Second Month Geo-Thermal Energy Savings

I've been monitoring our energy usage since our geo-thermal HVAC was installed.

I got the bill for the second full month this week. We used 1124 KWH for the month of December 2012. Between 2002 and 2011 our average energy usage for the month of December was 3626 KWH. The highest month was December 2004 when we used 4680 KWH and the lowest month was in 2010 when we used 2900 KWH.

Translated into dollars, we saved about $284.00 on our electric bill this month.

Here's the formula I am using for my calculations: (3626-1124=2502) X 0.113452 per KWH this month = 283.86

Norman's First Christian Does Handel's Messiah

Norman's First Christian Does Handel's Messiah from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo.

Handel's Messiah as performed by the choir and orchestra at First Christian Church in Norman, Oklahoma on December 16, 2012. Dr. Steven C. Curtis conducts.

What Does it Profit?

News reports indicate that Dick's Sporting Goods has suspended sales of assault rifles like the one used in the massacre of school children at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.

Why didn't somebody at Dick's consider the ramifications these weapons could have on corporate reputation and profit before this incident?

Many years ago, while I was a seminary student, I worked as a Security Manager for JCPenney's. At that time they sold sporting goods, including firearms. At one time, Penney's sold a pistol grip shotgun with an 18 inch barrel. The manufacturer called it a "Snake Charmer." It didn't look like a snake charmer to me. I had worked for a Police Department for five years. To me, it looked like a sawed-off shotgun.

I wrote a letter to the District Manager and asked him why Penney's sold an easily concealable shotgun that appeared perfectly designed to be attractive to the criminal element of society. I suggested that a sensational crime using such a weapon could seriously damage the company's reputation.

Within a week, the weapons were pulled from the stores and the District Manager called to thank me for calling his attention to this item.

Third Sunday of Advent 2012

Third Sunday of Advent 2012 from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo.

The worship service at NorthHaven Church in Norman, Oklahoma on December 16, 2012 -- the Third Sunday of Advent.

Dr. Mitch Randall speaks about the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

The NorthHaven Choir under the direction of Music Minister Cheryl Tartar sings Lloyd Larson's "Shout the Good News."

Dr. Wade Smith on the Good News of Peace

Dr. Wade Smith on the Good News of Peace from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo.

First Baptist Church of Norman, Oklahoma's advent service on December 9, 2012. Dr. Wade Smith, Senior Pastor, preaches on the Good News of Peace.

Judge Jones on Intelligent Design

Judge John E. Jones' lecture on "The U.S. Constitution's Intelligent Design."

The lecture concluded an interdisciplinary dream course at the University of Oklahoma. It was delivered on December 6, 2012.

Judge Jones was the presiding jurist in the Kitzmiller vs. the Dover Pennsylvania School District case that ruled on whether "Intelligent Design" could be taught in public schools.

My Interview with Huffington Post Live

Brown University Students Crack Roger Williams' Shorthand Code

U.S. and World News Report has published a story about Brown University students cracking the shorthand code that Roger Williams, founder of the First Baptist Church in America and founder of Rhode Island Colony, used to make notes for himself. Here's what they discovered:

Williams' system consisted of 28 symbols that stand for a combination of English letters or sounds. How they're arranged is key to their meaning; arrange them one way and you get one word, arrange them another, you get something different. One major complication, according to Mason-Brown: Williams often improvised.

From there, Mason-Brown was able to translate scattered fragments, and the students determined there were three separate sections of notes. Two are Williams' writings on other books, a 17th century historical geography and a medical text. The third — and most intriguing — is 20 pages of Williams' original thoughts on one of the major theological issues of the day: infant baptism.

First Month Geo-Thermal Energy Savings

About seven weeks ago we had a geo-thermal heat and air system installed in our poorly insulated all electric old house. That required drilling two 350 feet deep wells, digging five feet deep trenches to install water pipes from the wells to the house, drilling two holes through the concrete wall of our basement to get the water pipes into the basement, installing a dual water pump to pump the water in and out of the house to the wells, installing a 3 ton Climate Master 27 HVAC system with extensive sheet metal fitting and replacement air duct work. We also had to replace the electrical breaker box at the house to get it up to the standard for building codes. In brief, this was a BIG job!

The team of workers and contractors working with Waggoner's Heat & Air were terrific. They all did top notch work.

I've been monitoring our energy usage since the day it was installed. Today I got the bill for the first full month using the geo-thermal system. We used 919 KWH. Between 2001 and 2011 our average energy usage for the month of November was 2118 KWH. The highest month was November 2002 when we used 3800 KWH and the lowest month was in 2007 when we only used 1586 KWH.

Translated into dollars, we saved about $60.00 on our electric bill this month.

Norman, Oklahoma experienced unusually warm and mild weather for the month of November 2012 -- more akin to the weather in 2007 than the average. The real test for our new system will be at the extremes of heat and cold.

On Losing Children

On Sentencing Convicts to Go to Church

An Oklahoma judge recently sentenced an Oklahoma teenager to attend church for ten years as part of his probation.

Greg Horton, writing for the Oklahoma Gazette, asked for my opinion about the sentence.

Greg's story was picked up by the Washington Post and by the Huffington Post this morning.

Here's the portion of the story that quotes my opinion:

The Rev. Bruce Prescott, executive director of the Oklahoma chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said he is sure the sentence doesn’t pass constitutional muster, but he is equally worried about the spiritual ramifications.

“I’m a minister,” Prescott said. “I want people to go to church, but it’s not helpful for a judge to sentence someone to church. What will the judge do if the young man changes his affiliation in the next few years? Will he be allowed to switch to a mosque or become an atheist? Religion is not a tool of the state, and it’s certainly not for the state to use as a tool of rehabilitation.”

For the record, I am executive director of Mainstream Oklahoma Baptists, a former executive board member of the national organization of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and a past president of the Oklahoma chapter of Americans United. Greg tells me on Facebook that he got this information mixed up and is working to correct it.

Wesley Shotwell: A Network not a Denomination

Wesley Shotwell, pastor of Ash Creek Baptist Church in Azle, Texas gives the keynote address at the 2012 Texas Baptist Committed breakfast.

Judge Roy Moore Redevivus

While half the nation has been celebrating and half of the nation has been mourning the re-election of Barack Obama, another election has barely been noticed outside Alabama. Judge Roy Moore, who planted a 2 1/2 ton ten commandments monument in a courthouse and then refused to obey a federal court order to remove it, has been elected again to serve as chief justice at the Alabama Supreme Court.

Roy Moore's understanding of the First Amendment of the Constitution is polar opposite from my own. He thinks the Constitution establishes the "Judeo-Christian" religion. I'm convinced that the First Amendment means exactly what it says, "Congress shall pass no law respecting an establishment of religion."

Moore and I do agree on one thing. Both of us see through the smokescreen that the Supreme Court is using to ignore the implications of keeping the phrase "under God" in the pledge of allegiance and using "In God We Trust" as our national motto.

For both Moore and myself, the word "God" means something. It refers to a real Divinity. The Supreme Court, however, contends that the word "God" does not mean anything when it is used in our civic life. According to the Supreme Court, in American civic life the word "God" does not refer to a real Divinity because the word has "lost through rote repetition any significant religious content." (See Justice Brennan's concurring opinion in Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668 1984) Instead, "God" is more like a mascot that we trot out to make us feel good about ourselves and our nation.

For the Supreme Court, civic references to "God" are examples of "ceremonial deism" and, therefore, do not violate the First Amendment's prohibition against establishing a religion. Roy Moore contends that the word "God" invokes a real Deity that our nation ought to acknowledge constitutionally and establish as our national sovereign. For Moore and many others in the Religious Right, democracy is, at best, defined theocratically -- not pluralistically. For them, people of no faith and people of other faiths are second-class citizens with fewer rights and privileges than those who acknowledge the "Judeo-Christian" God.

Like Moore, I believe that the word "God" invokes a real Deity, but I don't believe God is interested in being acknowledged by Constitutions. The Father that Jesus revealed is interested in voluntary personal relationships with real persons, not coercive monarchical relations with the constructs of nation-states. To treat God as a national "mascot" and strip his name of "meaning" is blasphemous. It directly transgresses the command to "not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." (Exodus 20:7)

Unlike Moore, I don't believe American democracy has ever been defined "theocratically." James Madison thought that the prohibition against religious tests to hold public office (Article VI of the U.S. Constitution) was enough to guarantee religious liberty for everyone. Anyone who has read his Memorial and Remonstrance knows that he never intended for people of no faith and people of other faiths to be second class citizens of this country. Anyone who has read the Act for Establishing Religious Freedom knows that Thomas Jefferson's mind was of one accord with Madison on this matter. You don't even have to be aware of the Baptist heritage of advocacy for separation of church and state to know that from the beginning the United States was conceived to be a "pluralistic" democracy, not a theocracy.

On Profaning God's Name

"Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." -- Exodus 20:7

The Hebrew people took this command seriously. So seriously that capital punishment was prescribed for offenders. Only the High Priest was permitted to speak God's name (YHWH) and then only in the temple in Jerusalem on the day of atonement (Yom Kippur). Today, whenever God is named when reading the text of the Bible or when praying, traditional Jewish practice is to speak the word for "master or lord" (Adonai). For them, the name of God is holy and worthy of reverence.

Christians have not interpreted this commandment as strictly as have Jews. Few of us speak Hebrew. We realize that different languages employ different words to point to God. We don't believe that the Hebrew language has any unique power to capture God's essence or invoke God's presence. The temple in Jerusalem is not the center of our worship. We don't restrict the use of the word "God" to priests or the clergy. We all speak God's name, laity and clergy, when reading scripture, when praying and in our day-to-day conversations.

So, what remains for Christians of the command to not take the name of the Lord in vain?

The answer lies in what "in vain" means in the context of naming God.

In ordinary language usage, the word for "god" is an entry in the dictionary that refers to a deity, or immortal being (s), or supreme being (s). It principally refers to some ideal of divinity but it could be used for any conception of ultimate reality.

In Hebrew, the divine name cannot be used in this generic sense. The living God is not just another entry in the lexicon of ordinary language. Nor is the God of Abraham merely an ideal or a lofty conception of ultimate reality. Naming the living God invokes a presence. To make reference to the God of Abraham without the awe and reverence that is appropriate in the divine presence is rude and insulting. It takes God's name "in vain" -- i.e., in the "emptiness of speech." It deprives God's name of meaning and denies the ever present reality and ultimate significance of the One who is being named.

For Christians this means that we should never condone flippant and meaningless references to God. Our use of the word "God" should always evidence a reverent and worshipful attitude. We should never profane the name of God by speaking in ways that are disrespectful of the dignity of the Divine presence.

States with the Most Political Clout

NPR has posted a two minute video that explains why swing states have more political clout than others in the election tomorrow.

It's all about the electoral college vote.

Note: The electoral college has nothing to do with educated voters.

On Conservative's Insensitivity to Rape

Raw Story has posted a news story with video about yet another GOP candidate for public office who has made an offensive comment about rape. That makes three candidates in less than three months (Akin, Mourdock, and Koster) with mind-boggling insensitivity on this issue.

Someone needs to assign these politicians to spend some time with the rape units at their local police departments.

I spent five years working for the Albuquerque Police Department before I went to seminary. I've responded to calls for assistance from rape victims and have seen first-hand the evidence of physical assault and battery that many of these women must endure -- before they are verbally battered and emotionally assaulted by the judicial process necessary to convict their perpetrators.

I've also apprehended a rapist or two within moments of the crime and know how difficult it is control the spontaneous impulse to administer some well-deserved street justice with a night-stick on these thugs.

I get that same feeling every time I read a news story about politicians who are blind to the pain that their remarks add to the ongoing suffering these women are already enduring.

Turkey's Role in the War in Syria

Turkey's Role in the War in Syria from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo.

Mustafa Akyol, a prominent Turkish journalist and author of Islam without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty, talks about "The War in Syria: Turkey's Role" at the University of Oklahoma on October 22, 2012.

On "Vagina-gate" and Southern Baptists

Jerry Faught, formerly professor of Religion at Oklahoma Baptist University -- now Associate Professor of Religion and Wiley College, has an outstanding essay on the Religion Dispatches website on "vagina-gate" and how women are treated in the Southern Baptist Convention. Here's a quote:

The leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention are, across the board, hidebound fundamentalists who try to pass themselves off as conservatives. Unlike genuine conservatives however, fundamentalists hold to specific dogmas and then seek to impose these beliefs on others, especially persons who are members of the same church or denomination.

In any debate, they claim to be on God’s side of the argument—authentic dialogue with fundamentalists is not possible. Fundamentalists do not want to discuss issues honestly they are out to evangelize. You either come around to their way of thinking or they will gladly place you outside the boundaries of orthodoxy. Since their own theological positions are not subject to question the marginalization of others who are in disagreement is not only necessary but is a Christian duty.

Thanks, Dr. Faught for your astute observations. Read the full essay to see what Dr. Faught has to say about vaginas.

Opportunities for Democracy in the Middle East

Mustafa Akyol on Opportunities for Democracy in the Middle East from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo.

Mustafa Akyol, author of the book Islam without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty, speaks about "Opportunities for Democracy and Liberties in the Middle East" at First Presbyterian Church in Norman, Oklahoma on October 21, 2012.

Thomas Helwys and Religious Liberty

Thomas Helwys, the 17th century founder of the first Baptist church in England, had firsthand experience with religious bigotry. Unwilling to compromise sincerely held religious convictions that differed from the prevailing law and social sentiment of his native England, he emigrated to Holland. This experience taught him the value of liberty of conscience.

Helwys, a lawyer, wrote one of the first treatises on religious liberty and then returned to England to publish it and face the King. He sent King James a copy of his book with a handwritten note that said,

“Mens religion to God, is betwixt God and themselves; the king shall not answer for it; neither may the King be judg betwene God and man. Let them be heretickes, Turks, Jewes, or whatsoever, it apperteynes not to the earthly power to punish them in the least measure.”

In two sentences, Helwys summarized bedrock Baptist beliefs about the kind of relationship God wants with human beings. God desires a direct and personal relationship with us. Christ alone mediates between the heavenly Father and mankind. God alone is judge over the hearts and souls of men and women.

Helwys’ appeal was for liberty of conscience for all persons -- not for himself alone and not limited to those who shared similar convictions. He knew from personal experience that people conscientiously concerned about their own spiritual welfare and eternal destiny could hold widely divergent religious convictions. Implicitly, he called for everyone, high and low, to acknowledge that each individual bears responsibility for prayerfully examining their own heart and their own relationship to God. Explicitly, he called for everyone, high and low, to respect each person’s God-given liberty to either turn toward their Savior or else continue turning away from their Creator.

Unfortunately, many Baptists affirm Helwys’ convictions but fail to practice what he preached. Many Baptists denounce foreign governments for restricting the work of Christian missionaries in one breath and then, in the next breath, demand that our own government place restrictions on the life and work of persons of minority faiths. Not only do they give mere lip service to Christ’s command that we love our neighbors and even our enemies, but they also violate the most basic and elementary requirements of the golden rule. Such hypocrisy serves to destroy the integrity of our Christian witness and to undermine the credibility of the gospel in the eyes of unbelievers.

The best remedy for the fear of the “other” that leads to prejudice and bigotry is sincere interfaith dialogue. Those who conscientiously develop face-to-face relationships with persons of other faiths normally develop a healthy respect for the liberty of other consciences. Respectfully engaging in mutual dialogue about religious convictions also serves as a catalyst toward deeper comprehension and a stronger commitment to God.

Fundamentalists Taking Over the GOP

Fundamentalist Christians took over the Missouri Synod Luthern Church in the 1970's and took over the Southern Baptist Convention in the 1980's. Those takeovers were viewed as battles over the Bible and a literalist interpretation of it.

Today the Washington Post has published a story about the "Battle for the Soul" of the GOP that has been enjoined by fundamentalist Christians in the U.S. Senate race in Missouri. Southern Baptist ministers in Missouri are at the forefront of the campaign to re-elect Todd Akin. Organizers of this battle are making it clear that this is but an early volley in a battle they envision for the entire Republican Party:

"People are drawn to Akin’s cause because they see it as the opening battle for the soul of the Republican Party," said strategist David Lane, who has spent months in the state organizing pastors to fight for Akin, at times bucking the wishes of GOP leaders in Washington. Akin’s campaign, Lane said, represents the fight against establishment politicians, their consultants and "a morally flawed approach to politics."

David Lane has been described as a "mysterious, behind-the-scenes evangelical kingmaker" from California, funded primarily by the American Family Association, who worked tirelessly for Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign in 2008 and who secured the financing for "The Response" Prayer Rally that launched Rick Perry's ill-fated presidential campaign in 2012.

Republicans around the country can frequently be heard lamenting the religious extremism that has become common in the party. Their complaints sound much like the laments of moderate Baptists during the takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention.

We all know how that ended.

Prepare to turn out the lights. The party will soon be over.

Lawrence Ware on the Attempt to Repeal Affirmative Action in Oklahoma

Lawrence Ware on the attempt to repeal Affirmative Action in Oklahoma from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo.

Lawrence Ware, Professor and Lecturer in Philosophy at Oklahoma State University, gives reasons why Oklahomans should vote no on State Question 759 in November. Ware was speaking at a forum held at the Oklahoma City Campus of Langston University on September 20, 2012.

Robin Meyers on the Attempt to Repeal Affirmative Action in Oklahoma

Robin Meyers on the attempt to repeal Affirmative Action in Oklahoma from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo.

Dr. Robin Meyers, Senior Pastor at Mayflower Congregational Church in Oklahoma City, gives reasons why Oklahomans should vote no on State Question 759 in November. Meyers was moderating a forum held at the Oklahoma City Campus of Langston University on September 20, 2012.

Percentage of Income Oklahomans Pay for Taxes

The Oklahoma Policy Institute has posted information about how much Oklahomans are paying in taxes as a percentage of their income.

It is clear that in Oklahoma those who have much have made sure that they don't have to give much as a percentage of their income. A lot of politicians who profess to be Christians have helped them avoid paying their fair share in taxes.

Jesus made it clear that God expects more of us: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:48)

Oklahoma Baptist University's War Against Science

Oklahoma's Southern Baptists have been at war with science since the beginning of the fundamentalist takeover of the SBC in 1979. Literal interpretations of the Bible have always been at odds with scientific truth and methodology.

The fundamentalist's intentional disdain for science was bound to have an effect on the educational institutions that they took over.

Until recently, the fundamentalists who control Oklahoma Baptist University have been hiring professors who teach a widely publicized but unsubstantiated pseudo-scientific theory knows as "Intelligent Design." This theory and its advocates suffered a major setback from the U.S. District Court's decision in the Kitzmiller vs. The Dover Area School District (2005).

Had the trustees and administration at OBU studied the Kitzmiller decision, they could have learned a lot about genuine science and the legitimate use of the scientific method from the conservative judge who rendered that decision. Instead, they decided to retreat to a pre-scientific worldview and start hiring professors who teach that the universe is a mere 6,000 years old.

Yesterday OBU installed Dr. Ishwaran Mudliar as the Dickinson Chair of Religion. Dr. Mudliar appears to be an unabashed young earth creationist. He wrote a guest article on "The Creationist worldview according to the Bible" for the Baptist Messenger last May. In it he offered a straightforward literal interpretation of Genesis: "the holy Bible declares that the eternal God created the universe out of nothing in six days, and rested on the seventh day (Gen. 1:1-2:3; Ex. 20:8-11)." At the end of the article he recommends a book that advocates young earth creationism.

Oklahoma's fundamentalists are probably delighted with this new addition to the faculty at OBU, but the school's academic reputation is sure to suffer.

Parents would be advised to send their children to a school where people believe in a God who is not so small and where minds are encouraged to expand.

Dr. James Carse on Poetry and Religion

Dr. James Carse on Poetry and Religion from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo.

Dr. James Carse, author of the books "Finite and Infinite Games" and "The Religious Case Against Belief" lectured at the University of Oklahoma on September 25, 2012. During the Question and Answer session Dr. Tom Boyd asked Dr. Carse to describe what he meant by his use of the word "poiesis."

Ricoeur on Personal Responsibility

On the Christian Conscience

On Faith and Philosophy

Religious Right Has Given Christianity a Bad Name

Diana Butler Bass, in her new book Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening , has a succinct paragraph about the effect that the religious right has had on Christianity in America:

There was ample evidence that young adults -- even evangelical ones -- now understood "Christian" to be coterminous with "religious Right" and were leaving churches because of it. In 1985, 26 percent of young adults under twenty-nine claimed to be evangelicals; that number now hovers around 15 percent, while the number of "nones" under twenty-nine has risen from 12 percent to nearly 30 percent. Indeed, most evangelical loss stems from the defection of young people, who increasingly identify Christianity (not just evangelical religion, but Christianity as a whole) as antihomosexual, judgmental, hypocritical, out of touch with reality, overly politicized, insensitive, exclusive, and dull. The old religious Right may have won some cherished political battles, but in the war over the hearts of their youth they surely lost more than they gained. And for American public opinion, conservative evangelical politics may have been the worst marketing campaign for the word "Christian" since the Salem witch trials.

Harry Truman on the Concentration of Wealth

Here's a link to the full quotation.

John Locke on Separation of Church and State

On Politics and End Times Theology

Bill Moyers recently interviewed Mike Lofgren, author of The Party Is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless, and the Middle Class Got Shafted. Lofgren contends that the GOP has become an "apocalyptic cult." Here's an excerpt:

Bill Moyers: Why did you leave the party? You'd been a Republican, what, all your life?

Mike Lofgren: I left the party because it was becoming an apocalyptic cult. Because you cannot govern a country of 310 million people that is the greatest economic power on earth and the greatest military power on earth as if it's a banana republic. You can't govern it with people who think that Obama was born overseas or who believe in all manner of nonsense about climate change. They don't even know, apparently, where babies come from, if we're to believe Todd Akin.

Bill Moyers: What do you mean "apocalyptic cult"?

Mike Lofgren: Well, I mean it literally in some cases. There's a very strong element in evangelical or fundamentalist religion that said the apocalypse is coming. And one sort of sees it subliminally in people like Michele Bachmann when the debt ceiling crisis came to a head and people were warning that we would be downgraded. And if we actually defaulted, we would possibly have to lower our standard of living and credit from abroad could dry up. And her attitude was sort of, "Bring it on. If we're all going to abide in the bosom of the Lord, by and by, it really doesn't matter whether we default."

Bill Moyers: Was that just rhetoric we heard on television?

Mike Lofgren: Oh, that's mainly rhetoric. But I think it does carry over into the mentality of maximalist obstruction, no compromise, because of course when you are with the saints and the opposition is with the sinners, you are doing evil if you compromise.

Bill Moyers: You write that we now have a de facto religious test for public office, notwithstanding that the Constitution says we must not have one. How does this play out?

Mike Lofgren: Well, we saw it in 2008, when a pastor brought Obama and McCain before a live audience and quizzed them about their religiosity. That was Rick Warren. We really don't need that sort of religious test. It's banned in the Constitution. We had it play out last year when some preacher in Texas started criticizing Romney because as a Mormon, this man thought he wasn't a Christian.

Pastor Jeffress: The Southern Baptist Convention, which is the largest Protestant denomination in the world has officially labeled Mormonism as a cult. I think that Romney's a good, moral man, but I think those of us who are born-again followers of Christ should always prefer a competent Christian to a competent non-Christian like Mitt Romney.

Mike Lofgren: The media went off on that for a few days. And as I recall, some of the reporters were badgering the other Republican candidates as to whether they thought Romney was a Christian. So the media actually allowed itself to be used as a tool in this aspect.

Bill Moyers: Candy Crowley kept pressing Herman Cain and, and Michele Bachmann in the primaries on this very issue.

On Bill Greason and Bob Stephenson

Yesterday's Oklahoman ran a story about Bill Greason, the first African-American to break the color barrier in baseball in Oklahoma City. He pitched for the Oklahoma City Indians in 1952 and 1953.

Today, Greason is pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. He returned to Oklahoma City to be recognized for the role he played in overcoming racism in Oklahoma.

Among those who were on hand to greet him was Bob Stephenson, founder of the Mainstream Oklahoma Baptist organizaiton, and a former teammate with Greason on the 1954 Columbus Red Birds.

Here's an excerpt from the article in the Oklahoman:

That wasn’t the only Memory Lane trip for the Reverend. Longtime Oklahoma City oil man Bob Stephenson, a teammate of Greason’s on the 1954 Columbus Red Birds, met him at Cattlemen’s.

“Where have you been the last 58 years?” Stevenson asked on the corner of Agnew and Exchange, where the old teammates reunited for the first time since 1954.

They talked of old times. Of playing for manager Johnny Keane at Columbus and for the St. Louis Cardinals, Greason in ’54, Stephenson in ’55.

Stephenson read in The Oklahoman about Greason’s return and wanted to see his old friend again.

“I never saw this guy get his nose out of joint,” Stephenson said. “Probably the most poised guy I ever played with. Playing behind a guy like Bill was a pleasure, because he got the ball over the plate.”

Greason regaled us with stories. Of winning the Caribbean Series with Puerto Rico in 1954, where his outfielders included Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente. Of playing Negro League baseball, with Mays as a teammate, for the Birmingham Black Barons in the 1940s.

Of playing in Havana during the Cuban revolution, and of Castro coming to the ballpark. Of being a member of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963, when the KKK bomb went off and killed four girls. Greason was not at church when the bomb went off at 10:22 a.m. Sept. 15. He had snuck off to play some sandlot ball.

Of eight years in the Marines, and being at Iwo Jima during World War II, where he saw the American flags planted and where he prayed a desperate prayer: “Lord, get me off this island, and whatever you want me to do, I’ll do.”

Of being pastor since 1969 at Birmingham’s Bethel Baptist Church, where he tells his flock his contract “doesn’t allow for retiring, it allows for dying.”

Ricoeur on Postcritical Faith

Summoned to the Second Naivete

Student Performance Declines as Funding Declines

As newspapers are reporting that Oklahoma students are falling behind in math and science on the ACT college entrance exams, the Oklahoma Policy Institute charts how funding for public schools has declined.

Those determined to destroy public schools will deny that there is any correlation between these two facts. Those who have eyes to see the connection are likely to value equal educational opportunities for all children.

Paul Ricoeur on the Logic of Jesus

Paul Ricoeur, "The Logic of Jesus, The Logic of God" Christianity and Crisis December 24, 1979.

Calvinists Under Fire in the SBC

Baptist Press is reporting that SBC Executive Frank Page has formed an ad hoc committee to offer the convention advice about Calvinism.

This is just the latest sign that tensions have mounted between more evangelistic and mission-minded Southern Baptists and the save-the-culture-minded Calvinists within the convention.

Page has a reputation for opposing Calvinism. Al Mohler, president of Southern Seminary and a member of Page's ad hoc committee, has filled many faculty positions at Southern Seminary with Calvinists.

From the sidelines, this looks like another struggle for the soul of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Neither side of this new struggle distinguished themselves as trustworthy during the fundamentalist takeover of the SBC during the 1980's and 1990's.

Neither side was willing to compromise with moderates to maintain unity during the fundamentalist takeover.

Both sides proved themselves to have coupled an arrogant sense of self-righteous entitlement with a strong will-to-power.

Ultimately, I doubt that Page's ad hoc committee will prove any more successful at maintaining unity than was the peace committee that was formed in the mid-1980's.

Paint and Prejudice

The paintball incident at the Oklahoma City mosque brought to mind my own unpleasant memories of painted messages.

One Sunday morning while I was pastoring a church in Houston, I discovered a black spray painted message on my garage door. As my family pulled out of the garage and I lowered the door to go to church, we were greeted with "F#@& You" in large dripping letters.

That Sunday just happened to be the Sunday that the congregation was voting on whether to elect and ordain women to be deacons.

I'm sure it was just a coincidence that the message appeared on the day that the congregation, by a narrow margin, voted to deny the diaconate to women.

Mosque Targeted In Oklahoma City

NewsOK is reporting that early Sunday morning vandals shot paintballs at the Mosque in Oklahoma City. Footage of the vehicle the offenders were driving was captured by a video camera at the mosque.

This incident comes as mosques around the country have been attacked.

Members of the Islamic community in Oklahoma have conducted themselves with remarkable patience, understanding and forgiveness in the face of incidents such as this. They have been very active within the interfaith community in Oklahoma and their commitment to furthering the common good of our society has been commendable. They have done nothing to deserve being targeted for a hate crime.

I am grieved and deeply sorry that some Oklahomans are determined to persecute the Islamic community. This is not characteristic of the best citizens in Oklahoma.

I pledge to double my efforts to encourage all Oklahomans to respect the right of every person to openly and freely worship according to the dictates of their own conscience.

Baptists and Freedom of Religion

From Thomas Helwy's A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity, 1611.

Helwy's was arrested by King James and died in prison for publishing this conviction.

NPR Cues the Tape on David Barton

NPR has put together a series of videos of David Barton's pseudo-history with brief written critiques by Warren Throckmorton and Michael Coulter, co-authors of Getting Jefferson Right.

This is a very helpful summary of some of Barton's most outrageous claims.

Baptists and Religious Liberty

From Leland's The Rights of Conscience Inalienable, 1791.

Baptists and the Original Intent of the Constitution

From Leland's The Rights of Conscience Inalienable, 1791.

The Logic of Jesus, The Logic of Love

Here's a brief excerpt from a sermon on "The Logic of Love" that I preached at the Norman UCC church yesterday.

Internationally acclaimed philosopher Paul Ricoeur described the "The Logic of Jesus, The Logic of God" in an article that was published in Christianity and Crisis in December 1979. In that article he contrasted ordinary human logic with that of Jesus.

He said, at best, human logic is a logic of equality and equivalence. It is the kind of logic you find in a courtroom. The logic of the law and penal justice tries to fit the punishment to the crime --sometimes by exact proportions. "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." (Matthew 5:38)

Even when the court tries to move beyond measuring out justice in exact proportions, justice is measured by some kind of rule or standard of reason and prudence. The goal is to treat everyone fairly -- with some equitable standard.

The problem with this kind of logic is that it really does not respect individual differences well. The experiences, circumstances, and capabilities of individuals are not equal and a strict logic of equivalence does little to take these differences into account.

The logic of Jesus differs from this ordinary human logic. It is not a logic of equivalence and it is not reasonable or prudent. The logic of Jesus is a logic of generosity and love. The logic of Jesus does not measure people by laws and rules and regulations. The logic of Jesus presents a pattern of response that recognizes exceptions. It respects differences in personal experience, allows for variations in capabilities, and acknowledges the inequities in life circumstance that make each of us unique individuals.

The logic of Jesus is characterized by a pattern of response to others that gives more and asks more than is reasonable or prudent. That is why he tells his disciples to turn the other cheek, give both your shirt and your cloak, and walk a second mile. (Matthew 5:39-41) He expects his disciples to demonstrate a willingness to do more than the best of human logic would deem reasonable or prudent. The characteristic way that Christians respond to others should always be one of generosity and love -- even toward our enemies. "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44)

The standard by which we measure ourselves is not by the logic of equivalence and the rule of law. The standard by which we are to measure ourselves is by the logic of generosity and the rule of love -- the kind of love that was revealed on the cross -- sacrificial, self-giving love.

This is not a soft and sentimental kind of love. It does not passively acquiesce to evil and injustice. It is love that is prepared to sacrifice life itself in non-violent face-to-face confrontation with evil and injustice.

Jesus death on a cross was a witness and testimony to the need for a different kind of logic to rule over all of life -- a logic of generosity and sacrificial love.

Demand a Ban on Assault Weapons

Fasting in the Abrahamic Faith Traditions

Every year, during the Islamic month of Ramadan, Muslims fast for thirty days. Ramadan is considered the holiest month of the year because it was the month in which the Quran was revealed. The fast of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam and an essential observance for all devout Muslims. Every year, for an entire lunar month, from sunrise until sunset, Muslims abstain from food, liquids and sexual relations to focus their attention on spiritual renewal.

Each day at sunset the "iftar" meals that break their daily fast are preceded by prayer and a recitation from the Quran. Increasingly in America, as Muslims seek to familiarize persons of other faiths with their religion, they are inviting their non-Muslim friends and acquaintances to share an iftar dinner with them. In Oklahoma City the Institute of Interfaith Dialog (IID) has been hosting large and diverse groups at iftar dinners for ten years.

This year the Oklahoma City chapter of IID hosted a special "Dinner of the Abrahamic Traditions" at the Raindrop Turkish House. They invited religious leaders from each of the three Abrahamic faith traditions to explain the meaning and significance of fasting in their tradition.

Rabbi Abby Jacobson or Emmanuel Synagogue spoke about the special significance of fasting in the Jewish tradition this year as the Jewish fast of the Tisha b'Av fell within the Islamic month of Ramadan. The fast of Tisha b'Av commemorates the destruction of the first and second temples. Rabbi Jacobson felt especially blessed to share a time of fasting with her Muslim friends. She believes that the practice of fasting works "to intensify prayer."

Dr. William Tabbernee, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Conference of Churches, spoke about the significance of fasting in the life of Jesus and noted that there was an "ambiguity" about fasting for Jesus. Jesus was criticized for not fasting as much as John the Baptist. He said a similar "ambiguity" about fasting prevails with the Christian tradition. Some Christian traditions emphasize and practice fasting more than others. Dr. Tabbernee also noted an increasing emphasis on ascetic practices like fasting in our churches during the Lenten season.

Imam Imad Enchassi of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City said fasting is understood to be like a medical "prescription" to help Muslims "attain piety." The Muslim tradition holds that Moses told Aaron that, "When the stomach is empty, the conscience is alive. When the stomach is empty, the spirit is high." Imam Enchassi also quoted the poet Rumi as saying, "Something (is) magical and mystical about fasting, about an empty stomach, because you are imitating the status of an angel. Because when the stomach is empty you start seeing with the eyes of God, you start hearing with the ears of God, and you start giving with the hands of God."

Below is a video of the formal presentations that each of these interfaith leaders made at the "Dinner of the Abrahamic Traditions" last night:

Fasting in the Abrahamic Faith Traditions from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo.

Waiting for a Bowl of Trickle Down Stew?

ALEC and Corporate Political Influence

Seeing Yourself through the Eyes of Others

On Native American Hospitality

The Origins of the Wall Metaphor for Church-State Separation

Bill Moyers' Latest Interview with Chris Hedges

Bill Moyers interviews Chris Hedges and discusses "Capitalism's Sacrifice Zones."

Toward the end of the interview, their discussion about the responsibility of journalists to be truth-tellers should be on a list of essential viewing for conscientious Christians.

Molly Katchpole on Taking Back the American Dream

Molly Katchpole's speech at the "Take Back the American Dream Conference" on June 18, 2012. Molly is the internet activist who started an online petition that convinced Bank America to drop a $5.00 increase in fees.

Progress Planet Interview

I am interviewed by the Progress Planet website today. Here's the link to the interview.

Bill Moyers on How to Keep the Banks Honest

Roger William and the Birth of Liberty

Melissa Harris Perry on Taking Back the American Dream

Melissa Harris Perry on Taking Back the American Dream from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo.

Melissa Harris Perry's keynote address at the 2012 Take Back the American Dream Conference.

Connecting the Dots on Climate Change

The video above is an outstanding report that connects the dots about how recent weather events form a pattern confirming predictions of global warming.

Why is Aljazeera doing a better job of reporting an this than our own media?

Where is OBU Headed?

Part Four of the Mainstream Baptist interview with Jacop Lupfer, founder of the SaveOBU weblog.

Lupfer comments on the change in the kind of books offered by the OBU bookstore, describes the abandonment of classical instruction in philosophy, and talks about parallels between OBU and Shorter College in Georgia.

How Does BGCO Influence OBU?

Part Three of the Mainstream Baptist interview with Jacob Lupfer, founder of the SaveOBU weblog.

Jacob discusses the repercussions of the fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) on Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU).

He also describes how the percentage of OBU's budget being contributed by BGCO has declined as BGCO's influence has increased.

What's Going On at OBU?

Part Two or the Mainstream Baptist interview with Jacob Lupfer, founder of the SaveOBU weblog. Lupfer explains why he started the SaveOBU weblog and offers an opinion about the effect of recent changes on the Christian witness of Oklahoma Baptist University.

Who is Jacob Lupfer? (Part One of the Mainstream Baptist interview with Jacob Lupfer.)

Opposing the Path to War with Iran

I had a mix-up on the corrected time for a press conference this morning and arrived at the state capitol too late to participate. Here's what I planned to say at that press conference:

I am here to voice concern with the Obama administration's foreign policy in relation to Iran.

Early on, Obama made a valiant attempt to find a diplomatic solution to our differences with Iran but that effort was abandoned prematurely. Instead of diplomacy, this administration is now pursuing a policy of using sanctions to force Iran to not develop nuclear weaponry.

The effect of the sanctions falls disproportionately on the middle class in Iran which comprises the bulk of the pro-democracy green movement in Iran that filled the streets in protest of the stolen elections in 2009. The effect of our sanctions is undermining the green movement which we ought to be supporting, it is strengthening the hand of the extremists in Iran, and it is leading us on the path to yet another war.

I am opposed to war with Iran and I am opposed to Iran developing nuclear weapons.

Frankly, I am opposed to nuclear weaponry in any nation's arsenal.

As long as the world turns a blind eye to nuclear weapons in Pakistan and Israel, it is hypocritical to be overly alarmed about the possibility that Iran might acquire them.

We need to be working for the nuclear disarmament of all nations.

Instead of rejecting agreements like the Tehran Declaration (2010) that was successfully negotiated by Brazil and Turkey, we need to return to the conference table with patient and prolonged diplomatic efforts that give peace a chance.

*********************

For reliable information on recent negotiations with Iran I suggest viewing the video below of a speech at the University of Oklahoma by Trita Parsi, President of the National Iranian American Council.

Trita Parsi on Relations between the U.S., Israel and Iran from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo.

Trita Parsi, President of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) and author of A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama's Diplomacy with Iran spoke about the need for diplomacy rather than a rush to war with Iran. Parsi spoke at a lunch and discussion session sponsored by the College of International Studies at the University of Oklahoma on March 2, 2012.

Bill Moyers on the Hoax of Citizens United

Introducing Jacob Lupfer

Jacob Lupfer is the founder of the SaveOBU weblog which has been attracting a lot of attention among alumni and others concerned about changes being effected by a fundamentalist Christian administration at Oklahoma Baptist University. Most of those frequenting the weblog believe that recent changes are undermining academic freedom, faculty morale, and the quality of the educational experience for students at the institution.

This is part one of a video series about the SaveOBU weblog and Oklahoma Baptist University.

Mitch Randall on Religious Liberty

Dr. Mitch Randall's sermon "The Religious Liberty Sword: It Cuts Both Ways" spoken at NorthHaven Baptist Church in Norman, OK on July 1, 2012. The sermon text is Galatians 5:1-12.

Samantha Corbin Interview (Corrected)

I ran into Samantha Corbin, 2012 recipient of the Maria Leavey award, at a Taco Party on June 19th at the "Take Back the American Dream Conference" in Washington, D.C. She agreed to an interview.

We talk about the training video she did for "The 99% Spring," her work as Actions Director for the "Other 98%," her participation in the Occupy Wall Street movement (OWS), the faith movement within OWS, her non-violent direct action organizing, the increasing political activism of young people under the age of thirty, her sense of justice and injustice, and her understanding of conscience.

My apologies to Samantha for misidentifying her when this blog was first posted.

The Living Parable

Bryan Partridge, Minister to Students at NorthHaven Church in Norman, Oklahoma, offers a dramatic interpretation of the older brother in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15) during the June 24, 2012 morning worship service.

Progressive Baptists vs. Citizens United

Rev. Barry Hargrove, pastor of Prince of Peace Baptist Church in Baltimore, MD, talks about the efforts of Progressive Baptists to inform their congregations and oppose the Citizens United ruling.

Hargrove's remarks were made as he participated in a strategy session on "Overturning Citizens United: A Movement Mandate" at the 2012 Take Back the American Dream Conference on June 19th.

Best Legislators and Judges Money Can Buy

The Supreme Court today reaffirmed the right of corporations to make independent political expenditures and summarily overturned a 100-year-old Montana state law that barred corporations from such political activity. The Supreme Court struck down Montana's ban on corporate political money and held that the Citizen's United ruling applies to state and local elections.

The Montana Supreme Court had refused to strike down the state's ban on election spending by corporations. Citing Montana's history of "copper kings" who bribed legislators, Montana's judges challenged the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling.

In the video above, Jason Wiener, a city councilman from Missoula Montana, explains Montana's challenge to the Supreme Court's Citizen's United ruling and the movement to get "dirty, secret, corporate money" out of public elections. Wiener's remarks were made at the "Overturning Citizen's United: A Movement Mandate" strategy session at the 2012 Take Back the American Dream Conference on June 19th.

Wall Street Exposed for Refining Mafia Scams

Matt Taibi's report on "The Scam Wall Street Learned from the Mafia" in the July 5th issue of Rolling Stone Magazine is essential reading for anyone willing to face the facts about the corrupt nature of the American financial system and how the wealth gained from it works to corrupt political processes.

This excerpt, focusing on the role of money in politics, ought to make it crystal clear that both our financial system and our system for financing public elections needs an overhaul:

Defense counsel showed us, for instance, how CDR employees were routinely directed by their boss, David Rubin, to make political contributions to select candidates, only to be reimbursed by Rubin for those contributions later on. This kind of corporate skirting of campaign finance limits is something we've always suspected goes on, but we rarely get to see direct evidence of it.

More interesting, though, were the stories about political payoffs. In 2001, CDR hired a consultant named Ron White, a Philadelphia bond attorney who happened to be the chief ­fundraiser for then-mayor John Street. CDR gave White two tickets to the 2003 Super Bowl in San Diego plus a limo – a gift worth $10,000. As his "guest," White took Corey Kemp, the city treasurer for Philadelphia, who, 16 days later, awarded CDR a $150,000 contract to advise the city on swap deals. But that wasn't the end of the gravy train: CDR doled out those swap deals to selected banks, who in return kicked back $515,000 to CDR for steering city business their way.

So a mere $10,000 bribe to a politician – a couple of Super Bowl tickets and a limo – scored CDR a total of $665,000 of the public's money. If you want to know why Wall Street has been enjoying record profits, here's your answer: Corruption is a business model that brings in $66 for every dollar you invest.

Even more startling was the way that a notorious incident involving former New Mexico governor and presidential candidate Bill Richardson resurfaced during the trial. Barack Obama, you may recall, had nominated Richardson to be commerce secretary – only to have the move blow up in his face when tales of Richardson accepting bribes began to make the rounds. Federal prosecutors never brought a case against Richardson: In 2009, an inside source told the AP that the investigation had been "killed in Washington." Obama himself, after Richardson bowed out, praised the former governor as an "outstanding public servant."

Now, in the Carollo trial, defense counsel got Doug Goldberg, the CDR broker, to admit that his boss, Stewart Wolmark, had handed him an envelope containing a check for $25,000. The check was payable to none other than Moving America Forward – Bill Richardson's political action committee. Goldberg then went to a Richardson fundraiser and handed the politician the envelope. Richardson, pleased, told Goldberg, "Tell the big guy I'm going to hire you guys."

Goldberg admitted on the stand that he understood "the big guy" to mean Wolmark. After that came this amazing testimony:

Q: Soon after that, New Mexico hired CDR as its swap and GIC adviser on a $400 million deal, right?

A: Yes.

Q: You learned later that that check in that envelope was a check for $25,000, right?

A: Yes. I learned it later.

Q: You also learned later that CDR gave another $75,000 to Gov. Richardson, right?

A: Yes.

Q: CDR ended up making about a million dollars on this deal for those two checks?

A: Yes.

Q: In fact, New Mexico not only hired CDR, they hired another firm to do the actual work that they needed done?

A: For the fixed-income stuff, yes.

What we get from this is that CDR paid Bill Richardson $100,000 in contributions and got $1.5 million in public money in return. And not just $1.5 million, but $1.5 million for work they didn't even do – the state still had to hire another firm to do the actual job. Nice non-work, if you can get it.

To grasp the full insanity of these revelations, one must step back and consider all this information together: the bribes, yes, but also the industrywide, anti-competitive bid-rigging scheme. It turns into a kind of unbroken Möbius strip of corruption – the banks pay middlemen to rig auctions, the middlemen bribe politicians to win business, then the politicians choose the middlemen to run the auctions, leading right back to the banks bribing the middlemen to rig the bids.

When we allow Wall Street to continually raid the public cookie jar, we're not just enriching a bunch of petty executives (Wolmark's income in 2008, two years after he was busted in the FBI raid, was $2,464,210.18) – we're effectively creating an alternate government, one in which money lifted from the taxpayer's pocket through mob-style schemes turns into a kind of permanent shadow tax, used to maintain the corruption and keep the thieves in place. And that cuts right to the heart of what this case is all about. Wall Street is tired of making money by competing for business and weathering the vagaries of the market. What it wants instead is something more like the deal the government has – regularly collecting guaranteed taxes. What's crazy is that in order to justify that dream of regular, monopolistic tribute, they've begun to see themselves as a type of shadow government, watching out for the rest of us. Amazingly enough, this even became a defense at trial.

Read more: The Scam Wall Street Learned from the Mafia

Why We Need Another Wall of Separation in the Constitution

On Building Another Wall of Separation to Preserve Democracy from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo.

Excerpts from remarks from U.S. Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota and State Senator Jamie Raskin of Maryland during the strategy session "Overturning Citizens United: A Movement Mandate" at the 2012 Take Back the American Dream Conference on June 19th.

Speaking about the dangers of the Supreme Court's Citizen's United ruling, Raskin says:

"We have to build a wall of separation between corporate money and public elections like the wall of separation between church and state."

Gabby Pacheco and the Movement for Immigrant Rights

Gabby Pacheco, an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador and leading spokesperson for ending the deportation of the undocumented, talks about the current civil rights struggle to secure the passage of the Dream Act.

She spoke at the "Take Back the American Dream Conference" on June 20, 2012. Wade Henderson's introduction of Gabby mentions the cover of Time Magazine.

IRS Not Enforcing 501(c)3 Tax Law

MSNBC has posted a story about "Activist churches bait IRS, but agency won't bite so far" that offers a helpful but brief summary of the status of IRS investigations of preachers (like Paul Blair in Edmond) who endorse political candidates from their pulpits. Here's an excerpt:

In 2004 the IRS created a dedicated enforcement program focused on political activity by churches and other nonprofits.

Called the Political Activities Compliance Initiative (PACI), it investigated in the 2004, 2006 and 2008 election cycles 80 instances where church officials were alleged to have endorsed a candidate during services.

According to IRS tallies made public after each election, the majority of the PACI complaints were upheld and settled with a warning that the organization comply with the ban on political activity.

The IRS did not respond to Reuters questions about its enforcement activities in recent years, or explain why they seem to have ended abruptly in 2009.

IRS church audits seem to have halted entirely in January 2009. That was when Living Word Christian Center in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, successfully appealed an IRS audit. In question were an endorsement of Republican Michele Bachmann for Congress by pastor James Hammond and financial deals that may have benefited him personally, a violation of IRS rules.

IRS audits of churches must comply with strict rules designed to prevent undue governmental pressure. One is that a high-level IRS or Treasury Department official must authorize the audit. In the Living Word case, the U.S. District Court in Minnesota ruled that the IRS staffer who authorized the audit did not qualify.

In July of that year, Minnesota's Warroad Community Church was told by an IRS official that it was closing its 2008 examination of the church "because of a pending issue regarding the procedure used to initiate the inquiry." (Reuters obtained a copy of the letter from the Alliance Defense Fund, which was representing Warroad in the audit.)

Other churches that had been under IRS review received comparable letters, according to their lawyers.

The IRS stopped publishing the results of its PACI initiative. Three years later the IRS has yet to come up with a new set of church audit rules, making it impossible, experts say, for the agency to pursue such examinations.

This is the most egregious example of how the Obama administration has been unwilling to preserve the wall separating church and state.

As long as the IRS refuses to uphold tax laws against this kind of political activity, it is denying equality to those who comply with the law. Under our tax laws, churches are considered 501(c)3 organizations. Contributions to 501(c)3 organizations are tax deductible. That means that persons making financial contributions to churches engaged in partisan political activities receive tax deductions from their federal income taxes for their political activities. Persons making contributions to 501(c)4 organizations and other organizations involved in partisan political activities are denied the right to write comparable contributions from their federal income taxes.

The IRS needs to level the playing field.

Either permit tax deductions for all contributions to those engaged in partisan political action by relaxing enforcement of the law prohibiting tax deductible contributions to all political action committees and 501(c)4 organizations, or resume enforcing the law for all 501(c)3 organizations -- churches included.

Deep Patriotism vs Cheap Patriotism

Van Jones, President and co-founder of Rebuild the Dream, speaks about the difference between deep patriotism and cheap patriotism at the 2012 Take Back the American Dream Conference.

Media and Civil Society in Turkey and the Middle East

Mustafa Akyol, author of Islam without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty, discusses "Media and Civil Society in Turkey and the Middle East" at the University of Oklahoma's Gaylord College of Journalism on April 13, 2012.

Andi Thomas Sullivan Featured in the Economist

Congratulations to Andi Thomas Sullivan, daughter of T & Kathie Thomas and a founder and now the Executive Director of His Nets, who was featured in an article on "Evangelical Voters" in the May 5th issue of the Economist Magazine.

Andi was mentioned as representative of a younger generation of evangelicals who have a broader social conscience than their elders:

In a similar vein, Mrs Sullivan says that the evangelical right’s focus on abortion and gay marriage “overshadows broader social justice issues”. She insists that among evangelicals of her generation such views are not unusual, and the data back her up. In a 2008 poll, a plurality (44%) of young evangelicals characterised their “political views on social issues (health care, poverty)” as “liberal”. Younger evangelicals are more likely than older ones to favour environmental protection and same-sex marriage. And although they remain overwhelmingly pro-life, nearly one-third of them voted for Mr Obama, suggesting greater willingness to vote for a candidate who believes that abortion must remain a matter of choice.

A Protestant Lament About the Apostle Paul

Dr. Stephen Patterson, Atkinson Professor of Religious and Ethical Studies at Willamette University, reflects on how he feels Christians, especially Protestant Christians, came to misread Paul so badly.

Patterson's lecture was part of the seminar on "Paul in Two Worlds: A Jew and a Christian Talk about the Apostle" sponsored by the Oklahoma Institute for Biblical Literacy that was held at Oklahoma City University on May 12, 2012.

Ecumenical Dialogue on the Hope of Eternal Life

Dr. Michael Root's seminar on "The Hope of Eternal Life: Common Statement -- U.S. Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue" at the 2012 National Workshop on Christian Unity.

The Lutheran-Catholic dialogue completed Round XI with agreements that contribute to the ongoing ecumenical journey. The common statement "The Hope of Eternal Life" offers fresh insights into some issues that proved contentious in the debates of the sixteenth century.

Among issues explored in this dialogue were continuity in communion of saints, prayer for and about the dead, the meaning of death, purgation, an interim state between death and the final general judgment, and the promise of resurrection.

Dr. Root is Professor of Systematic Theology at the Catholic University of America.

On Ecumenical Disaster Response

Rev. Mary Gaudreau's seminar on "Ecumencal Engagement: Providing Healing and Hope Throughout the Disaster Cycle" at the 2012 National Workshop on Christian Unity.

Faith communities hold a unique and valuable role through all phases of disaster: preparedness, response, relief, recovery and mitigation. Gaudreau's seminar introduces participants to some of the well-established national and state level networks through which faith communities engage in vital disaster-related communication, cooperation, coordination and collaboration. Participants also learn avenues through which they can become better prepared to serve those impacted by disasters and to prepare for disasters they themselves may experience.

Rev. Gaudreau is a consultant with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and Domestic Emergency Service Office.

What's the Matter with Oklahoma in a Nutshell

Excerpts from Arnold Hamilton's June 1st talk to Cleveland County Democrats about the recently concluded 2012 session of the Oklahoma state legislature.

Arnold Hamilton is the editor of the Oklahoma Observer and a faithful member of Spring Creek Baptist Church in Oklahoma City.

A 34-year veteran of daily newspapers, Hamilton is a former staff writer for the Dallas Morning News, the San Jose Mercury News, the Dallas Times Herald, the Tulsa Tribune and the Oklahoma Journal. He has been editor of the Oklahoma Observer since 2006.

Much of his career has focused on American politics and government: He covered full-time the state Capitols of Oklahoma, Texas and California, as well as presidential campaigns and national political conventions.

Hamilton spent 18 years as Dallas Morning News Oklahoma Bureau Chief, a regional correspondent and a member of the politics/elections team. Among his notable stories: He covered the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and twice interviewed convicted bomber Timothy McVeigh. He helped chronicle Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. And he reported on two major hurricanes in 2005, riding out Katrina in a French Quarter hotel and Rita in a Jasper, Texas radio station.

Born in St. Louis, Mo., Hamilton was raised in Midwest City, Okla. He earned a B.S. in organizational behavior from the University of San Francisco and an M.A. in political science from Oklahoma State University.

He is a two-time winner of a Dallas Press Club Katie Award for reporting excellence. His coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing was featured in the 1996 edition of America’s Best Newspaper Writing. And his reporting on Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh’s conviction was honored – along with the New York Times – by the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

In 1997, Hamilton received the Fran Morris Civil Liberties in Media Award from the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Oklahoma. He also was a member of the Dallas Morning News team honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors for investigative reporting on the 2003 Baylor University basketball scandal that included the murder of player Patrick Dennehy.

In 2011, Hamilton was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, joining The Observer’s founding editor, Frosty Troy, who was honored in 1971.

Paul the Apostle in a Pluralistic Age

Dr. Pamela Eisenbaum and Dr. Stephen Patterson talk about what a new understanding of Paul might mean for Jews and Christians living in a religiously plural age.

This lecture concludes a seminar on "Paul in Two Worlds: A Jew and a Christian Talk about the Apostle" sponsored by the Oklahoma Institute for Biblical Literacy and hosted at Oklahoma Christian University on May 11-12, 2012.

Implementing the Surprises of Vatican II

Dr. John Borelli, Bishop Frank Griswold, and Dr. Karen Westerfield Tucker address the topic "Implementing Vatican II: Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations" at the 2012 National Workshop on Christian Unity. Bishop Emeritus Donald McCoid moderated the discussion.

Dr. John Borelli is Special Assistant for Interreligious Initiative to the President of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He served as Associate Director and the Interim Director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs at the U.S. Conference of Bishops for eighteen years.

Bishop Frank Griswold is the former presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the USA, prior to which he was Bishop of Chicago. He chaired the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission from 1998 to 2003.

Dr. Karen Westerfield Tucker is an ordained United Methodist minister and is Professor of Worship at Boston University School of Theology. She is also president of the Societas Liturgica and the editor-in-chief of Studia Liturgia.

Bishop Emeritus Donald McCoid is the Executive for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Affairs for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Formerly bishop of ELCA Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod in Pittsburgh, he is the co-chair of the Lutheran-Orthodox International Dialogue.

A Jewish Evaluation of the Apostle Paul

Dr. Pamela Eisenbaum, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and Christian Origins at Illiff School of Theology, lectures on how getting early Judaism right can help understand the Apostle Paul. She draws from her new book, Paul Was Not a Christian: The Original Message of a Misunderstood Apostle

This lecture is part of the the seminar on "Paul in Two Worlds: A Jew and a Christian Talk about the Apostle" sponsored by the Oklahoma Institute for Biblical Literacy and held at Oklahoma City University on May 11-12, 2012.