Marriage Equality USA has released a handy matrix detailing each candidate's stance on marriage equality and other related issues.
Most of us don't need much help knowing where the GOP candidates stand, unfortunately, but it is interesting to see where they split hairs.
It's also more than a bit disappointing to see that a Republican is more progressive on the issues than Obama. One would think it wouldn't require an openly gay politician like Fred Karger to find support across the board for equality.
Dr. Mark Temperato, or RevM, as he's called, has built the largest drum set in the world. It's massive. The set is comprised of over 500 pieces. It boasts over 90 drums and 90 cymbals and features the 'World’s Largest Symphonic Gong.'
Why? To "worship God and wage war against the enemy."
At times, during the course of a service, the Holy Spirit may instruct Mark to minister on the drums or symphonic gong. During these moments, people’s lives have been deeply touched and often experience a sudden manifestation of the presence of God. A prolific speaker, Mark’s high energy, down-to-earth teaching style utilizes both his speaking ability and custom digitized sound effects, thus using sound teaching to declare the Word of the Lord. A moment with God, it lingers for a lifetime.
Whether preaching from behind the pulpit or playing the drums, one of the most appreciated aspects of Pastor Mark’s ministry is the use of the prophetic gifts. God is using his fresh approach prophetically as a catalyst to WAKE UP America from the shadow of indifference that has swept across this nation.
The first time Mark played drums in a Church was in 1978.Since that time God has used his drumming, teachings with signs & wonders to touch the lives of hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. God uses Dr. Marks, high energy teaching style. And his unique abilities to declare the Word of God. At times the Holy Spirit may instruct him to minister on the drums or play the symphonic gong. During these moments, people often experience a sudden manifestation of the Glory of God. It is an experience people never forget and lives are deeply touched.
Mark plays for an audience of ONE – “The Creator of the Universe”! Everybody else gets the overflow and all the Glory goes to God!
You may notice that the immense drum set features only one bass drum. Says RevM, "I only use one bass drum on my main set because there is only “ONE GOD” and only One way to get to Heaven and that is through Jesus Christ." Makes perfect sense.
Visit the site for more, including an FAQ, and a breakdown of his gear.
Seagate Community Chapel in Wilmington, NC is feeling the heat after news reports and photos of their sign circulated online.
The sign reads: "God loves gays but hates a perverted life style. Turn or burn."
The sign maker, Anna Benson, told local news channel WECT that she "loves the gays." She states that her signs are always straight from the Bible, and the pastor stands by any message she posts, as long as it's biblically accurate.
"We're going to teach the entire truth," said Heuring, "and I'll take the heat for it."
Feel free to contact the church and give them some heat:
Seagate Community Church
5823 Oleander Drive, Wilmington, NC 28403-4715
(910) 799-1035
Here's a map for those of you in the Wilmington area who might like to attend services this Sunday.
UPDATE: The anti-gay sign at Seagate Community Chapel was vandalized Sunday afternoon. According to WECT:
Witnesses tell police a tall man took a hammer to the sign before leaving in a silver Ford Taurus. The car is reported to have bumper damage and a missing hubcap from the front left tire.
This happened after police broke up a peaceful protest held outside the church.
Wilmington Pride protested the sign's message Sunday morning. The organization supports homosexuals in the community. A member of the group wrote that the church's message "supports hate of homosexuality".
A Dutch vicar is making waves for his views on Christianity.
Rev Klauss Hendrikse
The Reverend Klaas Hendrikse is quoted by the BBC as saying the following:
"Make the most of life on earth, because it will probably be the only one you get."
"Personally I have no talent for believing in life after death," Mr Hendrikse says. "No, for me our life, our task, is before death."
"God is not a being at all... it's a word for experience, or human experience."
"You don't have to believe that Jesus was physically resurrected."
Hendrikse is not the leader of a Humanist or UU congregation. He presides over the Sunday service at Exodus Church in Gorinchem, central Holland. The church is part of the mainstream Protestant Church in the Netherlands. The service is conventional enough -- hymns, readings from the Bible, the Lord's Prayer, etc. But Hendrikse's sermons are what sets the service apart from conventional church.
Hendrikse appears to be tapping into a growing need for churches to address the doubt that has increased in congregations as more and more people are unable to reconcile scripture with what they know about the world.
Mr Hendrikse describes the Bible's account of Jesus's life as a mythological story about a man who may never have existed, even if it is a valuable source of wisdom about how to lead a good life.
His book 'Believing in a Non-Existent God' led to calls from more traditionalist Christians for him to be removed. However, a special church meeting decided his views were too widely shared among church thinkers for him to be singled out.
A study by the Free University of Amsterdam found that one-in-six clergy in the PKN and six other smaller denominations was either agnostic or atheist.
The Rev Kirsten Slattenaar, Exodus Church's regular priest, also rejects the idea - widely considered central to Christianity - that Jesus was divine as well as human.
Reactions to the church's loose reading of the Christian doctrine has led to both jeers and cheers:
Deputy mayor, Sytse de Jong, accuses progressive groups of trying to change Christianity to fit current social norms.
"When we get people into the Church by throwing Jesus Christ out of the Church, then we lose the core of Christianity. Then we are not reforming the institutions and attitudes but the core of our message."
Dienie van Wijngaarden, who's been going to Exodus Church for 20 years, is among lay people attracted to such free thinking.
Some believe that traditional Christianity has too restrictive a notion of the nature of God
"I think it's very liberating. [Klaas Hendrikse] is using the Bible in a metaphorical way so I can bring it to my own way of thinking, my own way of doing."
Wim De Jong says, "Here you can believe what you want to think for yourself, what you really feel and believe is true."
"Do you know why the Indian rain dances always worked? Because the Indians would keep dancing until it rained." — Sherman Alexie
Approximately 22,000 people showed up today for Rick Perry's "non-denominational," "non-political" prayer rally at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX.
And if you thought the prayers just started today, you're wrong. The Houston Chronicle reported the following:
Just as each of the seats at Reliant Stadium were blessed before the event, a team of 400 intercessors are praying on the event’s behalf today. They are asking God to keep the crowd safe, keep the event peaceful and allow the technology and sound system to function properly during the seven-hour prayer and praise gathering.
They are also focused on the message of the event, that hearts may be transformed, that people may grow closer to God and that the gathering itself be pleasing to God, said Rick Torrison, the pastor coordinating the team, which meets in a room in Reliant.
Outside the stadium, the church body across the globe has joined in prayer. They have 2 million prayer intercessors continuously praying for The Response in the country of Indonesia alone, plus more in India, Brazil and underground churches internationally, he said.
They have had 500 people across the country fasting a day at a time for 40 days leading up today’s gathering, and 1,500 venues in the U.S. are streaming the event.
Today's event promised to be a Lollapalooza of batshit right-wing Christian rantings, given the roster of participants, a veritable who's who of bigots, certified hate group members, white supremacists, doomsayers, and religious exceptionalists. However, it appears that Perry and Co. decided to ensure that the event remained somewhat non-controversial. He will be running for president, after all.
There was not a lot of the blatant insanity that we have come to expect from these folks. In fact, most of the event was neutered of bilious statements. That does not mean that The Response was not a misguided, political, and exclusionary event. It does not mean that the things that were said were not alarming. There was plenty of exceptionalism, bigotry, doomsaying, and blatant disregard for the constitution.
Below are a few today's highlights. More will come, as I sort through it all.
Luis Cataldo
Luis Cataldo, of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, made it clear from the get-go that this was not a non-denominational event. It's pretty clear who is, and who is not, welcome at The Response (no surprise here):
We are responding today because of one name. We are gathered in this stadium to bring blessing, honor and glory to Jesus. No other name! Just the name of Jesus!
Rick Perry
Ringmaster Rick Perry reminded us that God's agenda is not a political agenda, but doesn't seem to capable of following God's lead.
Only thing we love more than this country is the living Christ! He didn’t leave us to live a life in our sins, but paid the price for them. He who knew no sin, he gave his life as ransom for me...His agenda is not a political agenda, his agenda is a salvation agenda.
Father our heart breaks for America. We see discord at home. We see fear in the marketplace. We see anger in the halls of government, and as a nation, we have forgotten who made us, who protects us, blesses us and for that we cry out for your forgiveness.
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback
Gov. Brownback seemed to be making apologies for the event itself, as well as its many contributors:
Loving God, forgive us our many sins, for being judgmental, unloving, focused on ourselves, lacking in mercy, hypocritical. By your grace, let us be the salt and life of the loving God.
James Dobson & Vonette Bright
During a generational blessing, James Dobson lamented the environment that the current generation has been subjected to, while Vonette Bright prayed that public schools would soon see the return of prayer and the Ten Commandments.
Dobson also compared problems facing the U.S. to World War II’s Battle of Dunkirk: “We are desperately in need of our own miracle,” Dobson said. “Our nation is surrounded by forces we don’t control and problems that none of our leaders can solve."
John Hagee
Certifiable nutjob John Hagee used his prayer time to remind God that we are still a Christian nation, and to ask Jesus to take the wheel.
Lord, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, we gather today in Reliant Stadium to confess that America’s only hope is you. We confess that we are still a Judeo-Christian nation. We confess that we are still one nation under God. We confess that you are the Creator of heaven and earth, that you are the God that holds the seven seas in the palms of your hands… that you are from everlasting to everlasting...We pray for our leaders in Washington, D.C., that the cloud of chaos and confusion that engulfs that city may be lifted.
Mike Bickle
IHOP's Mike Bickle, who believes that Oprah is a forerunner to the Antichrist, used his time to rail against the gays and their allies, who are "redefining love" against the teaching of the Bible. He also reconfirmed the non-denominational nature of the event by stating, "There is no other God besides Jesus."
Alveda King, Lila Rose, Harry Jackson and Susan Tyrrell
It ain't a religious right party until the anti-choice folks show up. The above anti-choice activists prayed for "repentance for the shedding of innocent blood," and the end of abortion in America.
And finally, the fine folks at Right Wing Watch have put together a short video compilation featuring all your favorite moments from the day.
