I Am Not the Bastard

 Originally posted: February 03, 2025

I Am Not the Bastard. I've been repeating that to myself for the last few days. It all started on January 30, 2025 when I attended a luncheon for pastors at the Lifewise Academy across the road from the West Central schools in Francesville, Indiana.

I have been looking into Lifewise Academy lately, after another church put it out that they wanted to open an academy in North Judson near my church there. The deeper I dug, the more I grew worried. Looking through the texts they use, I see information that was technically correct but presented with a definite bias. They leave little or no room for the work of the Holy Spirit. The texts are more like indoctrination manuals than books overflowing with the grace of God.

Then came the personal messages from people concerned about the academy coming to town. Messages like how the person was condemned to hell because they possessed a 'Cabbage Patch' doll. Allow me to ask; How can an innocent child and their toy doll exude anything that would banish them to hell and eternal damnation?

Another blow to my system was when I was directed to sit at the "mens" table while the women satseperatly. Had Jodi been with me, my spouse, my partner in ministry would have been banished to sit separately because of her chromosomal makeup.

The final blow to my system came when another pastor who was present asked me about something he heard about me; that I (and I am not going to have exact words here as I am still pissed and things are getting blurred the madder I get) am one of of those ultra-liberals determined to destroy the United Methodist Church.

At that point, my head began to explode. I AM NOT THAT BASTARD. 

I have a brain and know that I am not always right. But I honestly believe that I serve a loving God to whom I would rather apologize to for loving and including too many people than tell them they are not worthy. That is a call that I made and I am sticking to it.

I have a good feeling who is talking about me in this group of closed-minded clergy, but I am going to keep it to myself. I will say that I have been following this person for several years and they are still bent on making my life as a pastor a living hell.

I am surrounded by these tRrump worshipping, MAGA-brain-dead who believe that God does not speak through the bible; the the WORD of God as it is written exists on more than just the printed page - that you need to see the words, learn about to whom it was written, and what was going on when it was written; that God speaks through those words and it dosn’t always come out the way we “think” it should as we stare at the page in front of us. 

I believe that God is here, right now, and speaks to me each and every day. And I have not once that God is displeased with me for choosing to love everyone, not just those whose views on sexuality and biblical authority align with mine.

I love gays and straights; I love whites, and blacks, and browns, and every other color of the rainbow; I love Christians and Muslims and Jews and atheists and cannibals and pirates … I love ‘em all because that is just what Jesus told me to do. And frankly, its not my job to sort them out and say who is going to heaven or hell. That's not my job and WAY above my pay grade.