Jim not know this. Makum sense to Jim tho. Jim greatful for chance to lern… 
(Yes, for those of you who are old enough, I am going old school… 1966 Tarzan series-esque, Ron Ely… )
Evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa at the the London School of Economics and Political Science correlated data on these behaviors with IQ from a large national U.S. sample and found that, on average, people who identified as liberal and atheist had higher IQs. This applied also to sexual exclusivity in men, but not in women. The findings will be published in the March 2010 issue of Social Psychology Quarterly. — Elizabeth Landau CNN
Take a look at the rest of the study here.
It takes just a couple of minutes to see how skewed the interpretations on this study are. You cannot be sure that it was intended to slam those with a belief in God. But, we can be sure that the data was analyzed by someone who didn’t understand Christians. Some of the quotes in the article are just silly. Fun, fun, fun…
Should We Fire God? – Trailer from Robbie Poff | Highland Films on Vimeo.
Maybe our world is violently spinning out of control and those of us with faith in God are just the last ones to get the memo. Maybe there really is no one in charge. Maybe we are like kids in the back of a car careening down the highway with no one at the wheel, frustrated at all the swerving but confidently telling ourselves that someone must really be up there. How could there not be? Maybe April 16, 2007, is and should be the final nail in a coffin full of them already: the final example of a God who either doesn’t exist or is so impotent at his job, he’s hardly worth following. — Excerpted from Should We Fire God?
Please feel free (and encouraged) to share this video with anyone that you think might resonate with the above quote. Whether they, or you, are like me; an apprentice of Jesus who has questions about the amount of suffering in our world, or are someone that is not a follower of Jesus but is curious about those answers. Anyone that you think reflects on these issues…share away! 
BTW – I forgot to ask Robbie to include the fact that the book will be out April 8, but is available for pre-orders on Amazon.com and other sites right now, is being offered for the Kindle and will be available as an audio book as well. Could you mention that when you share it?
If you are willing to post the video to your blog, facebook page…you name it. Help a brother out, eh?
Many, many thanks, props and spirit fingers to Robbie Poff at Highland Films for doing a fantastic job on the trailer. If you need, or would benefit, from video work but don’t have the capacity to do so…cannot recommend him highly enough.
On Sunday, one of my closest friends in the world, Matt Rogers, told [nlcf] about an issue that he doesn’t want in his life – he told [nlcf] about his struggle with homosexuality. It was a very brave thing to do, as there are people in [nlcf] that will be frustrated at him for struggling with homosexuality while being on staff with a church, especially in the role of pastor. And they will share that frustration with Matt.
There are also people in [nlcf] that will be frustrated by Matt’s belief that homosexuality isn’t something that lines up with God’s plan for us, and as such, he is working to shift to a heterosexual orientation. They would see that plan as unwise and the issue of his sexuality to be a neutral one. And they will share that frustration with Matt as well.
Those of you that have been following the thread about my friend who struggles with his homosexuality… this is the friend. Those that have been reading the blog will notice I changed the title of this thread. Both Matt and (I believe) Curtis made the point I should change it. So…viola…
I thought Matt spoke about his life in a very open, honest and thoughtful way.
I asked if I could share his story.
He graciously agreed.
Matt? Take it away…
A friend from Va. Tech responded to my post last night. He shared a personal experience that I think speaks to the challenge of this issue. He spoke so well, I think the wisest thing I can do is just let him say it… So, Peter?
Jim, I really think you should find some more controversial topics to cover on this blog. You’ve really been playing it safe here.
I’m also torn on this topic, Jim. We went through a time of not having enough money to handle health care costs for our family even though we both have college degrees and I was teaching full time (being a teacher was pretty much the main reason we couldn’t afford it!) so I have a little personal experience on “the other side of things.” Most of the people who are making the decisions and the people that are most upset about it have never had to make the decision whether or not to visit the doctor or get the medicine because of money or insurance coverage. Not everyone that struggles financially and has inadequate health care is a lazy bum taking advantage of welfare and government services. On a teacher’s salary in NC, our family qualified for medicaid services for our kids! I know the government is not the answer to all of our woes, but I think that many people screaming for no health care reform are a bit out of touch with reality in some ways.
I don’t have a solid opinion, but I fall somewhere in the middle wanting a balance of government intervention combined with accountability combined with private charitable help combined with good old-fashioned get out there and work to provide for your family. I guess that means I would be a lousy politician since I want a little slice of everything.
But seriously, Jim, let’s hit some serious topics soon…like puppies vs. kittens. Hope you’re enjoying the snow!
The experience of Tracy and I our first five-ish years of marriage was very similar. I had a college degree and was working with a church, and for at least a few of those years, was WELL under the poverty line. Please know that my wife and I are hard workers and responsible, I even did a stint as medical test subject for extra money, that is dedication eh? That is where we were.
I don’t believe it is the government’s responsibility to step in because the job I felt God was leading my into wasn’t supplying enough income. But I do still very much feel for those that are in the position that I no longer am in.
What are your thoughts on this?
I am torn when it comes to the health care debate. This report about a prominent and wealthy Canadian politician not utilizing Canada’s health care system and instead coming to the US for heart surgery, tears me more.
Now, I have friends that say that they are confused just so they don’t have to take a side. You know who you are.
This isn’t that. I really feel torn.
As a follower of Jesus and someone that believes in the guidance and illumination provided by the scriptures, I go to them to help me understand both the events that are occurring in our world today, and how I can increasingly reflect the heart and intent of Christ.
There is a sentence in the letter that James wrote to a large number of Christians that had been spread out, primarily through the persecution they had been receiving. They had received this persecution because they were followers of Jesus and they would have had a large number among them that would have needed help. People would have needed housing, food, and shelter. The basics. James wrote his letter in a very clear, very challenging manner to a group that need both clarity and challenge.
Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us. James 1.27
“We must care for orphans and widows in their troubles…” That isn’t the only way that we demonstrate our trust in the way of Christ, but it is an important one. God seems to care a great deal for those who are disadvantaged in our world.
When I line those words up against the reality that we have a lot of people that don’t seem to have adequate health care, I can
start to see the value of expanding the health care system to accommodate as many of those people as we can. Even if it is at a personal cost to me, I am willing to look at that.
There are also numerous, equally valid, scriptures in the book of Proverbs that would state that it is foolish to walk into a dangerous situation as if it were not so. Seeing that Danny Williams, who would have the ability to truly assess his options, would opt to leave for care is disturbing. Knowing that he chose to do so in spite of the outcry it would cause makes it even more so.
What am I missing in this?
Overall, I don’t get into a lot of the debate about big business pro’s and con’s. It is a valuable discussion to have, but there are many that can offer more meaningful and thought-provoking information than I could. So, I ordinarily leave it to them. But this is awful. I cannot even fathom why it could happen. In New York City, about one third of the population falls below the poverty line. How could this ever be approved by anyone as a good decision? It breaks my heart…warm socks for kids, intentionally cut up, shoes, coats, pants and sweaters. This just shouldn’t be.
Here is the link for the New York Times article, and the photo is courtesy of Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times.
I talk to a lot of people. I mean A LOT of people.
Partially because I am a people guy. I really like them. I believe that each person I meet is a very important and individual creation of God. That makes each of them far more important than they or I can imagine. So…I am a big fan.
But I also am in ministry. I am a pastor of an amazing and flawed church everyone calls [nlcf]. Granted, it isn’t a very traditional church and I may not be the most traditional pastor, but one thing that being a pastor predicatably brings is you talk with a lot of people. 
I mean A LOT of people.
This is not a problem, because I am a fan, remember?
One of the things I talk with a lot of people about, whether they are followers of Jesus or not, is God. Again, predictable. When I talk with people about God obviously there is a range of things we discuss, but one thing comes up more than most.
The list.
Now almost no one uses that term, but that is what it is. It is the list of the things that make getting closer to God harder. The times that we tried to trust him and it didn’t work out, the times that we asked for something and it didn’t happen. Various relationships that might have fallen apart even though we desperately didn’t want them to. The people in our family or beyond them, that suffer from debilitating illness or have lost the fight to that illness. Jobs that have been lost or cannot be found. Unfairness that seems to be everywhere. So often, those that don’t deserve to win do, and those that could really have used that win, don’t.
Here is what can happen. I say can because it doesn’t happen all the time to everyone, but in my experience it does happen to almost all of us at some point. What can happen is that we take those times where we feel that God didn’t step in as he should and we add many of them to our list. The times God has not been predictable or has not handled things the way we would want him to. We take them, remember them…and when the times comes to really step out in trust with God again, we don’t.
well… here we are… 2010. wow.
so, there have been a lot of postings on the blog since i have last meaningfully posted myself. in my last post, i said that i would answer stephen’s questions of why is this an issue at all? very fair question and a good one to look at.
what have done is posted the link to a series [nlcf] did, probably 7ish years ago. it is called, the hate people. the premise is that often the church (or at least the evangelical portion of it) has been characterized by a fairly small subset of attention grabbing individuals. they believe what they say and are allowed to say it. and they get the lion’s share of the microphone time.
and they often do not at all represent what i think. or what many of my friends think.
so we posed the question, are Christians the hate people? we seem to be known for what we are against, what we picket, what we protest. is that a clear representation of Christ’s heart for our generation?
we asked the questions: does God hate those who worship other religions, homosexuals, the environment and women? all issues that we felt were very intense, and ones where i (and many others) would say our views are misunderstood or misrepresented.
i include the talk i did on the issue of homosexuality with a few caveats. the first; remember, i did this talk six or seven years ago. you will notice that i use you know quite a bit, i also really seemed to like the phrase, these things. you will hear it. alot. sorry. essentially, as a communicator i was still reasonably new, so you will see some of that. also related to that, i have a misstatement about the old testament. i essentially said it did not apply any longer. i was referring to how some components don’t, you will see that when you hear the comment. it just came out wrong.
secondly; some of the terms i used then would be different now. partially that is because i have some greater clarity on how some of those terms can strike people, and some of that is from the fact that preferences about some of those terms have changed over the years.
thirdly, as my life with God continues, i continue to grow and evolve in my understanding of who He is and how He feels about humanity and the universe we inhabit. so to say that my views are exactly what they were when this talk was given, would be to assume that i haven’t grown or changed at all. i will say that some of my views have changed, but enough are similar enough, that this talk still describes my views well.
finally, my friend chris backert handled two of the talks. he and i were very close then and are still today, but i make no claims as to whether or not he holds all of the views he shared exactly as they were shared then.
as for the myriad of questions and accusations or indications of frustration at what i am doing or not doing/thinking or not thinking/representing or not representing, by supporting my friend… i will look at those again over the next few days and decide if i feel that i need to reply to any of them. i am aware of some peoples’ perceptions of me based on my views. i am not sure anything i say will convince anyone differently and will hope that those who know me the best will see Christ the most clearly in me. while many of them were either frustrating or hurtful to read, discussion like this one will bring those out. it is what it is, eh?
peace.
(title and first line edited from earlier version)
I have a friend who is same sex attracted.
The friend I am talking about would technically be considered a non-practicing male homosexual. He would also describe himself as someone who struggles with his same sex attraction.
And today we will speak for himself. I asked him if he would answer a few questions and he has done so. I am sure he will take your questions as well…
So… my friend…
What’s the most difficult part of dealing with homosexuality, and how does being a leader in a church make that worse?
I can only speak for my experience, although I’ve heard many homosexual Christian men say the same thing, that loneliness is the most difficult part of this. The unmet longing for companionship and intimacy. Some days that longing is literally an aching in my chest, like someone is squeezing my heart. Imagine watching all your friends grow up, graduate from school, marry their sweetheart–you know, progress through life normally–while you stay stuck in singleness, not because you’ve chosen it, but because you’re attracted to the same sex, and acting on that would violate your faith. It’s awful. Leadership in the church brings its own loneliness. People look at you like you’ve got your act together, like you’re just a little bit, if not a lot, closer to God than everyone else. They set you apart–alone–in the their minds. And since the church hardly understands homosexuality or how to address the people affected by it, there is a strong temptation to just hide, to be alone with your thoughts and not let anyone know what’s going on in you.
You’ve talked about feeling alone. Do you ever feel angry? What makes you angry?
i have been having a great conversation with curtis. i fear i have slowed it down due to my lack of time to respond to some of his posts, but i have been enjoying it greatly. i thought i would shift from yet another reply string and bring it back up to the top of the page. one of my much more web-savvy friends (describes almost everyone under the age 50) suggested i do this and it helps to keep me from feeling the guilt of not updating my blog since dec 3!
so… away we go…
the point has been made, by curtis and many others, that i am doing a couple of things. 
the first is that i am likely being a smidge old fashioned (as proven by my use of the word”smidge”). that essentially culture, and science along with it, have moved past this point where i seem to be stuck. that most of our culture no longer has an issue with homosexuality, and to the extent that i do, i am running counter to a very positive cultural current. in that process i am also ignoring the evidence that demonstrates that i am wrong in a couple of ways. the first is that i am wrong for supporting my friend in his desire to move out of his same sex attraction and that i need to acknowledge that no one can realistically make that change.
excellent thoughts, and if i am honest, all ones that i have deeply considered over the years. i have heard that rob bell (author of velvet elvis and sex god), when asked about his view on homosexuality, said that if you don’t have any friends that are same sex attracted, you cannot have an opinion. while that is a bit strong for me, i agree with part of his point –if he even said it in the first place . his point is this is a very personal and emotional issue. this is one of those issues that requires you to look into it closely and see the personal impact your views can have. i have been greatly helped by a number of my friends over the years that are same sex attracted, whether wanted or unwanted.
here is my initial response to them.
the first, and most simple piece to reply to is the one that no one can realistically shift their attraction. the most honest thing i can say; that is an oversimplification of the human soul to say it is incapable of that shift. i have friends that have done so, meaningfully and realistically. in my experience walking people through any number of situations, both good and bad, i have learned that we are capable of amazing things when we are convinced they are correct and possible. i will get to what i think happens when you combine the individual work of God into the situation later.
as to the current trajectory of our cultural support of homosexuality and the scientific evidence that supports that trajectory, that is a bit more involved.
let me first tell you that i am a fan of the DSM (short for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). during my undergraduate work at virginia tech as a psychology major, i got to know that thing very well. i believe it was the DSM -IVR at the time. since that point an updated version (DSM – IV TR) was adopted and the new DSM V is slated to be produced sometime in 2012 if i am not mistaken.
here is why i like the DSM. the practice of psychology (and psychiatry in many ways) is a
strong blend of art and science. there is an enormous amount of scientific study that has been done on various treatments of various mental disorders. so we have a lot of guidance on what research has shown throughout the years. the APA (American Psychological Assoc) and its contributing members, have done us a great service.
as is true of any social science, it can be quite difficult to isolate specific causes or effects in those studies. please, hear me, i am not setting up a strawman argument here, there is quite a bit of excellent research that has occured. my only point is that social scientific research is not often able to just control one variable at a time. what this does is it requires the practice of psychological therapy to be that blend of art and science that i mentioned before. clinitians take what has been demonstrated through the research and then apply it to their clients in the way they see fit.
what the DSM has brought to the table over the past 50-ish years is a way to normatively describe approaches that have the most support anecdotally, as well as from the research available. i really like that. it gives a bit of consistency to the practice of psychological therapy while allowing the art to still be expressed.
i also like that the DSM is regularly (but not often) updated. the measures that the APA and the NiMH (and likely others) have enacted to be as effective as possible are impressive. truly.
i would also agree that the APA has determined based on research that homosexuality is simply an alternative to heterosexuality, with no need to be “cured”- and those that demonstrate this preference should be encouraged to be accepting of it and the rest of society should as well.
here is where i would see things a bit differently.
“Based on painful first-hand experiences, Jim tells gripping stories and asks courageous questions—while checking common clichés at the door. Asking good questions of God is better than learning good information about him. But Jim presents the reader with both. This book make me want to pull up a chair and have a conversation with the author—and with God Himself.”
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