Convictions About Mel
Today I went to see Apocalypto. It is an entertaining movie, with a significant message, and I will pass along some insights in a future post. I know some people who will not see this film because they feel Mel Gibson is a racist. So they make a concrete statement of their displeasure by refusing to invest their money in his art. Now I could debate about whether Gibson indeed is a racist, or an alcoholic who tends to run his mouth when he is drunk. But I respect that my friends are willing to take concrete action in expressing a social/moral/religious conviction.

From The Heart
I believe we need to have clarity of convinction. The old saying is, "When you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything." Of course the challenge is to know what convinctions are best to hold. Some people expend a great deal of energy seeking to behave according to the most socially acceptable convictions. To me, that is a weak way to go about life. More admiral to me is the person willing to do the hard work of developing personal boundaries. To this person, life is not about what feels good, or what is popular, or what is easy, but what is right. He wrestles with the issues. He may listen and consider what others believe, but will not accept any opinion of another as the final word. Instead, he will put sweat into seeking the ultimate answers in these matters. He will study, reason, pray, and seek in the mystical encounters of life a clarity about issues. Such is far from the easy ways of going through life doing what feels good (hedonism) or what someone else tells you (fundamentalism).

So, even though I do not share the conviction, I respect my friend who will not go to a Gibson movie.

Sampling Of Personal Convictions
This causes me to think about personal convictions I have formed, that reveal themselves in concrete actions. 
Here's a quick and random sampling:
*I abstain from alcoholic beverages.
*I will view and read nothing produced by Michael Moore.
*I will meet the basic needs of my family.
*I refuse to shop at Walmart.
*I save the lives of worms stranded on the pavement after heavy rains (now, that's a silly one, I know!).
*I believe every person on earth would benefit from a personal love-relationship with Jesus Christ.
*I refused to vote for any incumbents in the last election and may do so again.
*Generally I will help out a begger
*I will be faithful to my wife.

Obviously these are not all of the same value to me or to my surrounding world. Some are of minor import. Some I believe I would be willing to die for.

How About You?
Would you share with me a couple of convictions in your life? Perhaps one that is minor, and one that is major.

My wife and I refer to Ibrahim as "our Christmas angel" of last year.

It was a time when our middle daughter was working through a highly rebellious stage. She had decided to live, and celebrate Christmas, with another family. It was a sad time for us. In the midst of this time, our oldest daughter invited her good friend from College to experience Christmas with our family. Ibrahim was Jewish, and had never celebrated Christmas, secular or religious.

He was truly like a little kid the whole time, wide-eyed and constantly smiling, and so very appreciative. On Christmas Eve it is our tradition to share stocking gifts, and it is my mischievous effort to offer a deluge of corny little items. All the family pretends to moan and groan, but they appreciate the good-nature humour. This time we included a stocking full of stuff for Ibrahim. Excitedly he took his turns opening and enjoying his little gifts. We drank hot chocolate, played Christmas songs on the stereo, and laughed alot. The next morning we all got up early to open the big gifts. And of course Santa left something under the tree for Ibrahim. Afterwards we gathered and I read aloud the Christmas story. We had breakfast together and went to church that day. He was overflowing with smiles and hugs for his Christmas experience.

We've continued the friendship, and he has gone around telling his friends we are his "second family". But the greatest benefit came to us. He came along at absolutely the right time- filling an empty spot, and making what would have been a challenging Christmas into a bright and happy occasion.  So, I know for a fact that angels still come along at Christmastime.

Just happened to sit down in front of the television at 9:30 tonight. Showing was The New Adventures Of Old Christine. I do not know much about the show; I've watched a couple of episodes, and it certainly is not a favorite. Usually I would have allowed it to play in the background while I read a magazine. But, this time my attention was grabbed by the theme of the show. It was about religion.

Christine is a divorced mother of a pre-teen. I think her character would admit to being unsure of herself and hedonistic with lifestyle. In the episode of note, her son comes home after visiting with his dad and his new girlfriend. With excitement he tells mom they have been to church. Christine is quite upset. After the boy leaves the room, she expresses anger and dismay that her ex-husband would take their son to church. When asked why she so dislikes church, she stutters, and then says that churches hate gays and she hates anyone who hates.

Then the show explores Christine's discomfort with church. Several times her son continues to ask her to please take him to church. It seems she had a bad experience with Confirmation as a child. And, again she is convinced that churches hate gays. Finally she relinquishes, and takes her son to church. She is uncomfortable, and there are some awkward moments, but she finds church to be a good experience.

I want to thank the writers of this show for not totally trashing church. What they presented was not my kind of church, or even my understanding of the Christian faith, but at least they made an honest attempt to portray Christians and church as amiable. The minister was a nice guy. Even the child's Sunday School class was treated gently, even if a bit humorously, by the plot. The foibles of Christine were accepted with kindness. The preacher's message had little to do with the Bible or the gospel, but again it was not offensive- and I am sure an anti-religious agenda could easily have been slipped into such a part of the show.

Especially did I take notice of a couple of points in the show. During the worship service, Christine was totally at a loss concerning the rituals and formalities of the congregation. This was a reminder to me of how a guest, in my worship services, could equally feel out of place. We should make worship welcoming to such people. And, several times the stereotype was presented that the church has an anti-gay agenda. In this show, the minister assured Christine that several of his church members were gay. I have my suspicions that the writers of the show truly feel that the church in general has a prejudice toward gays. I feel such an understanding is unfortunate. We as a church, and particularly I am referencing the Evangelical Conservative church, must do a better job of letting people know that we love them. How am I to convince a person to turn from sin and to Jesus unless he/she is first convinced that I love him?

Thanks CBS for a good thirty minutes of television. Please give us more of such respectful and thoughtful treatment of religion.