Wading in --Analogies, Restaurants & Regulations

In our country there are many types of restaurants.  Some cater to the wealthy, some to the frugal.  But all are free to go to and eat from these establishments provided they can pay the price.

To ensure public health, whether for rich or poor, each of these restaurants are required to meet basic health guidelines for cleanliness, preparation of their product, proper disposal of waste and other conditions.  They are routinely inspected and verified to be in compliance.   

There is also a mechanism for a restaurant to be reported by customers.  Should any restaurant repeatedly fail, they can ultimately be closed.

Is this a legitimate role for government?  Of course it is.  Ensuring public health by regulating the food industry is necessary and warranted.

But imagine with me that there was an exception to the aforementioned standards.  One chain of restaurants, a fast food place that is most commonly found in poorer and minority communities, does not have to meet these criteria.  It is not required to meet basic health standards for cleanliness—no requirement to wash or sterilize their dishes.  This restaurant can serve cat, horse, kangaroo or any other kind of meat they want and call it beef.  They don’t have to dispose of their waste like all the other restaurants but can leave it sitting around for as long as they want.   Of course if anyone asks, they say they’re doing it right, but since there are no inspections allowed, it’s hard to say what is going on.  All it does is provide cheap, affordable and tasty food.

Would there be any public outcry?  Would there be any charges of racism, discrimination or economic targeting?  There should be.

More at home, however, would you want to eat there?  What if your daughter wanted to go there for her birthday because they have the best fries or playground?  Would you take her?  When she moves away to go to college and she has limited money, would you want her going to this place on her own?

What if there are numerous customer complaints, health incidents, employee whistleblowers who come forward decrying what’s going on in the food chain and even people dying?   

Should the government step in and require health standards and inspections?  Surely, that should be a no brainer.

Then you find out that this restaurant chain donates big money to politicians for protection from any regulation.  Whenever anyone proposes regulation legislation, these politicians are right there to defend the chain’s exemption.  Would you be outraged?  Would you demand action from your government and want the exemption revoked?  Would you believe the charges against regulation from politicians on their payroll?

Even though you would never take your daughter there, does that mean other’s health and safety are not important?

You’re probably reading this thinking I’m kidding, that such a restaurant doesn’t really exist.  Well you’re right… kind of.  It’s not a restaurant.

The name of the chain, you ask?  Planned Parenthood and other Abortion Clinics which are not held to the basic health and safety standards for surgical procedures.  These clinics have largely gone unregulated, uninspected due to political pressure and money since 1973.  The Gosnell trial in Philadelphia and the similar trial in Houston, TX are only recent highlights of just how much of a threat to women’s health unregulated abortion clinics can be.  Sadly, these are only recent examples.   

The full number of women who have died, been sterilized, contracted a disease or injured in other ways is unknown because the government turns a political blind eye to what goes on in such clinics.  Because the right to an abortion (and the money generated from it—never forget that) in the name of women’s health is really more important the actual health practice of the facility in terms of standards of sterilization of equipment and emergency protocols required of all similar surgical facilities.

According to this article, 37 of 42 abortion clinics in Texas may close; due to the new law just signed by Gov. Rick Perry.  Abortion funded politicians decry this as an assault on women.  I look at that number and cringe, thinking that 37 clinics that are supposed to serve women’s “health” do not meet basic health standards for clinic and doctor related care.  The fact that the government allowed such places to stay open so long should scare you and infuriate you, certainly more than you were getting upset over a fast food chain.

If your love for abortion prevents you from seeing this truth, then you are the one truly unconcerned with women’s health.

Opponents charge:

“Proponents of this bill are not really concerned about women’s health,” Carla Holeva, CEO of Planned Parenthood of West Texas, said in a statement. “This bill places onerous requirements on health centers, requirements that do nothing to improve the health or safety of women.”

What are some of those “onerous requirements?”

• (1)  the construction and design, including plumbing, heating, lighting, ventilation, and other design standards  necessary to ensure the health and safety of patients;--
  
  (This is truly a terrible and unreasonable expectation)
  
  
• (2)  the qualifications of the professional staff and other personnel;
  
  (you mean they can no longer use volunteers with no medical training to assist with medical procedures?  How offensive)
  
  
• (3)  the equipment essential to the health and welfare  of the patients;
  
  (they have to have proper medical equipment—how could politicians demand something so outrageous?)
  
  
• (4)  the sanitary and hygienic conditions within the  center and its surroundings;  and
  
  (they’re making them wash and sanitize things—they must hate women)
  
  
• (5)  a quality assurance program for patient care.
  
  (follow up to make sure the women have been well cared for and are truly recovered from the procedure and not left to bleed out on a table—that’s too much to ask of any clinic isn’t it?)

These laws are not only for abortion clinics, they are for all medical facilities—abortion clinics are merely being included in existing law.

  

I am thankful this new law has gone into effect—the lives of many innocent children will be saved.  The lives of many women will be saved as well.

This article shows that the only reason these clinics are open is to perform abortion.  All of the other “services” they provide are not important to stay open—mostly because they are not money makers.  It’s not like the organization doesn’t have the money, they’re just more interested in abortion than “women’s health”

The Jenga Church

Have you ever played Jenga?  That’s the game where you build a tall tower of wood blocks then go around the group removing as many blocks as you can.  The loser is the one on whom the tower falls.

So the goal is to see just how many pieces you can remove before you make the whole structure so unstable that it collapses.

But unfortunately, the more you remove, the harder it is to find the next piece.  Throughout the game, you can see holes and gaps.  You can tell the structure is missing something and that it is not as strong as it should be.

Most of the time, when you remove a piece, you simply discard it without really thinking about how important and necessary that piece was.

Sadly, many churches in America look like a Jenga tower that is on the verge of collapse.  Far too many believers have removed themselves, their gifts, their lives, from the Temple that is God’s People.  

We have a foundation of the Apostles and the Prophets.  We have a Chief Cornerstone that is the true basis of the whole entity and we, according to Ephesians 2:22 are “being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.  

Here’s the whole context:

Ephesians 2:19-22 : “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

God is making us into a spiritual house.  A well built house needs a foundation, needs walls, supports without which the house will leak or collapse.  But instead of using 2x4’s and drywall, He is using people.  People that He has shaped and positioned together to provide a solid and functioning structure.

What’s amazing is that in Paul’s day, many built with stone and did not use cement or any other types of adhesives between the blocks.  Each piece was cut and carved to exact specifications so that it will fit tightly and not be moved.  Some of those structures still exist.

Peter echoes the idea that we are built together by Christ into a Spiritual Temple for a purpose and function.   1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10 : “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ… 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

We are drawn together to serve as a priesthood, to declare His praises.  Each of us is fitted for a purpose in that structure.  Ephesians 4:11-13 : “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Christ’s Body needs to be built up, in order for us to reach maturity, completeness and unity.  In order for us to attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, there can be no holes.  We all have to be in our place.

We forget how vital that is.  Many in America seem to think their particular church exists to serve them.  When things don’t go their way or feelings get hurt too often they take themselves out of the church.  But like the game of Jenga, the structure is weakened and the individual piece is no longer fulfilling its function.

We think people, like the Jenga pieces, can be removed without any real consequence.  After all, it’s my life… right?

The church doesn’t exist to serve its members.  It exists to fulfill the purpose and mission of Christ.   He needs to be pleased and satisfied in all we do in the church and as the church. 

And when you remove yourself, you leave a gap.  You isolate yourself and cannot accomplish the work of the Kingdom.

I remember watching the movie, The Patriot with Mel Gibson about the Revolutionary War.  The British forces would often concentrate on the militia rather than the Regular army because they had seen the everyday farmers break ranks and flee for lack of discipline and training.  The fact that they ran made the rest of the army easier to defeat.

That’s where we are.  We have holes in our structure… soldiers are missing from our front lines and our flank is vulnerable because we are not true disciples (ironic that Disciple and Discipline are so close isn't it?).

How is your church?  Do you see a lot of missing pieces?  Is the structure teetering and near collapse.  Are you taking yourself out and leaving a teetering structure?

When a church collapses, there’s only one winner and a whole lot of losers trapped in darkness waiting to be freed.

Don’t play Jenga with the church!

Sharing an Analogy

I posted the following over on Wade Burleson's site. This particular post was about how the control of information is being manipulated, even within our International Mission Board and the unchristian attitudes that were being expressed.

If you are new to the debate--it's a long story! But much of it centers around Convictions and Interpretations of Scripture and how to apply those in a Cooperative Missions setting. What can we disagree on and still work together for the Gospel? Do we have to agree on everything? How much should a personal conviction be turned into a policy decision?

So, I wrote a story to convey a sad parallel. Here's my post.


Sarcasm Alert!

I'm just glad Dr. Floyd was able to translate and make sense of Dr. Rankin's letter for the Trustees who are obviously not able or not trustworthy enough to do it for themselves.

End Sarcasm Alert!
Here's an analogy (I know you'll be able to find fault in it, but here goes anyway)



One church is taking a long bus trip for a missions effort. Along the way, they drive through the SW United States. Somewhere in the back, someone suggests that they should stop to eat, stretch and go to the bathroom. Immediately a group forms discussing the benefits of particular stops and food (do they sell alcohol in this establishment may be one ;-) ).

Meanwhile, the bus driver calls the pastor to the front and tells him--"the last stop for 200 miles is coming up in just a couple of minutes. It's got a restaurant.--might be important for your discussion.


"

The pastor sees that the last stop is a Citgo and he has a personal conviction to boycott all of Hugo Chavez's institutions. So he goes back to the group and says "All I know is that I don't want to stop at no Citgo", to several nodding heads, other confused looks, but saying nothing about the last stop coming up.[edit from original--The conversation then got sidetracked into why Citgo should be boycotted.]

Finally someone looks out the window and notices the "Last Stop in 5 Miles" sign. "Hey Pastor, I just saw a sign about the last stop ahead. Should we tell the bus driver to pull over?"

The pastor then goes on to explain that he doesn't believe it when he sees those signs because in reality those signs are just advertising gimmicks to get people to stop. How it's illogical to believe there won't be more stops. Besides he's pretty sure the place sells alcohol.

So they decide to wait for the next stop. As they pass, they notice it is a Citgo, but no one notices that a young family who needs to hear about Jesus has the hood of their car propped up and is in need of assistance.

Too bad the mechanic that came with you on the trip didn't get to go to the bathroom in the Citgo.

Pursuing Answers to Questions of Faith & Life,

Kelly

I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts on the story.

P.S.--DT Boy... we're going to have to talk!

Something Controversial

Apparently, I'm lagging behind in the voting of Kevin Bussey's "Who's Now" in the blogosphere. See Kevin's post and info about my opponent here.

So in lieu of my lagging poll numbers, I take my cue from American politics to say anything to draw attention to myself and gain a small percentage of supporters that just may push me over the top.

OK, here goes...

For years I have been trying to convince my wife of this truth--


Eating a burger without some kind of cheese is patently Unamerican! You can eat one without lettuce, or a tomato, or mustard, but it is just wrong to eat one without Cheese.

There you have it. I'm not afraid to say it.

The world may not spin off its axis with this revelation of truth, but it may just be better for it.

Who's With Me!!! Go Vote!!!

Pursuing Answers to Questions of Faith & Life,

Kelly