Thoughts on the Penn State Scandal and Repercussions

Penn State University Scandal
The Main issue:  Jerry Sandusky, former Assistant Football Coach, found guilty on over 40 charges of sexual abuse of minors.

The Secondary issue:  Joe Paterno allegedly had a hand in covering up charges brought against Sandusky (to what degree is unknown).

Repercussions
Sandusky will spend the rest of his life in jail barring any miraculous appeal.

Paterno, now deceased, has a tarnished legacy, and his statue at the Penn State Football "Beaver Stadium" has been taken down and put into storage.

The NCAA has stripped all wins from 1998-2011.

The NCAA has fined the University $60 Million to go to Childhood Sexual Abuse Awareness Programs.

The NCAA has put a scholarship cap on Penn State's Football program.

The NCAA has banned Penn State from Bowl Games for 4 years.

The NCAA has put Penn State under probation for 5 years where more sanctions can come.

Any player or entering player who meets academic requirements can transfer to another university to play for their team.

Reactions
First and foremost, please know that these reactions are my own.  You don't have to agree with me.  In a few days or weeks, I probably won't agree with myself on some of these points (NOTE: I'm writing this red part a few days later, and I do, in fact disagree with myself on some points - I'm going to keep what I wrote in black, and put some new things at the bottom in red).  That's how the human mind works.  Or, that's how MY mind works.

Second, being a Pennsylvania Native, this is somewhat personal to me.  As a High School student, it was my dream to go to Penn State for college.  That didn't happen.  Looking back, that was a good thing.  Not because Penn State was bad, but because I wouldn't have been ready for a place so big.  But, right now, that is neither here nor there.

1. The VICTIMS should be the focus here - not Paterno, not Sandusky, not Football.  The VICTIMS (probably better called SURVIVORS because of the horrible experiences they went through and continue to go on) have to live the rest of their lives knowing what Sandusky did to THEM and that Penn State Administration (and maybe Paterno) had a hand in covering it up.  The SURVIVORS need time to go through whatever emotions they need to go through.  Football, as much as I like football, and as much as Penn State likes football, and as much as America likes football, is a drop in the bucket.

2. Joe Paterno was a good coach.  Joe Paterno was a good man (I'm guessing based on things I've read and heard - I've never met him).  Joe Paterno made a mistake.  I can't know his intentions, but whatever they were, they were his fatal mistake.  We should remember Joe as the coach and man he was.  But, he was just that, a coach and a man.  He was not God.  Let's not put more into him than there actually was.  Honor his memory.  Recognize his mistakes (we all have made some), and move on.

3. Jerry Sandusky deserves both our anger and our prayers.  To be honest, I would like to be locked in a room with him for 5 minutes....Him, Me, and a Baseball Bat.  But, that's not going to solve anything.  Jerry Sandusky did evil things.  Very Evil Things!  Jerry Sandusky scarred many people for the rest of their lives beyond what I can explain here.  Jerry Sandusky is also a sick person who needs to be healed.  Prison will not heal him.  Counseling may.  Only God can.  The primal instincts in all of us don't want him healed.  But the more I seek God's will, while he still deserves his punishment, I pray for his healing.

4. The NCAA went too far in punishing the Football team for the infractions of the Administration. Fire the coaches.  Fire the Administration.  Fire whoever had a hand in this.  Don't punish incoming freshmen who had nothing to do with this.  Don't punish outgoing seniors who banked their lives on entering the NFL (more on that in the next 2 points).  Punish the ones who are guilty.  Football had nothing to do with molestation.  Football had nothing to do with the coverup.  People did.

5.  Football is a game.  I love sports.  I love the values that people learn in sports.  Those same values, however can be learned in music, art, drama, academics, etc.  They are not values limited to sports.  It's time to look at why we give more scholarships to athletes than to scholars.  Aren't universities institutes of research and learning?  I get it that sports bring in money.  Does the "almighty dollar" have to be the driving factor in everything?  The cocaine trade, I hear, is a good business deal if you don't get caught.  Are universities going to start doing that for the sake of profit?  Did I go overboard?  Probably.

6.  Universities should not be breeding grounds for NFL recruitment.  They should be places where Scientists are bred, Artists are born, Teachers are created.  Keep the sports programs.  I'm all in favor of extracurricular activities!  But, that's what they are.  EXTRAcurricular.  Something EXTRA.  Yes, we're back to point 5 - the dollar.

7.  Fans who are upset over the loss of a statue and who overly mourn the fact that Penn State can't be in a Bowl game for 4 years (while yes, and excessive punishment), still forget to recognize the issue.  VICTIMS.  INNOCENT VICTIMS.  A metal statue will never compare to even 1 victim.  A million championships is not close to the pain of one victim.

I'm sorry that Penn State has to suffer because of the evil deeds of Jerry Sandusky and the covering up of the Administration.  The Penn State community should be angry.  They should be angry at Sandusky and those that covered up his deeds.  They should not be angry at the decision to take down a statue.  Though the decisions of the NCAA were excessive, if we focus on them, we forget that what Jerry Sandusky did was more excessive!  Penn State will one day forget these sanctions.  Sandusky's victims will live with the scars every day of their lives!

---------------------
It took some lively debate with a good friend to make me realize some things.  First of all, I still believe the major points of my argument.  The NCAA's rulings were too harsh.  Innocent people were punished.  The outrage over the NCAA's ruling seems to have been greater than the outrage at Sandusky's crimes.  That still makes me question a lot about our values.  To be clear, I am not advocating death threats or even harm on Sandusky.  I am saying that we are a "material culture" that is often more impressed with economic capital than with human capital.  


Sandusky will one day meet God. He will have to account for his actions.  As much as it hurts, Sandusky deserves our prayers.  I don't want to pray for him!  He did evil things.  But, we are to pray for evil people as well as for our loved ones and innocent people.  God will judge him.  I am glad I am not God in this case!


BUT


With that said, my friend pointed out some very correct and fair alternatives.  Obviously, neither of us work for the NCAA, so none of this will happen (unless my blog really has that much influence...and I doubt it does).


I'm paraphrasing his points:
1. Keep the fine in place (he suggested upping the fine).  Use the money to compensate Sandusky's victims and for mandatory Sexual Abuse related training.


2. Keep the other sanctions only until the following conditions are met:  Penn State fires all administrators and coaches who were part of the cover-up, and they are all fired without pensions and all members of the Board of Trustees must step down and resign.  Once those conditions are met all NCAA punishments are lifted with the exception of the fine in point 1.


This way, the guilty are punished, and innocent students, student-athletes, coaches, and the Penn State area economy are not harmed.  

In Honor and Memory of the Victims and Families and Friends of the Aurora, Colorado Movie Theatre Shooting

In Honor and Memory of the Victims and Families and Friends of the Aurora, Colorado Movie Theatre Shooting

What words can be said that can bring comfort to such a tragic and senseless event?  What would bring someone to the point of taking a dozen lives and injuring many more?  Why would someone attack people who are just out to watch a movie?

There will be finger pointing.  There will be blaming.  There will be anger.  There will be hatred.  There will be radicalism.  Some will use this event for their own self interests and political gain.  Some will become bitter for the rest of their lives.

Many will ask, "Where was God?"  Some will say, "This is God's judgment."  Groups will warn, "Don't question God."  Some will declare, "God is too weak."  Some will even proclaim, "There is no God."

I have no words of comfort to offer those who were affected by this violent act.  I don't know what drove this gunman to do this.  I can't answer why he chose to attack a movie theatre.

Of course, there is fault to be shared.  Of course, there is blame to be shared.  We should be angry.  We do not need to hate!  We do not need to fall victim to radicalism.  We should not dishonor these victims by using their suffering for our own self interests or political gain.  We need to stand by those who cannot erase the bitterness from their lives because of this event and show them that even after tragedy, the sun will rise again tomorrow.

I don't know where God was.  I would guess that God was trying to convince the shooter to stop before he started.  I would guess that God was trying to calm the victims and give them clarity of mind to get to safety.  I would guess that God was letting the dying know that they are loved.

To those who say this is God's Judgment, I would ask you how you got your information?  Do you have an inside view of God's mind?  They will most likely answer with Old Testament Prophecies.  And to that, I answer that they need to learn their history - that these prophecies were about Ancient Israel - and then we can talk.

To those who say that we shouldn't question God, I point you to the Cross.  Didn't Jesus quote Psalm 22?  "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" God is big enough to handle our questions.

To those who say God is too weak, I will point you to the Fall.  If God made us as Robots, then we would not be capable of true love of God and each other.  If we are capable of love, we are also capable of hate.  We choose to love or hate.  Sadly, there are consequences and others may suffer.

To those who say this proves there is no God, I will tell you this proves exactly the opposite.  In the days and weeks to come, watch this nation and this world of people who normally disagree with one another pull together in aid, prayer, and support to this town.  Watch tears of sorrow, even for a brief moment, turn into tears of unexpected joy at the outpouring of love bestowed upon victims and their families.  Watch over the next few years as what seems like the end of the line for some people turns out to be the beginning of a journey - one that will inspire others and glorify God.  Yes, this won't be the case for all.  Some will choose not to see God.  But many will.  Just watch.


In Closing, here is Psalm 23 which is often read at funerals.  On the left is the Hebrew, and on the Right is my translation.  As you read it, notice how it builds.  The reader is the narrator.  You begin as a sheep.  At the end, you are in the House of the Lord.  This Psalm is more for the survivors than for the departed.  It chronicles our stages of faith - our stages of life - our stages of growth in God.

Psalm 23 (Please note that for some reason, the Hebrew may not publish accurately on your computer screen - I will leave it in here in case your browser supports that font)

א  מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד:    יְהוָה רֹעִי, לֹא אֶחְסָר.	1 A Melody (Psalm) of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I need nothing
ב  בִּנְאוֹת דֶּשֶׁא, יַרְבִּיצֵנִי;    עַל-מֵי מְנֻחוֹת יְנַהֲלֵנִי.	2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; By still waters he leads me.
ג  נַפְשִׁי יְשׁוֹבֵב;    יַנְחֵנִי בְמַעְגְּלֵי-צֶדֶק, לְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ.	3 He restores my soul; He guides me in righteous paths for the sake of His name.
ד  גַּם כִּי-אֵלֵךְ בְּגֵיא צַלְמָוֶת, לֹא-אִירָא רָע--    כִּי-אַתָּה עִמָּדִי; שִׁבְטְךָ וּמִשְׁעַנְתֶּךָ,    הֵמָּה יְנַחֲמֻנִי.	4 Yea, because I walk through the valley of the dead, I will not fear evil, because You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
ה  תַּעֲרֹךְ לְפָנַי, שֻׁלְחָן--    נֶגֶד צֹרְרָי; דִּשַּׁנְתָּ בַשֶּׁמֶן רֹאשִׁי,    כּוֹסִי רְוָיָה.	5 You prepare a table before me in front of my enemies You have anointed my head with oil; my cup spills over.
ו  אַךְ, טוֹב וָחֶסֶד יִרְדְּפוּנִי--    כָּל-יְמֵי חַיָּי; וְשַׁבְתִּי בְּבֵית-יְהוָה,    לְאֹרֶךְ יָמִים.	6 Surely goodness and faithful mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall return to the house of the LORD for ever.

10 Cliches Christians Should Avoid - A Response

10 Cliches Christians Should Avoid by Christian Piatt appeared in the Huffington Post website.  It was posted on July 7, 2012.  You can read the original article at the link above.  Below is my response to Mr. Piatt's article.

For most of the article, I really think Piatt is mostl correct.  The only place where I would improve what he has to say is in the title.  While these things that he addresses are cliches, some are also backbones of Christian faith (For example, he cites asking someone if you can share your faith with them as a cliche to avoid).  I get what he's trying to say, but I think the average reader may not.  Using the example I cited, sharing our faith is how Christianity is spread - Christianity is a religion of conversion, not birth.  I believer what he means to say is that we should not come on too strong to a non-Christian and try to convert them without first developing a relationship.  Hmmm...."Convert" kind of sounds like a cliche.  Hopefully you know what I mean there.

What I will do is look at the cliches he tells us to avoid (which will be in bold lettering), and then I will give you my response (which will NOT be in bold lettering).

"Everything happens for a reason." Piatt is right in that we should avoid this cliche!  As a Methodist (and Arminian - go look that up in a theological dictionary - something that is opposed to a Calvinist - yup another theological term), I don't believe that our lives are predestined.  In other words, everything doesn't happen for a reason.  Or to be blunt about it (Maybe my Christian Ethics Professor, Stanley Hauerwas, would say it this way), Shit happens.  We get the bad end of a deal sometimes.  Tragedy strikes the most faithful of people. Great fortune strikes the most evil of people.  There's no logic to this.  Telling someone that everything happens for a reason will not comfort their pain.  There are many things in life that we cannot explain.  The only thing I know during tragedy is that God is present with us.  Why it happens, I have no clue.

"If you died today, do you know where you'd spend the rest of eternity?" I agree that this is an inappropriate question to ask, but for different reasons from Piatt. I believe we can know our ultimate resting place (or non-resting place).  However, like Piatt, this is not the best recruiting tool for Christianity.  In fact, it is a tool I would never use.  First of all, there's a lot of theology that goes into this that makes this question not really make sense.  Second of all, salvation is a message of love and redemption.  It is not something to receive out of fear.  I didn't choose Jesus just because I wanted to avoid Hell and because I wanted to go to Heaven.  I chose Jesus because this life is worth it, and I wanted Jesus with me now too.  Sure, Heaven is important - Very important - But so is now!  Let's not be in such a rush to die!

"He/she is in a better place." Piatt is correct here - We don't know if he/she is in a better place or not.  We can't know the faith of another person.  Even if we are almost certain a person had no faith, can we be 100% certain of God's judgment?  I'm not willing to bet on it!  Then comes the theology.  What happens at the moment of death?  Do we immediately go to Heaven or Hell?  Or, do we go to some "holding place" until Judgment Day?  Biblical evidence seems to point towards the latter.  It seems to say that those in Christ go to "somewhere" with the Lord, and on Judgment day are reunited with a Heavenly Body (yes, a material body - but I'm willing to bet it will be better looking that the one you or I have now), and those who are not in Christ will be cast away.  Is that Hell?  Yes.  What do we know about it?  Well, I know I don't want to be there...and I know God isn't there.  Is it fiery and hot?  There are hints of that in scripture, but it's not definitive.

"Can I share a little bit about my faith with you?" The only thing I wish Piatt would have added to his point here is that before we start talking about faith, we should let the person know we care about them as a person.  There should be some sort of relationship.  There's no set rule for when to do this.  Each case is different. Just be loving and respectful and you'll know what to do.

"You should come to church with me on Sunday." I'll summarize what Piatt says because he has a good approach.  FRIENDS invite FRIENDS to church.  Inviting people is not a contest.  That said, when a new neighbor moves in, I dont' think it's wrong to let them know where you go to church. I also don't think it's wrong to invite people you have just met if you do it in a nonthreatening and nonjudgmental manner.  Just take out the word "should" from the invitation, and you might get it right.

"Have you asked Jesus into your heart?" I get what Piatt is saying, but I don't think many others will.  He is trying to combat the teaching that Christianity should always be an emotional experience, and if you're not emotional, you're doing it wrong.  In that, he's right.  I've been married for 10 years.  I love my wife, but every time I see her, I'm not struck with the emotion of a lovesick teenager...and I doubt she is either...and that's fine with me.  I love Jesus...a lot!  But every time I pray, I don't cry, get goose bumps, jump up and down, or scream.  Most times, I feel nothing.  That doesn't mean I'm not close to God.  That may mean I'm closer than I was before!  Asking Jesus into your heart means believing that he died for your sins and deciding to live life the best you can to follow the way he would want you to.  I don't hate this "into your heart" statement as much as Piatt does.  In fact, I kind of like it.  It's something that people understand, and that's what's important.  As with anything else, just be careful how you use it.

"Do you accept Jesus as your personal lord and savior?" Piatt sees this as an antiquated statement.  He also sees a level that many people will not see.  While Jesus is Lord, he was a servant.  The only word that causes me a little discomfort (and only a little) is "personal."  Yes, we can only be sure of ourselves.  But, Jesus is Lord of all of us.  So, when you accept Jesus as YOUR lord and savior, you must also realize he is the lord and savior of every other person on this planet, though some just don't know or accept it yet.

"This could be the end of days." I too hate this statement.  It reminds me of what I used to think of as "Rambo Jesus" coming back and killing us all.  But, that is not the end at all.  The end is about redemption.  Sure, there will be destruction.  Things will get bad.  Things are bad.  But the entire Christian message is about Hope...not fear!  Could this be the end of days?  Maybe, but quite honestly, I don't much care...and I'm not going to talk anymore about it...and I'm going to sleep easy tonight because God is a God of Hope and Promise...and there is no Fear!

"Jesus died for your sins." Ummm....Ok, I don't get his problem with this...Unless this is something being said to someone who is a non-Christian on the first visit.  If that's the case, then that's a lot to take in for someone who knows nothing about Christianity.  If we're talking about someone saying this to other Christians or to someone who knows about Christianity, this is pretty much our message.  

"Will all our visitors please stand?" Main point here - Make your guests feel welcome!  Because, hopefully, they won't always be guests - maybe they'll become part of your flock!

Anniversaries, Marriage, and God: 10 Years of Great Service

For years, I was (and still am) an unashamed "King of the Hill" fanatic!  That show was so great that I don't even recognize the last 2 seasons as part of the "cannon" of the episodes that make up "King of the Hill."  OK, you don't care. Why do I even mention this?  Well, obviously (to me at least) because of the botched paraphrase in the title of this blog post.  On the occasion of their anniversary (before they went sky-diving and Peggy ended up in a full body cast), Hank made a video proclaiming how many years of "excellent service" their marriage had lasted.

So, I write this on the occasion of my 10th anniversary to my wife.  Sometimes when introducing her to others, I refer to her as my "first wife" (I don't want her getting "too comfortable" after all).  And last year, after being married 9 years, I told people that we were celebrating 4 happy years of marriage....4 happy hears, but 9 total years.

I'm sure by now, you think I sound cruel and insensitive.  And it's with that image that I actually want to start.  By nature, I'm anything BUT cruel and anything BUT insensitive.  I have a VERY strange sense of humor and I love sarcasm - whether I use it or if it's use on me!  Even being the nice sensitive guy I am (awwwww), it takes a special person to befriend me for long periods, much less a very special person to commit to marrying me!

But marry me, she did...10 years ago today.  Two states later, two careers later (for both of us), four houses/apartments later, and two children later, I can remember that day as if it were yesterday.  I realize people always say that, but I truly mean it.  We've gone through our ups and our downs, but through these 10 years, there has never been a doubt that we wouldn't hold on.  We've argued, we've disagreed, we've said mean things to each other, we've been spiteful, but nothing that has ever lasted longer than half of a day - 1 day tops.

It's not a perfect marriage.  I've punched her a few times.  BEFORE you call the police, let me explain. I sometimes have vivid nightmares and cannot wake myself up.  I'm usually being chased by someone or something.  I begin with heavy breathing - If she can catch me in this stage and wake me up, she's safe.  If she sleeps through that, I usually get to where I start screaming and thrashing to escape whatever is chasing me in my nightmare.  On more than one occasion, the thrashing has hit her in the face.  She has her faults too.  "Where would you like to eat?" I may ask her.  Rarely do I get a decision in what I consider a reasonable amount of time.

Rather than give you all the intimate details about our marriage, I'd rather discuss marriage in general.  What makes marriages work?  What makes them fall apart?  Where does God come in? Is there such a thing as a God-made marriage?

I will be the first to say that I do not believe that God sends the perfect person for us to marry.  I do believe that God may put a thought in our mind that we should take notice of someone, but it is up to us to act upon that thought.  I also believe God does not make our marriages work.  That's our job.  In our marriage vows, WE take an oath before GOD.  GOD does NOT take an oath before US.  Having said that, if we live our lives in faith, God will convict us when we are wrong, remind us to do right, and guide us along to a successful marriage, BUT, it is our job to listen.

Our nation has somewhere around a 50% divorce rate - and the number of Christians who get divorced is in that range too.  While Jesus does have harsh words about divorce, he has stronger words about forgiveness.  That, of course, does not condone divorce, and by all means, we should try to make our marriages last and divorce should be a last resort, but divorce is also not the unforgivable sin.  Divorce is also not a casual solution.

Let's face it.  When people decide to get married, God is not exactly the first thing on their minds.  If I have to explain what is on their minds, send me a private e mail...I try to keep things G Rated (PG at the worst).  Even when my wife and I decided to get married, though we were both Christians, we took that part of our lives for granted.  We were too excited to have the perfect house, the perfect life together, and so on.  Even the pastoral marriage counseling went in one ear and out the other.  We'd agree to pretty much anything.

As a pastor, because of my own experience, I used to devalue marriage counseling thinking it's the couple's oath before God, and I'm just the "middleman."  But, after more and more thought and prayer, I've realized that I'm not the "middleman," I'm the "stand-in" for God.  That's not being arrogant, but rather meaning that the couple would be saying their vows to God through me.  My role as pastor has been taken up quite a few notches!  Because of that, I at least need to let the couple know what they are getting into!

After 10 years, we've come to realize that I'm a night person who can stay up all night but hates mornings.  My wife loves mornings and is just a little too perky for my liking.  Every Summer we have the Epic Air Conditioner Battles - sure, that seems minor, but there IS a major difference between 77 and 76 degrees!  Every Winter, we have the same battle with the heat!  On long trips, it took us 9 years to decide who the main driver would be (despite stereotypical gender roles, she is the driver - I HATE driving for long periods).  Most of the time I do the cooking if it's something that needs prepared.  If it's something that just needs heated up, she'll handle it.  I mow the lawn, she handles the weeds.

Those issues may seem small, but to some couples (and even to us for a while) they were major issues! There are still gender stereotypes that people feel they "have to fill." But, after trying to watch me put together an entertainment center for 10 minutes, we realized that a hammer should never again touch my hands.  In the same way, watching her peel potatoes goes about as fast as watching grass grow.

Marriages are not made in Heaven.  Mine was not.  But, it is headed there.  Yes, God says it is different in Heaven.  Jesus didn't give details.  But just because God does not make a perfect marriage does not mean that God does not give people the tools to have a good marriage - all you have to do is ask for them and pay attention when they come!