San Francisco Relationships
July 19, 2010
They are called “San Francisco Relationships” – a term coined by the local gay community to define two men in a long-term open relationship, with lovers on the side. The Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality at San Francisco State University has recently completed a major study of the relationship patterns of gay men in committed relationships. Their findings reveal much about the reality of homosexual relationships in the Bay Area.
In summary, most men who consider themselves in committed relationships aren’t really very committed at all. In the study, 47% of the couples reported being in open relationships with another 8% not sure how to define their relationships. Okay. So that means more than half of men in so-called committed gay relationships are having sexual relationships with other men at the same time. And, believe it or not, at least half of the men in the study were married, having tied the knot during one of the times it was legal to do so in California. One person said, “It’s a redefinition of marriage. The emotional commitment, the closeness, all of it is there.”
Riiight. You can now have all the sex you want with whoever you want and the “closeness and commitment” in a so-called marriage are strengthened. That is a new one on me! Sometimes the claims by the re-definition of marriage crowd are beyond absurd.
The original purpose of this study was to discover reasons why the HIV rate is again on the increase among gay men. Well, the reason seems fairly obvious. HIV-positive men and/or women are having sexual relationships with other men and/or women and the disease is passed along. The National Institute of Health has just awarded an additional $3.5 million to continue the study for five more years. Save the money! The problem, its causes, and the solutions will be the same in five years.
We live in sad times. Anyone who calls for moral purity is considered an intolerant, puritanical legalist. The destruction of individuals, and the collective degrading of our culture, is painful to watch. Society shows no signs of changing for the better. You can make a personal choice, however, to honor God’s standards and enjoy the benefits. May God help us!
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24 – Summer Fun
July 12, 2010
One of the best things about summer is umpiring baseball – particularly Little League all-star tournament games from late June through July. This is my 16th year to officiate these games. Some of you probably can’t imagine “fun” and “umpire” in the same sentence – but for me they are synonymous.
The best thing about umpiring is the players. Interacting with them, particularly with catchers who are often among the best players and most insightful about the game, is interesting and entertaining. While evaluative comments about the game are off-limits, general comments and appreciation for the game are often expressed between umpires and players. And sometimes, players say the funniest things.
Last week, for the first three innings, the game was close. Then, in the fourth inning, the proverbial wheels fell off and one team made a series of errors allowing half a dozen runs to score. After about the fifth error, the catcher walked back to the plate and said to me, “You’ll probably hear the music in a minute or two.” I asked, “What music?” “Well,” he replied, “the game is apparently over because the circus has started.” He then crouched to his position and started humming the “circus-calliope” song. Both the batter and I cracked up.
Youth sports are often criticized because of overzealous parents, driven coaches, or players who take the games too seriously. After years of involvement, my perspective is those people are “news” because they are so unusual. Most people in youth sports programs keep the games in perspectives, serve because they appreciate the game, and genuinely want children to have the experiences team sports provide. It has been a privilege to be part of various sports programs, leagues, and organizations – and to umpire baseball for years.
If you want a place to connect with your community, meet people, make friends, and enjoy yourself – choose your favorite sport and volunteer your time to help kids play it in your community. You will be glad you did!
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Ideas for Enrollment Growth
July 6, 2010
Claremont School of Theology, in the Los Angeles area, has come up with an interesting plan for enrollment growth. They will be launching new training schools for Jewish and Muslim religious leaders. Originally, they had planned to simply incorporate these new programs into their current school – until United Methodist denominational leaders withheld their funding! Their new plan is to create separate schools, restricting the denominational funding to training Christian leaders in the existing school.
This has given me several ideas for enrollment growth at Golden Gate – particularly in the Bay Area. We could open a school for new age spiritualist leaders. Since part of our campus has been designated as archeologically significant by Native Americans because of past worship practices on this location – they would feel right at home.
We could also open a school for training environmentalists – who often pursue their cause with religious zeal. The large deer, and even larger raccoon population on campus would make these folks feel right at home. And don’t forget the goats! Our famous “lawn mowing herd” will be back on campus soon. Anyone who worships flora and fauna would enjoy studying at this site.
While we’re at it, let’s provide a training opportunity for homosexual clergy. We have just finished Pride Week in San Francisco, and given the size of the celebration, there would probably be a strong market in that community as well.
These kind of creative ideas would certainly make Golden Gate more affirming, more embracing of diversity (in the politically correct sense), and less controversial. Unfortunately, it would also contradict core convictions emerging from our biblical worldview and commitment to the Bible as authoritative. Those are trade-offs we just can’t make.
So, for now, I guess we will just keep shaping Christian leaders who expand God’s kingdom around the world. Same old, same old. But, for several eternally significant reasons, we just keep plugging along – giving our lives to a task worth the sacrifice! And, amazingly, we keep growing – attracting students who are tired of cultural and theological compromise and willing to stake their lives on the truth of the gospel and its implications for daily life.
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