It must have been a rabbi who said, "God created humanity because God loves a good story!" There is nothing that moves us to deep feeling or reflection, and often to action, more quickly than a powerful story. And not all powerful stories are enjoyable or easy to hear.

Mark Twain was a great teller of stories. You may have heard that the Crossroads Theatre Company (a ministry of Crossroads Church) is presenting the musical Big River, based on Twain's story The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. As a result of being in the cast, I've been spending a lot of time lately surrounded by that story and it remains challenging today to those who take the time to listen.

In the pre-Civil War American South of the Huck Finn story, slavery was an institution. Slaves were considered property to be bought and sold. To steal a slave or help a runaway slave escape was considered an immoral act as well as a crime. Hearing such convoluted thinking today grates on our sensibilities, but I have to wonder how we may be doing similar things now. Is the Christian Church today, like the church in Huck Finn, being complicit in perpetuating attitudes and practices that many would consider immoral?

Perhaps you have your own list of ways we support hurtful attitudes and practices. Stimulating suspicion, mistrust, and even hatred of other religious groups-including Muslims and Mormons-is on my list. Condemning those whose sexual orientation is different than yours is on my list. It is not necessary to understand or agree with another's orientation, but we need to respect that they are seeking to be true to how God has made them. And, of course, vilifying or de-humanizing people who hold a different political philosophy than yours is very much on my list.

The Huck Finn story reminds us that we have to make our best judgment calls in life and that future generations will hold us accountable for our actions. I am reminded of these words by the Apostle Paul that can give us guidance: "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Phil. 4:8). And we should not only ponder these noble thoughts, but also act in keeping with them.

Thanks for continuing to bless me as we journey together.

--Jack F. Price

If you haven't read Jack's book Finding Faith: Honest Answers about God, the Bible, and the Church Today order it today through: t www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com or directly from Jack at www.findingfaithnow.com

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