Beyond Caricature

Nearly two decades ago, I joked, that given trends in Christian worship, that sometime soon a church might regard Rod Stewart, with a slight alteration, as a source of church music:

Tonight's the Night;
Gonna Be all right.
Because I love you [Lord]
Ain't nobody gonna stop us now.

In light of that, perhaps I was not completely surprised at Tom Ascol's post about a Lutheran Church that took up Beatles' songs for a weekend worship service. Don't get me wrong: I like the Beatles, and Rev. Ascol seems to, as well. But not for worship.

But perhaps they still are more popular than Jesus....

Free Speech and Free Offers of the Gospel

Numerous bloggers are commenting on a decision by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that a school had the right to require s student to cover up a tee shirt with an anti-homosexual message printed on it. The shirt had the words "Be Ashamed, Our School Embraced What God Has Condemned" on the front and "Homosexuality is Shameful" on the back. After the school required the student to put another shirt on over it, the student sued the school.

Because the 9th Circuit is so frequently overturned, and overturned unanimously, the enduring validity of its decisions is always an open question. However, a number of political conservatives have commented negatively on the decision as a free speech issue. The Volokh Conspiracy calls the decision "deeply unsound." Mark Rose calls it "typical liberal elitism and intolerance." Taking a different direction, Ann Althouse questioned an analogy in the dissent and asked commenters to opine as to whether the school's response resulted from the shirt's disruptiveness or whether the school was attempting to support its official viewpoint.

Because I am no longer doing legal or political issues at this site, I want to open a discussion in a little bit different direction. From the standpoint of Christian ethics and practice, why would a student do such a thing? What was he trying to accomplish? Was he trying to prove his supposed courage by calling out those people? If not that, then what?

For the sake of argument, let's stipulate that the Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin. Of course, the Bible teaches that numerous other things are also sins -- things that we do, fail to do, think, fail to care about, and so forth. While the Bible teaches that such sins have rather disturbing implications regarding our standing before God, it does not require us to deny civil rights or human compassion to sinners. If it did so, all of us would be in a great deal of trouble. Homosexuality is not a sin with which this author struggles, but there are many others -- pride, greed, lust, and on and on, I am sorry to say -- with which I do. No one, to my knowledge, is insisting that I should be treated rudely based on the fact that I am a self-acknowledged sinner.

Sinners are the sort of people that the Christian message is made for. The most notable spokesman for the early Christian message, the Apostle Paul, even referred to himself as the "chief of sinners," perhaps recalling his own pre-conversion complicity in a Christian's persecutorial murder. This is not to say that Christians should not call sin by that name; but it does mean that people should not be treated obnoxiously. They need the Gospel.

Messages of condemnation unaccompanied by offers of hope and forgiveness found in the gospel do not reflect the message of Christ.

Years Restored

I was reading the Old Testament book of Joel earlier this week. It has a remarkable message.

Much of the book concerns the judgment of God. The people had sinned, and as a result God had sent an extended plague of locusts, destroying their land to an extent that they had never seen.

And, then God made a promise. Not only would judgment cease and mercy return, but He would also "restore the years that the locusts had eaten."

All of us who have wasted years and underachieved or paid a price for personal failures, whether we regard those wastes and failures as divine judgment or merely the residuals of bad decision making, can find hope in that thought. Whatever potential or hope seems to have been lost, there is hope in a gracious God who can restore wasted years.

Gone for Good this Time

Blogging is a hobby. Sure, I would love to write for a living, but I don't. So it is a hobby. I golf. I read books that no one else would ever read. I used to occasionally write book reviews for a newspaper where I lived. I write a blog.

The problem is that my golf, while poor, and my reading habits, while dull to some, don't pose a threat to my livelihood. It appears that blogging now does.

I am not as widely read as Bill Hobbs, though I have thought that I would like to be. I am also probably not as argumentative as Bill, though I don't shy away from controversy. Now that paid media in Nashville have shown a willingness to take down voices that they disagree with, or that they find uncongenial, I am going to have to pay attention. I have an employer who could be pressured. I have a family and bills.

So, here goes: I won't ever put anything publicly in writing on the internet or elsewhere again unless it is a part of a job for which I get paid. It's just not worth the risk.

Overly dramatic? Perhaps. But no more over the top than paid media intentionally going after a person's job. Someone will likely point out that my blog is not that big, but I don't want to assuage my fears by assuring myself I will always be insignificant. I have too much ambition for that.

Oh, and the next time someone over at the Scene decides to write on a right winger threatening free speech, they should take a careful look in the mirror. Fascism can be found on both ends of the political spectrum.

Romney's Health Care Plan

For a careful and favorable look at the health care reforms adopted in Massachussetts, see the Heritage Foundation's Edmund Haislmaier here.

If these reforms appear to be effective, Governor Mitt Romney may be on the inside track to being elected President in '08.

Blogs and Congress

The Washington newspaper The Hill has an interesting article on the ever growing relationship between Congress and bloggers here.

Some Democratic leaders see bloggers doing for their party what talk radio did for the Republicans in the 1980's. However, the radicalism of the left wing blogs may push the Democratic Party out of the mainstream. At the Daily Kos, a recent poll gave House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi a 19% approval rating, while Howard Dean -- who is arguably edging the party closer to a political cliff -- garners an 84% approval rating.

An entity that overwhelmingly sees Ms. Pelosi as too conservative may not be the best one to set the tone of the party for the next round of elections.

As April 15 Approaches....

Americans spend more money on tax code compliance costs, according to Robert Samuelson, than they do on electricity. While that fact would seem to be a compelling argument for reforming and simplifying the tax system, Mr. Samuelson says that it is unlikely to happen due to political constraints.

Whereas current federal income tax rates range from 10 to 35 percent, Mr. Samuelson points out that by eliminating deductions those rates could be reduced to 4 to 17 percent and be revenue neutral. However, wrangling over individual winners and losers would cripple the debate over eliminating deductions in the current tax code. Besides, maintaining high tax rates enables politicians to claim they are doing something for taxpayers by adding deductions that benefit them.

It also complicates tax compliance even further.

The Future of Blogging and Other Media

Mary Katharine Hamm posts a press release announcing that Salem Communications is purchasing TownHall.com. Ms. Hamm comments that the opportunities for synergy in this relationship are significant:

Salem and Townhall put together can serve conservatives in a traditional talk radio format and online, seamlessly leading radio listeners from listening to the radio to acting on the web, from hearing the news to blogging, podcasting, and influencing the news of the nation.

That is a combination that bears watching. It may be a model that is pursued in multiple markets. Though Ms. Hamm contemplates it as a conservative entity, the ideas here could also work in a format offering multiple ideological perspectives, as well.

President(?) Romney on Health Coverage

Mitt Romney, the Republican Massachussetts governor who appears to be gearing up for a run at the Presidency in 2008, discusses his new mandated health care program in a Wall Street Journal editorial. Romney's program involves:

1. More ready access to benefits for those eligible for Medicaid;
2. Subsidized health insurance for those who are ineligible for Medicaid but not able to afford coverage;
3. Health insurance reform reducing mandated benefits in order to enable insurers to offer less expensive coverages; and
4. A requirement that all people acquire health insurance (similar to requirements that all drivers purchase auto insurance).

Joe Paduda is correct that the program does not contain cost containment mechanisms, though it should be added that mandatory coverage reduces anti-selection and will help spread the cost of insurance coverage. As such, the Massachussetts program offers an interesting experiment that bears watching across the rest of the nation.

Beautiful Minds

Katherine Coble took umbrage at a humorous post by Mark Rose that displayed pictures of a number of Republican women who looked classy and/or attractive alongside photos of Democratic women who are either not at all alluring or who were caught in unattractive poses. While acknowledging that Mr. Rose's post was intended to be funny, Ms. Coble complained that attitudes that focus on the appearance rather than the substance of public figures who happen to be female contributed to driving her out of active involvement in politics at a time when she was young and idealistic.

Though I am not offended by Mr. Rose's joke, I think that Ms. Coble makes an important point. One might also note that the failure to take women seriously as public figures and thinkers is not limited to Republican males.

Thus, when Katherine Harris was trying to work through the Florida election mess in 2000, she was forced to endure, not only from comics, but also from newscasters and politicians, unkind remarks regarding her make-up and appearance. Back in the days of the Clinton scandals, Democrats made demeaning remarks about the appearance of Linda Tripp, even while Republicans were making unkind jokes about Monica Lewinsky. Euphemisms can sometimes hide hypocrisy: Democrats have sometimes expressed a wish that Michigan's Canadian born governor, Jennifer Granholm, could run for President, saying that she is "telegenic." They mean that she is good looking. Actually, when you start noticing, the bi-partisan tendency to focus on the appearance of female public figures is epidemic.

And, by the way, some women make efforts to cash in on their good looks for short term advancement. The success of such tactics is typically short term, and it makes worse the problem being discussed.

Please don't misunderstand. The blogger at The Monroe Doctrine is more than capable of noticing an attractive woman -- and, on a personal level, finds the combination of attractiveness and intelligence to be enticing. However, none of that matters in the public arena. This blogger works as the only male in an office with 7 women. They all expect to be treated as the professionals that they are. Women in public life should expect no less.

Looking for More from TeamGOP

On Sunday, several Republican bloggers, including Rob Huddleston, Nathan Moore, and myself, criticized the TeamGOP blog for deleting the comments of Donna Locke of Tennesseans for Immigration Control and Reform from its blog. That criticism was picked up by Michael Silence and VolunteerVoters. While I have deleted comments that were profane or spam, I believe that it is inappropriate to stifle debate by deleting the comments of reasonable and informed commenters. Indeed, I give wide latitude to those who wish to comment on this site (I would like to see more, though I tell others that once I have spoken there is really nothing left to say. I'm kidding.)

TeamGOP has subsequently re-posted Ms. Locke's comments without any explanation or apology. While I applaud TeamGOP for responding to public criticism, it would be better if they would publicly apologize and explain their policy on excluding comments on a go forward basis.

Krumm for State Senate

West Point graduate, military officer, and constuction company project manager Bob Krumm announced today that he is running for the Tennessee state senate. While The Monroe Doctrine does not endorse candidates for office, we gladly point out that Mr. Krumm is a man of solid political principles and unquestioned integrity. He would make a fine state senator.

Follow the Money...

... and the relationships. Tom Delay said that his resignation had nothing to do with the Abramoff investigation or with the guilty plea of his former associate, Tony Rudy. Matthew Continetti's careful research suggests that the truth may be otherwise. Read it here.

Campaign Finance Reform and Incumbency

Janice Bowling, a Republican who ran for a seat in Congress against Lincoln Davis in 2004, wrote on op-ed for The Tennessean disagreeing with the commonly held notion that campaign finance reform benefits incumbents.

Ms. Bowling begins the column by referencing a campaign finance reform case from Vermont that she says will be heard "later this month." The case was actually heard in the middle of March, but we don't know if the error is Ms. Bowling's, or if it is that of a newspaper that sat on her column until it was partly outdated.

Nonetheless, Ms. Bowling's opposition to campaign finance reform rests primarily upon her own experience. In her campaign, she was outspent by Mr. Davis, she says, by a factor of 4 to 1. In that light, finance reform that would create an equal playing field would be preferable, she contends. However, what Ms. Bowling ignores is the possibility that her inability to raise money in part reflected a lack of support for her campaign. People who don't believe that a candidate has a credible chance of winning are unlikely to support the campaign financially. The right of Mr. Davis's supporters to express their preference for his candidacy should also not be ignored. Ms. Bowling is entitled to denigrate their support as representing government of, by, and for money, but many of those supporters simply thought they were participating in the democratic process.

In spite of what Ms. Bowling says, even had she raised an equal amount of money as Mr. Davis, it may not have helped. She is right to criticize gerrymandered districts. Given districts drawn to favor incumbents, and given the advantages of incumbency in running for election, challengers usually need to be able to outspend their opponents to have a chance at victory.

Christian Teaching and Immigration

The other day I linked favorably to a post by Rev. Tom Ascol discussing his views on immigration in light of the experiences in his church in south Florida. The blogger at VolunteerVoters testily responded that he was "tired of people counseling 'Christian' compassion," and suggested the pastor should baptize an illegal immigrant and then take him to the border and "wish him luck."

Since Rev. Ascol is a Calvinist, I doubt that he uses the word "luck" very frequently, but many bloggers won't let details get in the way of a good line. Neither will many mind that such advice flies in the face of biblical commandments regarding Christian compassion:

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? [James 2:15-16 (ESV)].

The normally more thoughtful Bill Hobbs responds favorably to the VolunteerVoters post, praising a reference to opposing turning the nation into a "flophouse" (which I took to be flippant nonsense: most immigrants are here to work, not rely on charity), while accusing Rev. Ascol and me of favoring short term, rather than long term, compassion. For Mr. Hobbs, long term compassion means making "them stay in Mexico where they can reform their own country to improve it for today and for future generations yet unborn." As to the present situation, Mr. Hobbs is ignoring that presently at least 12 million of those cats have already been let out of the bag. Nor is it clear how forcing a whole population to remain in a place where they see no opportunity constitutes compassion. No one is arguing that there is an obligation to allow in everyone who wants to come, but Mr. Hobbs suggestion is so sweeping as to be irrelevant. Perhaps our ancestors should have stayed in Europe? Perhaps we should be forced to return?

The Bible is not vague on the issue of the treatment of foreigners. In particular, many passages in the Old Testament (see, for two or many possible examples, Exodus 22:21, 22 and Zechariah 7:10) put specific human faces on commands for human acts of mercy. Such mercy was to be shown with particular regard to four groups: the poor, orphans, widows, and foreigners. The command in the Exodus passage to treat foreigners kindly is rooted in the Jewish people's own experience as foreigners in Egypt.

For Christians, the way that biblical passages should be applied to matters of public policy is not always clear cut; however, this particular debate seems to be one in which Christians, on principle, cannot simply line up with what seems by some to be regarded as the conservative position.

Realism on Immigration

If a government were creating its immigration laws in a vacuum, it would put in place laws that would allow for levels of immigration consistent with the needs of the country. It would provide for an administrative system that would be sufficient to manage its immigration program. It would create structures that would appropriately secure the nation's borders and that would require that anyone entering the country do so appropriately or face deportation.

Many people discussing the current immigration debate seem to argue as though laws are being passed in a vacuum. They are not.

America's immigration system, both in terms of processing those entering the country legally and in terms of keeping out those entering illegally, has been a mess for decades. The result is a national illegal immigration population that is somewhere in the neighborhood of twice the population of Tennessee. Those on the left who talk as though that can be ignored and that it is somehow not relevant that U.S. laws are openly flaunted are wrong. On the other hand, those who would respond to the decidedly non-vacuum situation we find ourselves in with tough talk and incarcerations are not talking in realistic terms, and may end up doing great damage.

The United States needs secure borders, and along with them a reasonable immigration policy. Along with it, the United States needs to arrive at a solution to the presence of large numbers of illegals who are in such a state partly as a result of an immigration labyrinth that bears no resemblance to a system.

Those who think we can roll in buses and send them all away are living in a world that does not exist.

Confident Party Leaders Don't Censor Debate

The author of The Monroe Doctrine is a conservative Republican who has taken strong positions in favor of policies that would expand immigration into the United States. As such, we have expressed strong disagreement with those who have taken hardline stances on the immigration issue.

Having said that, we also believe that one of the purposes of blogging is to facilitate debate and discussion between responsible voices who express informed positions on issues. While Donna Locke is someone whose views on immigration are diametrically opposed to our own, we acknowledge that she is a responsible voice whose views merit a hearing and response. When the TeamGOP blog censors Ms. Locke's comments, they show themselves unworthy of a Republican Party and a conservative movement that is willing to take on challengers and prevail on the issues.

Then again, that blog said last week that they don't care about issues. Oh, well.

See also Rob Huddleston and Nathan Moore.

The Gospel of Judas: No News Here

I have ignored the flurry of attention given to the National Geographic's release of the supposed lost Gospel of Judas, because anyone who has studied such things knows that there is really nothing new here, and certainly there is nothing that poses any kind of challenge to traditional Christianity. Evidently, there are many who have never studied such things, given the amount of attention the matter has received.

For a quick overview by someone who has studied such things, see Mark Daniels here.

Since all ideological movements, whether religious, political, or philosophical, spin off heretical associated movements, it comes as no surprise that such happened with early Christianity. The later New Testament books -- written in the late first century -- began warning against incipient forms of Gnosticism, a heretical movement that denied the humanity of Jesus and that was radically disdainful of the physical world generally. That incipient form grew into fuller blossom in the second century, and was rejected by those churches that followed the teaching of the Apostles. It should be noted that gnostic philosophy has stubbornly shown up in various forms of disparate Christian groups, some more orthodox than others, throughout history. I once created a stir in a breakfast meeting by impolitely telling the pastor of a large church that his theology bore more resemblance to Gnosticism than to Christianity.

As Hugh Hewitt notes, this discovery "makes for good television specials," but there really is not any new ground broken.

Update: Donald Sensing has more here.

Flu Carriers on Airline Carriers

Joe Paduda links to an article suggesting that business travelers are a key factor in the spread of the flu virus. He then asks whether business travelers who return home with the flu should be considered to have suffered an occupational illness compensable under workers' compensation.

Such a scenario is not compensable under the laws of most, if not all, states, and one suspects that Mr. Paduda is just trying to yank some chains. That being said, those insurance executives who just had coronaries after reading this probably did suffer a compensable injury -- though the compensability of heart attacks is a controversial issue in workers' compensation.

Baptist Pastor on Legal and Illegal Immigration

Tom Ascol is a reformed Southern Baptist pastor in south Florida who has grappled with issues surrounding flawed American immigration policies and illegal immigration, as they relate to the lives of real people in his community and congregation. The blog he wrote today merits reading by anyone with a concern or an opinion on the issue. Here's just a small snippet of what he wrote:

What do you say to a young man who has come to Christ through the church's outreach and wants to be baptized and join but whose visa has expired? He wants to become legal but every avenue he has pursued has resulted in a dead end. Talk of various types of amnesty has kept him hopeful, but he is here illegally.

What about the devoted Christian family that were working through what they were told was a legal channel to pursue permanent residency only to discover that they were scammed and are now left with no passport, visa, or any other form of legal identification. When we contacted legal authorities we were simply told that they were "small fish" and that, though it is unlikely, there is a slight possibility that in 10 years or so their case might come to light and receive some attention.