The video below comes from the Jesus Needs New PR website.

Surely, the Heavenly Father must be shaking his head in disbelief and embarrassment.

Makes me think sometimes that “free will” is overrated.

(Continued from yesterday)

So often these days we are told stories of people who use power and influence to line their pockets or pad their bank accounts; we see powerful and wealthy individuals bend rules for their own benefit and privilege; and we watch as people of privilege circumvent the system simply because they can.

But here is someone, a person of genuine power and influence, who uses his position and what has been given him to help someone whom he has never met, to bring dignity to one whom society has forgotten, and to lift one from the trash heap to a proper place. A couple of thoughts wandered through my mind as the story unfolded.

First, is that not what all of us are supposed to do? Every one of us has power and influence over someone or something. No matter where we land in the economic food chain, we are, among the world’s population, most blessed. I’m prone to ask, “What am I doing with my blessing?” Second, is this not what Jesus might have been referring to 20 centuries ago?

At one point he wanted to teach his followers their responsibility for those around them, less fortunate than them. He painted a picture of clothing him [Jesus] when he was naked, giving him food to eat when he was hungry, something to drink when he was thirsty, inviting him into their homes when he was a stranger, and visiting him when he was in prison. In the story, those who had done that for him, were blessed and invited into a place of reward prepared for them. Those that hadn’t responded to him were cursed and sent away to eternal punishment.

Like us, both groups scratched their heads and asked, “But Lord, when did this happen? When did we ever see you in these situations?” And Jesus responds, “’Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:40, NIV).

And likewise he goes on to report that whatever they did not do for one of the least of these they did not do for him. I thought about that episode throughout the weekend. What can Toby Ziegler teach me? What am I doing with my power and influence? Who have I missed? And how many times have I missed serving Christ himself by not serving the people who come across my pathway. I’m not sure I have good answers to those and other questions. But I’m thinking about it.

My son, Adam, and I are West Wing fanatics. That is to say we each own every season on DVD, we can readily quote lines from various episodes, and are always ready to make an application to current situations from various seasons and story lines. Neither one of us is a Democrat but I suspect both of us would vote for Josiah Bartlett in a heartbeat.

Occasionally my DVR will record reruns of the show and I’ll grab a moment and run through them (even though I’ve seen them probably dozens of times). Recently it grabbed one of my favorites from the early years, “In Excelsis Deo.” It’s a Christmas episode from season one. One of the story lines involves the White House Communications Director, Toby Ziegler who receives a call from the Washington, D.C. police about a homeless man found dead on a park bench after a particularly cold night.

To cut the back-story short, the homeless man was 1) wearing an overcoat that Ziegler had donated to Goodwill and still had the Communications Director’s business card in it, and 2) it turns out that the homeless man had been a U.S. Marine in the Korean War and had received a Purple Heart.

Driven by compassion for a dead hero and disdain for how he had been treated (most recently by the careless D.C. Police and emergency services), Mr. Ziegler searches for family or anyone that might have known him. His trek takes him to a spot under a bridge where a gathering of homeless individuals seek shelter and community. There Toby meets another homeless man as well as the Marine’s brother, who is somewhat mentally challenged.

The pivotal point in the exchange occurs when Toby, moved to action, says, “You don’t know me and this is none of my business, but I’m an influential person…I’m a person of power…and your brother deserves a proper funeral and a military honor guard.” Toby can’t help himself; he makes arrangements with the brother to pick him up the next day and then goes back to the White House and, in the President’s name, arranges for a military funeral, honor guard, and burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

Obviously this is not kosher (no pun intended even though the Toby Ziegler character is Jewish). You just can’t do things like that in the President’s name without the President knowing it. A reality for which Ziegler gets called to the oval office. The President feigns his anger while understanding what moves his Communications Director, and after all, it’s Christmas so Toby is off the hook.

The episode closes with the poignant scene of this homeless war veteran receiving a proper funeral and burial, a 21-gun-salute, and the appropriate U.S. flag given to his brother. This episode always moves me but perhaps more this past weekend as I watched it yet again.

(Continued tomorrow)

I was once asked in a job interview, ‘What makes you angry?” I thought it was a good question. I had to think for a moment because no one had eve asked me that.

Finally, I said, “Two things: apathy and lackadaisical commitment.” Two phrases that could be substituted, perhaps, for apathy. I read a great post recently on compacency. Particularly, it indicts complacency in Christian leaders. Check out the post at on Adam Weitz’ site.

Last week, because of the incredible generosity of the church I attend, and because of my pastor’s vision for leadership and leadership development, I had the privilege of attending, via satellite, the 15th Annual Leadership Summit, sponsored by the Willow Creek Association.

I’ve lost track but I think it was somewhere around my 5th or 6th Summit. In my estimation, it was one of the best.

One of the remarkable leaders to whom we were introduced was a dynamic young lady named, Jessica Jackley. Jessica is one of the co-founders of an amazing organization called Kiva.org. Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person online micro-lending website.

What is outstanding is that this organization allows individuals, like you and me, to loan as little as $25 to specific entrepreneurs around the world. As a result, capital is provided to these entrepreneurs to help them start or expand a small business. The most recent reports indicate that approximately $100,000 is loaned every 24 hours on the Kiva website (over $85 million in the last 5 years).

Kiva’s mission is very simple: “to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.” While they are the first organization to offer peer-to-peer micro-lending, they work with existing expert microfinance institutions. This enables Kiva to connect with outstanding entrepreneurs from impoverished communities around the world. The institutions Kiva works with are experts in choosing qualified entrepreneurs.

Here’s how it works: you log onto the Kiva website, browse the entrepreneurs’ profiles, choose someone to lend to, and then make the loan. The term of the loan is usually about 6-12 months. During that time you can receive email updates and track their loan repayment. By the way, their repayment rate is right at 98.5%.

When you and I participate in this process, we are helping a real person make remarkable strides towards economic independence and improving their life, their family’s lives, and the life of their community.

Here’s the cool part: when you get your loan money back, you can then lend it to someone else in need.

One of the pieces of the vision for the 2nd half of my life is to play a larger role, globally, in extending the Kingdom of God. This is an incredible avenue for doing just that. My plan is to extend a loan through Kiva in the very near future. I hope you will too. That’s why I’ve added Kiva.org to the list of links on my site.

My son sent this video to me yesterday.  He knows two things: 1) I’m a huge fan of Starbucks (yes sir – a Starbucks Gold Card holder); and 2) For a lot of years I served as a pastor of a local church. He also knows that making guests at my church feel comfortable, welcome, AND anonymous was a primary concern of mine.

The church I attend does a masterful of job of making this happen. This video portrayal, however, is my worst nightmare come true. I’m no longer a pastor but it still haunts me that this kind of thing happens in churches across America EVERY Sunday. Please, God, make it stop!

There is a church near my home that I drive by quite often. They have one of those big church signs, like many churches, used to advertise events, service times, and most often, this week’s sermon title or theme.

I’m always intrigued when I see their sign wondering, “Who does this?” and “What were they thinking?

I wish I would have written them down over the last several months as a further witness to my point. But here’s the current sign which has been posted for several weeks:

All of lost mankind is condemned

Have you noticed that there are just certain things that make you go, “Hmmm?” Certainly, this must fit into that category.

I’m wondering what Pete Pagan thinks when he drives by the sign. “Oh my goodness, what an intriguing concept! I must explore that further.” “Oh, I can’t wait to go to this church!” “Wow, that’s encouraging.” “Oh man, I must tell my children about this.” “That’s the kind of Christianity I’m looking for: condemning, judgmental, critical, negative, disapproving, and depressing.”

Here’s my point isn’t the gospel supposed to be good news? Before you answer that, understand that the Greek word used in the Bible for “gospel” literally means “good news.” Why is it that we (Christians and churches – I am one and I go to one) so often present the gospel as “bad news?” Do they teach that in seminary and Bible College? Is it any wonder that the adjectives above are often used to describe both Christians and their churches?

Now let’s set the record straight, technically and biblically, the concept is correct; all of lost mankind is condemned. But couldn’t we find a better way to teach the concept and announce the truly good news that it doesn’t have to be so?

I’m so thankful that the church I attend understands the “good” concept of “good news.” And they declare it regularly and profoundly in a way that is easily understood and inoffensive to seekers and skeptics. Questions are encouraged; seeking at your own pace is permitted, objections are afforded and answered. It’s a GREAT place. I just wish more churches followed this model. (There are many who do, by the way; I do hope, however, that their numbers will increase.)

In his book, 9 Things You Simply Must Do, Henry Cloud talks about “the cringe factor.” Like me, you’ve probably experienced it many, many times in many, many different contexts. I experience it every time I drive by this church’s sign.

Something tells me, though, that this is not supposed to happen.

I don’t normally read Leonard Pitts’ commentaries. It’s not that he’s a bad writer or that I don’t like him. In fact, he’s probably very good. He’s a Miami Herald journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2004. I don’t read him very often, because, well, there’s only so much time.

But a couple of weeks ago, his headline caught my eye and I read further. And upon reading his premise, he drew me further into his thoughts.

Between 1933 and 1945, as a series of restrictive laws, brutal pogroms and mass deportations culminated in the slaughter of six million Jews, the Christian church, with isolated exceptions, watched in silence.

Between 1955 and 1968, as the forces of oppression used terrorist bombings, police violence and kangaroo courts to deny African Americans their freedom, the Christian church, with isolated exceptions, watched in silence.

Beginning in 1980, as a mysterious and deadly new disease called AIDS began to rage through the homosexual community like an unchecked fire, the Christian church, with isolated exceptions, watched in silence.

His point was, given the history of the Christian church, who could be surprised that a recent Pew report (from the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life) indicated that those of us who call ourselves Christians are more likely to accept and even endorse inflicting pain while interrogating suspected terrorists.

Here’s how the report played out: 49% of Americans believe that torture is sometimes permissible and acceptable. Now divide that number by religious affiliation and here’s what you get: religiously unaffiliated (40%) are least likely to support torture.

But apparently, according to the research, the more you attend church the more likely you are to condone the enhanced interrogation techniques. For example, among white evangelical Protestants (my group), 62% endorse the use of pain as an acceptable interrogation technique.

This leads to Pitts’ supposition:

You’d think people who claim connection to a higher morality would be the ones most likely to take the lonely, principled stand. But you need only look at history to see how seldom that has been the case, how frequently my people — Christians — acquiesce to expediency and fail to look beyond the immediate. Never mind that looking beyond the immediate pretty much constitutes a Christian’s entire job description.

I’m really not trying to toss Christians under the bus; after all, I am one. But let’s be brutally honest, we have a rather checkered past when it comes to speaking up for, and even more so, standing up against injustice. If you’re still wondering about that, read the paragraphs above.

To say that “torture,” or “enhanced interrogation techniques,” or whatever catch-phrase you want to use, is a hot topic these days is to grossly understate the dilemma. And to be quite honest, had Pew Research contacted me, I would have had to pass on the question because I haven’t thought it entirely through. (I realize my lack of conviction at this point will be offensive to some; for that I apologize.) Let’s just say, I’m in process. But the discussions are everywhere. My counselor even brought up last week in my session with him.

I am currently reading a profound book by Richard E. Stearns (the President of World Vision), titled The Hole in our Gospel. It no doubt make my list “recently read recommendations.” I think you should read the book but basically “the hole” is our lack of proficiency in speaking out against the injustice and caring for its victims.

In short, we have forgotten the Old Testament words of Yahweh found in the biblical book of Isaiah:

“No, the kind of fasting [religious activity] I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned and to stop oppressing those who work for you. Treat them fairly and give them what they earn. I want you to share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. (Isaiah 58:6-7, NLT)

Perhaps God is using voices like Mr. Stearns’ to help create a higher sensitivity in me to the societal wrongs that are so present around us – even those that are endorsed by my siblings in the Christian faith. Perhaps that is why Leonard Pitts’ article caught my attention more than usual. I don’t know.

What I do know, however, is that Mr. Pitts’ conclusion haunts me.

Thus it was left to Jon Stewart, the cheerfully irreligious host of The Daily Show, to speak last week of the need to be willingly bound by rules of decency and civilization or else be indistinguishable from the terrorists. ”I understand the impulse,” he said. “I wanted them to clone bin Laden so that we could kill one a year at half-time at the Super Bowl. . . . I understand bloodlust, I understand revenge, I understand all those feelings. I also understand that this country is better than me.”

So there you have it: a statement of principle and higher morality from a late night comic. That Christians are not lining up to say the same is glaringly ironic in light of what happened to a Middle Eastern man who was arrested by the government, imprisoned and tortured. Eventually he was even executed, though he was innocent of any crime.

His name was Jesus.