In defense of Shemale...

This has been a wild week so far! In fact the list of names and charges
against me are mounting.fleshy, unspiritual, needs medication, rude,
over the top on and on it keeps coming. Whew! I can relate to this
scripture now in a whole new way

When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people
were saying, 'He has gone out of his mind. -Mark 3:21

But I still stand by my words, even though they were inflammatory.

But let me clarify a few things that have seemed to cause a lot of
misunderstanding.

Concerning NEW HOPE:
. I don't have an axe to grind with New Hope, sorry to deflate all you
church splitters, disgruntled gossipers and body feeders out there but
My angst isn't directed at Donnella, LeeElla or Angela as worship
leaders. They are gifted, anointed and some of the most warrior-like
women I know, in fact they put most of us pious pansies to shame.

Concerning WORSHIP:
. My critique of worship comes from my 20 plus years of Christian music
exposure, my involvement in over 8 different churches as a leader and
member. My work as a pastor and rubbing shoulders with leaders,
conferences, camps, services by the tons, missions, outreaches in the
usa and outside the usa. It comes from reading voraciously for years:
books, magazines and newsletters, from listening, buying and monitoring
the worship movement since late 80's to now. It comes from the hundreds
of worship cds I own and have used and it comes from hands on
experience in worship as a worship leader, doer and passionate pusher
of powerful praise and intimate worship. I am not critiquing something
I don't do or have not done or don't know anything about.

Concerning INTIMACY:
. I am not against passion or intimacy in worship. I teach it, I model
it, I lead the way in expressing it naturally and unashamedly. I weep,
I shout, I dance, I use flags in worship and I have been known to hug
and kiss a few Christians too. I can sing any song and match it's
intensity of passionate expression with a reality in my own life. I am
a lover of God in the fullest and most intimate of senses. I am not
afraid or feelings or sharing them or expressing them.

Concerning WOMEN:
. I am not against women in leadership or women in general. I have
loved a woman leader for 16 years. Some of my most deep friendships are
with women. I have women leaders that I respect and admire in my life.
I support, empower, protect and believe in the freedom and expression
of all things feminine. I dig chicks.

Concerning MY SEXUALITY:
. I am not gay. I don't have a problem with my masculinity or the
expression of it. I have four kids through birth, everything works, I'm
not a eunuch.

Concerning GAYS:
. I don't hate gays. I have had very close friends that were gay or
struggled with homosexuality. I consider it a homosexuality/lesbianism
a sin but I consider overeating a sin too. So put that in your pipe and
smoke it!

Concerning RAW LANGAUGE
. I know that being a pastor means so many things to so many people and
that being in this position means that my words will be judged both by
you the reader/hearer and more importantly by Jesus. Knowing that, I
still stand by my use of raw and colorful language. I regret not being
more clear and making sure that individual people were not hurt by what
I wrote. But if scripture can use vivid, shocking and sometime crude
language and it is considered inspired than I will too. If Paul
speaking of the ultra-Christian religious Jews who wanted to circumcise
believers, can say in Galatians 5:12: As for those agitators, I wish
they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! Than I can get a
tad pointed too.

Concerning FEMINIZATION/SEXUALIZATION OF WORSHIP
. Let me clarify what I mean when I say I have a problem with
feminization of worship. In Angela's manifesto against Eric Blauer she
said: YOU were the one who introduced me to songs like "Jesus I need to
know true love. Deeper than the love found on earth. .let me know the
kisses of your mouth .let me smell the fragrance of your touch.. etc.
etc." I love Vineyard music, but they have a lot of male writers who
write some female sounding words. We wont discuss the fact that those
words come from scripture though. (no we wont).

Yep, I did introduce that song and I apologize, it was inappropriate. I
understand that now. Taking a portion of scripture that is clearly a
sensual or sexual focused passage and ripping it out of its context and
spiritualizing it is wrong and dangerous. The Bible doesn't use
sensuality or eroticism as a way to describe our relationship with
Christ. Marriage is symbolic on some levels but to start sexualizing
worship is not in my opinion a proper way to teach people how to
approach or interact with the Holy Spirit. What's next songs that start
equating orgasm with some spiritual experience? Jesus is the lover of
my soul not my flesh! My wife is here for that. So let's leave the
intimacy for the bedroom and take it off the stage and out of the
songs.

I don't want to be held in Jesus' arms and have Him kiss me with the
kisses of His mouth. He is not my valentine nor my source of erotic
passion. All that is homo-erotic sounding stuff and most guys are going
to cringe at being led into such imagery. Maybe as a woman you may be
able to relate to some forms of such imagery but as a man it's gross
and uncomfortable and unnatural. Draw me close to you, never let me
go.starts sounding like a Kelly Clarkson song. Smell the fragrance of
your touch.come on do I really have to say any more about all this? I
understand all the allegorical thoughts, the spiritualization of those
passages, I have done it with the best of them and there is some truth
to it but I think just as we leave some forms of intimacy behind closed
doors, so too we should draw a line in some of this intimacy stuff.

Concerning MALE OR FEMALE:
. Last time I checked God is consistently described and portrayed as a
Father which is a male description. He surely expresses feminine
qualities but scripture has chosen to describe Him in male wording.

Concerning MY HUMANNESS:
. Yes, I am human and what I say is not inspired. It may be wrong and
colored by a host of personal issues, experiences and opinions.welcome
to reality. As a pastor I seek to live a real life. I do not try to
project a religious persona that isn't who I really am. The person you
read or hear is me. It's my voice, my dress, my ideas, my heart and my
failures. I don't play games to impress people or curry their favor. I
offend people not out of intent of heart as out of necessity of truth.
I take no pleasure in hurting people with no point or taking wind out
of their sails. Surgery isn't fun and I confess, sometimes I seek to
hurt to heal.

Concerning GENRALIZATIONS:
. Unlike some of the responses in the posts, I seek to address the
issues not the personalities. I find it helps getting along better with
people if we don't go for their jugular or seek to smash their heads
with verbal sledgehammers or degrade them with emotional shaming. I use
generalizations for propriety's sake. It is more humane to address the
group than the person in such a format. But if you would like a
personal flaming I could arrange that too, my flesh would love to
comply.

Hopefully these thoughts will help shed some light on the SUBJECT I was
writing about.

For all you people who want to get a rope.my neck size is a 16.