Passing Out Condoms In Church

Someone sent me a link to a story from the United Church of Christ.  You can read the entire article here.

The article begins, “Highlighting the need for churches to be places of spiritual and physical wellness, UCAN, Inc. (United Church of Christ HIV and AIDS Network) has issued a statement encouraging condom distribution at places of worship.”

Now I grew up in a very conservative tradition, but I work very hard to be understanding of differing viewpoints.  I also think its a great idea for the church to care for the physical needs of people as well as spiritual.  But passing out condoms during church?  Is this a practical joke?  Am I missing the seriousness of the need to pass out condoms?  I understand the need to prevent disease.  I understand the desire for people to want to help.  But passing out condoms at places of Worship?

How can the church stand for bringing people into wholeness under the Shalom of God and at the same time support a practice that undermines the longterm health and stability of our culture?  I know its considered old- fashioned to support the idea that sex should be reserved only for a lifelong commited relationship.  But if the church never stands apart from the prevailing culture, then what’s the point of being Ekklesia in the first place?  What do you think?  Is this is a good way to support the community?  Do you agree/disagree?

The Shining City On A Hill

The year was 1989. President Regan was on his way out of office. The decade of the 80’s was coming to a close. In his memorable farewell address, he reminded the nation, “I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it.  But in my mind it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.  That’s how I saw it and see it still¹.” It’s inspiring to envision what he saw.

It was John Winthrop who first penned the image of America as the “shining city on a hill.” The Puritans, lead by Winthrop, believed their community was ’specially ordained by God’, as they had escaped to the new world to ‘purify’ the church.  They also sought to rekindle the special relationship that Israel had with God, seeing themselves as a Christian Nation- blessed and protected by God. This idea still persists today, and we are reminded of it at every election as Christians put their hope in the next president.
It’s interesting to note that the Puritans wanted freedom of religion, but they didn’t give others that opportunity.  They forced everyone in the Massachusetts Bay Colony to follow the Puritan rules even if they weren’t Puritan.  As you can see it really is hard to be a city on a hill. In fact, the role of living out the kingdom of God in the world was not given to the American people, or to our government, but to the church, his ‘called out ones’.  So I guess my challenge for people of faith heading into a new era in American history is, Where does our Hope lie?
Does this change the way we should view government? And what role should our government play?