Peace Sign, Baby!

My daughters were asking me about the peace sign today. You know, the circle with the vertical line going down the middle with two angled lines near the bottom of the vertical line. They heard that the peace sign is actually a broken, upside down cross.

I'm not one, necessarily, to argue too much. I can be kind of a quiet person. However, this question sort of got to me. Before I became a Christian I was involved in the kind of lifestyle that proponents of 'the peace symbol' as noted above, lived. I had my acid washed jean jacket with the big peace symbol marked in big fat permanent marker on the back of the jacket. I was all for peace, etc...Not once, as I walked in these circles, did I ever hear anyone refer to this symbol as an upside down broken cross. Why?

I believe that we as Christians can become so put off by what society does, or does not do, that we feel we have no choice but to complain, point our fingers, yell a little bit, maybe even kick a little dust off our feet. But, when we are confronted with the requirement to approach those same people with love (the people we yelled at, pointed fingers at, etc.) we find ourselves involved in a little holy tension. We say to ourselves, and to God on occasion, "Oh God, thank you so much for not making me like that person over there. Thank you for giving me a place to call home; away from them and in your arms." We hide. We like to hide. We don't want to get stained by the world, we want to tell the world what is wrong with it and then let God sort it out. We're like the Marines, "Kill 'em all and let God sort them out."

Okay, this is a bit off topic from the peace symbol thing. But there are other things we as Christians point our fingers at. What about music? In the 80's it was Christian rock. In the 90's it was secular music (still is). We have been opposed to neck ties ( a long time ago...this one is okay :) ). We have been opposed to movie theaters (not movies necessarily, just movie theaters. (Yeah, weird). And the list goes on.

I guess what I am trying to say is, we could probably make more headway for Jesus if we stopped banning everything and start living our lives for Jesus, even around those that we used to be like.

Enough ranting and raving. What do you think?

American Idol

Well, there has been a lot of buzz about the winner of American Idol, I would say. Personal, I am happy with the decision. I have always liked Kris and Danny. Not just because they are Christians, but they also are very talented.

One aspect about this decision that excited me the most was Adam's response to a reporter when asked about his sexual preference and how some may tie it to his loss. The reporter asked, essentially, 'what is your response to people who say you lost because you are gay?' Adam's response was refreshing. He said, essentially, 'I don't think I lost because I am gay, I lost because Kris is a better performer.' I appreciate that perspective from anyone. Whether it's sexual preference, religious affiliation, race, etc...keeping yourself grounded and in reality is refreshing.

Adam was a great performer. I don't really know why he didn't win, but I am pleased with the result. Not because Kris is a Christian, but because he was such an underdog for so much of the season. He must have something going for him if he was able to rise to this level out of nearly nowhere.

What do you think?