Author: Rev. Evan Dolive

Guilty Or Innocent: One Fact We Might Be Missing…

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / 2 Comments

There was one constant this week at work while I visited patients– and no, it wasn’t the fact that people mistaken me as a Doctor or a Nurse.  This week over 50% of the rooms I entered had the George Zimmerman trial on the TV.  CNN, MSNBC and other major news outlets have been running what seems like 24 hours coverage of courtroom drama; the lead story for most of the news stations and more than likely on talk radio (on both sides of the aisle) has been a run down of the evidence, the objections and word for word break down for the testimony given.  Social media has been flooded with hashtags, posts, reflections and petitions for both Trayvon and George Zimmerman.

Talking heads and media commentators have weighed the evidence and tried to ascertain what verdict the all female jury will return with.  They have debated the use of “cracker” as a derogatory word and have talked ad nauseum, often in circles, about this case.  At times, it can be too much to handle or absorb.

But through it all, there is one piece of information, in my opinion, that the ratings-hungry news organizations have missed or overlooked; whether the jury comes back with a guilty or innocent verdict, a 17 year old boy, Trayvon Martin, is dead.

Trayvon Martin via Wikipedia

While it is right to seek after justice, is it possible during the process to miss the point?  Has the media and the populace become so enamored with the trial and the ultimate verdict that Trayvon has been pushed to the side?  Is this the effect of the 24 hour news cycle with its constant updates, critiques and up to the minute details?

Trayvon was brought up during the trial.  But in my view it was more indirectly, as if he was a part of some grand motion picture of the legal system of Florida.  He was described as a thug high on marijuana as well as a 17 year old kid just trying to keep out of the rain and get back home.

What happened that February night was a travesty for all parties involved. No parent should ever have to bury their child and George Zimmerman now has to live the rest of his life knowing that he took another human being’s life.

At the center of the Creation story found in the Book of Genesis is the notion that all of creation is made by the hands of God.  But it is humanity that takes a special place in the order of creation.  God created humanity in God’s likeness and image.  Genesis 1:26-27 reads:

“Then God said, ‘Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth. ‘ God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them,male and female God created them.” (Common English Bible, 2011)

These two verses serve as a reminder that no human being is an accident and that every human being is a product of a living God. It was God who formed from the dirt Adam and then breathed the very breath of God into his nostrils. These two events are not the by product of a passive God; these events signify that God has an intimate relationship with ALL of humanity, no matter what side of the “train tracks” you are from.

During the next few days (or maybe weeks) we need to remember the story of creation.  As the verdict is returned and the news organizations postulate why the jury went one way or the other, may we remember that all life is precious and all people are children of God.

George Zimmerman, guilty or innocent, is a child of God.

Trayvon Martin, no matter his past or alleged wrong doings, is a child of God.

May we remember where we all come from not just during a high profile case, but forever.

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

Sermon: Can You Hear Me Now?

/ Rev. Evan Dolive

Copyright Verizon Communications, Inc.

 

Below is the sermon I preached at Northwood Christian Church (DOC) in Beaumont, Texas.  The scripture for the sermon in John 10:1-10.

 


(Recorded by Voice Record Pro by Bej Bej Apps for iOS)

 

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

And You Wonder Why People Aren’t Christians: Part XI (Transportation Edition)

/ Rev. Evan Dolive

batcopter_01It’s been a while since I have written on of these particular posts, not for the lack of material, rather I like to at least try to give Christianity a fresh perspective. However, this particular story needed to be shared.

The Christian Post recently reported that mega church minister, Bishop, I.V. Hilliard, of the New Light Christian Center in Houston Texas, made an interesting proposition to his congregation. According to the article, the church’s “Aviation Department” (yes, you read that correctly… aviation department) declared that the pastor’s helicopter (yes, you read that correctly… pastor’s helicopter) needed new blades. Click here to read the appeal letter.

This event is the same song but different verse of the prosperity gospel; this gospel promotes a tit for tat relationship with God. Since God wants you to be blessed and rich and prosperous, then giving to God will active that Divine power within your life. This issue here is not only is Bishop Hilliard requesting money from the congregation for new helicopter blades, Bishop Hilliard says that you will have divine favor in 52 days or 52 weeks if you donate $52. My initial reaction was “why not $40, that at least is a Biblical number?” Also, that’s quite a lengthy time frame you are giving me aren’t you?– either a little over seven weeks or an entire calendar year… The problem with this mentality is that you will then start to look for it even if it is nowhere to be found.

It’s like having a pain in your leg and thinking that you have a serious medical condition because one article on WebMD or some forum post confirmed your suspicion. When we do that we often disregard the mountain of other articles that state that your leg pain is merely a muscle pull. We want it to be one way so badly we are willing to disregard everything else. After those seven weeks are up and there still is no brand new Cadillac with a sun roof, XM Radio and a V-8, then we are going to use the remaining time of our year to make the puzzle piece fit. This is not what God called the church to do; God does not call the church to try to solve the puzzle of whether or not something is a blessing because the church bought new helicopter blades.

What about that single parent who is faithful to their God and needs a car for work or school as the Bishop is touting but can’t fork over $52? Are they just up a creek? Do they not reap the rewards of God’s blessing under this theological framework?

This type of theological frame work is predicated on the notion that God only does for you when you do for God. Last time I checked, that is nowhere to be found in the Bible. Giving to God does not mean that one will receive back from God. Giving in all of its many forms is about one’s response to God. God has gifted humanity with many different things and how are understanding of God and our relationship God dictates our type of giving. The thought is that people should give 10 percent of income or goods, but study after study show that this is not the case for much of the Christian populace.
Is this the reason so many people have joined the Christian faith over the centuries? Is a relationship with God and with Christ merely about a new car and a financial stability? If this is the case then I believe we have missed the point of the gospel. The gospel compels followers of Christ to be selfless and to give up our possessions that can rust and break down. The gospel is centered on the notion of the other, the lonely, the downtrodden, the outcast; they are the ones we are called to serve. Our faith should not be dictated on giving just because we want something. Our giving should be a expression of our faith in thanksgiving for what God has done for us. God does not care how big or how small it might be.

Bishop Hilliard did release a statement in response to the uproar; he mentions a few scriptures here and there but the one that he discarded was the one where Christ said one cannot serve God and money.
I’m not a minister of a mega church but I would hope that if I were I would not have a helicopter but rather use the money to feed the homeless or dig wells in Africa or something else more useful. This type of theology is appealing to some but some see the plight of the world, the hungry, the struggling, the hurting and believe a helicopter for a minister is a waste of money. If the minister has nicer suits and transportation that most of his/her congregation then is there disconnect between the printed words of Christ and the real world.

If Christianity is about giving to get… then it is doomed to fail.

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

EDIT: Formatting and additional text added (2:00pm)
EDIT 2: Sojouners picked up this piece as well click here

Sermon: “Stuck In The Middle”

/ Rev. Evan Dolive

taken from http://www.jamyesack.com (All Rights Reserved)

Below is the link to the sermon I preached entitled “Stuck In The Middle” based on John 18:33-7 and Revelation 1:4b-7.

Sermon Link

[audio http://k002.kiwi6.com/hotlink/13a5updhv0/stuck_in_the_middle.mp3|titles=Stuck In The Middle]
(Recorded by Voice Record Pro by Bej Bej Apps for iOS)

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

Edit: Changed audio player link from box.net to Kiwi6. (8:15pm 6-30-2013)

Review: “Soul Repair: Recovering From Moral Injury After War”

/ Rev. Evan Dolive
English: A folded American flag held by a Unit...

English: A folded American flag held by a United States Marine at the funeral of Douglas A. Zembiec. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have never served in the military.  I have had family and in-laws who served this country in a variety of capacities though the armed forces.  Now more than ever, the public is keenly aware of the movements and campaigns of the US military are leading in the Middle East and around the world.  New stations cover a returning solider, coming back home to a throng of people cheering and waving US flags; we get choked up when we see a solider surprising their family; we stand and clap during sporting events when a service person is recognized on the jumbo-tron.

While all of these things are wonderful expressions of thankfulness and gratitude, what about what is going on in the inside of the solider, inside their mind, their heart and their soul?  Can one ever understand what life is like in service to the country?  Can one ever understand the what life is like in the line of fire? to shoot a gun? to have bombs go off near you? to lose a friend? to kill someone?

How does one (if ever) reintegrate into a fast paced, self centered, on the go American society?

The book Soul Repair: Recovering From Moral Injury After War takes a look at the notion of moral injury in returning combat veterans.

Moral injury results from having to make difficult moral choices under extreme conditions, experiencing morally anguishing events or duties, witnessing immoral acts, or behaving in ways that profoundly challenge moral conscience and identity and the values that support them. Moral injury is found in feelings of survivor guilt, grief, shame, remorse, anger, despair, mistrust, and betrayal by authorities. In its most severe forms, it can destroy moral identity and the will to live. The struggle of combat veterans to return to civilian life can be even more difficult than serving in war and last a lifetime. (taken from http://www.brite.edu/soulrepair/)

The book profiles five different soldiers from different campaigns that the US has been involved with and their struggle with their own morality and faith and how their soul was injured during their deployment.  The book is written by Rita Nakashima Brock and Gabriella Lettini who both had family member serve in combat; both articulate that their loved ones were not the same people after their deployments.

This is an eye opening book to the pains and injury (not just physical) that combat has. I guess sub conscientiously knew it but I never connected the dots.  This text brings moral injury to the forefront, to a place where we as a society and nation are faced with it.  By hearing the stories of struggle and pain that the soldiers went through the reader is taken to a different place, into a world that most of us are not privy to.

The book states that returning combat vets are at a statsically greater risk for suicide and violence; this leads many to think that the pangs of war and combat are deeper than just what is reported on television.

Soul Repair does not hold back on its critique of the Veterans Administration and the US government for not support returning veterans.

Selected Quotes:

Moral injury results when soldiers violate their core moral beliefs, and in evaluating their behoavior negatively, they feel they no longer live in a reliable, meaningful world and can no longer be regarded as decent human beings. (page XV)

Veterans who struggle with moral injury are struggling to recover their lost sense of humanity, which they require to reintegrate into the human community. No easy shortcut can bring them home. (page 54)

Engaging in collective conversations about moral injury and war can help us all to strengthen the moral fabric of society and the connections that tie us to the rest of the world. Our collective engagement with moral injury will teach us more about the impact of our actions and choices on each other, enable us to see the world from other perspectives and chart pathways for our future. (page 114)

The Disciples of Christ in 2011 voted to look into the notion of moral injury and how the church can help veterans from all campaigns with moral injury. Thanks to a grant Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas opened the Soul Repair Center.

I support the work of the Soul Repair Center and I pray that it will be used for the healing and restoration of all people who are faced with moral injury.  The authors note that the church used to assist with the transition of those returning from war who had “shed human blood.” They had to undergo “a rehabilitation process that included reverting to the status of someone who had not yet been baptized and was undergoing training in Christian faith. … this ancient form of quarantine was required because early Christians understood that killing or participating in war, regardless of of the reasons, injured the souls of those how fought. (page xviii)”

I recommend this book to anyone who has or has had a member of their family in military combat, no matter how long ago.  Moral injury is something that has been with humanity ever since the first war broke out.

 

Book Link
5 out of 5 stars
★★★★★
In Christ,

Rev. Evan

Sermon: “Here Is My Servant”

/ Rev. Evan Dolive
Corcovado jesus

Corcovado jesus (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

 

Below is the link to the sermon I preached entitled “Here Is My Servant” based on Isaiah 42:1-9.

Sermon Link
(Recorded by Voice Record Pro by Bej Bej Apps for iOS)

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

Guest Post: What Teens and Their Parents Should Know About Human Trafficking

/ Rev. Evan Dolive

This is the second guest post from Kimberly Rae be sure to check out her website out at http://www.kimberlyrae.com

I grew up loving Nancy Drew books. She was always getting kidnapped or held hostage. The bad guys would say, “We’re going to kill you,” but then they’d go to the grocery store or somewhere else, giving her a couple of hours to come up with a creative way to escape.

 

Thanks in part to Nancy, I grew up thinking that to be captured was cool, that it would be exciting to get close to danger because there was always a way out, and I would be a heroine.

Then I grew up. I found out that Nancy Drew isn’t real, and the bad guys aren’t that stupid.

Sadly, there are girls who don’t figure that out in time. I have a friend who works with prostitutes. Several of them said they got into prostitution after watching the movie Pretty Woman, about a prostitute who meets a nice, rich guy, and they fall in love and live happily ever after. These girls thought that might happen to them.

It didn’t.

Since my suspense/romance novels on human trafficking have come out (Stolen Woman, Stolen Child, Stolen Future), I’ve had the opportunity to speak to lots of groups of women and girls. Teen girls are especially important to me, because in America, they are the ones at risk. The average age for a girl in the US to get trafficked is 12-14. Traffickers are good at seeing what a girl is seeking and becoming that…for a time, until they are trapped.

I want to talk with teen girls because they can make a difference. Not just by getting involved in different activist groups. They can make a difference themselves, where they are. And you can, too. Here’s how:

For parents:
1. Teach teen girls to find their worth in Jesus Christ, so they don’t look for it in dangerous places.
2. Keep open communication with your teenager. Be the kind of person they can come to if they are struggling.
3. Be real with your teen about the dangers out there, especially on the internet. Predators can pose as young girls, or even be young girls working for traffickers. Know who your kids hang out with online.

For teen girls:
1. Know how much you are loved and valued by God. The One who made the universe says you are worth dying for! That’s pretty amazing. (Psalm 139, Jeremiah 31:3, Zephaniah 3:17, John 3:16)
2. Don’t look for your worth, or try to prove your worth, by your looks, your body, or the attention you can get from guys, especially the older, edgy kind. I know if feels powerful, but it is often a door to a place you don’t want to go.
3. Please don’t post immodest pictures of yourself on facebook. That makes you a ripe target for exploitation.
4. Never, ever go alone to meet someone you met over the internet. If someone online even suggests a meeting, tell your parents about it. I’m in my 30s and I’ve been propositioned online–it happens.
5. Befriend the girls on the fringe, the ones who–if they disappeared–people would assume they ran away. Those girls are targeted, so your friendship could actually save their lives.
6. If you know your worth in Jesus, share it with other girls, so they don’t need to be looking for it in the wrong places either.

Nancy Drew stories aren’t true, but that does not mean that happy endings are impossible. We can change the world, one person, one heart at a time.

Let’s start with the hearts of the girls closest to us.

Kimberly Rae has lived in Bangladesh, Uganda, Kosovo and Indonesia. Her Christian suspense/romance novels on international human trafficking (Stolen Woman, Stolen Child, Stolen Future) are all Amazon bestsellers. Rae is currently working on a new series on trafficking for teens. Find out more at www.kimberlyrae.com or like Kimberly’s facebook page, Human Trafficking Stolen Woman, to get updates on the fight against human trafficking.

The BSA And The Affirmation of All

/ Rev. Evan Dolive
Boy Scouts of America Celebrates 100 Years

Boy Scouts of America Celebrates 100 Years (Photo credit: Daniel M. Reck)

Once again the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) are back in the news– nothing new really just the same debate on whether to include openly homosexual members and/or leaders into the organization. Recently the BSA voted to include homosexual children as scouts. The this change however did not apply to openly gay leaders. The BSA vote stated that those adults would not be allowed to serve, lead, camp and mold young minds.

As one can imagine this has been a hot bed for debate and even after this particular vote, it will not end there. Some groups are threatening to remove support of the BSA if the decision is not reversed before the January 1, 2014 effective date.

The organizer of the biggest groups against the change, OnMyHonor.Net, decided to post a response to the vote. Part of the statement reads:

The Boy Scouts of America has a logo that bears the phrase ‘Timeless Values.’ Today, the BSA can no longer use this phrase in good faith. It has demonstrated by its actions that the organization’s values are not timeless, and instead they are governed by changing tides of polls, politics and public opinion.
The saddest part of today’s decision is what the organization is teaching our children and young people in the program.
The BSA is teaching our kids that when your values become unpopular, just change them.
The BSA is teaching our kids that when your convictions are challenged, just cave to peer pressure.
The BSA is teaching our kids that public opinion polls are more important than principles.
Today, the BSA is teaching our kids that you should not stand up for what is right instead you should stand up for what is popular.

So OnMyHonor.Net, the Scouts are the sole arbiter of morality? Did the Scouts have these same conversations regarding segregation? For much of the South, de-segregating was “unpopular” and many people’s “convictions were challenged.” Were the Scouts wrong to allow multiple races to learn the important skills of Scouting together? Didn’t public opinion polls say it was wrong while many people stood by their “principles?” When did inclusion become something contrary to a “timeless value?” The BSA is not teaching children that their convictions are incorrect, they are teaching them that to be an honorable person means that you will have to handle situations with differing groups of people. The world outside of the BSA’s doors is not one of merit badges, campfires and helping people across the street. The world is complex and difficult at times and yes there are people who look, think, act and belive differently than you do.

How is this a bad thing?

The Scouts’ change I believe was for the better; yes it was outside influences that were motivating these changes, but sometimes we need a kick in the pants from someone else to make us get up and do something.

For the BSA’s first attempt is decent but nowhere near where it needs to be. The current rule change will effectively still support the current standard of opposition to homosexuals in the BSA. The BSA will tell youths who are struggling with identity or those wrestling with the feelings of homosexuality that you belong in the BSA; you belong– to learn skills for life and build character…. Until you are too old to be a scout then we want nothing to do with you. Once you age out of Scouts as an open homosexual male you will have no place among the leadership of BSA no matter your interest, skill set or passion. Why would anyone want to be apart of a group that will not recognize them when they are adults? Does the leadership of the BSA believe that Jamborees and camp outs will miraculously make them straight? I doubt it.

So BSA do the right thing and include both leaders and potential scouts. Do not let the fear of public opinion or losing members (who might start an alternative Scouting program or withdraw support like the Southern Baptist Convention) stand in the way for doing what is correct, moral and right. In doing so you will be able to share your message if duty, honor, respect, and character segment of the population that has been largely marginalized.
More good will come from this than harm. I promise… Scouts honor.

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

Scout Oath (or Promise)
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,
courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty,
brave, clean, and reverent.

Grace and Welcome to All

/ Rev. Evan Dolive
Christian College of Georgia is affiliated wit...

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)–it’s OK… many people have never heard of it, too.

I could bore you with the history of the Disciples of Christ but in a nut shell it is the oldest Christian denomination founded on American soil and follows a few basic principles.

  • Ministry of All Believers
  • Open Communion to all who believe in Christ regardless of membership or affiliation
  • Freedom of Belief
  • Baptism by Immersion (but if you were sprinkled… that’s cool too)
  • Local Church Autonomy

You can read more about the Disciples by clicking here and watch a nice video by clicking here.

Every two years the denomination gets together for a conference of sorts called the General Assembly. It is a time of worship, reflection, sharing, learning and discussion. Every year ministries and groups with in the denomination go through a process of proposing resolutions before the Assembly. There is a lengthy process of discernment before the general board sets the agenda. In years past things have been debated ranging from immigration reform to moral injury study to how the church understands itself in the 21st century and everything in between.

This year one resolution in particular is generating a lot of buzz. It’s resolution 1327. You can read it in full here.

In a nutshell the resolution calls upon the church to be a place of grace and welcome to all people understanding that all our welcomed at the table of God and thus that radical grace is extended to all.

Some people believe that this resolution is over reaching with regards to how the church is structured. If the church is autonomous from the national church then who a church welcomes or not welcomes is up to them.  Some believe that it is a good resolution but fails to address certain issues that have been plaguing the DOC for many year.

But I think it goes deeper than that.

I believe that this resolution calls upon the church to be the church. In the church we have put up artificial barriers. We decide who is in and who is out, who has the power and who is a by standard. The church needs to step up to the plate and open its doors to all people from every walk of life and even differing sexual orientation. If the church is to have any relevance in the 21st century and beyond then it has to stop judging people first and then giving them a relationship. It works the other way around. People (especially those disenfranchised with the church) are not looking for a place for people think they are better than everyone else in the world all under the guise of religion. No, people are looking for something greater than themselves and for a community that does more than pay lip service to how all people “have fallen short of the Glory of God.”

After people are welcomed despite their faults (or perceived faults) then and only then can a congregation have conversations about sin, morality, interpretation and the authority of scripture or whatever. It’s about relationships first not judgment. Christ welcomed people from all walks of life and even had the audacity to call a Samaritan good (a big non-no in his time).

How can grace and welcome ever be a bad thing? In my opinion never.

Watch the video below; I believe it articulates the intent of the resolution well.

In Christ,

Rev. Evan