On the first night of the Republican National Convention, I turned on the television just in time to catch the Republicans’ tribute to our men—and women—in uniform. The screen flashed image after image of soldiers and the accouterments of war—fighter planes, battle ships, gunboats. It was an impressive display of military might, and throughout the tribute, a chorus was singing the songs of each branch of the military; Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marines.
The television camera cut away from the military images to the chorus, and a credit appeared on the screen, “Christ Tabernacle Choir.” I was more than a bit taken aback. “What," I thought, "is Christ Tabernacle and why is their choir singing the praises of our military at this decidedly partisan event?” Here's what I could find, and I quote the mission statement of the church in full:
At Christ Tabernacle, we desire to set an atmosphere of true worship and divine experience. We are relentless in our resolve to preach Christ; see the salvation of souls and celebrate the process of growth in those who come to believe. We believe, in view of God's mercy-the reasonable response is a life of dedicated service to the Lord and His body. We are passionate about building up the saints for works of service so that they may fulfill the will of God for their lives and for the life of the Church.
Regarding the choir:
Pastor Steven and Mary Carey attribute all the choir’s accomplishments to the favor of the Lord being upon Christ Tabernacle Church.
Does the favor of the Lord extend to being invited to sing at the Republican National Convention? Does singing the praises of the military—however noble that may be—preach Christ? Is it part of dedicated service to the Lord?
Perhaps I am the only one who sees the irony in the situation. Jesus was the great peacemaker, reconciling us to God and to one another. “And He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near, for through Him, we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.” (Ephesians 2:17-18)
In the wake of the allegations by the Smear Boat Vets, we were distressed to receive yet another slander from Bush’s supporters. An email is circulating which falsely attributes to John Kerry a quote that John 16:3 is his favorite Bible Verse.
The email alleges that Kerry meant to say John 3:16 is his favorite verse, that neither Kerry nor his speech-writers know the Bible well enough to catch the error, and that John 16:3, “They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me,” shows Kerry's true colors in matters of faith.
It didn’t take much effort to check the facts. Here’s what the urban legend site, snopes.com has to say:
Claim: President George W. Bush or Senator John Kerry cited the wrong verse as his favorite Biblical passage.
Status: False...
Snopes points out that this legend has enjoyed much recycling, having been affixed to GW Bush, Al Gore, and now John Kerry. Snopes further documents that the gaffe was documented by conservative columnist Cal Thomas as having been uttered by the elder George Bush!
We are disturbed how quickly believers accept—and spread—these claims without examining them, passing the stories on to everyone in their address books.
Acts 17:11 tells about Jewish people in Berea who, upon hearing Paul and Silas preach the Gospel, examined the scriptures to see if these claims about Jesus were true. In evangelical Christianity the example of the Bereans is upheld as a model of open-minded inquiry; “Berean” is virtually shorthand for one who searches the Scriptures. Why don’t evangelicals apply the Berean method in examining other claims, especially if and when the claim—if proven false—could be construed as slander?
The Epistle of James says, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless.” (James 1:26) and “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.” (James 3:8) In the same way, unbridled clicking of the "send" button can spread the same poison.
Ironically, the title of the aforementioned email is “Careful of What You Say”; this harkens back to an old Sunday school song, geared to four-year olds:
Oh be careful little lips what you say,
Oh be careful little lips what you say,
For the Father up above
Is looking down in love,
So be careful little lips what you say.
Although the lyrics miss the point of God’s grace, the face value of the intended admonition is much appreciated: don’t lie, don’t slander, and don’t hurt others with your words.
With the media circus surrounding the Smear Boat Vets and their allegations, people may have missed a recent editorial in the Los Angeles Times* simply entitled “These Charges are False.” From the editorial:
No informed person can seriously believe that Kerry fabricated evidence to win his military medals in Vietnam. His main accuser has been exposed as having said the opposite at the time, 35 years ago. Kerry is backed by almost all those who witnessed the events in question, as well as by documentation. His accusers have no evidence except their own dubious word.
Not limited by the conventions of our colleagues in the newsroom, we can say it outright: These charges against John Kerry are false. Or at least, there is no good evidence that they are true. George Bush, if he were a man of principle, would say the same thing.
We can only add a resounding “Amen.”
*Registration required to read the editorial
The ad begins with John Edwards saying “just spend three minutes with anyone who served with John Kerry...” Then a parade of faces crosses the screen, beginning by saying, “I served with John Kerry...”
What the faces don’t say:
Snopes.com, the anti-rumor site, dismisses the allegations of the Swift Boat Vets as one-sided, not fact, but the opinions of the people quoted.
We deplore the statements of the Swift Boat Vets as an exceptionally misleading attempt of a smear campaign such as those directed against John McCain over four years ago. For heaven's sake, Kerry saved a man's life? And where was our “sainted” president during so much of his stint in the National Guard anyhow?
Jim Wallis, head of Sojourners Christian Fellowship, recently debated Jerry Falwell on NPR. Said Wallis:
I was finally exposed on National Public Radio—a Christian who hadn’t consistently voted for Republican candidates. How could I ever again claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ, who, as we all know, was pro-rich, pro-war, and pro-American?
It was an absolutely partisan and theocratic moment. There is only one way that Christians can possibly vote: That’s exactly what Falwell was saying. And that’s exactly what the Religious Right is saying. And they say the only values issues are things like gay marriage and abortion. Forget everything the Bible says about the priority of the poor, about Christian peacemaking, about respecting God’s creation, or about the image of God in every human being—including our enemies.
Falwell launched his tirade on Wallis by saying he is “as much an evangelical as an oak tree.” We think Falwell’s behavior is about as Christian as a rattlesnake’s.
For the complete article go to the Sojourners website.
