Episode II- Attack of the McGlone: Part 3- Final Quarrels and Comments

Last week, Pinpoint Ministries, and their banners displaying who is on God's Naughty List to MTSU, still weighed heavily on the minds of my fellow classmates. During last week's demonstration, our American Spirituality professor, Rabbi Rami, let us go early to observe, interact, and take notes of John McGlone's hateful words on the crowd. As we spoke on what we witnessed there was one thing the class did agree on: McGlone's words were indeed hateful.

[Photo by Jaysta at Chaos Coaster.]

Half the class was silent on the matter. The other half, including myself, spent the entire class period debating the theology behind McGlone's words. Pinpoint Ministries' main message: stop sinning and turn to God. That was the message, the way it was given was wrapped in a homophobic, hatred layered, self-righteous burrito. And it tasted a bit undercooked too. The talkative half of the class was split in half between those who defended the Christian message without question and those who did not (both abhorred the hatred). For simplicity sake I'm going to call these groups the Christian and the non-Christian even though this is a gross oversimplification since I have no idea whether or not anyone in the non-Christian group are actually Christians (like myself).

The debate itself was only supposed to take up a small portion of class time focusing on the topic of responding to John McGlone and friends, but it quickly spiraled into a full on debate on Christianity itself.

• Is there a consistent picture of God in the Bible?

• Are the images of God in the Old and New Testament the same, and how do we reconcile any differences (God of hate vs. God of Love)?

• Does God really hate the greedy, fornicators, homosexuals, liars, thieves, immodest women, etc?

• Does God really hate certain people, or just certain sins, or all sins?

• Why does God hate?

• Are we really born with Original Sin?
  

• How do we come to terms with the "I'm in, you're out" concept in organized faith?

• As 21st century Americans, what do we do with the OT laws? Are they still applicable, do we pick and choose, or follow all of them?

These were some of the questions that were tackled during the entire class period (I was personally hoping to get into some Ram Dass) and the Christians gave a basic Christian defense to all of them. Now, I want to make perfectly clear that we, the "non-Christians" and Rabbi Rami, were NOT attacking Christianity but were bringing up perfectly legitimate questions found within the faith. As I mentioned in part 2, John McGlone did not rise up out of a vacuum since there are many who believe and support his message however cruel and hateful. There was one vocal student who stated that McGlone's message was Biblically-based but that he delivered it all wrong. The student went back and forth with the Rabbi about the genocidal texts in the Bible. Can any evil be justified as long as it originates from God? In my opinion the student would argue, since he didn't come right out and say it, that if it was a part of God's plan then in that instance, genocide was OK. God knows best.

My issue is with following this image of God so blindly when deep down inside you know there's something wrong with this picture. Is it more sinful to question the image of God in the Bible or to ignore our basic sense of right and wrong excusing God for all of his bad behavior? The Christian counter-argument would have been, if we didn't run out of time, that since we are mortal we have a skewed sense of right and wrong. I would disagree, genocide is genocide. It's still wrong no matter which God ordains it. There is nothing wrong in putting your trust and faith in God, but that faith should be tempered so that it makes you into a more loving Christian. When we follow without question and interpret without a modicum of Reason we may end up like McGlone preaching hellfire at strangers.

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Update: Michaela Morales, the student accused of assaulting John McGlone last semester, accepted a plea bargain to pay $80 in restitution and serve a year on probation. Read the full article here.

Episode II- Attack of the McGlone: Part 2- _____ is my truth, Suck it!

It is said that Truth hurts, but exclusive Truth is potentially deadly, and as demonstrated on Thursday, potentially embarrassing. There was a plethora of signs held up by students during McGlone's tyraide but the most intriguing, thought-provoking sign read "Quran is my truth. Suck it!" I don't think there was a sign there more deserving of the "Best Illustration of the Pot Calling the Kettle Black" Award. Did the Muslim gentleman know he was demonstrating the same ignorant close-mindedness as McGlone? No, probably not, and that scared me more than the speaker. Not because of the faith behind it, but, in my view, people ignorant of their intolerance seem a bit more dangerous than those who boldly declare it.

[Photo by Jaysta at Chaos Coaster. She took a lot of great photos, click here to see all of the creative signs made by the students of MTSU.]

Click here for part 1: When it Rains...

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There was more to Thursday's demonstration than a preacher spreading a perfectly valid form of Christianity or even the argument over the definition of what constitutes as true Christianity. Although most of us believe Christianity is a loving and peaceful faith, its rocky history is often overlooked and re-envisioned as a compassionate, loving faith. Which it is, or at least should be, don't get me wrong, I'm just saying that McGlone is not alone. He's just louder, bolder, and more direct than his silent peers. Mainstream Christianity believes that the Bible is the Word of God, infallible or not, and that a connection with God is found through Jesus Christ. As Christianity evolved throughout history, Christians struggled to retain their identity as Christians in an ever increasing secularizing and pluralistic world. The borders of belonging, belief, and behavior help to shape a Christian identity and protect them from the world of Sin. Some, like McGlone, believe that true Christians are called to battle the forces of evil and must do everything in their power to combat it. This is rooted in their interpretation of the text through the Holy Spirit. His interpretation of Christianity is only one of many, regardless if we think it is truly Christ-like or not, it is complete truth to him. McGlone believes that homosexuality is a choice regardless of whatever "liberal leaning" scientists may uncover or even that only 6 or 7 verses in the Bible directly deal with homosexuality. He also believes that if you hold beliefs contradictory to his then you have earned yourself a one-way ticket to eternal punishment for your erroneous choice. There is no reasoning with McGlone, because to him, if we continue to choose Sin over his view of God, then we will continue to be the enemies of God. Demonizing and labeling the Other as evil and sinful reinforces his own identity. He is sinless because he chooses not to sin according to his interpretation of the Word. In his mind, he is holy, separate as the divine instrument of God.

[Another shot of the crowd taken from my phone]

How then do we retain our identity without compromising the borders that shape it (belief, behavior, belonging)? Maybe the answer lies in not building the foundation of our identity on static ideas, and adopting a more fluid, open mind while simultaneously holding our personal truths ever so gently? But this is near impossible for most. A part of our humanity demands stability and permanence for survival or, at the very least, sanity. We crave for something concrete to stand on, and when found it becomes our security blanket. What I witnessed was a crowd of people who appeared to be united against McGlone as he condemned EVERYONE for not being a Christian like him, but this was not the case. We showed up with our personal Truth in our pockets and voiced our opposition of other Truths aiming our anger, hate, and mistrust upon McGlone.

"Homosexuality is my Truth, Suck it!"
"Quran is my Truth, Suck it!"
"Evangelical Christianity is my Truth, Suck it!"
"Atheism is my Truth, Suck it!"

Yet behind closed doors, in chat rooms, and in private conversations we whisper what McGlone screeched out loud on Thursday, _____ is my Truth, Suck it! We attempt to smooth things over in public by holding conferences, luncheons, and meetings to discuss our differences, but that is like slapping a band-aid on a fatal wound. It's a nice gesture but we're still going to bleed to death. Eventually we'll just go back to our pockets and pull out our Truth. Our loving, warm, and cuddly Truth.

[Rabbi Rami, on right, jammin' to some music]

What can we do about it? I don't know, but I can hazard a guess. Maybe when we pull out our Truth we may realize that it is incomplete, instead of envisioning it as the Whole Truth we may begin to notice the connecting ridges alongside it, like a puzzle piece. As we meditate on our Truth it may begin to change the perception of our identity. The borders that separate You and I begin to fade and we see that we are a lot closer than before. Fuzzy at first, the lines that interconnect us come into view, connecting us to one another and to everything and everyone else. As the lines begin to clear we notice that it goes beyond mere interconnectedness as we lose track of where I end and You begin.

Episode II- Attack of the McGlone: Part 1- When It Rains...

"Every time you come it rains!" yelled a hooded girl from the audience.

This just about summed up the atmosphere of the mass crowd who came to see the returning controversial preacher at the Knoll on the campus of MTSU, John McGlone from Pinpoint Ministries. Yes, that John McGlone where last semester Michaela Morales was charged with assaulting him while spreading the "gospel".

[Photo taken from my cell phone]

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The sad reality is that the hooded student was right, every time he came it rained. Let's face it, it's just as likely to rain when clouds approach as a preacher like McGlone is going to piss off a few people. Scattered throughout the teasing and name calling in the crowd were a few responses to McGlone's message which made my head turn.

"Read Mark 2:17, you douche!"

I had to stop and think, which was difficult in a sea of screaming college students, about what the gentleman meant. Was he trying to fight self-righteousness with self-righteousness? Does dropping down to the preacher's level really help? In fact McGlone reveled in it, he drew strength from it, and with every "fuck you" and "go to hell" that was flung at him, they were digging themselves deeper and deeper, effectively proving his case. A part of me wanted to join the crowd and yell back, and lose myself in the mass hysteria. Yet there is nothing much you can do when either party plugs their ears. Any opposition will only make the situation worse. A Christian campus ministry group passed out cards with scriptural answers to Pinpoint Methodology and Beliefs. This might inform a few people but it doesn't dissolve the crowds. There was a Facebook group of silent protesters, but there really was no way to tell the peaceful protesters from the rest of the crowd.

So what can you do in this situation? The same thing you do when it rains: use an umbrella and take cover or embrace the rain and let it wash over you. McGlone's words sound extreme because he is saying them out loud and in public. Yet within the safety of our tribal groups or even within our heads we say, think, and believe in concepts just as radical and hateful as McGlone's. We're no better than him because we keep our hateful thoughts to ourselves, in fact we're probably worse! McGlone's evangelism is a necessary evil because it makes us face the bigotry and hatred within society and within ourselves. I would like to clarify that I don't agree nor condone McGlone's style of confrontational evangelism. It makes me sick to see this happen, and worse that it happened on my campus! What we should be doing is not fighting radicals like McGlone but to stop and think about the hatred within ourselves. This sounds impractical and pointless but if we don't acknowledge our inner demons how can we stop them from manifesting in our every day lives.

There are two good things that happen when it rains: it waters and cleanses the earth, and it doesn't rain forever.

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Click here for part 2: ____ is my Truth, Suck it!

The Power of Choice

"This is Christianity. This is real true Biblical Christianity.

"Anyone who doesn't agree with me is actually giving Christianity a bad name."

"If my words are the Truth, they will offend."

-Kerrigan Skelly-

Last Tuesday, October the 27th, MTSU was visited by preachers from Pinpoint Ministries. I passed by these preachers as I was heading to my next class and did not have the time to stop and listen. Although I knew exactly what he was preaching: sinners must repent or face the hellfire. Who are sinners? Fornicators, immodest women, homosexuals, drunks, the list goes on and on. I've written on this type of evangelism before and prayed to Yahweh it wouldn't come to MTSU. Confrontational Evangelism is a method used by some evangelists to spread the gospel by grabbing their audience attention by intentionally being confrontational. I'm ashamed this happened at my school, and worse that they may even return in February.

[Photo by Kurt Lee Mullen]

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You can read the full story here, and watch videos here and here. You can check out Pinpoint Evangelism's video at the campus of MTSU here. Here are some of the more interesting parts.

10:00 Immodest woman at fault for being raped
17:00 Restates his mission and beliefs on sinners (crowds begin to gather)
22:50 Argument over Shellfish being an abomination (Leviticus 11:10)
26:03 Skelly states he's fit to judge others
37:30 Varying levels of Sin and Sinners
46:50 Question on Evidence for Christianity
50:00 Explaining 'the peacemakers' from the Beatitudes
54:10 "I have Holy Sex"
58:50 Testimony of a Rape Victim
1:02:15 The crowd attempts to reason with Skelly
1:02:45 A person can not be a Christian and a Homosexual
1:03:30 Original Sin is a False Doctrine

The preachers say they came to spread the Good News but I can guarantee you that not only did they fail to win anyone over to Christianity with their gospel of hate, but they probably turned some Christians away from Christianity. One theme ran throughout Skelly's preaching and the events that resulted in the arrest of one student: the power of choice. Even if Skelly and McGlone had the right (and the permit) to preach on the campus of MTSU they chose to preach words of hate. The preachers see their ministry as words of truth not hate and there is nothing we can do to change their view. They believe they are preaching the damnation of God out of love, yet there is no love in saying that an immodestly dressed woman is partly responsible for being raped. Nor is it loving to say that the homosexual chooses to carry an "unrighteous" lifestyle because he/she loves to sin. I can't think of anyone who would willing choose to face a lifetime of discrimination (especially in Tennessee) because they love the lifestyle. Skelly made a similar argument stating that the early Christians would not have suffered and died for what they believed if they had not experienced the resurrection.

Regardless of what actually happened or what may have happened, both parties (Michaela Morales and the Preachers) were in the wrong that afternoon. Michaela for pushing the preacher (although she claimed she was defending herself) and the preachers for spouting hate. At the end of the clip, the video asks MTSU if we're ready to apologize for the lies and slander (about God, homosexuality, sin, the incident etc.) we have been spreading. A better question would be: are we willing to love others even when we're confronted by hatred?