Friday Fragments – January 11, 2013

• McDonalds in Great Britain will be distributing books rather than toys in Happy Meals.  15 million books, to be precise.  It would seem that this is being paid for in part by a government grant, thus making the issue more appealing to McDonalds, I presume.  Books are probably considerably more expensive to give out than the cheap plastic toys traditionally associated with Happy Meals.  I wonder if our government would consider such a program here?  Or better yet, some philanthropic individual or organization?

• Another controversy regarding the role of religion in America.  The pastor who had previously been scheduled to offer the invocation for the inauguration of President Obama’s second term has withdrawn himself from the honor.  At issue is a sermon he preached 20 years ago or so against homosexuality.  Given the President’s stated support of same-sex marriage, and the deafening roar for the promotion of the homosexual lifestyle, the pastor understood the controversy his presence at the inauguration would cause.  Understandably, conservatives are outraged by this turn of events.  I’ll say first off that the Rev. Giglio seems to have made a wise decision.  He’s decided that this isn’t a fight that he wants to get involved in.  If that is truly his rational, I support his decision.  I disagree completely with those who claim that his presence would have been divisive – his presence would have been made divisive by those opposed to the Biblical stance on homosexuality.  It is ironic that those who demand unity and inclusiveness are insisting on just the opposite.  Only those who agree with them are deemed worthy of being included.  Predictable?  Youbetcha.  What I disagree with is the way Rev. Giglio seems to distance himself from his message.  He is being cast as being intolerant, and his response is not to dismiss this claim, but rather to distance himself from the sermon he preached.  What we need is for Christian ministers to be willing to stand by what the Word of God says.  No, I don’t believe that the Biblical teaching on homosexuality should be the front and center message of the Church.  But it is a part of the Church’s message.  We need to be willing and able to insist that it is possible both to love homosexuals and to oppose homosexuality – a message that, based on the brief description in the one article, Rev. Giglio seems to have conveyed very well.  He needs to continue conveying it now – even if stepping down from giving the invocation is a wise thing to do.

• I think this is a very thought-provoking blog on the definition of care.  How do we care for others?  Is it a matter of things that we do for them – actions that we engage in?  Or is there an emotional aspect to it, regardless of what we do or don’t do?  Important things to think about in our increasingly technologized culture.