When others insult Christianity, should we laugh, be silent, or get mad?

Did you hear about the so-called Christian group that’s protesting the upcoming video game “Dante’s Inferno”? Claiming they were from a church in Ventura County, California, about 20 members of S.A.V.E.D. (an acronym for “Salvationists Against Virtual and Eternal Damnation”) handed out pamphlets outside of the Los Angeles Convention Center during the Electronic Entertainment Expo last month and held picket signs that read, “Hell is not a game” and “Trade in your PlayStation for a PrayStation.” The group also posted a website and YouTube videos.

I should tell you right now: The whole thing is a publicity stunt for the video game company Electronic Arts. Yet two reputable newspapers, the Los Angeles Times and the San Jose Mercury-News, initially reported this “protest” as actual, factual news. Online posts and blogs on the topic indicate a number of folks are taking it seriously. Regardless of whether they’re in on the joke or not, many are offering the same comment: “Can’t Christians take a joke?”

Once again, Christianity’s been portrayed as laughable. Most Christians will get an earful of jokes, pokes, and even some outright insults in our lives. When this happens, should we laugh it off, express our hurt, or get angry?

Liberty University boots Democratic club; inspires Holly to take a stand.

I’m publically issuing this ultimatum to the Republican Party: Take a pro-life stand in a big, visible way, or I’m leaving.

TCW readers will recall that just two months ago, I suggested Christians reserve discussion on abortion for the right time and place. I’m seizing the opportunity presented by a Gallup poll conducted this May, which found 51 percent of surveyed Americans identify as “pro-life,” while 42 percent identify as pro-choice. Get this: It’s the first time there’s been a pro-life majority since Gallup began conducting the poll in 1995.

Additionally, I’ve been inspired by a bit of controversy at Liberty University, the private university in Lynchburg, Va., that was founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell. In May, Liberty officials notified the student Democratic club that their status as a University-sponsored organization was being revoked. The reason: the club’s charter stated that members would support the Democratic Party’s platform and candidates.

We laugh together, play together, and celebrate together. Why is it so difficult to cry together?

Within the past week, I lost two friends. One was a Christian, a member of my church. She committed suicide. The other was an atheist, a high-school buddy. I found out that she died of a drug overdose.

Mourning is a struggle for me, primarily because it's difficult to tell others I'm sad. I'm afraid they won't understand or won't care. So I've been walking around with a pleasant expression on my face, telling people "I'm fine" when they ask, "How are you doing?"

I'm not fine. I'm angry with my friends who took their lives. Why did they give up? I'm angry with myself. Was there something more I could have done? I'm angry with God. Why, God, did you allow their pain to become unbearable? Why didn't you send more help? Why didn't you intervene?

Which political or social issue should we rally around? Maybe none.

If you could pick one issue for the Christian church to represent, what would it be? Abortion or same-sex marriage? Environmental stewardship or poverty? Morality?

Some evangelicals are tossing this question around in light of the passing of the old guard: Jerry Falwell died last May, and many other prominent Christian leaders including Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, and Tim LaHaye have retired or handed over the reins of their ministries. Earlier this month, James Dobson resigned as board chairman of Focus on the Family.

The mere mention of these men elicits either a warm smile or a cold shoulder because they all were vocal on some issue. For good or bad, their words have shaped the image of the Christian church in America - both the way we see ourselves, and the way non-Christians view us. As we await new representatives who will become spokespeople for the church, one thing is highly probable: We'll identify these leaders as proponents or opponents of some issue.

Republicans need to get over their loss and support our new president.

Several months ago I wrote about the presidential elections, but wouldn't reveal the candidate I was backing. Now that we have a new president in office - and the fight is obviously over - I figure it's OK to tell you this: My guy didn't win.

I'm what you'd call one of the Republican "party faithful": I've done phone banks, canvassing, rallies, and fund-raisers. I've visited the RNC headquarters in Washington, D.C., and met several Republican leaders. Perhaps my most impressive GOP credential: I once shook hands with Mr. NRA, Charlton Heston. Yes, I'm a Republican through and through. And yet, I'm optimistic about our new commander-in-chief, who happens to be a member of the Democratic Party.

It saddens me that some Republicans are acting as if President Barack Obama's inauguration never happened. Salon.com writer Thomas F. Schaller noticed that the RNC still portrayed George W. Bush as president on its website even 10 days into the Obama administration.

Do you stick to your spiritual goals?

Have you broken your New Year's resolutions yet?

I'm admittedly cynical about making lists of goals because I've seen so many people try this and fail. Year after year, I see my gym fill to capacity during the first week of January, then empty out before the end of the month. I've noticed the same pattern at my church. There are plenty of people who attend a service or two, and they seem enthusiastic to get closer to God and develop relationships with other Christians. Yet they don't come back.

I used to think people - including me - broke resolutions because we weren't truly committed to our goals. Then I noticed that I've often failed at things I deeply wanted to achieve. For instance, I've long held the goal of spending quality, daily time with God. While my devotional time is sometimes wonderful, warm, and intimate, there are many days when my mind wanders. My prayers are interrupted by thoughts such as, We're out of milk - need to buy some today. . . . And what are we having for dinner? . . . Ugh, do I have any clean underpants to wear to the grocery store? I end up repeatedly apologizing to God for the lack of quality in our time together.

In rough economic times, are we cutting back on the wrong things?

There's an old saying: Give 'til it hurts.

In these tumultuous economic times, it apparently hurts too much. The Wall Street Journal reports that Americans are "keeping their wallets closed" when it comes to charitable giving this holiday season. The Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program, one of the largest charities in the U.S., saw a huge drop in giving this October and November: They received nearly 40 percent less than during the same period last year. And The Barna Group notes that "Americans are now passing on their financial pain to churches." A recent Barna poll showed that 20 percent of surveyed households had reduced their church giving, with 22 percent of that group reporting they've stopped giving altogether.

It's understandable that some folks - particularly those who've lost jobs or homes this year - have had to make drastic cuts, including in their charitable giving. But for the majority of us, a moderate loss of money shouldn't mean that we start lagging in charity. We need to cut back on our Starbucks intake, not our tithe.

My vote on Proposition 8 was obvious, yet painfully difficult.

Some years ago, a friend sent me a Christmas card thanking me for being "natural, accepting, [and] charming." I've lost touch with my friend, but he still holds a special place in my heart. I remember the many personal, transparent conversations we had. I remember his joy for me at my wedding, and his optimism that he and his partner would be able to marry one day, too.

His love for his partner was authentic and deep. He would joke about his partner's Pillsbury-Doughboy shape, then pat his own round belly and note how good cooking and their happiness together was making him fat. My husband and I had the privilege of sampling that good cooking in their home, and I afterward I could understand why my friend's midsection was getting bigger.

I thought about my dear friend - and other gay and lesbian friends - as I voted in favor of California's Proposition 8 earlier this month, which eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. The measure passed with 52 percent of the vote.

Thoughts about Bill Maher’s new movie, Religulous

I recently saw Religulous, a film that's billed as the "No. 1 sacrilegious comedy in America." It's supposedly a documentary, in which comedian Bill Maher (of Real Time with Bill Maher and Politically Incorrect) travels the world asking religious practitioners questions about their faith. Though Maher makes fun of every world religion, as well as some minor ones, about two-thirds of the film focuses on Christianity.

At the beginning of the film, Maher says he's on a spiritual journey. But instead of interviewing well-known pastors or Christian academics, Maher poses complicated theological and philosophical questions to truck drivers, a Christian bookstore owner, and an actor who plays Jesus at The Holy Land Experience, an Orlando theme park.

Los Angeles Times movie critic Kenneth Turan said Maher's "reliance on skewering people who are no match for him in glibness, persuasiveness or even intelligence finally leaves a sour taste." Indeed.

My opinion on this one isn't worth fighting over.

There's a major dispute going on among members of my church. You've probably heard people at your church arguing about it, too, as I seem to hear heated discussions everywhere I go: "McCain or Obama?"

My answer to this question has become, "I'm not telling." This is a recent development; it occurred after I received a lengthy e-mail from a friend who's my political opposite. In his e-mail, he questioned the decision-making ability of my presidential pick. My friend's arguments sounded a lot like the ones I'd heard on CNN from his party's pundits.

So I started to fire off a reply to his e-mail, telling him how wrong he is. As I typed out my thoughts, I suddenly realized: My arguments sounded a lot like the ones I'd heard on CNN from my party's pundits.

Do American Christians have a right to be angry for 9/11?

I'm having a Jonah moment. I recently realized I didn't want to forgive the people who planned and executed the September 11, 2001, attacks on America. I didn't want God to forgive them, either.

This surprised me. In the past, I've been able to forgive most people relatively easily. And it didn't make much sense to me: Like most Americans, the events of 9/11 shook me, but I wasn't personally affected as none of my loved ones were physically hurt. I didn't even realize I was still angry about 9/11 until I came across the website Adopt-a-Terrorist for Prayer (ATFP).

We can’t expect T-shirts, jewelry, and bumper stickers to do all the work.

South Carolina is facing a lawsuit over the proposed production of specialty Christian license plates with the imprint, "I Believe." While opponents are asking whether or not this law constitutes state endorsement of religion, I have another important question: Why do people want these license plates, anyway?

I've often wondered why some Christians wear "Jesus" T-shirts and cross necklaces. I'm not sure what people hope to convey with bumper stickers reading, "In case of rapture, this car will be unmanned."

“For better or worse” is taking a turn for the worse.

Same-sex couples lined up to get marriage licenses in California last week, after my state became the second in the U.S. to allow gay marriage. Gay-rights activists, fighting for nationwide recognition of same-sex unions, want the same rights and privileges as married heterosexual couples'.

Previously, several states, including California, recognized same-sex civil unions to provide many of marriage's legal benefits, including property, parental, and medical rights. But more than marital rights, gay-rights activists want society to see them as legitimate couples. "Civil unions are unfamiliar; people don't understand them or know how to treat them … . Marriage is the ultimate expression of love and commitment; people understand and respect it," reads a publication from the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) website. As Brad Sears, executive director of the Williams Project on Sexual Orientation Law at UCLA, explained in a PBS interview, civil unions "do not provide gay couples with the social recognition and support that the institution of marriage provides." The word marriage, gay-rights activists believe, is power.

Is it OK to wonder why he allows suffering?

Maria Sue Chapman, the five-year-old daughter of veteran Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, was accidentally struck and killed by a car last week. As I read the news of Maria's death, I asked God my most oft-repeated question: Why?

On learning the details, I shifted to a more accusatory question: How could you allow this, God? Some of the Chapman children witnessed the accident in the family's driveway. The driver who accidentally hit Maria was her 17-year-old brother. And their mother, Mary Beth, has long struggled with depression. From my perspective, the loss was too much for the Chapman family. From my perspective, God should have stopped the car.

Churches need to be forthcoming about financial matters.

Money's a topic that makes people squirm. Many couples can't have a candid conversation about purchases or budgets or checking account balances. Perhaps this reticence explains why the median credit card debt in American households is $6,600, according to CardTrak.com.

Similarly, churches—both their leaders and members—seem to have a hard time speaking plainly about finances. I've heard plenty of long, flowery speeches about firstfruits, multiplication, and abundance. And I've listened to a few drawn-out threats that God will forcibly take what's his if I don't freely give it. One church I visited took two offerings; and several friends' churches have passed the plate as many as five times in one service.

Should churches team up with secular groups for a cause they both value?

If Tree Top, the apple juice company, offered your church a donation for outreach ministries, would you take it? What if Coca-Cola gave a contribution, no strings attached, to your building fund? Or if Budweiser sent a sizable amount for your missions project?

Some of you will consider those questions carefully. Others of you will dismiss them altogether—after all, they pose hypothetical situations that probably won't happen to you.

Who’s giving the church a bad reputation? Perhaps I am.

I was shocked and dismayed to hear actor Heath Ledger died last month. Shocked, because Ledger was only 28. Dismayed, because I learned of his passing through an MSNBC.com article titled "Church Plans to Protest Ledger's Memorial."

Apparently, Fred Phelps's family is at it again. Fred Phelps is the founder of Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), a group known for vigorously condemning homosexuality through protests, videos, and websites such as GodHatesFags.com. They believe the Iraq war is God's punishment for America's acceptance of homosexuality, and they became infamous for picketing funerals of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq. Ledger became WBC's target because he played a gay cowboy in the 2005 movie Brokeback Mountain.

Is faith the most important issue in the 2008 presidential race?

News reports indicate religious faith is one of the most important issues in the 2008 presidential election—right up there with the Iraq war, economy, immigration, environment, education, health care, and terrorism. I wonder, When did faith become an "issue"?

I don't know whether pundits, political analysts, or the presidential candidates themselves decided faith would be a hot topic for this election. Maybe the public—or even we Christians—did. In any case, candidates clearly are making their beliefs known. Mike Huckabee's campaign slogan is "Faith. Family. Freedom." Hillary Clinton spoke about faith and works at Saddleback Church's 2007 HIV/AIDS Summit. Barack Obama's website lists a phone number voters can call to pray for him and his family.

The Golden Compass provides a new way to think and talk candidly about the church.

How often do non-Christian friends ask you to discuss your beliefs? How often does someone say to you, "My problem with the Christian church is … "? A new movie just might spark those conversations. But some Christians will never see it.

That's because The Golden Compass attracted controversy months before it opened on December 7. In October, the Catholic League called for a boycott of the film. An e-mail warning Christians to stay away from the movie circulated so widely, the mailing has become one of the top searches on the rumor-debunking website Snopes. A November news release from MOVIEGUIDE, a publication of the Christian Film & Television Commission, compared The Golden Compass to pro-Hitler Nazi films and stated, "If you are looking for a savior, you need look no further than Jesus Christ. If you are looking for bondage, go see The Golden Compass."

Why do so many young people leave the church?

At 17, I stopped attending church. I'd had doubts about Christianity for a few years, but I didn't feel safe asking questions at my church. I figured I'd face condemnation for my "lack of faith." In my 20s, whenever I found the rare Christian who'd converse with me, he or she seemed ill-prepared to offer a basic definition of Christian faith, much less a defense of it. Worse, some Christians dismissed my questions with a condescending, "I'll pray for you." For nearly a decade, I remained disconnected from the church.

So I wasn't surprised when a recent study by LifeWay Research—an organization affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention—found 70 percent of respondents had stopped attending church by age 23. Of those "dropouts" (as the survey called them), 58 percent noted at least one church- or pastor-related reason for leaving. The most frequently cited reasons were "church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical" and "I didn't feel connected to the people in my church." Additionally, 52 percent said "religious, ethical, or political beliefs" contributed to their departure.

Maybe it’s OK for me to enjoy this controversial holiday.

I love Halloween. It's long been my absolute favorite holiday.

I know, my favorite should be Christmas or Easter, when we celebrate Jesus and our salvation. Or even Thanksgiving, when we're grateful for all God's gifts to us. Yet I choose Halloween, the "Devil's holiday."

My love of Halloween began with sweet childhood experiences. Every year, I wore a Mom-made costume. As a toddler, I was a pink bunny in footed pajamas. Mom sewed fabric ears and used a wire hanger to make them stand up. She used her eyeliner to draw whiskers on my face. My brother, Mike, was a hobo (as were half the kids in our neighborhood). Mom used petroleum jelly to stick coffee grinds to Mike's face, creating a stubbly "beard" on his eight-year-old chin. I still smile when I look at the picture of us, me proudly showing off my bunny suit, Mike scowling about the strong coffee smell.

Will dying my hair affect future generations' self-image?

I'm a low-maintenance gal. Most days, my makeup consists of a smear of ChapStick�. I get a $12 haircut two or three times a year. My minimalist style is partly rebelliousness, having heard my mom, a retired beautician, nag, "Comb your hair! And why don't you put on some lipstick?" throughout my teen years. But not until my stint as a fashion reporter did I go totally anti-beauty. I saw firsthand how fashion magazines shape the societal beauty standards that make girls feel inadequate. From then on, I pledged my appearance would be au naturel.

That is, until I spotted my first real gray hairs.

To be healthy as a body, we need to start making The Other feel like The Every.

Several years ago, my friend LaTonya invited me to a gospel concert at her church, a predominantly African American congregation. Admittedly my first thought was, Will I be the only person there who isn't black? Before I could voice my concern, LaTonya told me she'd invited several mutual friends, people I knew were of various ethnicities. Still, I was rather fixated on how out of place I was going to feel.

No single opinion defines all Christians.

Imagine this: You walk into church and find your good friend "Linda" in tears. Linda, an active member of your church for more than a decade, confides she's in the United States illegally and is facing imminent deportation. What do you do?

As part of a campaign called the New Sanctuary Movement, churches in 20 cities are publicly offering protection to undocumented immigrants facing deportation. These churches know their actions are illegal, but they say they're taking this stance to draw attention to unjust immigration laws and the plight of affected families. Their website reads, "When we see families in need or danger, we are called by our faith to respond." In a USA Today story published earlier this month, a former pastor who supports the movement says, "This is what we're called to do by our Christian principles."

These statements - being "called by our faith" and moved by "Christian principles" - make me wonder: Are these activists claiming their actions are the Christian thing to do? Imagine Linda again. Is your faith less real if you don't hide Linda in your church? Must you, because of your Christian faith, come to the same conclusion as the New Sanctuary Movement supporters?

Trying to make sense of the environmental debate

Feel a bit warmer lately? Scientists worldwide say planet Earth is getting pretty hot due to global warming. But while there's widespread conviction that global warming is real, there's heated debate over how to solve the problem - most noticeably among Christian leaders. Earlier this month, several of them testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, expressing deeply divided thoughts on the issue.

Over the past year, two groups of feuding evangelicals have loudly proclaimed their opinions about global warming. Both groups held press conferences, made public statements, and sent letters to top government officials. Their battle has drawn extensive news coverage, including in a PBS special report, "Is God Green?" Further, an evangelical leader from one camp drew accusations of defaming PBS journalist Bill Moyers. Whew - it's getting pretty hot, all right!

Holly Vicente Robaina has worked as a writer, editor, and graphic designer for newspapers, magazines, books, and websites over the past dozen years. She's been writing for Christian publications since 2002 and served on the staffs of Campus Life and Today's Christian Woman magazines. Currently she freelances for several Christian publications and is a TCW regular contributor. Holly has received numerous writing awards from publications and organizations including the California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Evangelical Press Association.Married for seven years, Holly and her husband, Ricardo, live on the Southern California coast. Holly enjoys painting, cooking, taking Jazzercise and hip-hop classes, collecting state quarters and ethnic folk art, and serving as a youth leader at her church. On her personal blog, h-n-t.blogspot.com, Holly enjoys discussing politics and social issues that affect the church.