these people would not approve of me.
(that's probably not an altogether bad thing.)


it's way lazy for me to ape a deadspin post, let alone a weekend deadspin post, and put it here so that i can feel better about not putting any real time into writing this weekend, but this was too good to pass up. i ask you to read this and be amused. if you feel led, let me know how it strikes you in the comments. the deadspin commenters do a great job, as usual, splitting the issue's lip like a young tyson, but it's hard to not feel like this is where we are headed as a christian society.

in our churches that battle with what degree we should let the secular world integrate itself into our traditions and routines, this also strikes me as particularly timely since my sunday school class talked about (and planned to talk more...knock on wood.) practicing our beliefs in the gray areas of our denomination this morning. groups like the christian defense coalition cannot operate in anything but a black and white world. in their world, you cannot say certain words. that is that. if you don't practice what they preach, you are wrong. there isn't a whole lot of grace or gospel-style "love" in that stance, but it's their bag. take it or leave it.

i struggle with these types of "black and white" christians, because it feels like they've limited themselves in their ability to grow and relate to the secular heathens they would confess they are witnessing to. not that there is anything wrong with structure and discipline. as i shared this morning with my friends, without finding some structure in his life that he could buy into, i think my brother, brian, would tell you, himself, that he would still be broken and looking for answers in the wrong places.

obviously, there is the opposite extreme. other people, even church people, completely reject any and all black and white concerns because they see themselves as smarter than the average bear or operating on a higher level than the rest of us and, thus, make their own rules up as they go along. more power to this group, but i think it can be equally damaging to one's growth.

so, it's confusing, just like everything is. chris perry and i constantly debated this as we tried to find common ground, pun intended (you like that, chris???), with those that we were trying to serve in huntsville. how much rope do we tie to ourselves as we jump away from our mission and priority, that being god, into the waters of "the world"? how much slack do we allow ourselves so that we can, realistically, know that we can be pulled back without our "walk" being permanently damaged or corrupted.

i don't know the answer, but i do know this. the christian defense coalition and organizations of their like piss me off, because they give me a bad name. they give my priority and mission a bad name. and they make my heart hurt, because a life with jesus in your heart should dictate you being more warm and more open to those that you disagree with, not the other way around.

until the answer comes more into focus, i'll be painting my town black, white and gray all over.