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Letters to the editor: Pastor vs. rapper

WHEN I READ the article in the Daily News regarding pastor Johnson's objections to Meek Mill's lyrics in his song "Amen" (July 10), I agreed for the most part with pastor Johnson. However, after listening to a heated debate between the two on 107.9 radio, my support was not so clear. As a Christian, I was appalled by the lyrics. I believe there needs to be respect for God and the church. And while there are many instances of "Christians' behaving badly," it still doesn't negate the reverence and respect we give God. As Christians we believe that while we are not perfect, we serve a perfect God.

WHEN I READ the article in the Daily News regarding pastor Johnson's objections to Meek Mill's lyrics in his song "Amen" (July 10), I agreed for the most part with pastor Johnson. However, after listening to a heated debate between the two on 107.9 radio, my support was not so clear.

As a Christian, I was appalled by the lyrics. I believe there needs to be respect for God and the church. And while there are many instances of "Christians' behaving badly," it still doesn't negate the reverence and respect we give God. As Christians we believe that while we are not perfect, we serve a perfect God.

However, as Christians, we must also remember to be mindful of our approach in admonishing persons we feel have been offensive to God and the church. How much different would the outcome of this argument be if pastor Johnson reached out to Meek Mill personally, and offered to have a conversation between the two, man-to-man. How much more receptive would Meek Mill have been if the pastor would have shared with him, eye to eye, perhaps over lunch, and given his reasons for feeling the way he does. When you take a fight to the media without trying to first reach out to the person you feel has offended you, you open yourself up to accusations of being an opportunist, antagonist and overall judgmental Christian.

Pastor Johnson has a right to question, object to, and protest whatever he feels is offensive to the Christian community and Christ himself. However we must remember that even as Christians, maybe even more so, we must follow the example of Jesus. He encountered so many persons who had pasts, who did not see wrong in the life they were living, or the lifestyles they lead; even surrounding himself with 12 common men with shady pasts. But when it was all said and done, Jesus won their love, loyalty and respect with his example and the love he showed, even while correcting and admonishing.

I applaud Meek Mill for his service to the community and charitable efforts. While I don't support some of the negative lyrics in his music, I pray that through further maturity, his lyrics change with the change in his heart that only comes through love and prayer.

So at the end of the day, great argument on the pastor's part, but wrong approach. As the Bible says, love covers a multitude of sins. Let the church say "Amen!"

Romney? That's rich!

Is Mitt Romney really the ideal man to carry the elite's Republican flag into battle this November as he tries to preserve an economy and tax system rigged in their favor and against the ordinary American taxpayer?

Mr. Romney calls himself a "businessman" but would be more aptly characterized as a financier. You remember — those guys who caused the economic collapse.

With an opaque history of outsourcing, offshoring, Swiss bank accounts, Cayman Island investments, leveraged buyouts, corporate raiding and now a break with the rich tradition of multiyear release of prior tax returns, it makes me wonder what is so damaging in them and if he can't trust me with that knowledge, how can I trust him to run my country to everyone's benefit.

It just might be that the segment of the population that may vote for him would abandon him if they found out he actually worked to his advantage the tax system that is rigged for the wealthy.

Strangely, about half of the population believes that the idle-rich guy, the Thurston Howell III guy, the user-or-abuser-of-the-tax-system guy has the answers.

It's a hot topic

While it's encouraging that more Americans are taking the threat of climate change seriously, public attention to the crisis may well fade the next time there's an interlude of balmy weather. Our national case of ADD makes it almost impossible to convey the implications of the accelerating greenhouse effect, something which will affect all human civilization over centuries.

Climatologists are the Paul Reveres of today, sounding a warning that the effects of our civilization's carbon binge are now upon us. But the careful language of scientific discussion doesn't always convey the urgency of the crisis. If the minutemen had ignored the midnight call and gone back to sleep, the redcoats would have won the day.