Comments on: A Slow-Motion Tragedy: BP & the Church

By: zoraya

zoraya — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 04:13:16 +0000

This is just what I love about this site, the way communication helps us see different viewpoints! I agree with that July 26 comment…there is that angle. But I also agree with Jessee [July 14], since there is a responsible party for this disaster the involvement of the church would be akin to helping BP ease their way out of reparations for those hurt lives the article points out to as the consequence of their feet-dragging. Also, we have to remember that God did give us many examples in His word of nations, towns and families that felt His wrath for injustices, infidelity to the Covenant with Him and rampant sin. Let’s not discard those stories as old-fashioned, for God is Unchangeable and Eternal. What we need to do is pray for the Gulf area, that all man-made disasters may be cleaned-up, including the moral crisis so pointedly illustrated by Mardi Gras and the wild college girls videos.

By: Onward, Forward, Toward...

Onward, Forward, Toward... — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:40:13 +0000

Where is the church in all of this???? Too busy trying to re-fight the culture war left off from when the Clintons were in office in the 1990′s. And I really believe the culture war is dictating the reasons why you haven’t seen churches helping out in Louisiana.

Big oil = Republican party = culture warriors = restorationist / dominionist / Christian reconstructionalism = religious right = homeschooling = no marriage penality tax = anti abortion = school vouchers

Environmental cleanup = democrats = gay rights = abortions on demand = pot-smoking Deadheads in a Volkswagen Minibus = diversity = national healthcare / socialized medicine = communism = labor unions = elimination of Christianity = anti-American

To come against the actions of big oil BP is made equal to coming against the Republican party who is supposed to one day give us the victory in the American culture war. Therefore, to speak against the Big Oil companies is considered as a form of a “self-righteous suicide” by the way of cutting off the hand that will feed American Christians the victory in the culture war.

The state of Louisiana (even though the Republican candidate won the electoral college votes in the last three presidential elections and a Republican governor is in office) is still viewed as this very strong Democrat stronghold who produced Huey P. Long, the father of the concept of wealth redistribution while re-electing democrat Ray Nagan as the mayor of New Orleans. This, combined with the very strong Catholic presence, combined with the debauchery called Mardi Gras, is ingrained in the mind of the American religious-right culture warrior that helping out in Louisiana is equal to aiding and abetting the Pope and also selling their soul to Satan and helping out Satan’s quest to defeat Christianity by keeping Mardi Gras going strong. Helping out in Louisiana is viewed as coming against God himself to eventually experience a wrath from God that to them, could mean eternal seperation from God.

Wonder why we really did not see to many churches go out to help after Hurricane Katrina? – same principles in action…. And because of the Democrat stronghold in Louisiana, the culture warriors deep-down really feel that both Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was God’s wrath of hard judgment on that state.

By: Steve Fogg

Steve Fogg — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:33:34 +0000

Thanks Ian, I hadn’t thought about ‘the things we’re against are the things we take action on’. Its so true. We aren’t just against them – we don’t sit by and grumble at what people are doing. We act. Often with vitriol rather than love.

Like you said I do wonder what would happen if we if we acted more on helping people rise out of bad situations. Brilliant example. thanks so much Ian!

By: Ian

Ian — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:09:08 +0000

“I think that the church’s voice has changed. We are heard for what we are against rather than what we are for.”

That’s because the things we’re against are the things we take action on. We drum up political furor any time a congressman so much as thinks “gay marriage”, all the while claiming that we hate the sin and not the sinner. If that were really our attitude, I would think we would devote a lot more time to educating ourselves about the issues, connecting to that community with the gospel, maybe even supporting harm reduction for HIV/AIDS. And where’s the furor over Westboro Baptist Church? Phelps has been gushing crude hatred (homophobia, anti-semitism, and more) into the waters of public opinion for nearly 15 years. This is the United States, and I can’t legally stop Phelps from saying the things he says, but I can certainly make it known to the world that he does not speak for me, and he does not speak for Christ.

If we spend more time taking action on the things we are for by helping people rise out of bad situations, I think it would help our position tremendously. Ladies in my church have organized an outreach to exotic dancers in the men’s clubs in our area, which has already borne fruit: we’ve been able to help several of these women out of their exploitative careers in a remarkably short time. If only we spoke as clearly about other things we care about…

By: Steve Fogg

Steve Fogg — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 04:59:28 +0000

Good thought Jesse, same issue exists. People are hurting financially & socially. And the environment is being destroyed. The church has an opportunity to say that it is FOR the environment and has the back of the local communities. After all if we don’t who will?

How do you think your church could make a difference?

By: Steve Fogg

Steve Fogg — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 04:57:09 +0000

Hey Orville, gr8 comment. How would you apply the gospel in this context?

By: Orville

Orville — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 01:35:11 +0000

This is definitely true. If the church is not known in serving the community and being aware of what’s happening then how can it gain its credibility. Christians know already the gospel and there’s no problem bout that but the question is how is the gospel applied to create changes in this world.

By: Jesse

Jesse — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:59:50 +0000

I think the reason the church isn’t deeply engaged in the oil spill is because it’s man-made. I’m not saying that is or isn’t a valid excuse, but I do think it’s why. Most people likely feel that it’s BP’s responsibility to fix the problem since it was their well. Natural disasters, on the other hand, have no such responsible party.