Controversy

March 19, 2004



Clay, Clay, Clay...

Every day I wake up eager to see who you have ticked off... Sweet baby Jesus, but you are fun.

I figured out pretty early that you are a deeply religious man. It frankly scared the crap out of me when I saw that WWJD bracelet for the first time. Shows you a lot about the image that some Christians have today, that I would momentarily assume the worse.

But your life has told me a lot more about you than that slogan, more about you than those who are so clueless about what Jesus believed that they loudly proclaim that the three thousand deaths on 9/11 were God's revenge against feminists, gays and foreigners.

I laughingly call myself a Zen Judeo-Christian. I've struggled with the concept of a Higher Power my entire life. I was "churched" for a while, but I got disgusted with the gossip, the judgment and the fashion show at several places I visited.

But I see a man like Jimmy Carter, who you admire, living his faith in his works, not just in his language. (He used to be a Southern Baptist, you know. Now he is "just" a Christian.)

I think of a woman like Maya Angelou. When a woman who disliked her subject matter sneered that her disapproval was "because I am a Christian," Dr. Angelou calmly smiled and quietly responded "Already?" (She meant that becoming a Christian takes a lifetime of faith and devotion.)

And I think of a place like Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, right there in the heart of the Tenderloin, one of the most crime-infested areas of the city. Glide ministers to everyone, including drug addicts and prostitutes, and welcomes both hets and gays without a word of judgment, to share the good news that Jesus is Love.

Whether I agree with you or not is a matter of no consequence. Just keep your heart wide open, and tell the truth as you see it.