This month’s column comes straight out of ancient times. This is wrath-of-God stuff, fire and brimstone, baby, right from the Old Testament cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
You know I’m messing with you. You don’t read this column to get the hellish diatribes made famous by televangelists.
Those preachers often compare the “homosexual debaucheries” of Sodom and Gomorrah with what they see as the decline of America. They use it as a cautionary tale to ban books, define sexes and influence elections.
It’s funny how debauchery became a favorite of the judgmental crowd. But these preachers don’t hold a candle to the combustible prophet Ezekiel.
You could say that dude was totally lit.
But he interpreted the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah far differently than our current politicians and preachers.
In Ezk.16:49-50, Zeke handed down a detailed indictment as he channeled the voice of God.
“Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore, I did away with them as you have seen.’”
“Did away” is a euphemism. God turned the residents into crispy critters.
Ezekiel saw this as a judgment day, not so much for sexual sins, but other specific sins: 1. Arrogance; 2. Selfishness; 3. Uncharitable greediness; 4. Gluttony; 5. Apathy.
Seems to me the crusty old prophet was clear.
Sodomite lives were cut short by fire and brimstone, not so much because of debauchery, but because they lived selfish, lazy, gluttonous lives without extending their hands to help the poor and the hungry.
Recently, the United States withdrew its hand of charity from hungry people when the Trump administration shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The first casualty of selfishness is always hungry people.
Consider the story of Plumpy’Nut. Goofy name, but a grand product to feed the world’s hungry.
Plumpy’Nut is the brand name for a ready-to-use therapeutic food produced by Edesia Nutrition of Rhode Island with federal funding. The life-saving paste contains peanuts, milk powder, sugar, vegetable oil, vitamins and minerals.
Typically administered by charities such as Doctors Without Borders, severely malnourished children will consume packets every day for eight weeks to help them regain health.
Each box is stamped, “From the American people.” But now the U.S. is withdrawing that helpful hand. Shipments of this crucial product are being turned off and on like a spurting hose.
William Lambers, author of “Ending World Hunger,” voiced his concerns in a Newsweek column.
“If USAID closes and funding decreases, they cannot continue to send this paste to the war-afflicted Congo and other countries,” he wrote. “We should be increasing our shipments of Plumpy’Nut and other foods to war and famine zones. It makes no sense to shut down USAID especially during a time of massive humanitarian need.”
Lambers’ words resonate with the sermon Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde delivered in January at the Washington National Cathedral, with President Trump in attendance. “Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land,” Budde said.
The brave pastor said it much better than I, so I’ll just channel the hellfire of Ezekial and say, the closure of USAID is a national sin. And that sin has every possibility of bringing a significant weather change.
In April, the Associated Press reported the Trump administration canceled contracts to the United Nations World Food Program emergency system that kept millions of people alive in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and 11 other impoverished countries. World Food Program leaders believe the funding cuts might be a death sentence.
Do you feel a hot rain coming?
Norris Burkes can be reached at comment@thechaplain.net. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. Burkes is available for public speaking at civic organizations, places of worship, veterans groups and more. For details and fees, visit thechaplain.net.
