The Bill Ayers Kind of Bomb

Ran in the Daily News May 3, 2017

A lot needs to be covered here so I guess I should jump right in.

Lee Rozen recently argued that I seem to be proud of my “anti-gay, pro-slavery, patriarchal provocateur status.” First, I have never been pro-slavery. That is simply false. The debates I have been in on that subject revolved around the best way to eliminate slavery without massive bloodshed. Second, my views of homosexuality are simply those of Scripture and the historic Christian church. Homosexuality is sinful and, as with all sin, forgiveness is offered to absolutely everyone through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And as far as provocateur goes, Lee probably has in mind the photo taken of me standing on the rainbow flag. I was actually astonished—in this image-sensitive generation—at how few picked up on the fact that we were riffing on the iconic photo of Bill Ayers, friend of Obama, standing on the American flag. So yes, I was being a provocateur in that situation, but the provocation was aimed straight at those who are intent on overthrowing our way of life—and not in a metaphorical way, either. Bill Ayers, it may be recalled, used actual bombs.

The next thing is the reference to my “one-time claim that Moscow was just the right size city for a decades-long takeover campaign.” Couple this with the “battle plan” referenced in the title, the “specter of theocracy” in the last line, and the fact that The Handmaid’s Tale is a hot new series, and you have yourself a real scary scenario. But the adrenaline from the fright rush is actually going to waste.

This was not a “one-time claim,” but rather one I have made repeatedly, and will no doubt make again if I get a chance. But the point of that claim is not about a jackbooted “takeover,” but rather a reference to spiritual and cultural engagement that is both winsome and oriented to service in the community. We are evangelical and would love to see others come to Christ, but this can never happen through law, force, or coercion. So when the Bible uses military metaphors to talk about this (e.g. “full armor of God,” “cast down strongholds,” “sword of the Spirit”), these are metaphors referring to a spiritual war. Paul also says that our weapons are not carnal, meaning that they are not the Bill Ayers kind. What we actually want to be is good neighbors. Nothing is coming down the pike toward Moscow that is not the fruit of persuasion and free individual choices. Nothing. To borrow the words of one theologian, we believe that “only love is compelling.” And what you are most likely to hear coming out of the old C.J.’s is hundreds of young people learning to sing Bach cantatas.

The tendency to lump a bunch of related ministries and businesses together has the unfortunate effect of reinforcing the false notion that I am a monolithic banker who owns a bunch of Moscow. In actual fact, I own my own house and, depending on how the weeds are doing, most of my yard. The ministries mentioned by the editorial are all independently governed, each with their own board and each with their own constituency. Some are directly influenced by me (e.g. I am minister at Christ Church), while others have a constituency that extends well beyond our “ecclesiastical family” including Christians from all over the Palouse (e.g. Logos School).

As far as these businesses are concerned, to the extent we have influence, we teach and encourage our people to strive for excellence in all that they do, and to cheerfully serve all residents of Moscow in and through what they do. It is truly unfortunate that this newspaper promises “resistance.”