[This reply was sent to Sharon on December 1, 2005.]

Thank you, Sharon, for your thoughtful response. Frankly, I was afraid I had been overly harsh – my greatest concern was that I did not want to hurt you. The particular example you gave in your sermon was the proverbial “straw.” It was something I had not expected – but having heard our District Superintendent talk (again in our pulpit) about the connection of racism to Hurricane Katrina and “global warming,” and following that awful (and here I’m using that term in the more popular context) union worker diatribe that drove Jim and Carol Collins from the church, I then knew this was no longer a place I wanted to come on a regular basis. A pulpit is a one-way street – as it should be. That street should be a conduit to the Word of God. There is a time and place for political talk. My anger was not triggered over the mere fact that you hold a particular political point of view, but that the pulpit was used to deliver it. I can tell from your message to me that you didn’t even realize that you were doing this. The Budget Reconciliation Bill and all such bills are the essence of political wrangling. Budget bills always involve a give and take, and compromise. It’s tough work. Katrina victims get more; people who are able to work and who have not suffered an unexpected catastrophic loss get less. Believe it or not, a number of “corporate welfare” items were cut in the bill too. Budgets are always a compromise – nobody is ever wholly satisfied with them. Most recently, the two political parties have become extremely polarized. From my point of view, the Democrats are against anything that the Republicans support “just because.” Very often there is no reason for their opposition whatsoever, just an irrational hatred – they have no plan of their own. This particular Budget Reconciliation Bill cut $50 billion, its true. But, as the Wall Street Journal article pointed out, that is the equivalent of cutting $50 out of a $14,000 budget. It only slows the growth of entitlement programs – which still are permitted to grow under the bill even faster than the rate of inflation. Hardly taking food out of the mouths of the poor. I have subscribed to the Yahoo Groups email discussion list of the California-Pacific Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church since May 21, 1999. (I was the 28th member of that list). I know that a large majority of the folks on that list “tilt left.” That doesn’t bother me, except it explains how so-called “religious” sources can be leftist. It also explains how you could put a leftist spin on your sermon without even knowing that you have done that. For me, socialism is no more Christian than “National Socialism” was in Germany or Communism was on any place it has ever existed. Ultimately, the turn to the left reaches totalitarian government – the antithesis of freedom. I didn’t realize this until recently, but Karl Marx’s two grandfathers were both Orthodox Rabbis. Karl took his grandfathers’ teachings and he did a terrible thing – he removed God and elevated man into the controlling position. A march to the left ultimately lands you in the same field as Marx. I’m not marching that way, sorry. Socialism saps a person’s energy and motivation and makes a person slothful. Socialists are not charitable. Turning away from God, which I see as a natural result of socialism, is a cultural disaster. We hosted some Rotarians from Denmark not too long ago. (Guin and I belong to the International Travel and Hosting Fellowship of Rotarians.) Nice people. They brought us a video tape, prepared by their government office of tourism. Scandinavia is often touted as a model of “soft socialism.” Well, let me tell you…. The persons on that video tape, and our guests, were proud of the fact that very few Scandinavians go to church. Their beautiful churches are mostly vacant. They were also quite proud of the fact that their fertility was down to less than 1.5 births per woman. They don’t work as much as we do. (Remember what I said about slothfulness?) I am reminded of the old tale of the grasshopper and the ant. Enough politics…. But this is a format that can be used for that purpose, isn’t it? I need a break. I went to Westwood Hills Christian Church last Sunday. I’ll meet Jim and Carol Collins, George and Janice Dea, and Ralph and Bettye Woodworth at Bel Air Pres this Sunday. I may visit Dave and Karen Whitehead in Redondo Beach on the following Sunday. There is a church in Pacific Palisades that Steve and Debbie Scherer have gone to in the past. Maybe I’ll try there too. This is a completely new experience for me.

My Original Email	Sharon's Response
Email to Mark Brewer	The Peacenik Pastor	Links
Homosexuality	Flogging the President	Intelligent Design