Candles and Lights...

At St. Paul's, as in some other churches that started Advent a week earlier than the liturgical calendar suggests, we have four candles burning on our Advent display. Each of these candles slices through the darkness, as the Fourth Gospel says, "...and the darkness has not overcome it."

I like candles. I probably got this appreciation from my father, who was always buying, making, and experimenting with candles. He wouldn't just burn them, but would "fuss" with them when they weren't burning brightly and consistently, a quirk of many a "fat" or "pillar" type candle. Especially at Christmas time, the Sterlings would have numerous candles burning throughout the house. (With my two brothers and me, it's a miracle we never burned the place down.)

Candles burn wax (or often today, soy) via a wick that allows it to be slowly digested. While the flame is rapid oxidation, the ancient technology of the candle slows this to a crawl. Originally, candles were made from beeswax, and the best ones today still are. So, each simple candlelight is a product of the science of rapid oxidation, the burning of wax bees create to house both their young and the honey they produce, and mediated by a wick typically made from woven cotton. Candlelight requires some sacrifices and science to exist, but it has defeated the darkness for millennia, lighting churches, schools, homes, and places of commerce. Few of humanity's advances would have been possible, were it not for those earliest days of candlelight.

The other lights of Christmas have evolved, beginning with the candle as well. Edison's invention brought forth strings of large, hot, colored lights that began to adorn Christmas trees and porch eaves. I'm old enough to remember the transition to "miniature" lights, and while these offered a much simpler and "twinkling" alternative to the earlier incandescents, they introduced a greater frequency and fervency of profanity to the decorating process. Still, this newer technology caused neighborhoods to explode with the colorful lights of Christmas, unless you were one of those "all white," or "all blue" people. Our family never had the economic resources to be the Griswolds, but my Dad did always decorate our front door, illuminating it with a huge spotlight. Leaving our house at night at Christmas time meant being blinded for about the first five minutes or so.

When we were kids, my Dad would load us into the car and we would drive all over Venango County looking at Christmas lights. I continued the tradition, doing this with our kids, and to be honest, Dara and I usually take an annual drive to do the same. Christmas lights are still magical to me. The beginning of my personal Christmas spirit begins when I see the first seasonal lights in the neighborhood appear.

Now that we have our own house, I have taken to decorating outdoors as well. We have a townhouse, which is three stories high, so I'm not climbing a 40-foot ladder to hang lights. So thankful am I for the "latest in 21st Century Christmas lighting technology," the laser Star Shower!

Candles and Christmas lights are one way we announce to a world needing the illumination, hope, and love of God, that Christ has come into the world to BE the light, and to shine that light in such a way that the darkness shall not overcome it! So, let the light shine! Whether it is the flickering flame of the ancient technology of the candle, or the shimmering, bright points of light from a laser Star Shower, let our lights speak of the eternal light of Christ, a light that shines in the hearts of all of the children of God far beyond the short days of the Christmas Season! And may the darkness never, ever, EVER overcome it! Merry Christmas, Yinz!

Now is the Winter of our discontent...

While this line from Richard III by Shakespeare has nothing to do with the snow flying outside my office window right now, it seems a perfect lead-in to a column about the season.

It IS snowing, as I write this, and since it is a Wednesday, St. Paul's has its ambitious schedule of our children's program, Kids Go and Grow with God (KG3), choir practice for their big music program this coming weekend, a parents' LifeGroup, and the evening iteration of my mid-week Bible Study, ahead. Already people are calling wanting to know if we are cancelling activities for the evening. If I were still serving in Warren, PA, the calls would bring laughter on the staff-side, as cancelling events in Warren because of snowfall less than a foot is, indeed, laughable. But here in Allegheny County, it doesn't take many flakes looking like they will stay on the roadways more than 30 seconds to set off a wave of cancellations. I think the local TV stations hire extra personnel this time of year just to post that crawl at the bottom of the screen listing them all. Of course, our track record here at St. Paul's is not great when we DO cancel, given that the two times we made the decision in my three-plus years back here each resulted in a halting of the flurries and a burst of sunshine right around starting time. Talk about a discontenting Winter...

Last weekend, this church put on a multi-generational production of "Elf, Jr.," a down-sized stage version of the Will Farrell movie, "Elf," which has itself become a holiday classic. "Elf, Jr." was expertly staged, incredibly acted, sung, and "cuted-up" by a youthful cast, and deftly directed by Dick Neely, veteran of the long-standing "St. Paul's Players." It was absolutely incredible. Funds raised will benefit our Summer youth mission trip. Now, before you suggest that a topic like "Elf" isn't in the religious genre, let me make a few observations. "Buddy" is born to a single mother who sends him to be raised at the North Pole by a loving Santa and brother and sister elves. There, Buddy learns how magic life can be, and becomes his joyful, playful self. Then, when his humanness is discovered, he is sent to a "far country" in search of his earthly kin where he brings joy, love, and great expectations to everyone he encounters, literally transforming the lives of the people he touches. Hmmm...starting to sound familiar? It was a religious experience.

Speaking of Bible Study, my class this year is doing a second "Disciple Lite" whereby I created a "Cliff Notes" version of what was known as Disciple IV: Under the Tree of Life. We are pursuing the wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible, and the Gospel of John and Revelation in the New Testament. This week's lesson was on the Song of Songs, or "Song of Solomon" as some versions label it. The "Song" is basically a semi-erotic poem, if you're trying to be "good," and a patently erotic one, if you use a little mischievous imagination. As the Disciple author points out, it has "no commandments, no covenant, no Moses, no Temple, no mention of God." (Actually, "Elf, Jr." has more religious references.) Why is it in the Bible? Our group's answer is multi-faceted:

1. It is a beautiful reflection of intimacy and eros love between two EQUAL partners, countering the male-dominant version of relationships prevalent at the time of its writing. (Have we come very far since?)

2. Much of the story is told in a woman's voice, and was possibly written BY a woman--revolutionary stuff for that era.

3. The reader is naturally drawn in to reflecting on her/his love relationships--past and current--and a desire to better understand and practice integrity, equality, and intimacy in loving. For the Christian, this sure sounds like a good thing.

4. Being careful not to turn a love poem into a pure allegory about humans and our relationship with the Divine, we CAN imagine that God, in Christ, desires to enter into a relationship with us that is also one of integrity, equality (with each other), and intimacy, remembering that not all intimacy is sexual in nature.

5. Sex, when part of a mutual, covenantal relationship is fulfilling, nurturing, blissful, and fun. The Song of Songs sets such a beautiful context for erotic love that anything less begins to look like lust, by comparison. And promiscuous sexual activity appears tawdry, even exploitative, when held up against the rapture written of in the Song.

Bet you never expected Bible Study to get you hot under the collar, did you?

Next subject: Advent.

St. Paul's is celebrating the fourth Sunday of Advent this week. Yes, we know that the "official" liturgical calendar didn't begin Advent until December 3, but we started a week early--along with many churches--to complete the Advent cycle before Christmas Eve, since it lands on a Sunday this year. We didn't want to short-change the "preparation" season of Advent by lighting the fourth candle on Christmas Eve, and then lighting the Christ Candle in the same service. Call us didactic, say we're pandering to the "spirit" of the season, but also say we gave Advent its just due so its final candle of "love" didn't get lost in the shimmering lights of Christmas Eve. Our theme this year has been: "Be Home for Christmas," and our weekly themes were: Longing, Meeting, Welcoming, and Rejoicing. And on Christmas Eve, we're Arriving, and on New Year's Eve, we're Going. Yes, it's good "journey theology!" We're proud of that around here, because we do, indeed, believe the Lord Jesus is a peripatetic Savior who walks with us on each mile of life.

Last subject: Christmas! Oh, let's wait on that until next week. Shalom for now, Dear Ones!

Passionately Grateful...

I guess that could be a dangerous title, in this time of daily sexual harassment scandals and firings? Since I've already addressed that topic in a recent BLOG, let's not go there again...

"Passionately Grateful" is the title I gave to my message spoken at the Hampton/Shaler/Etna Ministerial Association's Community Thanksgiving Service on 11/22, based loosely on the Philippians 4:4-9 passage. The gist of the sermon was that our expressions of gratitude--to God and even to others--should not occur only after prayer had been answered or a kindness received. Instead, "passionate gratitude" could be offered "proactively" in response to the regular stream of grace and affirmation we receive from God and the others in our supportive community. In the message, I reported on a meeting I had on that very afternoon, during which a friend literally came to tears just over thinking of the "miracles" of everyday life--the love of a child, the majesty of the world and the universe around us, and the blessing of friends. And in regard to our relationship with God, offering our "proactive thanksgiving" for the blessings yet to come is appropriate. In fact, this might be a definition of the word, "praise."

This Thanksgiving Eve message was an outgrowth of St. Paul's stewardship campaign, and the preaching and writing we did around the theme, "Pay It Forward," borrowed from the movie by the same name. What if we, rather than turning back to thank our benefactors, paid it forward by blessing someone else, in turn? This is not to say that we don't thank those who do for us, but instead, to not let the blessing die there. For church stewardship of time, talents, and treasure, it means investing in the future of our community of faith to assure that the ministries and programs offered will be there for the coming generations. The idea seemed to resonate with the people of St. Paul's, which celebrates its 50th year in 2017.

Passionate gratitude is a pay-it-forward form of thanksgiving. Passionate gratitude is "activist" gratitude. It is a win-win-win--those who performed kindnesses for me are blessed by my response to their gifts; those whom I, in turn, bless are gracious receivers of the blessing, and I am nurtured and affirmed by the acts of being thankful and by passing on the blessing.

I also see passionate gratitude as living with an attitude that asks the question at each point of interacting with another: "What can I do to bless this person and to enhance their journey, in some way?" You know, kind of a personal version of President Kennedy's famous: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Way too many of our interactions begin with the selfish rhetorical question, "What's in it for me?"

And then there is an even greater version of passionate gratitude--that of Jesus, himself. Jesus too the anger and hatred focused upon him at his crucifixion and turned it on its head by paying forward our redemption by his death. When is the last time that you were the victim of an unkindness or an act of derision, and in response, looked for someone to bless? This would be a truly Christlike action, wouldn't it? Maybe this would be an "activist" way to live a life of passionate gratitude--one that is focused more on our response to our experiences, whether bad or good, and purposing to pay it forward by blessing someone? And what if the person we decided to bless was the very person who precipitated the unkindness upon us? Could this be what Psalm 23 means when it states: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies..." Rather than choreographing an elaborate plan of revenge, we invite our "enemy" out to a lunch or for a cup of coffee. That might be revolutionary. Passionate gratitude, even?

We are living in tough times. Today, I awoke to news that our nation's President re-tweeted hateful white nationalist videos aimed at Muslims. I got very, very angry, even lashing out on FaceBook about it. As Doctor Phil says, "How's that working for you?" Maybe, if I take my own advice, I will be wise to react by helping assure my Muslim friends that I stand with them, and will offer more ways we can engage in ministries of justice and peace together. This could be another win-win-win.

Etcetera...

I don't mean the title of this BLOG to be trivial, but I do allude to the terrible and fast pace of happenings around us. Since my last BLOG entry, there has been another mass shooting, with 26 persons losing their lives to a crazed mad man with a semi-automatic weapon. A huge earthquake has killed hundreds of people along the Iran/Iraq border. President Trump has been overseas, where he made a couple of "normal" speeches, and yet continued to utter incredible and divisive rants on the sides, and tweeted a few things that would have had any past president dragged before a congressional committee, most likely. But he gets a pass? Oh, and hundreds--hundreds of women have stepped forth with testimonies of being sexually harassed or assaulted by other film directors, famous Hollywood stars, and even a serious candidate for the Senate from Alabama (and in his case, some of his "dates" were apparently children). Friends, I'm not making this stuff up--this has all happened since my last BLOG, which was a little over a week ago!

If I were a Bible literalist with Southern Baptist, dispensational leanings, I'd say all of this stuff were signs Jesus was coming back soon. You see, these folks interpret these things as biblical prophecies foretelling a literal Second Coming of the Messiah to clean up the mess and judge the "bad guys." But I'm not, and it is my belief that Jesus isn't coming back for a long time, and that God has empowered US to clean up the mess and reform the "bad guys." Jesus isn't coming back as a celestial janitor and judge, at least not now. God's people should get to work lobbying for some decent gun safety laws, for example. And even though I am convinced that the Second Amendment has outlived its usefulness (and its historical reason for being), I do believe it can be regulated just like we regulate hate speech and speech that might incite a riot or a human stampede, like shouting "fire" in a crowded movie theater. And we should lobby for better healthcare, not less, for those struggling with mental illness and addiction. We should work to fix the social issues that are filling our prisons and stop building new--and private--ones. As Christian people, we should be building relationships that bridge gender, race, and religious gaps, instead of endorsing pedophiles for public office (and yes, I'm talking about YOU, the 50 "Christian" pastors in Alabama who have endorsed Roy Moore for the U.S. Senate!).

Prayer has always been the fulcrum of both my life and the services of worship I have been privileged to lead. Prayer IS doing something, and I don't want to sell it short. However, there come times when we have to "put feet to our prayers" and do something. Democrats can do something. Republicans can do something. Libertarians can do something. Young people can do something. Seniors can do something. Able-bodied as well as persons with disabilities can do something. Christians can do something, and maybe even more things, by joining with Jews, Muslims, and people of other faiths, to address social issues that are a common concern. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Pentecostals--we can all do something. Efforts begun with prayer will be energized by faith and cross the finish line on the feet of those who DO something to address whatever issue WE see as a concern. These things won't fix themselves. In fact, like an un-weeded garden, they will probably just get worse, without our attention.

This is not a good time to pull into our various camps and take verbal potshots at each other while the world around us is groaning with birth pangs (or death-moans, if you are a pessimist). It's a time to polish up our peace-making skills, all the while becoming "wise as serpents and harmless as doves, in the midst of wolves," to quote Jesus from Matthew 10:16.

And, stay informed. These are dangerous times not to know what is happening in the world around you, friends. As I have urged you before, make sure you get your information from a broad base of reliable news sources, not just the polarized "specialty" cable TV news outlets or most especially from Internet fake news sites like Breitbart, InfoWars, ABCnews.com.co (NOT ABC News), News Examiner, NewsWatch33, etc. I trust the major newspapers like the NY Times, the Washington Post, and the conservative Wall Street Journal. As to news services? The Associated Press, Reuters, the BBC, NPR, these are probably some of the best. And while I'm not a big TV news watcher, I'd go for the three major networks--ABC, NBC, CBS. Fox and CNN can be pretty skewed, especially depending on who is presenting. The most dangerous place to get news is through Facebook memes or through pure Internet news sites, in my opinion. So many of the Facebook memes that pretend to be news sites are not reliable sources, and many have names that mimic serious news organizations, such as the ABCnews.com.com listed above, which is actually a private fake news site run by a guy named Paul Horner, who posts a wide variety of similar sites. Many of these sites will mix "real" news with their embellished or fake stories to even further confuse the uninitiated reader.

Don't you wonder if Jesus was looking far off into our future when he uttered the "be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" phrase I mentioned above? I'll bet.

Keep a sober view, a prayerful heart, and willing feet, Dear Ones. We have miles to go before we sleep. And someday...someday...may we all find true Shalom!

What Ever Happened to Middle Earth?

Warning: this is a political post--sort of. What I mean is that in it, I am hoping for, praying for, advocating for a type of sanity that has gone missing from the American political landscape. Here's what I mean...

If you read multiple newspapers, as I do, and try to read a balance of news across the spectrum from "liberal" to "conservative," a fearful thing emerges: the polarization of America into extremes has roots and wings--it is not just a myth of Facebook posts and bar conversations, apparently. Where did we lose "Middle Earth"?

In the political world, we have devolved into Bernie Sanders, Socialist Democrat, on one side, and "The Party of Trump" on the other. Responsible politicians falling anywhere away from these poles--even a really conservative guy like Jeff Flake--becomes persona non grata. Off with his head. Are we  even hearing from any Democrats several rungs down the fire escape toward reason from Senator Sanders? Chuck Schumer is a kind of Democratic Jeff Flake--a really liberal guy whose voice is lost as people seem bent on listening to the siren song of the far extremes. Where is Middle Earth where we all--common citizens and elected officials--used to meet to talk real solutions to the real problems facing us?

In a column in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (10/26/17), Ed Rogers, a conservative contributor to the Washington Post, makes this statement: "Let's remember, the mainstream media wants nothing less than to see the destruction of the Republican Party." This statement is wrong on so many levels. First of all, "mainstream media" is a pejorative term made up by people who don't like to read stories more than 140 characters in length. It can also be fired as a bullet from both "sides" of the debate, although I see the term being slung more from the conservative side. As one trained in journalism and communications, I can say that reporters are taught to "get the facts"--the "five Ws and the H"--Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How? Reporters take meticulous notes, and make sure quotes are accurate. And, they seek multiple, corroborating sources. Columnists, on the other hand, may give opinions. While these should also be backed up with facts, the Op Ed writer is not under the same constraint to maintain balanced sources. Have these lines become blurred, from time to time? Probably, as something called the "New Journalism" crept into prominence back in the 1970s, as I recall. However, in the field of reporting, news stories are on dangerous ground if they contain inaccurate information about people or companies, as litigation may ensue. Not so much with opinion pieces. Secondly, there is no media conspiracy for the "destruction of the Republican Party." That is a ludicrous assertion. As much of the media is owned by staunchly conservative syndicates and wealthy individuals today as by liberal ones. No one is out to get the Republican Party, but when it is fully "in power" as it is now, and doesn't seem to be accomplishing anything but killing its own wounded and wallowing in a mire of unfinished legislation, this is news, and any reporter worth her salt will write about it. To have one political party so much in charge and to see nothing coming of it for almost a year is a true "man bites dog" moment. If (and God, please don't let it be so!) the Republican Party is destroyed, it will be a case of self-cannibalism.

What about the treatment of the Democrats in the press? Frankly, we're not reading much. After Clinton's loss, that party hasn't really fielded a lineup of reasonable voices, that I can see. Schumer says something, Bernie pontificates, Adam Schiff barks about Devin Nunes' flawed definition of what "recuse" means--these are fodder for Op Ed, not much actual reporting. As a Democrat, I'm way beyond disappointed with the miasma emanating from this party right now, but I'm even more angry about the lip service they are paying to finding Middle Earth.

I have to confess that I have not been immune from being dragged into the polarized dog fight on social media. America has elected a highly polarizing "media star" as President, and this has greatly catalyzed our rapid run to the extreme poles. However, he is President, and nothing will get done in Washington without passing over the Resolute Desk, so it will have to be part of Middle Earth, if we are ever to find it again. I'll be honest: beyond praying for our government, including President Trump, I don't know what to do. My occasional opinions posted on Facebook or in this blog are mostly signs of my frustration over how Middle Earth has disappeared like Atlantis, and over people labeling things like "Mainstream Media."

As a United Methodist Pastor, I'm quite concerned for the cares and needs of people, and history tells us that Middle Earth is the only place their concerns will find the proverbial balm. The political extremes have never been kind to the middle class, who are the people filling our pews and living in the neighborhoods I have lived in. And what about the poor and the oppressed? They are either radically under-served by the extremes, or exploited by them. At a few points on the timeline of history, they have united and risen up in revolution, but usually wind up pretty much back where they were, and with some self-self-aggrandizing despot in power.

And then there's religion. Those labeled "Evangelicals" have stolen the news cycle because they seem to have moved into the Trump camp. Seeing the President as a sudden and surprising chance to realize their monotoned agenda--getting a conservative Supreme Court that will roll back Roe v. Wade and marriage equality--they have abandoned nine-tenths of the teachings of Jesus, in my view. But they are in the news, currently among the "man bites dog" stories. As they keep playing this one note on the piano of social issues, though, I suspect even the "Mainstream Media" will give them less column inches. Is there room for us liberal gospel preachers in this debate? As such, I am for connecting people to God, people to people, and helping people who need a hand-up. And in reality, we know that these pursuits will only find legitimate fruition in Middle Earth. Religious liberals want to play chords and songs on the proverbial keyboard of ideas, not one note, but in the current polarized climate, it's like the piano keys are disappearing, an octave at a time.

So, what do we do? How do we reset our socio-political GPS for Middle Earth? I think this begins by being informed. We should stop getting most of our news from Twitter or Facebook (the latter is OK if we use it to follow links to legitimate news sources, not Breitbart or BlueState). Read, people, read. Read a broad base of books--they are actually still publishing books, and serious authors from across the socio-political spectrum are writing them. Read newspapers. Responsible papers like the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal are available online, with a limited number of free stories. Better yet, subscribe. The First Amendment feeds on printed news. Printed information is absent the non-verbal component of communication, which allows the reader to form her or his own opinion about what they read. That's a problem with video and audio-based news--these non-verbal cues (facial expressions, eye contact, body posture, intonation) may speak a very different message from the words the speaker is actually saying, and this often obfuscates the intended message, or in the worst case, allows a hidden message to be presented, counter to the words spoken.

Let our own planet earth provide a parable: The poles are forbidding, cold, cold places where even compasses can no longer provide guidance for proper navigation. Middle Earth is a warm gathering place where trade winds blow and seasons change. More of us live in Middle Earth than in any other place on the planet. May we move our ideas there with us and begin to reason together to fix our common problems, care for those disenfranchised and hurting, and set a course for a hopeful future for us all. As Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

How did Halloween become such a thing?

I read again recently that the amount of decorations sold for Halloween exceed even what we shell out for Christmas. How did Halloween become such a huge thing?

First of all, many of us don't spend as much on Christmas because we have TONS of decorations acquired over the years, and much of it came from our parents or grandparents when they "downsized." St. Paul's and North Hills Community Outreach does a thing every Fall where we collect donations of Christmas decorations and then offer them for free to persons who maybe can't afford to purchase them. You can't believe what all gets donated. Clearly, there is a prodigious glut of Christmas decorations out there, languishing in attics, basements, garages, and probably even stuffed into the little doors and drawers under nightstands and end tables!

But what about Halloween? It's always been a kid-favorite holiday, with the costumes, trick-or-treating for candy, and the resulting overall sugar overload. And, many people like to scare or be scared. Also, there is a long dry spell between the July 4 holiday and Thanksgiving, which is basically a football and eating marathon, anyway, neither of which much appeals to children. So, Halloween filled the gap. As an aging Baby Boomer, I can say that my friends and I looked so forward to getting dressed up and going out on neighborhood candy hauls. Then, when I was about 11, something went wrong: deranged individuals began hiding razor blades in candy or coating it with drugs. I can remember how the whole Halloween trick-or-treating thing took a huge hit. It was a seriously depressing time.

Now, we aging Baby Boomers are grandparents, and our children are parents. Both groups of "adults" want our kids and grand kids to recapture some of the fun of Halloween, so we do what we always do--go WAY overboard. Decorations have become quite sophisticated, costumes have become much more fantastic, and all of the candy is hermetically sealed (in fact, it's almost impossible to get into it). Parents inspect every treat, just to make sure, though.

Adult costume parties for Halloween have multiplied, too. I can't believe the number of email advertisements I get from places selling elaborate--and costly--adult Halloween costumes!

All in all, I don't think there is anything wrong with all of this. People of faith have often had a kind of bittersweet relationship with goblins and demons, with many believing the "real things" are conspiring to use Halloween to recruit little ones into devilish behavior. They thought the same thing would happen if they read any of the Harry Potter books. I really don't see a difference in kids from either activity.

Still, Dara and I never celebrated Halloween with our children. Maybe it was because of some of these spiritual concerns, coupled with fears over getting candy from strangers. Maybe it was due, in part, to the fact that we were students during much of our kids' childhood, and we couldn't afford to reciprocate with the treat distribution. I do know that we taught our children about the significance of All Saints Day, and honoring the saints who went before us. And, I know we took our kids out for a special night on Halloween--dinner at a place of their choice, and then to the Carnegie Science Center, for example. I don't think they missed anything. And it didn't "poison" them to the holiday, as our daughter and son-in-law take our grandchildren trick-or-treating.

Whatever you and your family do for Halloween, be safe. And take some time to explain the origins of "All Hallows' Eve" and "All Saints Day." As we honor the saints of our lives, this may be almost as important as telling our kids about the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus.

Happy Halloween, Yinz.

Weinstein...

As a white, privileged male in a culture that makes me a dominant figure just because of how I look in the mirror, I am so sad for women today.

[Let me qualify this post by first stating that I no longer believe in gender being merely a "binary" thing, so when I use the terms "male" and "female," I am using them broadly, at least while addressing the topic of sexual harassment. For the purpose of this narrative, the terms describe persons who identify as female being exploited  or harassed by persons who identify as male. Such is the case of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and the women who have begun to come forward publicly  about his sexual aggressions.]

What women put up with--and have for millennia, most likely--is unbelievable. Books, research, and mountains of case studies have revealed a glimmer of what it is like being discriminated against, underpaid, and objectified because of one's gender. And now, this Weinstein story breaks, revealing the long and sordid history of this infamous "image-maker" who, all along the way, used women for personal pleasure in exchange for offering them fame. While Weinstein's pathology may go even deeper than "pleasure," given his psychopathic sleaze alleged in the emerging testimonies, the fact remains that women are subjected to this kind of thing every day in about every place. It may not be "sleep with me or I'll ruin your career" kinds of things all of the time, but lewd commends behind their backs from male co-workers, bosses who leer, or dump their frustrations on women subordinates because they can, are frequent occurrences in offices, academia, retail, or the military--even in the church.

The horrific stories about Weinstein's behavior, which in many cases is likely criminal, serve to uncover this phenomenon afresh, hopefully prompting corrective and constructive conversation. I do fear, though, that it could cause some men who may be guilty of lesser infractions to "justify" their own behavior: "Well, at least I'm not as bad as Weinstein!" As people of faith, we must encourage the corrective, and to some degree, therapeutic conversations, and pray for women bold enough to join them and share their own stories. We should also offer our support for these women and explore ways to enjoin efforts aimed at justice and safety in the workplace for them. The last thing we should do is justify the behaviors, which, unfortunately, the church has done far too many times for the Jimmy Swiggarts, Jim Bakers, and numbers of lessor known clergy who have been caught harassing or even sexually assaulting women. Bishops, in many cases, just move clergy accused of inappropriate activity with church members or staff, and everyone is urged to "be good Christians and forgive." But what about the victims? How do they feel when this is the "fix"?

Why does this stuff happen? Unfortunately, the "Because we can" answer out of society's general model of male dominance and privilege is valid. Testosterone is another culprit. Coupled with the tendency to nurture males to be "tough" or "manly," while women are urged to be "soft" and "sensitive" (some TV ads for body lotions actually USE this line), this dangerous mix sets up the potential for predatory behavior, which may range from flirtation to harassment (or even worse, in the case of the Weinsteins and Cosbys of the world). How many cases of young college men harassing women on campus have been dispatched with the phrase, "Boys will be boys"?

If it is true that testosterone is a factor in prompting inappropriate behavior in males, what is the role of religion and its system of morals and ethics in reining this in? As former President Jimmy Carter pointed out in an interview with a "men's magazine" during his election campaign, most men are guilty of some level of "lusting after women," something Carter confessed to, further saying he sought God's forgiveness and empowerment to modify his negative thoughts and behaviors. I believe the teachings of the Bible and the ethics which can be extrapolated from them may help us build a "code of conduct" between men and women:

•  Jesus' teaching, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" should be construed in this situation to mean that I, as a man, would not want to be exploited, manipulated, or otherwise harassed to do something against my will, values, or desires in order to keep my job, receive a promotion, or be treated respectfully in the workplace or any place, for that matter. hence I must refrain from participating in any of these behaviors toward others.
• "Loving our neighbor as we love ourselves" means developing a respect for the personhood of my neighbor in such a way that I value them, even as I value my own self and integrity. Thus, I will treat them out of this respect. One of the core values of the Wesleyan tradition is that: Every human being is endowed with a sense of dignity and moral responsibility. We should act like it.
• Love has many different understandings and levels, ranging from liking something (like chocolate) to loving as God loves, loving romantically, and even loving intimately. Understanding these differences and maintaining appropriate levels of self-control so as to apply and experience the appropriate "level" of love to the persons and circumstances of our lives leads to healthy relationships and behavioral norms that maintain appropriate boundaries with them. 
• Avoiding stimuli that blur or obscure the understanding of these "love values," such as alcohol/ substance abuse, pornography, literature or films that denigrate or exploit women, or associations with men who indulge in these kind of things.  Steering clear of activities like these is helpful in developing and maintaining what the Bible calls self-control.
• Entering into regular and healthy conversation with the women in our social or occupational circles about women's issues may serve to sensitize men to what women experience in these interactions. (When I engage in these conversations, I learn all kinds of things! One of the most valuable lessons has been that what males of my generation were taught to be polite compliments to women are often now considered inappropriate, such as comments about how nice a dress looks. I confess, this is a hard habit to break, and while all women do not feel objectified by this, many do.) 
• With God's help, work to develop a healthy model of personhood, appreciating others for the person they are and affirming them for the contributions they make through their talents, labors, and attitudes, without regard to their gender identity. 
• Get to know people. Build legitimate trust, over time, and resolve to do nothing to erode or destroy this gift of trust. For men, who will continue to wrestle with our own enculturation and testosterone, this may go a long way in creating healthy relationships across gender identity lines at work, in our social circles, and even in our homes!

Well, these are just a few I thought of. You may have more good suggestions, if you think about it. And that is the final suggestion: Think. I have taught the teens in my youth groups that one extra second of thinking before engaging in an action may make a huge difference as to the outcome. This same caution works for men of all ages regarding how we interact with others along the gender spectrum. We have a great model in Jesus, who, according to the biblical record, initiated and maintained respectful and egalitarian relationships with the people he encountered, earning their respect in return. Do thou likewise! Shalom.