Shifting Views on Same Sex Issues

Thursday, the Chicago-Sun Times released a story titled, "Gay marriage views all about age, region," which pointed out the shifts going on over same sex issues. The article cited the 22-year-long "Political Values and Core Attitudes" study conducted by The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, which shows that public opinion over gay rights has changed significantly among the religious. This is especially true among younger Christians.

This shouldn't come as a surprise to any of you who follow my blog. I have been noting this shift for some time. Last year, I appeared on PBS' Religion and Ethics Newsweekly to comment on a PBS/Greenburg Study stating that 58% of young evangelicals say they support some form of legal recognition of same sex unions. Not long after, Public Religion Research and Faith in Public Life released "The Faith and American Politics Survey" stating that a majority of young evangelicals favor some sort of legal recognition of same sex unions. By all indications, evangelical opinion is shifting on this issue, like it or not.

That brings me back to the Sun-Times article in which I stated, "I don't think [recognition of same sex unions] is an issue that my generation will fight over, at least not with the tenacity that the previous generations did." I have gotten several emails telling me that I ceded too much ground, that I gave away too much information. But as the paragraph above illustrates, I am not saying anything new, but rather stating a fact that is consistent with at least three reputable, national surveys and my own conversations with younger Christians all across America.

I am personally opposed to a redefinition of marriage. Until the latter part of the 20th century, marriage has been defined as a union between a man and a woman for every civilizations for all time. To change the definition of marriage is to change the nature of marriage. Claiming that marriage should be something more than that is like saying red should now also include orange and yellow. Most marriages are imperfect and many are unstable, but the fact remains that a two parent household is the most stable environment to raise a family, and healthy families are a vital part of any healthy society. Our government should remain committed to supporting the most stable family situation possible--a loving home with both a mother and a father. If the rising generation buckles on this issue, and it seems we will, that will be a mistake.

At the same time, Christians should make sure that our support of marriage does not blind us to the injustices placed on many homosexuals in our society. For example, we should aggressively oppose workplace discrimination, and anyone (outside of religious organizations) who fires or refuses to hire someone simply because of their sexual orientation should be held accountable. I think Christians can be biblical and commonsensical at the same. I think we can live by our faith's teachings without becoming angry culture warriors. I think we should support traditional marriage while we look for ways to build bridges of reconciliation with those cultural groups that have often been the objects of our public disdain. What about you?

Drink Coffee. Do Good.

Creation care can't be separated from people care--they are intimately connected. This year at Flourish Conference we were able to profile an organization that does both well: Land of a Thousand Hills (LOATH) coffee company. LOATH primarily works in the country of Rwanda, where citizens are poor and jobless in the wake of devastating genocide. By sustaining coffee farms in Rwanda, LOATH provides jobs for these workers and cultivates the land for good use. To boot, they pay the workers higher than fair wage for their labor and produce an excellent cup of coffee.

We so believe in what this company is doing that we allowed them to share their vision with our participants from the stage and by way of free coffee. If you have never purchased LOATH coffee, you should definitely give it a try. I love their Rwandan Medium and you will never taste a better cup of decaf than their water-processed Peruvian Blend. If you don't drink coffee, consider buying a Rwandan farmer a bike. Depending on your financial situation, LOATH even allows you to just donate a set of tires or purchase a frame for this much needed farming tool.

Everything about this company compels me to live by their slogan: Drink Coffee. Do Good. Check them out and I bet you'll say the same.

Greening Your Hood Through Intentional Community

One of the most sincere pastors I have ever met is Leroy Barber. According to his bio, Leroy has spent more than 20 years working to eradicate poverty, confront homelessness, and heal racism. As with most bios, this one doesn't fully portray Leroy's life and ministry. Leroy leads an intentional community in one of the poorest communities in Atlanta. The members of his church reside in the community where they work together to improve the lives of those in the community through restoration projects, maintaining a community garden, and petitioning the government for livability improvements. They have also founded Community Grounds, a neighborhood coffee shop that provides a gathering place for the children, seniors and teens in the community. In addition to these life commitments, Leroy is President of Mission Year, a national urban initiative that introduces 18-29 year old to communal living through year long commitments, and author of New Neighbor, a fantastic book that merges life principles with art.

Leroy spoke at Flourish Conference on what it means to "Green Your Hood," and I know he opened many ideas to a new way of living. He is not only a pastor's pastor, he is a an undeniable example of what it means to holistically follow Christ through sacrificial living and caring for all of creation.

New Urbanism

One of the most striking presentations at Flourish Conference this year a video on new urbanism called "Built to Last." It was produced by Chris Elisara of Creation Care Study Program and John Paget of Paget Films and was winner of the Congress for New Urbanism's video contest. The artistic quality of this video is through the roof and the message is powerful.

Check out the 3-minute video out and let me know your thoughts.

Floresta: Purposeful Planting

Floresta is the coolest organization you've never heard of and their program Plant with Purpose may be the neatest creation care initiative around today. Through Plant with Purpose, Floresta is working to reverse poverty and deforestation by planting trees internationally. They currently have programs in Mexico, Tanzania, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.

We showcased Plant with Purpose at Flourish this year, and Scott Sabin, Floresta's Director, did a bang up job speaking to our attendees. Are you looking for an easy creation care organization to partner with that is making a difference? Donate to Plant with Purpose and "help grow a village." For every dollar you donate, a tree will be planted that can provide food, work, and profit in a poverty-stricken community. A simple offering taken up in your small group could revolutionize lives and make a tangible improvement to God's glorious creation. Take a look at the video above and check out their website.

Flourish: The Connector for the Creation Care Movement?

This week, Cross Pointe Church hosted the first annual Flourish Conference. As a small part of the Flourish staff, I can tell you that the conference exceeded our expectations in many ways. First, our speaker list was amazing: Joel Hunter, Margaret Feinberg, Gabe Lyons, Matthew Sleeth, and Andy Crouch to name a few. Second, the community being built was unprecedented. People were connecting with others to share ideas and partner on projects. Individuals who have felt alone on these issues were comforted that there are others like them out there. Finally, the coverage of the event was great. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Associated Baptist Press, and others had great things to say. My favorite post was from Christianity Today who called Flourish "Creation Care Without the Baggage." I couldn't agree more.

Flourish seems to be becoming what Malcolm Gladwell calls a "connector." This movement is in desperate need of a connector--an organization that can bring together like-minded people from various social, cultural, professional, and economic circles who might not otherwise meet. This facilitates conversations and partnerships that might not otherwise occur and can push a movement into the mainstream. Our hope is that we can do this for the creation care community. Our goal is not to promote Flourish, but to promote great people and organizations who are living out creation care principles all across the country.

We had several organizations at Flourish that we showcased during the conference. This week, I will be profiling one each day. Look for the first post tomorrow.

No Nukes for a Safer Tomorrow

Recently, I became a part of what I believe is one of the most important Christian movements in America. The Two Futures Project (2FP) is a non-partisan Christian movement seeking to abolish nuclear weapons from the face of the earth.  2FP does not call for America to disarm unilaterally, but rightly advocates for nuclear disarmament that is multilateral, verifiable, and irreversible.

As I stated at the official 2FP release, I believe nuclear weapons are unchristian. When necessary, wars should be fought by soldiers not declared on innocent civilians. Our God abhors the shedding of innocent blood. Nuclear weapons are only capable of widespread, indiscriminate killing and destruction of God's human and natural creation for generations to come. Furthermore, nuclear weapons are no longer an effective deterrant in a post 9/11 world. As nukes become more prevalent in our world, the chances of a terrorist gaining possession of one grows. And when a nation is attacked by a terrorist organization, there is often no one to bomb back.

Rather than unravel into a post of boring technicalities which you would almost certainly not read, I encourage you to digest the information on the website. (ALSO, WATCH THE VIDEO!) It is beautifully articulated by one of my best friends and the Director of 2FP, Tyler Wigg-Stevenson. Tyler has an incredible testimony that was recently published by Christianity Today and has done a wondrous job of outlining the path to a world free of nuclear weapons. His efforts have been endorsed by George Shultz, former Secretary of State under Ronald Reagan and Cold War architect, as well as John Stott, Leith Anderson, and Bill Hybels. You can also join this effort by signing on via the website. I strongly engourage you to do this.

While there are many hurdles that must be jumped to achieve this ambitious goal, a world free of nuclear weapons is possible. As Chuck Colson recently wrote in his BreakPoint column, we still have time to prevent nuclear disaster "but that commitment will only happen if the people insist on it. And for that, we need to be informed.” Take a moment to get informed, and then let me know what you think. 

(The 2FP website will answer many of your objections, so check it out first. Again, don't forget to watch the video.)