This morning I opened my email to this headline sent by the BBC:

More than 80 dead in Iraq blast

At least 82 people have been killed in a car bomb blast in the Iraqi capital…

I’ve lost count of how many headlines I’ve read or heard like this over the past few years. How many times have I read them and felt only a fleeting pang of remorse? With the Virginia Tech tragedy fresh in mind, this headline strikes me more profoundly today. 82 Iraqis were killed today as they shopped for groceries, and the horrifying truth is this happens all the time in places around the world.

I don’t at all mean to minimize the great tragedy at Virginia Tech, and my intention is not to compare. I only want to take a moment to recognize that humans are humans and life is life here in Georgia, in Virginia, Africa and Iraq.

Our hearts grieve for the victims and their families in Blacksburg, and rightly so. Do they also grieve for those in Baghdad?

There’s a growing movement among some parents, psychologists and teachers to leave gender development up to their children.

From the New York Times this morning:

“Children as young as 5 who display predispositions to dress like the opposite sex are being supported by a growing number of young parents, educators and mental health professionals.

“Doctors, some of them from the top pediatric hospitals, have begun to advise families to let these children be “who they are” to foster a sense of security and self-esteem. They are motivated, in part, by the high incidence of depression, suicidal feelings and self-mutilation that has been common in past generations of transgender children. Legal trends suggest that schools are now required to respect parents’ decisions.”

To take it a step further, some parents have chosen to medically block puberty with what are called “blockers” to give their children time to “figure out who they are.” Referrals for this kind of service are on the rise, doctors say.

Schools are working to reform their curriculum and vocabulary to be more neutral and “dismantle gender stereotypes.” So if a five-year-old boy shows up to kindergarten in a dress, there’s nothing a teacher can do about it. One doctor working with a handful of children “essentially living as the opposite sex,” says it’s working. The children are happier and their grades have gone up.

The Los Angeles Unified School District has jumped on board and now “requires that students be addressed with “a name and pronoun that corresponds to the gender identity.” It also asks schools to provide a locker room or changing area that corresponds to a student’s chosen gender.”

So let’s talk: How did we get here? And what is it children need to develop a healthy gender identity?

Read the article, Supporting Boys or Girls When the Line is Unclear, for more.

The president-elect of the Christian Coalition decided to turn down the job today because of “philosophical differences.” It seems that Rev. Joel Hunter had his sights set on issues beyond abortion and gay marriage. His plan made room for other things, like the environment and the poor. As one could guess, his agenda didn’t fly with the coalition’s leadership. They told him things like poverty and the environment “are fine, but they’re not our issues, that’s not our base.”

Let’s consider what Jesus had to say for a minute or two.

In the Parable of the Great Banquet, Jesus said:

“When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:13)

When speaking of the final judgment, he said:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

Two Things I’m NOT Saying

1. The abortion issue is unimportant and a lost cause.
2. Holding true to God’s word regarding the sanctity of marriage is unimportant.

I understand that it’s not up to one organization to tackle every obstacle in society. I recognize having a narrow mission, in terms of effectiveness, is good. But I’m bothered that any coalition of Christians doesn’t think poverty is one of their issues.

As always, now is a good time to ask how I’m doing in my service to the poor. I could be doing much, much more. How are you doing?