On Transformation, and Truth

Back in the day when I worked in college athletics, I knew a guy named Oscar Combs who published a weekly magazine devoted to University of Kentucky athletics called Cats' Pause. Of course, in these parts football is king, but as we all know basketball gets most of the attention in the bluegrass state, and the magazine mostly featured Wildcat basketball.

You could pretty much count on Kentucky battling it out with Vanderbilt for the bottom of the SEC football standings, but Wildcat fans still held out hope each fall that this would be the season that they would turn it around and start winning on the gridiron as well.

As I recall, one season in the early to mid-1980's the fans were particularly optimistic as the season opener approached against a pretty bad non-conference opponent that promised an easy win. Instead, Kentucky laid an egg and turned in another embarrassing performance, losing the game and setting the stage for another disappointing season.

Combs, who had written several positive articles in his preseason outlooks anticipating a good season, made a memorable statement on the front cover of that week's Cats' Paws following the game. Underneath the masthead and dateline at the top of the cover page, he wrote one simple statement in what would have been the opening paragraph. It went something like this:

"My mother always taught me that if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all."

The rest of the front page of the magazine was completely blank. He said everything, by saying nothing.

That's what came to mind this week as a few people have asked me my views on the transgender issues that are swirling around, especially as they relate to "civil rights" and public bathrooms and gender identity and even Target. The fact that we are even having this discussion is a sign of the times, and an indicator that our culture has lost its collective mind. There's plenty of things to say, and no shortage of people saying them, but I am inclined to go with Mr. Combs on this one.

I won't delve into the confusion and sin of transgenderism--for I have nothing good to say--but I will happily speak about the possibility of transformation that comes in Christ, not just for the sexually confused but for all of us sinners of every stripe. We as the Church have the answer for society's ills, and quite simply it is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The ONLY hope for our messed-up society is not politics nor political correctness, but Jesus.

And to borrow from Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

Please join me in praying for our upside-down world, and pray also that we as the church would have the boldness, coupled with compassion, to "speak the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15) to a lost and confused culture. I am praying for you, as I hope you are for me, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

--Pastor Ken

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