Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)
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"There are sins of omission as well as commission.
Both insult God's holiness and injure others.
Yet, the former may be worse than the
latter because they rarely invoke
conscience, confession,
and the repentance
insuring..."
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"They renovated the chancel area and put a seat
fit for a king right behind the table for me.
I never sat on it...
They put my name in big bold brass letters in
front of the church. I protested and said
I would leave the church unless mine
was replaced with...
After arriving, I was told about a Lenten
drama in which my predecessor
played Jesus...I said I have
never felt comfortable
playing...
I like reserved parking spots for the handicapped and
elderly.
They need them; and nobody else deserves them.
I have always refused them because of
something He said about being a...
Lamentably, just a few specks of fidelity on a
beachfront of personal and enabled..."
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Because lots of
folks don't believe in charismata in
a Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 kinda way, I don't like to talk about one of
'em; but I've gotten into more trouble for what I haven't said and done
after seeing...if you know what I mean.
Change that.
His holiness has
been insulted and people have been injured when I haven't been an undershepherd to the Good
Shepherd in a Psalm 23, Matthew 10, and John 10 kinda way after He has
provided apocalyptic moments to prevent insults and injuries.
When I haven't
spoken or acted upon revelation, others not
me have paid the price of my omissions.
I guess I've been
like most other...
I'm too often too
concerned about being liked when called to love; for it's easier to be pathetic
than prophetic when you've got car payments, college bills, mortgages, and...
It's that thumb
that the Rolling Stones sang about.
When you've got
so many masters, it's hard to be faithful.
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I knew he was a
problem within days of arrival.
He ignored me
when I asked him to stop parking in a spot reserved for the handicapped.
He defied me when
I told him to stop parking in a spot reserved for the handicapped.
When I told
staff, officers,
and members about it,...crickets.
Solution?
We took down a
sign reserving a parking spot for the handicapped and replaced it with a sign
with his name on it.
He wiped out my
beloved truck not long after that; driving into the church lot like a bat
out of hell, ramming it, and bringing a Caliber into my life.
He showed no
shame or responsibility; though he thought it was kinda funny with a strange
smile and demonic wink that would be repeated over and over and over and...
I didn't tell
anybody about it because the church had been through a rough interim period and
I didn't want...to be hassled.
Besides, I was
new...and knew staff, officers, and members would turn against me because he
was just a lovable old goof, bungler, fool, and...
That was over a
decade ago.
I knew then.
So many, many,
many other confirmations since then.
Now, a family has
been devastated, lives ruined, and...
I've always said
it's more important to love than seek cheap, superficial, and temporal favor or
be liked.
I didn't trust or
execute my charisma.
I joined the long
list of those who enabled him to...death.
I did not protect
the sheep and beat away the wolf.
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I forgot two
lessons that I have given to so many others.
No, that's not
right.
I wasn't
obedient.
1. You're damned if you do and damned if
you don't. How liberating! That means we should feel compelled to
do the right thing according to Jesus, the Bible, and common sense.
2. Shepherds don't follow sheep because
shepherds know sheep are too dumb to take care of themselves. Shepherds
guide, protect, and beat
away and even beat down predators.
Omissions are
more easily rationalized than commissions.
That's why they
are much, much, much more problematic and painful to God and others.
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With that in
mind, it's time to repeat a decades-old discernment about and challenge to Islam.
It's been said
before but must be said again.
More than ever
before, I understand the cost of omissions.
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An Open Letter to Muslims
Dear Followers of
Mohammed,
I am writing to you as a
follower of Jesus; meaning I believe He is Lord and Savior and try to behave
accordingly.
Christians regard Jesus as
the perfect personification of God and the Bible as providing the perfect
prescriptions for following Him.
Assuming you are trying to
follow your leader Mohammed according to your sacred literature, I have
increasing concerns about how you participate in civilization.
Surely, “Muslims” are like
“Christians” in diversity of beliefs and behaviors; acknowledging any
connection between some beliefs and behaviors and their founders by their books
are often just coincidental.
I differentiate between
posers and authentics.
Posers follow their
leaders by their books when it’s convenient to their egocentric wants,
feelings, needs, and opinions; as in, “I know that’s what Jesus/Mohammed says, but
I think…”
Authentics follow their
leaders by their books; surrendering the egocentric to the theocentric; as in,
“God said it. I believe it. That settles it.”
While my guess is some of
what I am writing may appeal to posers who are moderately committed to their
leaders – “Yeah, that’s right! I am a
moderate! I’m moderately committed to
Jesus/Mohammed as long as it doesn’t, you know, conflict with my wants,
feelings, needs, and opinions!” – I am hoping this will attract attention from
Muslims who are trying to follow Mohammed by the book.
I have two concerns about
how authentic Muslims participate in civilization.
First, from everything
that I’ve read about Mohammed and observed in Muslims who follow him by the
book, it’s noticeably barbaric from most civilized points of view.
I mean, let’s face
it. Cutting off heads for apostasy,
cutting off other body parts for lesser infidelities, and degrading women in so
many ways just doesn’t seem very, uh, civilized from most, uh, civilized points
of view.
When someone makes fun of
Mohammed in a silly cartoon or sophomoric video, you go apoplectic. You make our snake-handling Pentecostals look
like Emily Post devotees. Are you that
emotionally fragile that you can’t handle people who don’t esteem Mohammed like
you do? Yeah, I know you’ve got this convert-to-us-or-be-killed-by-us
thing going. But think about us! We are a constant source of comic material
for Saturday Night Live, Bill Maher, Kathy Griffin, and so many others who
don’t have to worry about Christians declaring death warrants against them.
And what’s up with the
masks when you do your beheading thing?
You look like America’s old KKK on steroids! It comes off rather cowardly. If you have the courage of your convictions,
man up, name it, and claim it!
Your leaders of your
leader are quick to convince their followers that there are dozens of virgins
awaiting those who get knocked off for your cause. While that sounds like something very
appealing to Cub Scouts in heat, it comes off as rather juvenile to the rest of
us. Really, is that what your heaven is
mostly about? Sex with virgins? Whoa.
Second, if what I just
wrote is really, really, really wrong about Muslims who follow Mohammed by the
book, why don’t you condemn their barbarity and tell everyone that they’re not
following Mohammed by the book?
There’s no such thing as a
silent majority. Everybody knows silence
about bad behaviors emanating from bad beliefs accommodates and enables
them. If they’re wrong about Mohammed by
the book, then you owe it to, uh, Mohammed to tell them about it and convince
us that we’re wrong about thinking Islam is barbaric from civilized points of
view.
Christians who believe in
Jesus by the book have always been quick to criticize the bad behaviors of
people posing as Christians.
Don’t even bring up the
Crusades!
Jesus and people who
really are authentically believing in Jesus by the book would never have
approved of the barbaric behaviors emanating from the bad beliefs of the
Crusaders. They were about as
authentically devoted to Jesus by the book as we are hoping you will tell us
are those barbarians masquerading as Muslims who go around chopping off body
parts, degrading women, and declaring death warrants against anyone who
disagrees with their version of Islam.
You can’t blame Jesus for
“Christians” who need more than just “some” Jesus in their lives as we are
hoping you will tell us about those barbarians who claim to be following
Mohammed so closely.
I guess it does come down
to our leaders.
Would Mohammed do the
things that those murderously marauding “Muslims” are doing in the name of
Allah?
If not, you have to speak
up!
If so, admit it and let
the chips fall where they will!
Would Jesus do the things
that those murderously marauding Crusaders did in the name of God?
Absolutely not!
That means anybody who is
truly following Jesus by the book will not!
Though what I’ve read and
seen from the barbaric “Muslims” and what I haven’t heard or seen from the
other ones doesn’t add up to anything positive or redemptive for the place of
Islam in a civilized world, I confess not being an expert; which is why I’m
waiting for the rest of the Muslims to provide a verdict on the obviously
barbaric ones.
I’m just somebody who
loves Jesus who is trying to follow Him by the book; and the Jesus of the book
is compassionate, merciful, forgiving, and, in short, urging His followers to
love everybody like He loves everybody which includes praying and laboring for
the best for everybody without regard to who, what, where, when, or why with no
need or expectation for response, regard, or reward.
That means Christians who
follow Jesus by the book are willing to co-exist with people who don’t want to
follow Jesus by the book.
That seems so different
from Islam.
Islamists, the loud
barbaric adherents and the silent accommodating and enabling ones, don’t seem
to share such a commitment to co-existence.
Christianity, following
Jesus by the book, can co-exist with everybody else.
Islam, from what I have
read and seen, following Mohammed by the book, cannot co-exist with anybody
else unless everybody else converts to it.
That doesn’t seem to leave
many options for the rest of the civilized world.
I guess, when all is said
and considered, either everybody else will have to go if they don’t convert to
Islam or everybody else will have to team up and you’ll have to…
I hope and pray I’m wrong.
Please speak up and
encourage us that we’re wrong about you.
For unlike what we’ve increasingly
read about and increasingly seen from you, we would like to co-exist.
We’re not asking you to
become like us.
We’re just asking you to be
more conciliatory and recognize the planet has enough space for all of us.
Before everything but
heaven breaks out, please show the world that Mohammed by the book isn’t as
barbaric as we’re reluctantly concluding by the behaviors of so many of those
who claim to follow him.
If you cannot get your
house in order, we will not let you invade ours much longer.
Sincerely,
A Follower of Jesus
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I know some will
say that's rude or intolerant.
I don't beg to
differ.
Anyone who
defends what just-left-of-center-to-right-to-extremist Islam does to women and
our LGBT friends is intellectually dishonest, spiritually deceiving, and
emotionally manipulative.
I don't get
anyone from left, right, up, or down who defends...
I understand
enabling.
Just confessed
it.
It happens when
we're ignorant, apathetic, deceived, double-minded, duped, selfish,
fainthearted, or...part of the dark conspiracy to...
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Blessings and Love!
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Shatter the sound of silence!
Wake up! Look up! Stand up! Speak up! Act up for Jesus!
Salt! Shine! Leavenate!
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