Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Not Running for Moderator


Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)

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    I was visiting a church member in a rehab center on the Monday following the Sunday after Easter.

    She said, "I was told you weren't in church on Sunday."

    Whoa.

    She wasn't even in church because she was in the rehab center!

    How could she have known?

    :)

    She went on, "Are you looking for another church?"

    Geez.

    I miss one Sunday and...

    I said, "Nooooooo, though I know there's a minority who hate me in a Christian kinda way who'd like to become the majority and run me outta town!"

    Really, especially on the part of those who have left over the past decade or so since I ruined their little religious club to team up with the remnant who wanna be an invitational and welcoming and inclusive and agapish family of faith that breaks down socioeconomic barriers to honor Jesus by the book, that was wishful thinking.

    Of course, Belvidere and Boone County have been stung a lot lately by a few real-unlike-me "leaders" who keep saying they love us while getting constantly caught looking for the greener pastures that were the brown fields of other interlopers.

    Truth is I was called here long before the 10+ years that I've been here and expect to be around for another 15-20 years unless that minority who hate me in a Christian kinda way become the majority or I'm assassinated by that little old religious club or I'm knocked off by some Islamofascistnutball or...

    In short, anyone suggesting I'm thinking or musing or whatever about skipping outta town is lying.

    It would take one of those burning bush things to...

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    Here's another lie.

    There's a rumor that I'm running for moderator of GA in 2016.

    For people not living in the PCUSA ghetto, that's the highest elected office in the franchise.

    Psst.

    Actually, it's just a figurehead controlled/manipulated/managed/compromised by a non-elected-self-perpetuating-accountable-to-nobody denominational bureaucracy.

    Well, it could be a "bully pulpit" for somebody with enough Joshua-like courage to be for Jesus by the book; but...(go back to the preceding sentence-paragraph).

    Aside from 2016 being the novelty/celebrity year for electing women to high office regardless of call or credentials as if that's not already become the gender-inclusive reality of America's civil and ecclesiastical cultures, I'm not qualified for the office no way and no how and nobody in her/his right mind would ever...

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    While people who hate me in a Christian kinda way will have a much longer list, here's why I'm not qualified:

    1. Though I have sinned, sin, and will sin, I love Jesus by the book.

    2. Though I have sinned, sin, and will sin, I am guided by our Book of Confessions.

    3. Though I have sinned, sin, and will sin, I believe the PCUSA should get back to over 2K+ years of Biblical, confessional, constitutional, historical, traditional, and common sense Christianity: "This is not another Gospel; but the same ancient Gospel rediscovered for today" (Kung).

    4. Though I have dumped my garbage over and over and over in my non-best-selling books and on this site or whenever I'm asked, I know folks who hate me in a Christian kinda way will recycle it.

    5. Yeah, I am a loose cannon.  I say what I mean and mean what I say.  I've started following the advice that I give to young pastors: "You're damned if you do and damned if you don't; which is quite liberating!  That means you can tell the truth as you understand it while always being open to correction compelling confession and repentance."  Really, I know I have been wrong about lots of stuff and continue to be wrong about lots of stuff and will be wrong about lots of stuff; and if you can show me by Jesus, the Bible, and common sense that I'm wrong about anything when I think I'm right, I will confess and repent publicly.

    6. I don't show favoritism to anybody because of whatever reasons that I'm supposed to show favoritism to 'em; which, along with my sins, is why I was doomed from the start in those two really big and important churches when I was young and famous.

    7. I have no need to win because I know He does in the end; so I'm more about agape concomitant to sowing, salting, shining, and being, by His grace despite my sins, the good leaven mixing in to make better.

    8. I don't have enough money.

    9. The church that I'm called to undershepherd gets jealous when I preach anywhere else and doesn't like me to take days off or go on vacation (go back to the first section of this KD).

    10. Ever since spending that week with Eugene and my covenant brothers in October 2011, I've been wondering how the anything but heaven I/we've missed what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 15 and 23.  I don't like clergy.  Clergy conspired with other politicians to murder Jesus; and they still seem determined to carry on that tradition.  O.K., I like some clergy (viz., the remnant).  BTW, I'm still praying and laboring to repent from years of being one of 'em who keeps murdering...

    11. I'd probably be tempted to tone down the truth because of perks afforded to me like when I was a young and famous high steepler.  I don't think so.  I hope not.  I pray not.  I just don't wanna be tempted anymore.

    12. I'm just scratching the surface of my relationship with Jesus and I'm not even adequate as the undershepherd of a smaller flock.  Aside from those who like to remind me of that, especially the latter, how the anything but heaven could I ever...or why the anything but heaven would I ever...?

    13. Ain't seen no burning bush.

    14. Don't wanna see no burning bush.

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    So help me to get the word out in a Dylanesque kinda way.

    It ain't me they're lookin' for, babe(s).

    No!  No!  No!

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Blessings and Love!

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6 comments:

SF said...

Pope?

Adelaide said...

But you haven’t disclosed yet if you’re running for president in 2016... I’d be proud to put a bumper sticker for KOPP on my car.

Mark said...

But Bob in today's climate you could be a woman simply by saying that you are. Think of all of those awful people you could scorn for pointing out that you have a beard ;-) They just aren't simply gender identity sensitive and to boot you could be the first lamb dressed in wolf's skins to enter the flock. You would make a great moderator herding the sheep and wolves.

John said...

Too bad you would make a good one, Moderator that is.

Eric said...

Go ahead and run for moderator.
After all, you only work one hour a week. You have time !! LOL !!

Dr. Robert R. Kopp said...

I got a call last night from Missouri. After telling me how much he's still angry with me about my premature departure from KC for WSNC, he asked, "Even though you say you won't run, how would you weed out the problems in Louisville if you were elected?"

I replied, "It would be simple. All you have to do to smoke out the apostates, syncretists, and other miscreants is ask them to talk about Jesus. They will speak for themselves."

It reminded me of a recent presentation at our presbytery from a GA bureaucrat. While I think she thinks we assume her Chrisotolgy and continuing affirmation of ordination vows, she spoke about a program for assessing a congregation's present and future without mentioning Jesus once in over an hour or so; and several presbyters did not miss the omission.

One presbyter even wrote to me and others that she did, however, take God's name in vain at least seven times.

I don't know; cause I had kinda tuned out at that point - once I realized it was a sales pitch with the caveat that mainliners like the PCUSA aren't really losing more members than...

Yeah, right.

:)