Pondering Pastor

UPDATE: VERDICT IS IN (click)

The lawsuit against Westboro Baptist Church in U.S. District Court in Baltimore has ended it’s first week. The civil trial before a jury is expected to last until November 1. News reports have been rather spotty this week.

At issue is whether or not the actions of the Westboro Baptist Church during the funeral service for Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder intentionally inflicted emotional distress on his father, Albert Snyder and whether or not they violated a private funeral service.

I’m not able to glean anything new out of the reported testimony this week.

Members of Westboro Baptist Church testified that the Snyders were not able to see the demonstration, that they had complied completely with law enforcement restrictions on the location for their demonstrations (1000 feet away), and that their right to free speech in this country and their God-given mandate for calling this nation to repentance should not be denied.

Albert Snyder declared that Westboro Baptist Church made the funeral a media circus.

The Baltimore Sun reported on Wednesday …

U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett instructed jurors at the start of testimony Tuesday that the First Amendment protection of free speech has limits, including vulgar, offensive and shocking statements. Bennett said the jurors must decide “whether the defendant’s actions would be highly offensive to a reasonable person, whether they were extreme and outrageous, and whether these actions were so offensive and shocking as to not be entitled to First Amendment protection.”

The fireworks many are looking for (again from the Baltimore Sun) …

The church’s founder and pastor, Fred Phelps, took the stand after Snyder and prompted a strong admonition from [Judge] Bennett when the pastor said he had not considered whether children would see a sign carried by protesters with the words “Semper Fi Fags” and two stick figures that appeared to be engaged in sodomy.

“No, it’s an irrelevancy,” Phelps said.

“Just answer the question, sir. Don’t determine what’s relevant or not relevant. You just answer the question,” Bennett said.

I’m convinced that the attitudes displayed by members of Westboro Baptist Church will not help their cause, but I believe that they may very likely prevail in this case. I’ll be watching for the verdict.

Pondering Pastor

Those wondering about the sermon I preached on Sunday, September 30, 2007 can find it here.  You will be able to see from this blog how the things I was blogging about and wrestling with ended up in the sermon.

Pondering Pastor

What I find absolutely fascinating is the large number of internet searches for “Lazarus and Dives” that clicked on my posts this week.  It is ironic, because I’ve posted about not naming the rich man and how critical that is for the understanding of this parable.  

A week after a huge civil rights march in Jena, LA, Mychal Bell walked out of prison.  District Attorney Reed Walters speaking with the press and asking to be quoted, said,

“Had it not been for the direct intervention of the Lord Jesus Christ last Thursday, a disaster would have happened”

“What I’m saying is that the Lord Jesus Christ put his influence on those people and they responded accordingly”

Certainly, most of us believe that what he was saying was that Jesus kept the huge frightening mob quiet and peaceful.    These “terrible invaders” coming into a quiet, peaceful, God-fearing town could have stirred up a whole lot of trouble.  He knows what they can be like.  He saw absolutely nothing wrong with his comments. (Head shaking now)

But there is another possibility.

Maybe Walters was saying that there are so many overtly racist people in town that it was only by the direct intervention of Jesus Christ that some of them didn’t go and do something really stupid to provoke a planned peaceful demonstration into a whole lot of trouble.  Some townsfolk tried.  A group of teens reportedly drove by demonstrators leaving Jena last week, shouting racial epitaphs and holding nooses in their hands.

But alas, that would be giving him too much credit.  The context of the interview was clear.  Walters was afraid.  He wasn’t on the side of power anymore.  For those accustomed to being in power, being out of power is a very frightening thing.

Science Daily is reporting a study in an article titled “Racism’s Cognitive Toll: Subtle Discrimination Is More Taxing On The Brain” which suggests that the multiple ambiguous racist messages encountered by minority groups routinely, significantly damage one’s cognitive ability.  The ambiguous racist messages are those that non-minority groups don’t necessarily notice, or those which non-minority groups think should have no impact.  It is those things which become part of the “normal background noise” and might even pass as acceptable behavoir.  This is about power too.  Those who are in positions of power and influence work to keep it.  We’ve just described “institutional racism.”

Am I racist?  I think we, and I have to accept the label.  I’m working hard to eliminate it in my life.  Being able to see the so-called “ambiguous racism” in and around me and calling it what it is begins the healing.

Pondering Pastor