Mainstream Baptist

How Oklahomans Will Benefit from Health Care Reform

2009-11-24T06:11:00.002-06:00

HHS has released information on the effect that proposed healthcare legislation will have on Oklahoma:

• 639,000 residents who do not currently have insurance and 142,000 residents who have nongroup insurance could get affordable coverage through the health insurance exchange.

• 319,000 residents could qualify for premium tax credits to help them purchase health coverage.

• 575,000 seniors would receive free preventive services.

• 102,000 seniors would have their brand-name drug costs in the Medicare Part D “doughnut hole” halved.

• 45,600 small businesses could be helped by a small business tax credit to make premiums more affordable.

These look like good reasons to support the legislation.

Americans United Opposes Christian Prison in Oklahoma

2009-11-18T11:37:00.004-06:00

The legal department for Americans United for Separation of Church and State has sent a letter to corrections officials in Oklahoma warning them that the proposed "Christian prison" in Wakita cannot be supported with public funds.

In a press release today, AU Executive Director Barry Lynn said,

"It is wrong for government to take taxpayers" money and spend it on religious indoctrination," Lynn said. "That's a violation of the fundamental rights of every American.

"I strongly believe that inmates should have access to religious services of their own choosing," he continued, "but government should never favor one faith over others or coerce inmates to participate in religion."

Not a Country for Young Men or Young Women

2009-11-13T08:36:00.003-06:00

Here are a couple quotes from an article on Alternet that shows that this is not a country for young men or young women:

In September, the unemployment rate for people between the ages of 16 and 24 hovered morosely at 18.1 percent, nearly double the national average for that month. At the same time, the actual employment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds dropped to a startling 46 percent, the grimmest such figure on record since 1948, the year the government began keeping track. Taken together, this same group of young people has lost more than 2.5 million jobs since the economy began deflating in December 2007, roughly one-third of all the jobs lost, making them the hardest-hit age group of the recession. . .

Between 1975 and 2005, for instance, the typical annual income for workers between the ages of 25 and 34 decreased across all educational brackets, with the exception of women with bachelor's degrees. Men without a high school diploma suffered most, their annual income plummeting by 34.2 percent, while men with a high school diploma or the equivalent earned the runner-up slot, with an income drop of 28.5 percent. As for women, those with less than a high school diploma, as well as those possessing just a diploma, lost less ground than their male counterparts; but then again, they're still doing worse than before and, perhaps more to the point, they still fare significantly worse than men their age.

Threats to Democracy and Civility

2009-11-12T13:15:00.003-06:00

Currently there are a number of genuine domestic threats to our democracy and civic dialogue.

Foremost among them are those neoconservatives and others who believe that public discussion has become an empty formality in our democracy. In their eyes, the idea of openness and discussion has become outmoded.

In actuality, there are a number of reasons for that position. First, small and exclusive committees and coalitions are making key decisions behind closed doors and then "framing" the language they use to describe the issues in ways that conceal the effects of their decisions. Second, corporate interests and special interest groups are unduly influencing committees and key decision makers through lobbyists, campaign donations, and other favors. Third, the press and mass media have become subject to corporate and special interests that are using them to "manufacture consent" to further private interests.

Another threat to democracy and civility comes from those who believe that pluralistic democracy is heresy. Adherents of Christian Reconstructionism would replace democracy with a Christian theocracy. R. J. Rushdoony, the founder of Christian Reconstructionism, opposed pluralistic democracy because:

"In the name of toleration, the believer is asked to associate on a common level of total acceptance with the atheist, the pervert, the criminal, and the adherents of other religions."
-- Institutes of Biblical Law, p. 294.

They have embarked on a long term project to restore America to the rule of biblical law as practiced by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630.

A broader movement, heavily influenced by Christian Reconstructionists, are the Dominionists who believe that conservative Christians are commanded to take control of civil government and, ultimately, to exercise dominion over all the earth.

The largest group threatening pluralistic democracy and civility are the Christian Nationalists. They believe that Christianity was the established religion of America until 1962 when the Supreme Court kicked God out of the public schools and established a religion of secular humanism by separating church and state. They are determined to have Christianity declared the established religion of our nation.

A more insidious threat comes from those who are actively working to takeover churches and the public square with the intention to undermine and/or exclude progressive voices from civil dialogue.

A number of philanthropists and corporations, believing that public discussion is a threat to their private interests, have funded an ever growing number of think tanks, political and media entities, publishing houses, colleges, universities, and law schools. These entitites are already playing a significant role in public life. A good example of this threat is the Institute for Religion and Democracy.

Finally, there are some who are deliberately working to manipulate and dominate the public dialogue. They are destroying civil conversation in the process. The consolidation of corporate media, the venom of talk radio, and the clamor of both the right-wing and the left-wing noise machines have completely overwhelmed all principled dialogue between opposing perspectives.

At this moment, more than anything else, we are in dire need of what Martin Marty has called a convicted civility:

"People who are civil often do not have very strong convictions, and people who have strong convictions often aren't very civil. What we need to cultivate is convicted civility."

It is time for those committed to pluralistic democracy and civil discussion as a means of governing to stand up and defend their convictions.

On the Need for Civility

2009-11-11T09:53:00.004-06:00

The prophet Jeremiah had some advice for those who are not at home in this world. He said,

"Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you . . . and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare." (Jeremiah 29:7)

At bare minimum, seeking the welfare of the city where we have been sent means to act with civility and work for the common good.

Americans live in a liberal democracy. Openness and discussion are essential to liberal democracies where governing by naked power and force is considered tyranny. Democracies control power by open discussion. Discussion forces those in authority to declare their positions and debate alternatives openly.

Democracies found the legitimacy of government on the "general will" -- the will of the majority, not the will of one or the will of a few. The "general will" or "common good" emerges from the dialectic of opinions and ideas that are expressed in open discussion.

In theory, the better informed and more enlightened the public, the better the discussion and the better the decisions that will be made. Freedom of speech and a free press are supposed to provide the public with information that is independent of what the authorities say, thereby serving as a safeguard against the manipulation of public opinion by those in power.

Americans live in a democracy that is pluralistic. Pluralism presumes that no one group or viewpoint has a monopoly on the truth. Minorities are protected from the "tyranny of the majority" by constitutional protections like the First Amendment which guarantees religious liberty, liberty of conscience and the separation of church and state.

There is a lot of talk on the street corner, on the airwaves, and on the internet that gives the appearance of a vehement objection to the principles stated above. The word "liberal" has become an epithet of contempt. Civil dialogue between persons of opposing perspectives is rare on the street corner, on talk radio, on cable news outlets, and on the internet. A politically active and aggressive segment of the majoritarian religion has declared war on pluralism and minority rights.

Why have we become so mean? There will be an open public forum on that topic tomorrow evening at 7:00PM at the United Ministry Center, 1017 Elm Ave. in Norman, OK. Dr. Tom Boyd, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Oklahoma (OU), Dr. Darian DeBoldt, former police captain and Norman city council member and Philosophy Program Coordinator at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO), T. Thomas, Coordinator of the Cooperating Baptist Fellowship of Oklahoma and Dr. Dara Fogel, Adjunct Professor at OU and UCO will be leading the discussion.

How can we create civil communications in these uncivil times? There will be a roundtable discussion on that topic Sunday evening at 5:00 PM as St. Stephen's United Methodist Church, 1801 W. Brooks in Norman, OK. Dr. Mike Crowson Professor of Educational Psychology at OU, Dr. Patrick Meirick, Professor of Communication at OU, and myself will be leading this discussion.

Disgusted with Toshiba (Updated)

2009-11-10T10:23:00.005-06:00

Eight days ago I cancelled an order with Dell for a new laptop because they could not deliver the computer in the time frame that they promised. I ordered a Toshiba laptop to replace it.

Today, I cancelled the order with Toshiba. They just advised me that they could not deliver it until next month. They were supposed to have delivered it by next week.

I ordered a Hewlett Packard laptop. They've assured me of a delivery before Thanksgiving.

Podcast: Razi Hashmi Interview

2009-11-09T07:19:00.002-06:00

Podcast (20 MB Mp3) of Dr. Bruce Prescott's 11-08-09 "Religious Talk" radio interview with Razi Hashmi, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK). We talk about the reaction of the Muslim-American community to the recent shootings at Fort Hood.

Choice Involved in Responding to Fort Hood Shootings

2009-11-06T15:16:00.003-06:00

Robert Parham has on Op-Ed posted on the Washington Post's "On Faith" webpage that indicates Americans have a choice in how they will respond to the rampage at Fort Hood:

The Fort Hood shootings present Americans with two choices about how they think about American Muslims. One choice is reactive and negative, taking a horrible act of one American Muslim, Major Nidal Hasan, and saying that he represents all American Muslims. Another choice is reflective and constructive, refusing to universalize harmful actions of one person to an entire faith group.

It's time for reflective and constructive persons to stand up and speak out.

Regarding the Violence at Fort Hood

2009-11-06T10:47:00.005-06:00

There's a lot of talk on the airwaves and on the internet that tends to paint all persons of Arabic descent and Islamic faith with a broad brush.

It would be wise to remember the words of the Prophet Jeremiah at this time:

"In those days people will no longer say,
'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the children's teeth are set on edge.'
Instead, everyone will die for his own sin;
whoever eats sour grapes—
his own teeth will be set on edge."
(Jeremiah 31:29-30)

One lone Muslim of Arabic descent ate sour grapes and responded with inexecusable violence.

There are millions of other Muslims of Arabic descent who want nothing to do with either his sour grapes or his violence.

Burleson on Quiverfull Theology

2009-11-05T11:01:00.003-06:00

Wade Burleson, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid, Oklahoma has provided a critique of Quiverfull theology from the perspective of a Calvinistic evangelical.

It is worth a read.

On Oklahoma and Dust Bowls

2009-11-03T11:20:00.003-06:00

The most indelible image of Oklahoma in the popular mind is that of the dust bowl days in the 1930's. The dust bowls were caused by severe drought and unscientific farming practices.

When anthropogenic climate change causes the entire planet to be swallowed by either the sea or a dust bowl, history will record that an Oklahoman with a deficiency of scientific comprehension led the way:

Inhofe leads Republican boycott of Climate Change bill

Will Oklahoma Have an All-Christian Prison?

2009-11-02T13:49:00.003-06:00

The Tulsa World has posted a story about a faith-based prison that the town of Wakita, Oklahoma is hoping to build and operate at public expense. It is being promoted as being America's first "all-Christian prison" -- only "born again" Christians need apply for positions as administrators, counselors, and employees.

Dwight Bushman, an economic development consultant for Wakita, initially promoted the private prison as an economic development project, but now promotes the project as a way to "reduce recidivism."

Bill Robinson, an ex-con who is now a prison minister and founder of Corrections Concepts, Inc., has an agreement with Wakita to manage the proposed 600-bed prison if it is built.

Bushman, Robinson, and the town of Wakita appear to be promoting on a grander scale something that has already been declared unconstitutional by the Courts.

I am a "born again" Baptist minister. I firmly believe that faith in Christ changes hearts and transforms lives. I am also deeply convicted that government has no role in promoting faith of any kind.

If some Christians in Oklahoma or elsewhere want an "all-Christian prison" it needs to be built and operated at "all-Christian expense."

I agree with the founding fathers of our state who made this clear in the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma (1907):

Section II-5: Public Money or Property — Use for Sectarian Purposes.

No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, applied, donated, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary, or sectarian institution as such.

Disgusted with Dell (Updated)

2009-10-31T12:27:00.013-05:00

I've been waiting for months for Intel to release their mobile Core i7 processors so I could upgrade my laptop. Intel released them in September.

On September 24th I placed an order for a Dell XPS 16 with a core i7 processor. It was not cheap, so I took advantage of the offer for 0% interest for 12 months if I opened a credit account with Dell. At that time the promised delivery date was October 28th.

On October 23rd I received an e-mail from Dell stating that the delivery date had been postponed until November 5th.

Today I logged onto my Dell account to check on the status of my order. I discovered that Dell cancelled my September 24th order and placed an identical order for me on October 29th with a delivery date of November 29th. All without notifying me of anything.

I called Dell customer service to find out what was going on. The wait time to get to a customer service representative was more than 5 minutes. After talking with the first representative, I was switched to 4 different customer service representatives -- each time with a wait time of more than five minutes. The representatives told me that there was a problem with the configuration that they had promised me and that they had to change the order. Since the orders appeared to be identical, I asked them what the difference was between the orders. None of them could tell me that.

More than two full months to wait for delivery of a computer is longer than I think reasonable. I told the last representative to cancel my order. I have no intention of ever buying another computer from Dell.

The Customer Service Representative told me that he could not cancel the order and that I would have to call back to Dell to cancel the order next week. I told him that the order I placed was already cancelled. I did not place the order on October 29th, Dell did. I have no intention of calling back to cancel an order that I never placed.

We'll see how this plays out. Right now, I'm about to switch to an HP laptop. Here's a link that shows HP can deliver a Core i7 laptop in two days.

Update 9:50AM 11/2/09: I called Dell again this morning to try to get them to cancel the order they placed in my name on 10/29/09. I did not place an order on 10/29/09. I placed my order on 9/24/09 and they cancelled that order without notifying me of the cancellation. I was on hold for 25 minutes before reaching a Customer Service Representative. She told me that they could not cancel the order. The order is now scheduled for delivery on 11/25/09. I advised her that I would refuse delivery of the computer.

Update 11:00AM 11/2/09: HP may be able to deliver in two days, but their laptop frequency of repair record -- according to Consumer Reports -- is not impressive. Neither is Dell's any more. I just ordered a Toshiba. Their laptop frequency of repair record is impressive. Toshiba can deliver in one to two weeks.

Update 12:25PM 11/2/09 Lisa Grimes with Sales Operations from Dell sent me an e-mail advising me that she had read my blog and wanted to assist me. I asked her to cancel the order from Dell. She did.

Solution Found for America's Dismal Job Market

2009-10-29T16:31:00.001-05:00

Oklahoma Ten Commandments Case Goes to Supreme Court

2009-10-29T11:04:00.007-05:00

Lawyers for the Haskell County Commissioners in Stigler, Oklahoma have formally filed a Petition of Writ of Certiorari asking the Supreme Court to reverse the decision of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that their Monument to American Theocracy is unconstitutional.

One of the arguments the lawyers make in their writ is that the monument is not in a prominent place on the courthouse grounds because it is not posted near the entrance to the courthouse. As the background of the picture on the right shows, the monument is posted near the main street and highway in Stigler -- where it is visible and prominent to every person who walks by the courthouse and/or drives through town.

As the picture on the left shows, the engraver did not know how to spell the word "adultery."

For the record, Haskell County has still not complied with the court's order that it remove the monument from the grounds of their courthouse.

Jeff Zurheide Passes (Revised)

2009-10-29T07:34:00.005-05:00

I received notice that Jeff Zurheide, former pastor of First Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, passed away yesterday.

In my opinion, Jeff was the most courageous Baptist minister in the state of Oklahoma during the years that he was at First Baptist in OKC. He was also the premier scholar-preacher in the state.

Don't take my word for it. Examine the record for yourself. Here are some links from the archives of the Mainstream Messenger:

Response to the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message

Herschel Hobbs on Baptist Freedom: The 2000 Herschel H. and Frances J. Hobbs Lecture Series at Oklahoma Baptist University.

First Baptist Church Drops Out of the SBC

Distortions by Preservationist Newsletter Destroying Herschel Hobbs Legacy

Today a lyric from an old song appears sad but true: "It seems the good, they die young."

I'll just add my "Amen!" to the "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" that he's already heard from his Maker.

Associated Baptist Press has run an obituary.

Pierard Corrects Land, Again

2009-10-28T11:09:00.004-05:00

Richard Land did not take lightly Richard Pierard's criticism of his use of Nazi analogies in regard to healthcare reform proposals. Pierard, a professional historian and a scholar of German history, seems to have hit a raw nerve in Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Land complained to Baptist Press, "The last time I checked, Dr. Pierard had not been made speech czar."

Pierard responds to Land's complaint in an essay today on Ethics Daily. His strongest comments, however, were addressed to all Southern Baptists:

Southern Baptists should be just as disturbed by Land's statements because he has brought his denomination into disrepute. His half-hearted repentance included the suggestion that he would continue to expose the ideas of "lethal and deadly philosophies loose in 20th century Germany prior to the Nazis' ascendancy to power" that seemed to be relevant to contemporary life-and-death issues. In other words, it appears he will continue to draw on the Nazi analogy when it might help him in the struggle with other Christians who do not share his views on "life" issues.

The concerns many of us have about Land's own civility inevitably reflect back on the integrity of the denomination that appointed him and stands behind him. Both he and his superiors need to reflect carefully on what Christian speech is really all about and on their need to turn their backs on old ways of expressing disagreement. This is truly a question of "ethics."

Still Looking for a Prophet

2009-10-28T08:50:00.003-05:00

In the fall of 2005 Phil Strickland, former head of the Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, was to be the speaker at the annual Texas Baptist Committed breakfast. Phil was too sick to deliver the speech. His speech on "Where Have All the Prophets Gone?" was read for him by George Mason, pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas.

Phil's concerns are as pertinent today as they were then, perhaps more so. Here's his conclusion:

We desperately need a "theology of enough." We are stewards, not owners, of what we have, at least in Christian teaching. So do we have any walls around what we will spend on ourselves? Do we have any sense of enough for ourselves? That's where the prophets will emerge.

Ah, but what about one more -- denominations. Should they take risk and speak prophetically or declare that the only real role of the denomination is meeting the need of the churches who are a member of the BGCT? To me the answer is easy. Meeting the will of churches, vital as it is, comes in behind one other: listening for and meeting the will of God.

What trumps the prophetic role in denominations is fear of financial loss, and the lack of understanding what crosses they are willing to die on, if any. What is so compelling that a denomination will stand there and ignore the consequences? Do we know the answer to that question? The question must be asked of laypeople and pastors and churches.

A half century ago in this very city some of the brightest lights of Baptists shone in church pulpits. One of the brightest was Blake Smith, pastor of the University Baptist Church. One Sunday morning he stood tall in that pulpit and declared that it was past time that the University of Texas open its doors to all Texas citizens. The time for integration had come. What's more, he said to his all-white church, the time had come for University Baptist Church to open its doors to all for whom Christ died.

Well, right after the benediction the predictable took place. An emergency deacons meeting was called for that afternoon. For hours those men grumbled on about what the preacher had said that morning, about whether he had the right to say those things, about the autonomy of the local church to decide who would and who would not be its members, about whether Blake Smith ought tobe their pastor at all. After all long while, the moderator looked to the back of the room where an old respected judge was sitting quietly. The man said, "Judge, we haven't heard from you on this matter. What do you think?" The judge rose to his feet and said solemnly, "Well, boys, you know I don't like what our pastor said this morning any more than any of the rest of you. But I think Jesus liked it a lot." Motion to adjourn.

Where have all the prophets gone?

Finding Common Ground Between Baptists and Muslims

2009-10-27T01:46:00.003-05:00

The Baptist Center for Ethics has posted a 90 second trailer (above) and several brief video clips (here) for their documentary "Different Books, Common Word."

The documentary will air on ABC-TV affiliate stations beginning in January 2010.

Here's a link to a story about the documentary on Ethics Daily.

It was a privilege and honor for me to be one of the people interviewed for this documentary.

Al Mohler on Conscience

2009-10-26T13:12:00.002-05:00

Al Mohler, President of Southern Seminary and architect of the heretical 2000 Baptist Faith and Message statement, has taken up writing about conscience lately. Today, he writes about "The Idolatrous Religion of Conscience" and concludes with a quote from Martin Luther:

"It is the nature of all hypocrites and false prophets to create a conscience where there is none, and to cause conscience to disappear where it does exist."

I find it ironic that Mohler is now demonstrating such concern about forms of idolatry. Particularly when the article on "Scriptures" that he wrote for the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message demoted Jesus and elevated the Bible to such and extent that his statement is the clearest expression of Bible idolatry ever approved by a Baptist convention.

For the record, I too believe that conscience can be elevated to idolatrous levels. No one should trust a conscience that is not informed by both scripture and by the Holy Spirit (Mohler also turns a deaf ear to God's Spirit).

I also find it ironic that Mohler cites Martin Luther so approvingly. I'm not sure where the quote he cites is to be found in Luther's corpus, but I'm certain that you can find quotes similar to this in Luther's denunciations of the Anabaptists whose conscience prohibited them from baptizing infants. Instead, they insisted on baptizing believers.

The SBC's Unethical Ethician Strikes Again

2009-10-23T10:32:00.006-05:00

You might expect the President of an agency entitled "The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission" to be scrupulous about speaking the truth and honoring promises. You should expect the same from the head of the ethical ageny of the largest Protestant denomination in America. Unfortunately, Richard Land, President of the Southern Baptist Convention's political arm and ethical agency, appears to have few scruples about mendacity and promise breaking.

On September 26th Land declared democratic proposals for healthcare reform to be "precisely what the Nazi's did." He bestowed on Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, President Obama's healthcare advisor, "The Dr. Jospeh Mengele Award." Mengele was a notorious Nazi death camp doctor.

When Abraham Foxman of the AntiDefamation League complained about his inappropriate use of Nazi analogies, Land denied he intended to say what he clearly said, apologized, and promised not to use such analogies in the future.

Land lied. As Brian Kaylor at Ethics Daily points out, Baptist Press, the propaganda arm for the Southern Baptist Convention, is still printing stories that indicate Land still stands by his Nazi analogies.

Richard Land's remarks prompted the Interfaith Alliance to write an open letter calling for civility and asking public speakers to refrain from holocaust comparisons.

Jesus and Conscience

2009-10-23T10:19:00.002-05:00

Jesus did not use the word for conscience. He spoke about the heart.

Jesus perceives that people honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. (Mk. 7:6) His mission is to seek and save those who are lost in their sin and guilt. He likens his message to a seed that brings forth much fruit when it falls on the good ground of an honest and good heart that will hear it and keep it. (Luke 8:15)

Those who hear Jesus and look at themselves through his eyes, begin to perceive how they appear in God's sight. Through Jesus' eyes the proud and self-righteous discover that they are unacceptable to God, though they may not believe it. On the other hand, penitent sinners see that, in spite of their sin, God loves them, accepts them, and wants to transform their hearts and lives.

Lives are transformed by a wholehearted response to Christ's call to discipleship. Jesus commands his disciples to turn away from a life of sin and calls them to follow him, his teachings and his example. Disciples are to bear witness to the character and quality of Christ's life, sacrificial death and resurrection by the character and quality of their own life of sacrificial love and service. Literally, disciples are to be ready and willing to give up their lives for others in the same humble, self-sacrificing Spirit in which Christ took up a cross and died for all humanity.

Short of making the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus expects his disciples to maintain a pure heart by loving God with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their mind, and with all their strength, by loving their neighbors as themselves, by loving each other as he has loved them, and by loving even their enemies.

KSBI Reports on OCC Press Conference

2009-10-22T07:07:00.002-05:00

KSBI-TV has also posted a report about the the press conference for healthcare reform that the Oklahoma Conference of Churches sponsored Tuesday.

Here's a link. KSBI uses another sound bite from my statement.

OETA Reports on OCC Healthcare Reform Press Conference

2009-10-21T15:25:00.010-05:00

The local PBS affiliate made the Oklahoma Conference of Churches' press conference on healthcare reform their top story yesterday.

Click on the ONR 10-20-09 Report or on the picture that looks like the one above. A preview of the press conference coverage is at the 1:20 mark. Full coverage of the press conference begins at the 5:10 mark.

About half of my statement makes it into the report.

Supporting Healthcare Reform

2009-10-20T11:26:00.002-05:00

The Oklahoma Conference of Churches is holding a press conference at the State Capitol this afternoon to support healthcare reform. Here is what I plan to say:

I am a Baptist minister and I am here to speak on behalf of the many Baptists who expect our elected leaders to assure that healthcare is accessible, affordable, accountable, and inclusive of all persons.

I am also here to apologize for the heartlessness and indifference of the many Baptists and other Christians who appear to identify more with the priest and the Levite than with the Samaritan in the parable of the good Samaritan.

When we see someone who is sick, injured and beaten down by life in our society our first question should not be "Who sinned and made this person poor and uninsured?" Instead, our first question should be "What can I do to help?"

More than anything else, you can help by demanding that healthcare be accessible, affordable, accountable and inclusive of all persons.

Have a heart, America! Demand healthcare reform.

Note: Thanks to Andy Watts for suggesting phrases used in this statement.