I am going to get controversial. I love doing that. Listening to the radio, someone was discussing the whole concept of gay marriage. Now, by faith, I definitely have my own views of the act itself. I am fairly unwavering on that. But when it comes to the role of government and the idea of “gay marriage,” it becomes a whole different issue. I heard a libertarian view today, which might have been one of the better arguments I have heard in a while. My view of government is definitely a separation of Church and State. Let’s look at the track record of Church and State: the Crusades, Islamic jihadists, The Medieval Roman Catholic Church (also involved in the crusades), amongst many others. But some people are thinking, “Well, those were people who used religion for their own personal gain.” Well, here’s an issue with that. Interpretation of religions has never been universally accepted. Say the Southern Baptists had the actual power of the state several years ago. They would have possibly passed a law to say dancing would be illegal. Do you see where the Church/State dilemma can go? Now, I must preface my position by the fact that I wish marriage never existed within government at all. Marriage was given to the church, but the state got involved somewhere along the line.

Here’s where a libertarian position starts being more universal and make more sense. The stance would be that as long as it doesn’t violate the rights of anyone else, it would be fair game. As weird as the situation would be, if there is a mutual consent, then it is fair game. With this stance, you have to ask the question, how does gay marriage violate my rights and how I live my life? I mean, I personally think God gave marriage for a man and a woman. Given that, its up to men and women to embody what a marriage should truly look like. But government looks at marriage as a contract. The government looks at marriage simply in terms of estate successions, medical power of attorney, etc. That’s their only role. They don’t make sure that the couple is currently practicing consensual heterosexual sex. Understanding that, gay marriage and civil unions are pretty much that same thing. Now, some may say, “Well, there you go, the can have civil unions, just not marriage.” Well, lets call a spade a spade. Either the government needs to refer to all marriage as civil unions or all civil unions as marriage.

Going back to the libertarian rights question, I have to say its a fairly decent argument. I feel, based upon my faith, that one day they will have to answer for their behaviors. I’m fine with that… I have to answer for my behaviors myself. But for those outside the faith, can I truly forbid them from practicing a sin that in no way violates anyone not involved in the consensual act? I mean, murder, stealing, lying, etc, all effect the rights of another who does not consent, but this is the practice of two knowledgeable adults deciding to partake in this act. Is it the governments role to enforce all areas of God’s law in all part of the culture, even to those who do not have the Holy Spirit? Should the government not allow anyone to get drunk, hookup outside of marriage, gossip, lie, etc? Yeah, I’ve heard of a government like that. Its the Islamic state, and that’s the slippery slope of church and state.

I am sure everyone has an opinion and I hardly explained my position really well. This is kind of a full essay topic. But a discussion is always good :).

Here’s an article I did for our company’s newsletter. Lets just say this is the first article to appear in this newsletter by anyone under 40, so its a bit of a departure and I had 500 words or less in a financially minded publication:

The expectations and dreams you have when graduating from college don’t always match the reality of being young and new in the workplace. The transition from classrooms and professors to cubicles and bosses is a difficult one. The change may be environmental, but it’s fiscal, too. Did you know that fifty-percent of college graduates have student loans with an average debt of $10,000? These days, young people get in the hole before they get out of the gate.

After a few years, twentysomethings find themselves frustrated by jobs they don’t love, with paychecks much smaller than they expected, and debt that seems to grow rather than shrink. Quarter-life crisis sets in and young people search for answers.

Here’s a word to the wise: you can do something about it. There’s nothing like seeing that first paycheck with numbers larger than you’ve ever seen before, but that’s the easy part. What’s difficult is deciding what you should do with your money. How do we maximize our wages to best handle our debts, bills, and since we’re young and single, our entertainment expenses? Here are eight steps to help you use your paycheck effectively:

1. Learn to cook: It seems simple enough, but cooking at home and bringing your lunch to work will save you almost $1,000 a year. The average young person spends almost $2,276 a year to eat out.
2. Live Frugally: Of course you want to feel like an adult and have a nice apartment or house of your own, but it would save you much more to stick with roommates and lower-budget housing until you’ve paid your debts.
3. Buy used: Isn’t it the trendy thing to do anyway? Consignment stores, online auctions, and thrift stores can be valuable places for great buys on clothes, electronics and more.
4. Sell Your Junk: Still have those concert posters and bean bag chair? Have a garage sale and get rid of items you don’t need anymore.
5. Quit Your Habits: Do you really need that fancy cup of Mocha Caramel Frappa-Joe from the upscale coffee shop? Did you know that a good cup of home brew coffee cost mere pennies? Other habitual purchases, such as CDs and sodas, should be tamed without mercy.
6. Pay Off Your Debt First: Cut all your costs first through the steps above, and with whatever you have left, work at paying off your debt. Every day that goes by, you suddenly owe more, and it won’t just disappear if you don’t pay attention to it. “The violent (unrighteous) son…does not return what he took in pledge” (Ezek. 18:11-12). Paying off our debt is part of our calling as ones who have been declared righteous.
7. Cut Up Your Credit Cards: It’s vital that you no longer accumulate any more debt than you already have. If you don’t have the money to spend on that new skirt or jeans, don’t. It takes discipline, but you can do it. I believe in you!
8. Start Investing Now: If you’re lucky enough to be debt-free and have some extra income leftover after paying necessary expenses, start saving. Statistically, people who start saving in their 20s do very well for themselves. If you do the same, you’ll well on your way to true financial freedom. Even if you’re in your twentities, it’s not too early to start thinking about your sixties.

Your current financial situation may look meager and bleak, but getting out of debt and starting to save in your twenties is possible. The biggest concept to grasp is this: stop spending. Once you’ve got that step down, you’ll be doing very well. And after all, this may be exactly the lesson God wants to teach you.

I’ve remained fairly silent on everything that went down last December. Many rumors have circulated and there has been a lot of speculation about what went on. Let’s just say, I don’t think I’ve ever been more let down by those in the church. I’m really not referring to any of the folks that read this… at least not that I know of.

Over the course of the almost three wears I worked at the job, I developed a very good friendship with a married female coworker. We grew to be great friends and had a lot in common, but nothing ever grew to be more than that. We hung out a lot, so people started talking, and we were even frustrated and discussed that we may not even be able to be friends because of all the rumors going around. Her marriage had been anything but easy (and a lot of marriages are difficult), but hers involved a cheating spouse and constant emotional abuse. That puts myself in a very difficult position. I want to be as good of a friend and supportive of her without ever violating any boundaries that are necessary amongst volatile relationships.

Well, I chose to go the high road. We stayed close friends, but after one night where she called me crying because her husband had asked for a divorce (of which he later renegged), we set up boundaries saying that we shouldn’t talk about her marriage or anything along those lines anymore, since I am not the one to be involved. Meanwhile, her husband was beginning to think that something was going on between me and her. He eventually called the church, accusing the two of us of having an affair. That, piled up with the rumors, was apparently enough to get me fired.

There was a discussion this morning about the Joseph story. I felt like I could closely relate. Joseph was in a sticky situation. He knew that if he didn’t come to Potiphar’s wife’s beconing he would piss her off and would get in trouble, on the other hand, he had his principles and knew he would be in trouble if he went to be with her as well. He chose the high road and ran, and it only lead to him being throw in jail. What’s the amazing part of the story is the constant little narrative inclusions of “And God was with Joseph.” A guy who was pretty well off and gets sold to some Ishmaelites, thrown in jail, and ignored is described as being “with God.” I think that’s where my frustration comes in. I don’t really get the sense of “and God was with Chris.” I hate it. I mean, I mentally know God hasn’t left me, but just feel a sense of dispair about it.

I was majorly let down by those that I spiritually respected, and that’s a tough blow to take, particularly when it may effect your whole career. I got fired for something that I didn’t do, but even if I had, the way they approached it couldn’t be farther from the Christ-like manner. I mean, if it were true, yes, removing me from the position I was in is acceptable, but there was not a grain of grace in anything that happened. No follow up by anyone. A few good friends have kept in touch, of which I thank you. But from those that I would expect to be shown God’s love from, I was only shown the door. “And God was with Chris?” Guess we’ll see if I will get to interpret the pharoah’s dreams.

God’s timing can be really crappy.  I mean, people keep saying that He knows what He’s doing, but sometimes, I definitely have to question it.

If I never hear about the DaVinci Code again, I think I’ll be good.  You want to know what kept me out of the Church for so long?  This crap that is going on with Churches now.  I get so damned frustrated by the way Christians react to culture, and I’m once again at that point.  Its as if American pop-Christianity views this book/movie as the anti-Christ somehow and that is going to have the final say on the faith if they don’t act now.  Lets see, a cultural phenomenon that challenges the very tenents of the diety of Christ, his relationship to Mary, and does so from a perspective that some secular historians would back… sounds familiar.  Oh wait, maybe Martin Scorsese’s Last Temptation of Christ. 

I think Christianity did fine making it out of the clutches of this previous media phenom, I wouldn’t imagine that Dan Brown’s book, which I remind you is found in the “Fiction” section of all bookstores, is going to have much resounding damage as well.  Who is buying this book, I repeat in the fiction section, and reading it as historical fact?  Now, I know it raises questions about the Knights Templar and Prior of Sion, and that’s fine… questions are good.  Learning, despite what the Church would have you believe, is a good thing.  Asking questions… a good thing.

Here’s the thing that gets me the most.  Out of all the thousands of Christians that are out lambasting the book, I can bet that most have never read the book.  They are against it because Pat Roberson or some other popular figure that they blindly follow told them it was some devilish attack on Chrsitianity.  Ok, if you want to believe that, its cool with me, but read it before you make that decision.  I had to sit through a whole presentation today on how to combat the DaVinci Code questions, but I can be sure that most of that room had never read the book or seen the movie.  If you want to boycott the movie and remain silent about it, that’s fine… its your perogative.  But for those who want to attack the book and criticize, you better have read the book, or you have no dog in that fight… and ultimately make Christians look even less interested in understanding non-Christians than ever before.