On Jesus's Side

I read Bob Jones' letter to the President earlier in the week."They despise you because they despise your Christ". I have to admit that after I read it (and saw John Dobson on CNN), I was more depressed than ever at the loss of the election. The vitriol, the unchecked and uncensored contempt for the liberals and the secularist was astounding. Even though I never bought the"moral values won Bush this election" meme, I knew that it will create its own reality and become CW. But to see the effect so soon, so clearly was really disheartening. Is this the Talibanization of America? Or simply a rabid nationalism gone unchecked?

But, as always, truth is never so stark and mundane. Today's WaPo has one of the most heartfelt and hopeful piece I have seen in a long time. Anne Hull's Coming Out for One of their Own, literally, restored my faith in those true believers who do not seek hate or fear.

Janice was quiet, listening to phrases such as"radical inclusivity" and quotes by Robert F. Kennedy about the long arm that bends toward justice. Only once did she feel at home, when a man came up afterward and reached for her hand."You know, we have been praying for you all week," he said.

His name was Toby Jenkins and he was a Free Will Baptist pastor for 17 years before accepting that he was gay. Now he preaches at a gay evangelical church in Tulsa. He told Janice that the Bible is not the black-and-white doctrine that many say it is. He asked Janice if they could pray together, and he took her face in his hands and they stood motionless in the crowd, forehead to forehead, eyes closed.

Sand Springs, Oklahoma, may not have agreed with Michael Shackelford's sexuality but they disagreed even more with the hatred spewed by Fred Phelps. That, for this secular humanist, is the perfect message of hope for the next four years.