the parish

Richard Land Sort of Apologizes for Failure to Attribute, not Plagiarism

I did two stories yesterday as a follow-up. One fairly general for Religion News Service that was picked up by the Washington Post. And a longer, more detailed piece for Ethics Daily. Land subsequently sort of apologized for his racist remarks, but it's clear he doesn't know the difference between a sincere apology and "apologizing" that someone mistook his words. Sigh.

Richard Land is Southern Baptist Convention's Chief Plagiarist?

This one is going to get bigger. I talked to Aaron Weaver, the blogger who broke the story, yesterday, and he's already found another case. Stay tuned, kids.

Equality Ride and Southern Nazarene University: A Few Questions for Dr. Gresham

On March 26, Soulforce's Equality Ride visited my alma mater, Southern Nazarene University. I did an advance for the Oklahoma Gazette about it, and I covered the riders last time they were in the state in 2006. I don't have much of an opinion about the tactics, except that I think they might make it possible for a few kids on campuses to feel normal in the midst of cultures that insist there is something wrong with their same-sex orientation. I'm pretty certain that schools that are adamantly evangelical and fundamentalist aren't going to be swayed by gay Christians who want changes to handbooks and a safe area like a GSA or GLA set up on campus. Jason Conner, a co-director of Equality Ride, told me that Dan Boone, president of Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, told him that the school had never kicked anyone out for being LGBTQ, and while that's admirable if true, it hardly rises to the level of open tolerance of LBGTQ people, nor does it come close to identifying them as confessing Christians. That being said, these are courageous, committed young people, and I salute their willingness to engage the "opposition" in open dialog when possible and with nonviolent resistance when not.

Dr. Loren Gresham, president of Southern Nazarene and a notoriously bad tipper (sir, they know who you are, so why not move that percentage up to 20?), sent a letter to interested parties following Equality Ride's visit. Here's the full text:

Dear Friends and Family of SNU: It has been a week now since the visit of the Soulforce Equality Ride group to our campus. I wanted to thank you for your interest in, and prayers for, the visit and for those who worked very hard to make it a time of dialogue and learning. I am sincerely grateful.

There has been no time in my memory that we have felt the prayerful support of our regional church and alumni as we did prior to and during the visit. Parents of our students added their support through emails, phone calls, and letters of support. All of this helped to make it a time of serious conversation, without the media spotlight that has accompanied many such visits where denial of access to campuses has resulted in negative attention to universities and to the cause of Christ.

In almost every way the visit was a non-event. Our hosting of the time was well planned and the dialogue generally respectful. With such fundamental disagreements about core theological beliefs regarding human sexuality between ourselves and the visitors, it was clear that their desire to change our student handbook to their liking and to convince the university to create a club for homosexuals on campus would yield no results about which they would feel good. The representatives of SNU were crystal clear on our denominational and university stand on the issues discussed. So in some ways it was a failed effort from the outset.

A positive outcome for some of our students was a fresh understanding of the clear stand we have on homosexuality. From the two chapels by our VP for Spiritual Development that focused on biblical and university positions prior to the visit, plus a chapel speaker from Moody Bible Institute who had himself emerged out of the homosexual lifestyle to wholeness in Christ, there was opportunity for the campus leadership to state without ambiguity who we are and what we believe related to the subject. One student in an email addressed to Dr. Brad Strawn after the session open to the students later stated: "I went to the meeting...with an on-the-fence perspective on homosexuality, the church, and my own belief system. And I left with a strengthened faith and confidence in Nazarene theology concerning the issue I had not felt before. I am extremely proud of the university I attend." This same sense was communicated to me by several students, a result that we could have hoped for in all the students who chose to attend.

While we are glad the visit is over, we need not assume that the pressures on our students from the GLBTQ agenda will subside. The confusion being generated by this segment of our society far exceeds all studies of their actual numbers of adherents. May God enable us to be careful and clear in articulating our understandings of Scripture on the subject of homosexuality, while simultaneously extending respect for all those created in the image of God.

A final word of thanks to the planners of the visit from our end: Drs. Scott and Brad Strawn, VPs of Student Development and Spiritual Development, led the team. They were joined by Dr. Hal Cauthron, Chair of the School of Theology and Ministry, and Dr. Terry Toler, VP for University Advancement and Church Relations. Dr. Tim Crutcher, Professor of Theology, was part of the SNU panel for the Forum and did a superb job representing our position on the issues discussed. To all of these I say thank you and God bless you.

In the middle of this Holy Week we look forward to the hope of the Resurrection with sincere gratitude and praise!

Loren P. Gresham, PhD,
President

Can we unpack a few things? How was the visit a non-event? What does that mean? Do you mean that the media didn't make a huge issue of it and embarrass the school? Well, that's because you locked the media out of the event. Do you mean there were no arrests on campus? That's a good thing, and it's largely because you agreed to meet with them. However, I do wonder what it could have hurt to allow the public, including the media, to watch sincere Christians dialog constructively. What were you afraid of, sir?

I'm not sure human sexuality is a core theological belief, but more on that another time. However, I do think Soulforce's request for a safe space on campus could only help SNU and other schools deal with the real issues that LGBTQ kids face. Hell, you might even help a student or parent or professor. You think you have no gay kids or professors on campus? Have you visited the music department? 

A failed effort from the outset? Scratching head...

This is my favorite for a couple reasons: "...a chapel speaker from Moody Bible Institute who had himself emerged out of the homosexual lifestyle to wholeness in Christ..." First, what the hell is a speaker from Moody doing at a Nazarene school? Moody? Their doctrinal requirements make clear that it is a fundamentalist school. Why in the world would you have a fundamentalist, Baptist representative speaking in chapel at a Wesleyan school? Do you even understand your heritage? Do you suppose your faculty could qualify to teach at Moody based on those requirements? Also, how is a gay student not whole in Christ? That seems an assumption you've made. Additionally, trotting out a fake ex-gay speaker to talk about wholeness in Christ is absurd. There are so many things wrong with that. Do you think human sexuality is a simple binary? Do you think that saying I'm ex-gay makes me ex-gay? I've met the ex-gay ministers, and they seem pretty damn gay still. Why is SNU participating in the abusive practice of ex-gay ministry?

GLBTQ agenda? It seems you're listening to the wrong news sources, sir. What is the GLBTQ agenda? Who drew it up? Where can I find the documents? Would you please stop using empty signifiers to score political points with your conservative donors? Please.

Sounds like you could have benefited from a sincere, open, and thorough discussion, sir. It's a shame it was a non-event and a failure from the outset. I wonder how that happened...I wonder how your gay students feel about that characterization. 

Editing the Godhead, or A Lesson for Young Writers

I started my writing career in the most bizarre of ways. I first sold a biker story to a now defunct biker magazine. I've never been on a Harley, but I do like boobs, and the story's ironic twist (kind of a pornified O. Henry conceit) centered on boobs and a snake tattoo. Yeah, glad that's off my chest... That was 1990. A year later, I sold a story about a homeless guy who organized a street church service to David C. Cook publishing because they thought it was non-fiction. Yes, it's often better to be lucky than good. I then struggled for years trying to get something else published. It was incredibly frustrating. This was due in large part to my penchant for preaching; I've always struggled with fiction because I tend to be more concrete than abstract, a fact that will surprise some of you, I'm sure.

I was also a Christian at the time, but had grown up on Mad and Cracked, so satire was one of my primary languages. I finally discovered The Door in the late 90s. Thanks in large part to Harry Potter and Left Behind, I was able to convince the editors that a piece called Harry Potter gets Left Behind was a brilliant idea. I wrote a dozen or so pieces for them before they folded.That was right about the time I started writing regularly for the Oklahoma Gazette. Journalism is a joyless form, necessarily so. I've been at it for nearly 10 years now, and I've often felt my brain lurch when I try to shift writing styles. This blog has helped keep me from becoming completely entrenched, but I do find the journalism world frustrating and rewarding in almost equal parts. 

This week is about frustration and resignation. I've written a few pieces over the years for the Gazette's satirical column Chicken Fried News. These are actual news stories with snark and satire added as commentary. I've had fun with churches giving away Harleys for Easter, SBC issues, and a host of other insanities. This last week was one of the best I've written. I just read the edited version that went to print. I never do this! Never. I shouldn't have, but I had to this time to be sure I wanted to link it on fb. They are non-byline pieces, and on many, the whole writing and editing staff contribute so that what is left is often better than when it started. Occasionally, it's worse.

Religion is hard to write about, especially satirically if you don't want to alienate everyone. Anyone can write satire that mocks believers, but the task, and it's one which The Door got right, is to satirize for the sake of redemption. In religious satire, as in blowjobs, the appropriate amount of teeth is crucial. I'm posting the piece as it appeared in the Gazette, followed by the original. You tell me what you think. I'm used to being edited. Any writer who thinks he is above editing is a beginner or an asshole. However, I don't like being defanged, and I think this is exactly what happened. Note: The reference to Mary Fallin is about a recent Lost Ogle story about our governor spending thousands in tax dollars to get her hot tub and pool temperatures correct.

Gazette:

In a move that’s sure to confuse almost everyone, the Oklahoma House last week approved a measure creating an official state motto. Authored by Rep. Danny Morgan, House Concurrent Resolution 1024 would make “Oklahoma — In God We Trust!” the official state motto. Morgan told The Christian Post that research and review of the Oklahoma Constitution revealed that the state has no motto. As to the “Labor Omnia Vincit” (Labor Conquers All) on the state seal, Morgan explained that was only in the Constitution as a description of the seal.

Although the U.S. and Florida both use the phrase, The Christian Post reported that the exclamation point and the state name makes the new motto totally legal. Morgan, a Democrat who is former mayor of Prague — home of the National Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague — said no church or religious group had supported or endorsed the proposal. Presumably, the measure has the endorsement of God. At least we trust that’s the case.

Original:

In a move that is sure to confuse almost everyone, the Oklahoma House of Representatives approved HCR 1024 in March. The resolution, authored by Rep. Danny Morgan (D-Prague), would make “Oklahoma -- In God We Trust!” the official state motto. 

Morgan gave The Christian Post an interview after the fact, wherein he informed the online publication that research and review of the Oklahoma Constitution revealed that Oklahoma has no motto. As to the “Labor Omnia Vincit” (Labor Conquers All) on the state seal, Morgan explained that was only in the constitution as a description of the seal. Clearly, then, it would seem the seal’s designers were only looking for a cool Latin phrase as opposed to an actual motto.

Although the United States and Florida both use the phrase, the Christian Post reported that our use of an exclamation point and the state name makes the new motto totally legal. That’s sure to be a relief to some, but what of all the gods that will be lining up to be the object of our trust?

Morgan, the former mayor of Prague, home of the National Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague, said no church or religious group had supported or endorsed the proposal. No word on whether that list includes the infant Jesus of Prague himself.

The truly good news is that now that God is getting a shout out from Oklahomans, it’s possible our governor can get her pool fixed gratis. We hear that Jesus guy is awesome around water.