LRC, Houston - the weekends-free church in Houston, Texas

What do we do with DIVERSITY and the SIN of OTHERS?

Notice how I conveniently left out OUR sins. So this should be a relatively painless exercise, right? Wrong! Unfortunately though living in America brings the paradigm that there is no pain, it’s not reality! The government or someone is messing up if I am inconvenienced in any way, right? WRONG again! So, this is what I am HEARING the day before Thanksgiving.

Christians, in America particularly, are waking up to the reality that we live in a different culture than our fathers did, or even maybe we did (as is my case) fifty years ago. I spent the first six years of my life in a quiet town of less than 1,500 people in Northwest Missouri (Shelbina). The only diversity was that which separated the Catholics and Prostestants. I don’t think there ever was an African-American or Latino in the county!

I didn’t know it at the time, but I was to later find out that the Catholic church thought it had a MONOPOLY ON GOD (and still does).The Latin phrase- extra ecclesiam nulla salus est was somewhat backed off by the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), but has recently been reaffirmed: Outside of the Catholic church there is no salvation. So, I’m going to hell: ugh! But you know, the Catholic church pretty much had their run of the game until the Reformation. Since then, it’s been the Protestants that have said they have a MONOPOLY ON SALVATION! And how lucky am I that I’m a protestant; I’m not going to hell: yeah!

I know this is going to rock your boat (the intended reason for writing it), but what is it that gives first one religion “salvation rights” , and then another claims the same privilege? Which one is right? Catholics or Protestants? Are either? Want to take one more deep plunge? So is or is not the book of TOBIT divinely inspired? And why is it that the Catholic Bible has (Alexandrian canon) seven more books than the Protestant Bible (Palestinian canon)? Is one right and the other wrong? Both right? Both wrong? Don’t you just hate some questions? Hey, sometime in the 1Q, I’ll be giving some answers about how the Bible was written and what it means- I pray!

And what about the Immigration Act of 1965. What a mess that’s gotten us into! I don’t think Lyndon Baines Johnson knew what he was doing, particularly being a good old Texas boy! But, since he opened the flood gates to America, we have now become the MOST DIVERSE RELIGIOUS NATION in the world. And, it’s having an impact on your religious belief systems: even if you are in denial. Consider the following.

(1) There are more than a quarter million SIKHS in America and no one knows anything about them: though there are twenty three million world-wide. (2) There are more than a million HINDUS in the U.S. which is larger than The United Church Of Christ membership. (3) There are four million BUDDHISTS in America which makes them larger than either our old mainline Prebyterians or Episcopalians. (4) There are now as many MUSLIMS in America as there are JEWS! (5) There are now six million Muslim-Americans which is greater than the Presbyterian-Episcopalian churchs combined!

A huge mosque in Toledo, Ohio; a major Hindu Temple in Nashville, Tennessee; a Cambodian Buddhist temple in Minnesota, a Sikh gurdwara in Fremont, California: and I could list several non Christian shrines here in Houston, but the point has been made.

So, how are you doing in your Christian hideout, ghetto, sub-culture, church, or lifestyle? Is everyone else a sinner going to hell but those of us who are Protestants? Do we have a monopoly on salvation? Or, are we as Protestants going to hell and only the Catholics have the franchise rights to salvation? After all they were first- unless you want to consider Zoroasterianism.

Now, don’t HEAR what I’ve NOT said: which is a lot: though I know many will! But do HEAR this! It’s time to quit playing religious games- they are totally worthless both HERE and ETERNALLY! The spirit-filled life is our original blueprint and Jesus Christ is MY MODEL (the world would greatly change if we’d truly immulate Jesus Christ in our lives). Don’t you think it’s time to start living it? And, please above all, have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING! You’re alive and you can still get IN on His mercy and love