“Where is the Character?”

“Where is the Character?”

There is a cost to character!  The question one must ask is this.  Am I willing to pay the price to be a man or woman of character and therefore excellence?

CHARACTER CRISIS

Consider a case in point.  The owners along with management of an NFL team lead the head coach to believe that though the season has not gone well, he will be continued in his position.  He is allowed to go out into the community and speak about the season ahead and his hopes for the team.  At the same time and unbeknown to the coach the team owners and management approach another coach and hire him to replace the current coach.  Where is the character of the men who did such a thing?

The new coach accepts the position knowing full well that because he does so, the current head coach will be fired.  There is no indication that he surfaced concerns as to the commitments made to the present coach.  Where is the character of the man who did not do so?

Consider another case in point.  The head football coach of a university has repeatedly and openly stated his commitment to remain in his current position.  As the season draws to a close and unknown to the faithful he is approached by another university to become their head coach.  Even though the team is going to a bowl game, he accepts the new position and leaves immediately for the new position.  Where is the character of the man who did such a thing?  Where is the character of the university that approached him, asking him to leave before the season is over?

Consider another case in point.  The university that lost the head football coach does the same thing to another university as they approach their head coach.  That coach accepts the position even though his team has not completed its season and is bowl game bound.  Again, where is the character of the university and the man who accepted their offer before his season was over?

Not only is there a character crisis on the part of the NFL organization, the two universities mentioned and the three coaches referenced but there is a very clear message sent to the teams and the students.  It is this.  Commitment and therefore character does not count for the sake of expedience, for a winning season, and for one’s personal desires and convenience.

CHARACTER/IDENTITY FORMATION

A brief survey of the literature yields the point that character begins to be formed somewhere between the age of three and twelve BUT one does not establish ones’ identity in and of themselves until sometime between 20-25 years.  Further those with troubled pasts, from broken homes, and those experiencing other kinds of mental-emotional trauma will slow the process.

CHARACTER/IDENTITY ILLUSTRATED

Here is the seriousness of this matter. 

Take a high schooler who in middle school begins to show some talent for football.  His coach plays him a great deal and he becomes a standout.  He goes on to high school where he again receives special treatment and begins to view himself as special. 

He is then recruited out of all of his peers to play at one of the universities referenced above.  Remember now this is while still in a character/identity formation modality.  He is still trying to find himself and here is a leader, the head football coach.  This is the man who leads his referent group the team.  He is a man who presents a persona to be admired. 

Our young man is under his leadership for the next four or five years.  His character/identity is continuing to be formed, largely influenced by this group is being led by a head football coach.  Let us then say that he makes the NFL team in question at age 21 or 22.  He again is selected ahead of his peers and part of his formation is that he is special and because he is special he can live beyond the expectations of others.  Remember he is still in formation mode and he now begins to see and be influenced by others like team owners who have possessions, power, position, and prestige. 

So now his world is distorted by his being “special” and his referent group, the team is populated by role models who are men who live above what is normal for most folks.  These very same men make decisions not based upon character but upon expedience.

Now here is the question.  What kind of a person does he become whenever it is that his character/identity formation nears completion?  His head football coach has abandoned a commitment made for an opportunity.  The universities have made decisions because to win at any cost is a cheap price to pay.  The owners of his NFL have the same attitude.  No one has made the tough character decisions and the player is still in his character/identity formation stage of life.

THE OUTCOMES

The names that could be listed are common to many sports fans.  One CNN poll spoke of NFL felons, rapists, and ex-convicts.  Others could be added such as alcoholics, the sexually promiscuous, gang bangers, drug abusers, and those guilty of gross misdemeanors, etc.  Is it any wonder to any of us that these sports heroes whose formative years were spent being told they are “special” and falling under the men of “character” as described above end up as moral decadents?

THE CHALLENGE

It is time for those who have been entrusted with the education of those in character/identity development in the classroom, on the sports field, and in the business of sports to establish standards of character.  Not just establish them but live by them, model them, and yes, require them of these young athletes.  It is time to evaluate men not on winning seasons but on how they model and thus contribute to the formation of integrity, honesty, thrift, and a whole host of other character qualities.

MY PROTEST--I GIVE UP

If it matters to you which I am sure it does not, now you know why.

Why, with the exception of soccer, I’ve given up on professional sport in general and the Seattle Seahawks and Mariners in particular.  

Why I’ve given up on the magic of opening day and holding our country's flag on that opening day at Safeco .  

As well, why I have given up on college sports in general and University of Washington sports in particular.  

Will I miss them?  Yes, of course.  I will miss the Saturday afternoons and Sunday afternoons immersed in a game.  

Will they miss me?  No, they do not know I exist so it will not matter to them but I know I exist and therefore it does matter to me.  Guess I will try high school sports and see how that goes.

“Atheism and Judeo-Christian Belief and Outcomes”

“Atheism and Judeo-Christian Belief and Outcomes”

Recently in a discussion about the veracity of Christianity a comment was made about atheists and that it was secularism that is responsible for more death than all religions combined.  In response a comment was made something to the effect that, “You cannot lump all atheists together because there is a great difference in and among us.”

While only the most naïve would question the truth of the response, there came a further discussion.  You see the person defending atheism was very adept at dividing out all atheists while at the same time grouping all theists together.  Then as the argument progressed the theists would be labeled because of the excesses of a few.  

Among the arguments tendered was the notion that Theism in general and Judeo-Christian belief in particular was and is not a valid truth system because of the Crusades, the Inquisition, and other overreaches by “Christians.”  Thus the Christian “truth” system is invalid.  Of course no such criterion was applied to atheism.

So in the course of the discussion it became apparent that there were two different standards by which to evaluate belief systems.  The system embraced could be hospitably accepted despite its excesses while the other is disproved by similar excesses. 

However, while discounting a truth system based upon excesses may be valid and true, it is also legitimate to note that one can argue for the veracity of any overarching truth system by looking at general trends and outcomes.  For example while both atheism and theism can “take a bad rap” for the times in which they have devalued human life, there is a glowing difference and it is found in outcomes.

Travel from the destructive end of the scale to what have both systems contributed to the betterment of mankind.  Even a cursory reading of history (not revisionist history but genuine history) will show it is those who’ve embraced Judeo-Christian truth that have added to the quality of life for mankind in general and people in particular.

Those things that we assume and thus presume upon in the West like benevolent government, places that serve the sick and dying, and benevolent organizations etc. all had their start because of the Judeo-Christian truth ethic.  As well helping and service organizations in many cases had their start because of the Judeo-Christian truth paradigm. 

Look to science and medicine and one finds the same to be true.  Look to humanitarian organizations and one find that most of them come or at least had their start as faith based organizations.

So when one evaluated the claims of the atheist truth system in its multivariate sub-parts and Judeo-Christian truth system in its multivariate sub-parts there is one question that demands an answer.  It is not that of excesses and misdirected people for both systems have many.  However, it is this.  

"Generally speaking, which system has done the most good for humanity?"

“Thanksgiving Thoughts”

“Thanksgiving Thoughts”

(I thought of those who cannot and I…)*

When running I thought, “I can run no further” then I thought of those who cannot run and so I ran for them.

When caring for another in need I thought, “I can give no more care” then I thought of those who cannot care for another and so I cared for them.

When walking I thought, “I can walk no further” then I thought of those who cannot walk and so I walked for them.

When listening to someone in need I thought, “I can listen no more” then I thought of those who cannot hear and so I listen for them.

When laboring to reason I thought, “I can reason no more” then I thought of those who cannot reason and so I reasoned for them.

When helping another I thought, “I have no more left with which to help” then I thought of those who cannot help and so I helped for them.

When seeing those in need I thought, “I cannot bear to see more” then I thought of those who cannot see and so I saw the needy for them.

When carrying a child I thought, “I can carry this child no more” then I thought of those who cannot carry a child and so I carried the child for them.

When laboring I thought, “I can labor no more” then I thought of those who cannot labor and so I labored for them.

When out in the cold, I thought, “I can bear it no more” then I thought of those who cannot feel the cold and so I felt the cold for them.

When loving the unlovely I thought, “I can love no more” then I thought of those who cannot love and so I loved the unlovely for them.

When visiting the infirmed I thought, “I can visit no more” then I thought of those who cannot visit and so I visited for them.

When writing I thought, “I have no more to write” then I thought of those who cannot write and so I wrote for them.

When giving I thought, “I have no more to give” then I thought of those who cannot give and so I gave for them.

When protecting the innocent I thought, "I can protect the innocent no more" then I thought of those who cannot protect the innocent any longer and so I protected the innocent for them. 

When grieving with those who grieve I thought,"I have no more grief to give" then I thought of those who cannot grieve and so I grieved for them.

When being patient I thought, “I have no more patience to give” then I thought of those who cannot be patient and so I was patient for them.

When being thankful I thought, “I have nothing more for which to be thankful” then I thought of those who cannot run or care or walk or listen or help or see or carry a child or labor or feel or love or visit or write or give or protect or grieve or be patient and it was then that I realized how very blessed I am.  Indeed I have so very much for which to be thankful.

Thankful because life does not consist of what one does not have but for the many blessing with which one has been blessed.  Oh, and there is one more!

When doing good works to find salvation I thought, “I can do this no more” then I heard Jesus say, “I know and I took care of it so just come, freely come to Me you who labor and are heavily burdened--come just like you are...” and so I came.  But there was more for it was then that I understood that when I did these things "...to the least of these my brethren..." I did it to the Lord (Matthew 25:40).


*Note:  Sometime ago I heard the first thought in passing and it set me to thinking and what follows came of that original thought. I researched and could find nothing published so to the best of my knowledge it is not taken from someone's original work.  

“A Letter to a Skeptic”

“A Letter to a Skeptic”

(It is not often that I post two times in a day but as I read the following from a Facebook interchange, I thought it well to go ahead and post it.)

Again XXXX, I agree that there were excesses and reprehensible things done in the name of Christ and in that respect philosophic Christianity does not differ in large part from other movements who've impressed their will through violence, coercion, and manipulation.  However, if you give an honest reading to history, you find that these were cases of institutional Christianity far different from the born again, heart changing Christianity that Jesus taught.

The reality of Jesus is that He changes the hearts and lives of those who give themselves to Him. Those people do not do the things of which you speak. You see, in the vast majority of cases those things were done out of selfishness and for political purposes. The real deal Christian lives on a much different level.

Indeed it is the real deal Christians who have sacrificed and given not taken. It is the genuine article that has gone where no one would go (to serve and care for the dying during the black plagues), give beyond one's capacity to give to the needy, provide for the betterment of children (the first education of factory children was by real deal Christians), going to primitive tribes in order to give them a written language and thus access to written information, and so much more.

However as someone observed, "The atheist is better at smelling rotten eggs than laying good ones." The reality is that all you can do is disparage Christians based upon the excesses, however, if you gave history a fair reading (not some revisionist view) you would see that it is the genuine Christian that has done far more good than any of the extreme examples of egregiousness that you cite.

However, I cannot change what you choose to believe. Those are choices you make and the sad part is that there is always a consequence to what one believes. Believe and build on a foundation of truth and one derives one kind of outcome. Believe and build on a foundation of false information and one derives another kind of outcome.

Time is the test and true Christianity has been tested and has stood the test of time. The only way that one can disparage such veracity and validity is to focus upon the exceptions and not the realities of what coming to faith in Jesus Christ has done through the centuries.

XXXX, the reason that Christians have challenged your thinking is that even though we’ve never seen you, each of us in our own way cares about you. We are not here to harass you or degrade you. We are here to as accurately as possible share Jesus Christ with you with the hope that you find the genuine real deal truth about Him.  To decide upon Jesus based upon misinformation and the view of the cynical skeptic is to make a less than informed decision about Him.

Sincerely,

Alvie