit of His creation and desire to free us from that which enslaves us.
It is interesting to see the 7 Plagues through the lens of the Egyptians of that time. Each plague showed the dominance of I AM, the God of a Hebrew named Moses over the gods the Egyptians worshiped. And though I never want to be accused of 'over-spiritualizing' it is not hard to imagine current day plagues coming in the form of an economic down turn, a credit crisis, global uncertainty, the rising unemployment of not just 'others', but much closer to home with our friends and our families. It is not a far stretch to see God's hand moving to realign His creations perspective and dependency from themselves to the only thing that is truly constant.
In a number of recent conversations, many people are feeling the inconvenience of all our modern day conveniences. And for those who subscribe to the teachings of Jesus, our constant struggle with faith and life has been so diluted in the conveniences of our consumerist culture. If we are honest, we know little about true dependency on God, because we have rarely had to depend on Him for anything. A problem we have not yet fully come to realize.
But as our world continues to seemingly fall apart, at least for a moment we are gaining new clarity. A clarity we had previously only scratched the surface of, but never really wanted to come to grips with, or needed to for that matter. And consumerism has not just replaced our need for dependence on God, it also offers services to handle our identity, security and stated value in this world. It tells us that we can be who ever we want, pursue a life of comfort, consume more than is needed, live beyond our means to somehow achieve the 'dream.'
May we all take heed of the moment and reevaluate our priorities, dependencies and securities. If we are learning one thing, the economy, our leaders, the dollar, banks, CEO's, pensions and the so called American Dream are fleeting and lack the substance to offer us little more than self-centered quick-fixes. May we all seek something bigger than ourselves, something with an eternal perspective that gives us mission for this lifetime and lives on when we die. I'm convinced that at the end of my life my regrets will hinge on my selfish pursuits and not what I did and sacrificed for others.
Ever since The Shack hit the shelves, it has been all the rave in the Christian fiction arena - some hailing it as one of the best contemporary Christian pieces. So naturally I'm excited to read it and finally picked a copy up last month. In the meantime I'm still wrestling through another book that is a weighty, exciting and slow read called The Forgotten Ways, review to come - but I haven't had a chance to get into The Shack yet.
But in fielding my excitement for the book, a few interesting discussions transpired around the feminine image of God used in the book. Two women who I love and respect very much, put the book down after getting about 70 pages in because God was a girl. I was taken back by there refusal to continue reading the book everyone else is talking about. It's not like you have to agree with it to read it - right? Moreover, I was taken back by their refusal to even consider that God is a girl - or at least to consider that He is neither.
I admit I have a total man-crush on Rob Bell, but his recent Nooma video 'She' (preview clip below) sets the table for the discussion and a fuller understanding of who God is.
Does this mess with your theology or understanding of God? It doesn't with mine.
The Hebrew word Rob refers to is 'rechem' and literally all throughout the Old Testament, every time God is referred to as compassionate or having compassion, it is the same word for womb - feminine imagery for God. And in Job 38.29 God uses the analogy that creation was birthed from His womb, I mean Her womb. I understand that for ease, we label God as a man, or a He - but at best that only refers to half of who He is, because the other half is understood in the attributes of a women, who She created in Her own image.
But to be more accurate God is niether male or female, because that is what makes god, God. If only we had gender-nuetral pronouns for God, then the male dominated traditions of our history would not have limited our understanding of God and God's compassionate side.
So this will have to fill in for my Part 2 of the 'Down Side To Freedom of Speech' post. Seems like every time I break a long post into parts, they end up heading in too many directions and I never finish them.
But I love the freedoms of our country. I love that I can be a follower of Jesus, openly pray and discuss my faith-filled worldview.
As such, I live in a country where everyone has the right to their own worldview, beliefs and lifestyle. So when the discussion of Prop 8 and Gay Rights as a whole is brought up, I sympathize with the Gay Rights movement. We don't have the same beliefs, so if they want to marry one another, who am I to stand in the way?
[I'm sure half of my readers will disagree, at least on some level - please feel free - I would appreciate others views - which is why I'm posting it on my blog. Just be nice!]
So I understand two people in love, living together and wanting to get married and be able to speak on one an others behalf in say, a hospital situation.
What I'm not comfortable with is a larger debate or concern I have. Our country was built on a separation of State & Church, to keep the State from dictating the Church or the reciprocal.
The reciprocal is my hang up - we (as a country) are constantly trying to keep 'religion' out of the government, schools, ect, ect. But religion is just a worldview. My religious beliefs are my worldview. There is no way for me to be unbiased on the grounds of religion or the government. I'm a Christian - that's how I see the world.
So the atheist, the agnostic, the scientist, the evolutionist, the secular humanist - their worldview has some how been accept and defined as nonreligious - therefore constitutionally sound. But they are just as biased in their beliefs as I am and have just as much potential to be closed minded, judgmental and all the other words my faith has come to be known for. Their worldview is driven by deep down convictions and though they would never use the term, they nonetheless have faith!
We all have theories about the beginning of all we know, about the meaning of our existence and about what happens when we cease to exist. And I stress theories. I call mine faith, they call theirs hypotheses or beliefs - but that is what all worldviews are composed of. Beliefs.
I can no more prove my theories then they can, and in this beautiful country, we both have that freedom and that right.
So what I never want is my worldview to be illegal. My faith is as scientific as the atheists or anyone else. And the State can no more be unbiased than the Church. Because the State is operated by people and people have worldviews. So the State must work to up hold a liberty and justice that falls on common ground. Otherwise, by forcing my faith-based worldview out, they allow another worldview to dominate.
Crystal Renaud is a nose-pierced, tattooed and at times pink-haired girl who loves God, the Church and helping the broken find restoration. She is on staff at Westside Family Church in Kansas City. She is also the author of the book, Dirty Girls: The New Porn Addicts (check it out!) and you can find her on her blog, PinkHairedGirl.net and on twitter @pinkharedgirl.
