View From the Hammock brought to you by Purple Frog

I found myself in the retail business after serving a church for many years. Can't resist the temptation to compare the church and the retail worlds! In two short months, I saw plenty of contrasts: a Middle-Eastern woman, who hides her face behind a veil, and a transgender guy, who fearlessly displays his/her new breasts to the public. I was told that money doesn't have gender. Dollars are still dol lars. Gays, lesbians, blacks, greens, immigrants... Does it really matter? The world of retail is more accepting, more encouraging, and more sincere than the church world. How refreshing to be appreciated after being pointed at my accent for way too long. As for me, I still have my accent but, if in the church I was criticized for having it, in the world of retail, I am praised for it. I'm told that people are curious of someone who is different from them. In the church, Christians look down at those who are different. Today, I was told that I have an accent. Here we are again...

       "Thousands of years ago, tribes of human beings suffered great privations in the struggle to survive. In this struggle it was important not only to be able to handle a club, but also to possess the ability to think reasonably, to take care of the knowledge and experience garnered by the tribe, and to develop the links that would provide cooperation with other tribes. Today the entire human race is faced with a similar test."        (Last paragraph of Andrei Sakharov's Nobel Lecture, December 11, 1975)        The United Methodist church can still get out of a decline if there are enough leaders, who can fearlessly address the culture of our denomination that reflects congregational morale. Churches are trying to keep their doors opened, waiting for new members to join while not taking a critical look at their behavioral patterns. The revitalization starts with telling the truth, and the truth is not pretty:...