lists people opposed to abortion as potential “right wing extremists”.

From page 2 of their recent report.

Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.

Some time ago I spoke of how social and political conservatives eager to give the last President sweeping powers in the name of fighting “terrorism” were placing themselves in danger because Presidents, and their vision of what the word “terrorist” means can change and the power we thought we gave the President to fight one kind of person can easily be applied at home to people and groups unpopular with whatever Administration is in power.

Well, it looks like that has happened. We were willing to give a person our civil rights for the illusion of safety and now the table has turned.

being tired come Monday but its the best kind of tired in the world, the tired of Lent completed, Pascha celebrated, a tired full of the anticipation of spring.

I suppose I’ll write a little bit along the way but mostly I plan to soak it all in.

By the way, I hope you like the picture. I took it last fall outside the church in Wausau, Wisconsin where my family and I spent much of our lives. All I can say is that I have traveled far.

of the coming collision between sexual orientation and religious rights.

Had the chance to look in on Orthodox Christians for Accountability and their coverage of the stories resulting from the recent decsision to return the Diocesan Bishops to Auxiliary status. I was grateful to see that others have taken up the call for civility and Christian conduct in how we approach this issue.

I feel better.

As we come into Holy Week the recent decision to return the Diocesan Bishops of our Archdiocese to auxiliary status is still front and center. Of course it has to be. This is a dramatic thing and many people remain puzzled about why its has happened. Right now there are more questions then answers.

I’ve tried to go on websites like Orthodox Christians for Accountability to find out information and make sense of all this. I have an obligation to do this so I can help the people I serve make sense of what is happening and how this will affect their lives. I hate to have to go to such sources but the truth is that the official word right now is largely silence. Sadly, I think that silence has made things worse.

The problem is that something has to fill the vacuum created when an action is taken without an explanation to follow. In this case that vacuum has been filled with a lot of name calling, speculation, and people taking anonymous pot shots at each other. To get to the valuable information you have to wade through a swamp of conspiracy and speculation and that makes finding and seeking out the truth difficult. And all I want to know is the truth.

I’ve written ad nauseum about how we need, even in our disagreements, to at least be Christian with each other but I feel like my words are falling to the ground. Not only are people still not understanding what has happened but they have also added a mountain of harsh words that, even when this is all over, will still be open wounds for many years.

I don’t know why our Metropolitan did what he did. I find it difficult to comprehend but isn’t there a way to say that without calling him names and implying all kinds of dark nuances? I don’t know why certain Priests in our diocese don’t like Bp. MARK, the person they describe in their letters isn’t even close to the Bishop I know, but why does this struggle have to become a matter of open letters and taking sides? It seems like we had a small fire started and then the rumors began raining down on it like gasoline.

The truth is that whatever happens to our Bishops may be less drastic then the damage we’re doing to each other by the way we’re discussing their status. We’re in the process of creating caricatures out of each other and that may be harder to undo then anything else. But who cares about that? This is war and the object is to win even if we’ve forgotten about what we’re fighting for.

Sigh. I just feel sad about it all. I’m sad that we can’t talk about this like adults, like Christians. I’m sad that valuable time and energy will be dissipated not in seeking out the truth and that which is good for the Church but rather in flailing about in senseless and unncessary combat. We have to talk about this. We have to work this out. But first everyone has got to take a deep breath and count to ten.

And I’m still waiting.

I just called the American Red Cross today to schedule my regular appointment to give blood. This coming April 21st I will have given three gallons, which, according to the Red Cross’ calculations, means I’ve helped save 72 lives. I’m not trying to toot my own horn because I was shocked at the number myself and also reminded how valuable a donation can be. If I do nothing else with my life I’m glad I was able to do this. Perhaps you might consider this as a ministry as well.

If you’re interested in helping others by donating blood please call 1-800-448-3543

The problems go farther. Man is social, and community requires the common goods liberalism denies. If I say that I am American the claim is insignificant unless Americans are united by something that they recognize collectively as good. In liberal society, however, the only thing that can be recognized in common as a substantive good is the goal implicit in all individual desire, the ability to get what one wants. That ability is most readily recognized in the form of money, power and success, and liberalism therefore turns society into an assortment of individuals related by those things. Under such conditions men lose substantive connection to others and with it their sense of who they are; personal identity becomes a matter of bank balances and shifting private fantasies, and the individual, for whose sake liberalism was invented, evaporates.

Read more here

A great article about the latest studies showing the demise of Christianity. Worth the reading.

This past Sunday was a good day.

My wife, bless her, came down in the early hours of the morning to lead the choir as a replacement for the person who was replacing the actual leader who was with family. Apparently the substitute was sick but it all worked out. When you have a church where a good Sunday is 30 people a few families out or off can make a big difference. A flu bug can wreak havoc.

In that light I suppose of all the things I could change at St. Elias it would the casualness that sometimes pervades the place. There are a core of people who work extraordinarily hard but there are others who just seem to fade in and out. In a large parish this could be absorbed but in a tiny church, a small mission really, the effects are significant. In the almost four years I’ve been there I’ve been waiting for the spark, that light that turns people from spectators to participants. I see it in some, its needed in others, and I hope it comes before time and the economy take their toll.

These are good people, but I wish I had that special something to help some of them see how they need to make the church a serious and central part of their lives. Years of being a backwater in the Archdiocese with no help and no leadership and then the posting of Priests without a strategy for growth have taken their toll. The parish is nearly a century old and still hanging on. I keep trying to tell them that they could be something special, and they could, but sometimes I don’t think many of them believe it and my heart breaks even as I admire their tenacity. I think about that a lot on the way home. Years ago I would have despaired but this is not in my hands, never was, and so I pray and wait and hope. God is still God.

Yet it was a good day. The drive home was safe and for some reason I never tire of the scenery. The hills and trees and wide winding river have not lost their fascination or their charm. There’s always something new around the bend and I could see myself retiring in one the small river towns to finish out my life with cats, reading, writing, and music.

It was music, by the way, that made the day. I’ve been playing the bass for some years now and discovered a group meeting near my house for an informal Sunday night jam. It’s mostly folk and blues with a smattering of three chord rock and home grown tunes presented by the writers in the group. It’s all acoustic so I didn’t know if they were going to let me and my electric upright bass in, but they did.

I didn’t know what to expect. Were these folks professionals? Was I going to be in over my head and doomed to spend the rest of the night picking up the scraps of tunes? Well, the truth is that they were good players, serious hobbyist guitar players who needed a serious hobbyist bassist to round out the sound. I didn’t get every song right but I flowed in nicely and when the night was done I was invited back. Both the music and the affirmation were good. The older I get the less afraid I am of stepping up and playing. If I’d have been a teenager I would have been scared stiff but nearly 50 I’m just going to go for it and let the chips fall where they may.

I really enjoy the bass, it’s not the splashiest instrument but its a lot of fun if you let it fulfill its calling. If you’re a bassist you’ll probably never be the star but you almost always find a place to play because things don’t sound right without that steady low thump holding the “stars” in the sky. No matter how the bass has been electrified and modified there is, as well, something about playing it standing up, full neck no frets with the clean woody sound people need to dance. I had an absolutely great time and wish I could do it every night but once a week is good for now.

I’ve been blessed with a lot of good things, more than I can count on my fingers and toes and probably yours as well (although that sounds kind of wierd). Among those gifts is music of all kinds, music that almost constantly flows in my head, music that comes out on paper, music I play without thinking at all, and music I play with people. My IPod has everything from the Ramones to Orthodox chant, George Jones to Mozart and the Andrews Sisters. Presuming I make it, by the grace of God, to heaven I surely would like to think about holding down the low end in whatever orchestra is constantly praising the Almighty (Can you imagine the absolutely sublime music of heaven?). If I don’t get the songs down the first time I’ll be okay because a few thousand years of practice and I should be awesome.