Low Stoopage

So we live in a grey brick home in a newer suburb. Thanks to my wife, the lawns are green and flowers are blooming lustily around the foundation of our home. Each side of the house has a latched wooden gate leading to the back yard which is completely enclosed; there are no openings in or under the 7′ high wooden fence.

Yet somehow we have been finding, um… doggy do-do in our back yard. Regularly. In the same place. We don’t have a dog. Our neighbours on either side don’t have a dog.

I am familiar with dog poop (lucky me!) and have double-verified that it is, in fact, from a medium sized dog and not some other creature of the night (thanks for searching for anything, Google). When our gates are unlocked, we find leavings the next morning, when our gates are pad-locked … nothing shows up.

Now I don’t want to sound crazy but the only answer we can come up with is that someone is letting their dog into our yard at some point through the night to do its business and then taking it home when its business is finished. In our yard.

I welcome any other explanation you can come up with that doesn’t involve ghosts, UFOs or Putin.

Assuming this is what is happening – well, what kind of person does that? I mean really, how low is that? Do we really live in a world where people stoop (or don’t stoop) so low as to secretly use a neighbour’s yard for a doggie-dump?

But wait, have you read the news lately? There’s lots of people whose terrrible words or actions weigh them down into a lower-than-low stooping position. In fact, you don’t have to look too hard to see that low stoopage is rampant.

For example, Rudy Giuliani is quickly becoming as well known for spewing nonsense as his infamous boss, Donald Trump. Trump is still well ahead on stoopage points and won’t be losing the title any time soon, but the lawyer’s statement that, ‘Truth isn’t truth‘ really caught the attention of well, rational people.

I know what his intended meaning was: truth can be twisted by an enemy into something totally different. But the irony of that concern is staggering in a White House that lies and twists truth daily, even hourly. Trump is now into the range of 4,200 provable public lies since he came to power.

Remember Pilate’s words during Jesus’ trial? ‘What is truth?’ Truth only becomes dangerous to those who have lived in blurred lines so long that they have forgotten what and where truth is. The truth is still true and it’s always the best place to live if you want to walk upright.

Speaking of Trump, I just read a list on Twitter of just the sexual offences he’s accused of and it is very uncomfortable. Question: I wonder if there are any more complete lists of his other shady, unethical or illegal dealings? Answer: there are, but the lists of (alleged & factual) business, personal and political offences are so long (hundreds) that I can’t take the space here to list them. Literally. Major stoopage. Major poopage.

Two high profile pastors have been in the stoopage news the last few days: John MacArthur and Mike Huckabee.

Mike Huckabee is a conservative politician, Baptist minister, television host, lobbyist for Qatar (!) and father of current White House Press Secretary/truth-juggler Sarah Huckabee-Sanders. Huckabee’s program is on the christian (?) TBN network.

In the aftermath of Trump calling one of his former staffers a ‘crazed lowlife’ and a ‘dog’, Huckabee added to it by writing in his blog that a dog would have been a better hire and that dogs should be offended by the comparison.

John MacArthur is a critic of lots of things and head of the ironically named Grace To You ministries. He spoke out a few days ago against progressive Christian theology that leans toward issues of social justice and activism. Apparently caring for the poor, hurting and needy is dangerous – better to have pure theology … (said no poor, hurting, needy person ever).

He is also the President of The Master’s College & Seminary. Last week the Western Association of Schools and Colleges placed The Master’s University on probation, pointing to a ‘… climate of fear, intimidation, bullying, and uncertainty among significant numbers of faculty and staff.” as well as other unidentified concerns.

More stoopage. Careful where you step, Mike and John.

For what it’s worth, people who use words like ‘dog’ or ‘hate’ or ignore the real needs of the poor, marginalized or immigrant, or those who use intimidation or guilt toward dissenters have been blinded by their egos. The Christianity that Jesus taught was not about power or winning or perfect doctrine, it was about simple love.

Just my advice: if a Christian leader or church culture has a tendency toward legalism, finger-pointing, insults and low-stooping – run away, run far far away.

Belgium has had a law on the books for awhile allowing doctors to perform euthanasia on children. Most of Belgium’s euthanasias are performed on adults, primarily cancer patients, but euthanizing children has been avoided. Until now. There have been three recent occurrences and they have raised uncomfortable ethical questions.

I confess to being very uncomfortable about this issue. We live in a hurting world and I welcome your input and opinions on how thoughtful people should think about it. Nevertheless, doesn’t it make all the silliness of the above issues pale by comparison?

Unfortunately you can’t stoop lower than the recent allegations that 301 Catholic priests in various Pennsylvania parishes abused as many as 1,000 children spanning a period of 70 years. It’s also looking like there was a coordinated, low-stooping coverup by leadership in order to protect the church.

Let me say it clearly: no organization is worth anything if you or any other person is being mistreated by a an official or officials of that organization. And certainly no church, big or small, is more important than even one of Jesus’ innocent ‘little ones’ – it is counter to the very reason the church exists. In fact, it ceases to be the church. If you stand against abuse, God Himself will be on your side, not theirs.

^‘People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.     – Jesus, from Mark 10 (NIV)

‘If anyone causes one of these little ones–those who believe in me–to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.’     – Jesus, from Matthew 18 (NIV)

Unfortunately there is no shortage of dog-poopers and low-stoopers. I think we should be shocked and angry and … also good. It’s not the ‘names’ that make a difference in this broken world, it’s good, godly, loving people.

Like you.

Let’s do this.