Luke Broderson
He who will not be named.
Mosleys

Rachel made a comment the other day to the effect that it seems like I am often called to do the things I don’t want to do. (Don’t read too much into the word “call” here, okay?)

I was called to finish my MA in English. I was called to leave Monroe. I was called to leave the Reformed church. I was called to join a liberal denomination. I was called to move back to Monroe. Even though my choice to be a Democrat was somewhat flippant, I know now it was the right decision. I was called to teach in a secular university. And I’m being called to join a church that I don’t want to join.

I didn’t want to do any of these things, and some of these things I still don’t want to be doing. And yet I feel strangely drawn to do these things because of the opportunites they present me in sharing the gospel and/or my gifts.

I wouldn’t recommend most of these things to other people, and yet here I am. And I feel like I’m in the place where God wants me to be. Even though the situations are generally dissatisfying, I feel peace that I don’t think others can really understand.

I get questioned on a lot of these things. If you’re one of those questioners, you at least know my reason now. I get labeled because of a lot of these things. Oh well. I can’t help that. I didn’t do these things because I really wanted to do them. I did these things because I didn’t feel like I could do anything else and still feel like I was doing God’s will.

A lot of people want better answers than that. They want to know how I can be a Democrat teaching in a state school, be a member of a liberal denomination, and still claim to be a Bible-believing Christian with generally Reformed beliefs.

Sorry.

Hey everybody. Rachel says, “Blech” (she got that from Ethan Amos, by the way).

Rachel’s been pretty sick.

Let’s see. We started priming the baby’s room, and we bought paint for the base coat for the dining room. Now we must fight apathy.

We watched the first 8 episodes of season one of 24. It’s great. I just wish the folks with episodes 9-24 would return them.

So we think we found a midwife. We need to talk with her on the 9th. She’s Roman Catholic, so that should rouse suspicion. And she’s from Spokane. So it seems God is working providentially. And I’m excited. I still can’t hear the baby’s heartbeat or feel it kickin’ but you bet I’m still trying. Yeah, I know it’s early, but I can hope, right?

1. Kerry isn’t president.
2. All the leaks in our house can be fixed in 15 minutes for about $5.
3. We got a call from a potential midwife, and she’s from Spokane.
4. People are getting more freedom in Iraq.
5. I live in a multiracial town.
6. That we have a generation of young people that we can influence with the Gospel.
7. A lot of people don’t take Michael Moore seriously.
8. While the influence of postmodernism seems greatly exaggerated, and it’s in its baby stages, it’s already making an impact for those that have worked their way through modernism.
9. No matter how unfaithful we are, Jesus is the Faithful One.
10. No matter how poorly we show it, Christ has made all things new.
11. We have great friends everywhere.
12. I had a great conversation about trusting God when you think you’ll never get pregnant.
13. I have a baby on the way!
14. People pray for us.
15. Encouraging emails.
16. I have someone else in my life to love and protect.
17. I made a great King Ranch Chicken Casserole today.
18. Coupons.
19. There is still vestigial morality in America.
20. I’m not arrested for preaching the gospel.
21. I get paid to help people.
22. I have great health insurance.
23. And retirement benefits.
24. We have the money to make all the needed improvements in our home.
25. I have a lot of books.
26. My biggest enemies are anonymous blogposters.
27. Jesus died for me
28. No more late fees!
29. Nathan Blevins
30. Great family.
31. Great in-laws.
32. Forrest and Rebekah
33. I’m an uncle.
34. Ryan and Taneisha
35. The weather is nice.
36. I have a beard.
37. I’m not dead yet.
38. I’m trying to hurry this list up because my wife is here to pick me up.
39. I get enough sleep.
40. I get more than enough food.

I have no doubt that he alludes, at least, to baptism, and even I will not object to have this passage expounded as relating to baptism; not that salvation is contained in the outward symbol of water, but because baptism tells to us the salvation obtained by Christ. Paul treats of the exhibition of the grace of God, which, we have said, has been made by faith. Since therefore a part of revelation consists in baptism, that is, so far as it is intended to confirm our faith, he properly makes mention of it. Besides, baptism — being the entrance into the Church and the symbol of our ingrafting into Christ — is here appropriately introduced by Paul, when he intends to shew in what manner the grace of God appeared to us; so that the strain of the passage runs thus: — “God hath saved us by his mercy, the symbol and pledge of which he gave in baptism, by admitting us into his Church, and ingrafting us into the body of his Son.”

I’m obviously not Reformed. I was surfing through blogs, and it seems like beer, cigars, and the CSA kept popping up on Reformed blogs. I really have no interest in any of those things. I don’t smoke. I have an occasional Smirnoff Twisted Green Apple or Pina Colada. And although I do agree with the whole CSA was better than the North thing, I think it’s usually pretty divisive. I make constant efforts to make inroads with the poor and minorities in my community. And I don’t really like to talk about theology (well, I like certain things like ecclesiology and sacramentology). I love talking about Jesus making all things new. And I love sharing the Bible. I also like to act on my faith instead of talking about it. And I feel like my Reformed beliefs are more of a hindrance in doing all the things I love to do. I’ve long quit saying I am Reformed (though, of course, I am).

I dunno…just rambling here. I really don’t think I’m Reformed any more (though, of course, I am).

I am not even gonna go into the church stuff. I’ll just say I was up half the night because I was so upset with the behaviour of the session. They purposely left out of the case record every email concerning the reasons Rachel would not be able to be present on the dates the session had set her trial (Hello, we were living in NJ), our Feb. 02 weblog post on how we had joined Salem (after they asked Rachel to leave but before they pressed charges…this document was the part of the original charges), and the emails where Rachel asked to be instructed (one of their claims was that she was unteachable).

And for some strange reason, the presbytery denied Rachel’s request to enter these into the case record. Doesn’t make much sense to me.

But wait, I said I wasn’t going to talk about that.

I’m annoyed with much more than that. I’m annoyed that:
1. Rachel isn’t getting any calls returned about potential midwives.
2. Soldiers are dying in Iraq.
3. Bush is polytheist.
4. My own party (Democrats) are a bunch of idiots.
5. Hillary Clinton is trying to claim she’s pro-life.
6. That my students are ridiculously relativistic.
7. That only 8 in a hundred knew what Roe vs. Wade was. When I told them that Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe) was protesting for a reversal of the decision on the steps of the Supreme Court last Tuesday, their response was that no one would listen to her because she was changing her mind. She was a flip-flopper. So infuriating.
8. That they think my child isn’t a person.
9. Michael Moore isn’t a mute.
10. Our bathroom and kitchen sink leak. Our bathtub gets clogged.
11. Evangelicals are afraid of postmodernism.
12. Some postmodern Christians give them reason to be.
13. Tim Eaton doesn’t come back to the faith.
14. That we drove him away.
15. That our faith wasn’t holistic enough to really show that Christ makes all things new.
16. There is so much to work on before the baby gets here and so little time.
17. There really aren’t any other people here in Monroe that we’ve connected with and can connect with more consistently
18. That there isn’t a joyful, liturgical, sacramental, friendly, and hospitable church here.
19. That I’m so ungrateful for what we do have.
20. And I’m actually letting these things get to me for the first time in my life because they’re affecting someone else beside myself.

Well, we received a letter from the presbytery saying that they denied Rachel’s request to remove the case materials involving 1) correspondence with Rachel’s parents 2) the New Perspective…in spite of the fact 1) that Rachel and her parents do not agree on the question of baptism 2) Rachel’s only encounter with the NPP is the conference she went to this month (which incidentally, she was pregnant sick all the way through and slept through most of the lectures).

I find it very difficult to have faith in presbyterian courts to give her a fair trial. Sadly, I have more faith in the civil courts. If we were to sue the Living Word PCA for slander and libel, they would lose quite quickly and decisively. I’ve been told this by both Christian and non-Christian lawyers. After looking through the case record, it’s open and shut: this is slander and libel.

I find us in a very sad position. We’re newly married, my wife is pregnant, she’s been excommunicated for six months, and they haven’t even started her case. They FINALLY have the case record.

The process makes me wonder if 1) the PCA takes excommunication or communion seriously 2) the PCA takes their court cases seriously at all 3) the PCA takes their court cases too seriously.

Court cases should not take this long when issues of faith are on the line. Rachel doesn’t even believe what she’s accused of believing. How long does this take to figure out?

1) How long have you been blogging?
3 years and 3 months

2) Do you believe you’re addicted to blogging? Please explain, and be honest.
Not anymore. I hardly have any incentive to blog.

3) Have you ever taken a hiatus? If so, for what reason and how long?
Yes. We were at camp and didn’t really feel like spending our limited computer time blogging. 2 months.

4) Have you ever thought of giving up blogging?
Yes, all the time.

I visited Sterling College and almost went to it. I find it weird that their Vice-President for Academic Affairs actually cited me in one of her speeches.