Chapter 3 - A Sermon on Obedience

....“We, Christians, have no need to fear as long as we are obedient!" Tim shouted out, cupping his hands together around his mouth to project his voice into every part of the hall.

"We are safe! Nothing can touch us because we are God’s chosen people obedient to his commandments. You hear that? We are the chosen ones! God has chosen us and promised us his eternal protection as long as obey him and his church on earth and his representatives here on this on earth, his pastors, his men! It is the non Christians who need to fear slings and arrows. The disobedient should fear the valley of darkness, not us. Those who have disobeyed Christ, those who have left their church, turned their backs on their pastor have reason to fear. The sexual deviants, homosexuals, liberals and pot smoking athetists will go to an eternity of suffering in Hell! Those who are obedient to their pastor to the end will be saved. Now, I want to hear your joyful songs. I want to hear you celebrating that you are here in this church today, blessed by God, able to lead a clean life, faithful members of this Young Life Chruch. I want to hear you clapping joyfully that you will be saved for all eternity because you are born again Christians, God’s chosen people, chosen for salvation” Tim smiled and cried out, raising his right hand.

The hall erupted in cheers. Perspiring, Tim took off his khaki jacket and threw it to one side. Eyes blazing, he stretched out his hand in a command to be silent. The crowd grew hushed.

“Whatever our lives, our jobs, our hardships and our triumphs might be, we will always enjoy God’s special favour and power if we obey him and obey his pastors who understand his will and who lead his church here on earth…” Tim said waving his arms with bold and energetic movements.

“God has phenomenal power, more power than any army on earth, more power than the US army and the Israeli Defence Force put together. More power than the CIA and Mossad! God and our Christian nation and government is our fortress, our rock, our safety. Nothing can harm us when we obey his church on earth and follow the laws of our Christian nation! God looks after his own. The fate of the sinner, the person who disobeys God, who turns his back on his pastor, who leaves his church, who mocks government, scoffs at the soldier serving in America's Christian army, is suffering! We can read in the Bible about the terrible sin of disobedience and how it destroys us, ruins us. We can read how Eve and Adam sinned against God by their disobedience. Filled with sinful disobedience to rightful authority, Eve went and ate of the apple tempted by the Satanic serpent, that liar and deceiver. Disobedience ruined us!"

The crowd yelled out their anger.

“Through our disobedience, we are fallen, fallen from grace, far from God, so far, you can't imagine the distance. We are miserable worms. We are wicked sinners, black as hell, the children of Satan! Did you hear that? We are sinners? St Paul also says every human being has been disobedient and sinned. Hear that? Every human being is disobedient without exception. Guilty, guilty! All of us here tonight are unworthy, failures. Everyone of us is steeped in guilt and standing in the pits of darkness because we disobey God! We are materially minded consumers who think only about our careers and money, our SUVs and vacations, all day long. We are decadent pleasure seekers who want sex and drugs! Everyone of us is a disobedient sinner! Hear that? There is only one way out from our sin. Only one way to be saved. That is to be obedient. To obey this church and give your hearts to me, your pastor, God's beacon and leader here on earth. You have to serve, too, serve your Christian nation, serve in the army. The other religions say they know the way. They are lying! Yes, lying! The Church of the Young Life, this church, is the only place where you will find salavation. Yes, yes! We are saved because Christ died for our sins and gave us a chance to repent and come here to this church tonight and prove to the world by our committment, by coming here tonight, by supporting this church, by obeying the pastor, that we are his chosen people."

The crowd roared. Tim smiled.

"So let’s get down on our knees and beg to be forgiven. Christ is merciful and if we beg on our knees for forgiveness, if we repent, the Lord, the gracious Almighty, will forgive us. Our gracious Lord will always forgive us. But only if we repent our sins and change our wicked ways, and lead obedient lives!” Tim cried out, his forehead glistening with sweat, his voice trembling.

“Those out there who spurn church, who laugh at church and at pastors like me, who mock God, and disobey his commands, who go on sinning, the liberals, who have no feeling of patriotism, who go on having gay sex and taking meth are doomed. I tell you! Those who have gay sex and take meth to heighten the pleasure will suffer an eternity! “ Tim thundered.

He wiped away the perspiration trickling into his eyes. His face on the screen was magnified 10 times. With his jaw jutting out, he looked like Ulysses Grant leading his troops into victory battle.

“I tell you this: you have to learn obedience to higher authorities right now!” Tim boomed out, striding to the front of the stage, bathed in bright lights, feeling so hot, he yanked down his tie. “You have to give up your selfishness and your egoism and and give your lives to the Young Life Church completely now, right now, while you can. Understand? Completely, absolutely, without reserve you have to do as I, the senior pastor, says! You have to reach out to other sinners and bring them to this born-again Church. You have to vote for Christian leaders in the White House, too. I know there are many people who think that you can vote for a party that favours abortion and gay rights and embryonic stem cell research and still be a real Christian. There are people out there who think you can be a real Christian and not support our troops fighting Islamic terrorists out there in Iraq and Iran Pakistan, Russia, China, India and Latin America and South Africa. Hands up! Anyone out there who thinks that?” Tim asked, putting his hand to his mouth to project his voice to the furthest edges of the hall.

“Anyone here tonight who thinks that you can vote for abortion and gay rights and still be a Christian?”

Silence.

“Anyone here tonight who thinks that you can not support Israel in its Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, or in its divine mission to acquire its Biblical Lands, Greater Israel, and still be a Christian?”

More silence.

“I tell you, people who think that way are deluded! Or else they are sinners themselves who just want a free ticket to keep on sinning! It is time to change our culture of a free meal.“
Tim thundered.

“Politics and religion cannot be kept separate in America. That notion is false, false! No! no! no! At the best of times, government and religion are together. Our government is a Christian government, and we owe it our loyality. Ours is a Christian nation and we should be thankful we can enjoy the privilege of beings its citizens. We have the privilege, but also the duties. Our duty is to obey our Christian leaders, always, even when it is hard. They have our interests at heart. They know best. Every Christian has to obey their leader. We can all see the slide in America today and the decline of values that comes from having so many people turn their backs on the church. The attitude is "I know best!". The attitude is "I can do as I please." No you can't! A Christian puts their desires aside and does what their pastor wants. We see this egoism everywhere: we see it in family breakdown, divorce, domestic violence, guns at high schools, drugs, crime, sexually transmitted disease, women who chose abortion, women who leave their husbands, women who murder their husbands to get alimony. And what about the media? It's one horror show after the next. Pokemon, the Teletubbies, weirdoes of all kind. A never ending spectacle of evil is paraded before out eyes and the eyes of our children by the mass media run by left wing pot smoking liberals! Everywhere you go there is gay sex. Men are sleeping with other men in vile abomination! I for one am fed up with the laxity that is shown to men who are getting high on lustful thrills in bed with other men! I for one am fed up with the amount of perversion in America today. I have had enough of the non Christians who deny God and deny his truth and take meth and crave orgies!“ Tim cried, his eyes bulging.

„I’m bringing up this issue tonight because we all know the state elections are coming up. One of the parties stands for abortion and gay sex and same-sex marriage! And you? Are you going to vote for that party? Are you going to vote for abortion and gay marriage, murder and depravity?”

“NOOO!” the crowd yelled out.

“The other candidate is pro life! That is Senator Seth Wright, a native of Denver, a successful businessman, blessed with a beautiful family, a patriot who will defend for our nation and our freedom to worship the one true God and stop socialism and communism destroying our way of life. Yes, Seth Wright is not a flip flop. He does not pander to get the vote. He is for the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. He is for low taxes so that we get to keep more of the fruits of our labour and not seem them swallowed up by liberal left wing social programmes that help the sinners when they don’t deserve any help. Or are you a flip flop who will abandon our troops fighting for us and for freedom?” Tim asked, putting his hand to his mouth to project his voice.

“Noooo!” shouted the crowd.

“Good! Good! I call on you all to mobilise, reach out to your neighbours, your friends and colleagues at work and vote to make sure flips flops don’t get into power and send out country spiralling down, taken over by socialists, freemasons, communists, sodomists, homosexuals, Satanists, murderers, sexual deviants, feminists, supporters of al Qaeda.If that lot had their way, they’d have us all rolling around in blue sheets with gay lovers. Disgusting! Disgusting! I don’t want to even think about it! Yes, these liberals want to ruin our country under the guise of offering us freedom! They are more dangerous than Al Qaeda! Get out there and vote and get all your neighbours and friends and relations to vote for the candidates who stand for Christian values. Will you vote for Christian values?"

"YESS!"

"Will you vote for God?”

“YESS!”

"Or will you vote for abortion?"

"NOO!"

"For gay marriage?"

“NOOOO!”

„For Satan!“

„Noo!“

“Yes, it’s got to the stage in America where to writhe in bed with another man is to be cool! It has got to the point where to take meth to blow out your brains so you can maximise the pleasure of lust with your gay lover is considered normal!” Tim cried, his eyes glistening and voice quivering with passion.

"Yes, there are some people who feel no shame. getting high on meth and other drugs! Do you do that? Take drugs?"

"NOO!"

Tim smiled, approvingly.

"There are some who cheat on their wives or their husbands. Hands up! Are there any of you out there who cheat on their spouses?"

No one put up their hands.

"LIARS!" Tim boomed, walking with an angry scowl up to the front of the stage. "You are all stained with sin! You are going to HELL to suffer for all eternity! Be ready to suffer for your disobedience!”

A frisson of fear ran through the hall.

"Obedient children do what their pastor says! They go to church and do as is written in the Bible, black and white. True or false?"

"TRUE!"

Tim drew a sharp breath.

"Obedient children have hearts for God and never disobey their pastors. And do you know what? God rewards those obedient children. He showers them with blessings because of their obedience. They are spared eternal damnation! HELL! DOOM!"

Trembling, Tim walked across the stage, firing more heavy artillery. Rockets were exploding everywhere. Boom! Boom!

There are some who say gay sex is not a sin? Not a sin? That is a lie! A lie!”

"You should be intoxicated only by the presence of God! Not by drugs and gay sex! True or false?"

"TRUEE!"

Stretching out his trembling fingers, Tim looked -- his eyes blazing with pure hatred -- at all these sinners before him, who were pretending now that they never had had sex with Rob Owen or takem meth! Liars and hypocrites! All of them!

“Disobedient, pot smoking liberal sinners would be better off reading the Bible than having gay sex high on drugs and making fun of their government and the US military!” he shouted, hoarsely. “It's written in black and white in the Bible that going to gay escorts is a sin!“

There was a gasp.

„It doesn't matter if you do it in secret. God will see it. He sees everything. He will judge you! The Bible says gay sex and sodomy are loathsome perversions in the eyes of God, the Almighty! Read about Sodom and Gomorrah in the Old Testament! The Bible tells us that anyone guilty of indulging in the unnatural pleasures of gay sex or sex outside of marriage will suffer for all eternity in Hell!“ Tim cried and jabbed his finger in accusation at these holier-than-thou hypocrites who drove into Denver in secret to flirt with gay escorts and take meth, and who then came to church on Sunday and feigned a clean-living lifestyle! The shame of them!

In the first rows, some people had started weeping, crying, hysterical. Others were standing, their eyes closed, holding their hands above their heads: a few were swaying back and forth as if in a trance. Two teenagers had thrown themselves prostrate on the ground.

“Read it in the Bible if you doubt me. Only God and God’s followers who obey God’s law can be saved! God is merciful! He loves his own!“
The hall erupted.

“Pastor Tim! Pastor Tim! Man of God! Man of God!”

Tim stretched out his trembling finger in accusation.

“I tell you,” he thundered. “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to other Christians in brotherly love and not in gay, perverse love of two naked men writhing together in beds, drugged to the eyeballs with meth. Honor other Christians and our Christian government above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord and not gay sex idols as is right for a community of Christians. Brothers and sisters we stand together, always ready to respect our government and help each other ….”

Next, Tim dropped to his knees, dramatically, and pointed to the Crucifix.

"…because if you say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust, then surely you will be saved. You will be saved from the snare and the deadly pestilence of adultery, gay sex, abortion and drug abuse, disease and disgrace! Say this! I want to hear you all say together now: God is my fortress!”

“GOD IS MY FORTRESS!” the crowd shouted out.
Tim stood, blinking in the hot lights.

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners, non Christians, socialists, murderers, sexual deviants and supporters of al Qaeda and critics of Israel! Blessed is the man whose delight is in church, and not in gay sex and in crystal meth! He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. So, brothers and sisters, born again in Christ, let us stand here and sing praise to God. Let us praise Him for making us clean again, clean living people. Let us sing of our joy!!”

There was a drum roll.

The hall erupted. The applause was so loud Tim could hardly hear himself think.

“Pastor Tim! Pastor Tim! Soldier of God! Soldier of God! Lead us on!”

Tim looked around him, delirious. He heard the clapping and cheering and adrenaline rushed to his head. What a feat! He had left his office half an hour earlier, a broken man, reduced to a shaking mass of confusion and shame. But now he could stand up straight again. He had the crowd at his feet! He had won, a glittering victory with trumpets galore. He had his pride back. In the eyes of all the people in the hall, he was a great man of God! What else mattered? Oh, he was their hero! Their saviour! Their light in the darkness! The atmosphere was so intense, so passionate that all he could think was that he didn’t want this to end. But it did end.

Tim zig zagged across the stage, smiling and waving his hands while the crowd cheered and cheered.

When Mary O'Driscoll ran on stage, he turned and walked down the steps.

His heart had only just returned to a normal rate when he got another shock as someone gave him a slap on his back. Zack Montgomery was a thin, pale man of 31 with a mop of curly black hair. His brown eyes had a fanatical gleam.

“Wow! Tim. You sure are the King of the razzmatazz!!” Zack said on his way up the steps.
“Thanks, Zack!”

Zack ran on onto the center of the stage.

“More applause for the great Pastor Tim,” Zack shouted. “You see folks, here we do God – and we do God in a big way! Like our pastor, we are soldiers of God, Christians, chosen to do his work, to fight terrorists and defend Israel and support Bush!”

A cheer ripped off the roof.

Walking down the steps, Tim saw Arlen Pierce and Jude Chertoff, the youngest member of the church board, standing at the bottom. In his late twenties with strawberry blood hair, a clean-cut jaw and mild blue eyes, Jude could have passed for Robert Redford.

"A great sermon, Tim," said Jude, smiling.

"Thanks, Jude!" said Tim, giving Jude a slap on the back.

"Awesome, Tim," said Arlen. "You sure know how to bring God’s message across! Inspired!”

"Thanks, Arlen, thanks!"

Mary O’Driscoll started to sing:

“Let us break bread together on our knees.”

Loosening his tie, Tim stumbled on, tore open the back door and lurched down the corridor.
His throat was parched. His tongue was swollen. He needed a drink! A drink of water! Pure cold water to quench his thirst!Three men came up, all in their early twenties, good looking, with short hair cuts.

Off duty soldiers form the base close by? Could be!

"I just want to say a massive thanks to you, Pastor Tim," said a beaming, well-groomed young guy with neatly trimmed sideburns.

"Is this your first time at our church?" Tim asked, smiling and breathing fast. He smoothed down his hair and straightened his tie.

"It is, and I'll be coming back. Your sermon was one of the best I’ve ever heard! I like the way you tell it black and white, the way it is, sir. I'm not surprised yours is the fastest growing evangelical church hereabouts!"

"Me too, Pastor Tim! Awesome! So good to see someone who really has a heart for God!" said another young guy, wearing a white shirt collar outside a navy blue sweatshirt.“Good to hear you have such hearts for God!" Tim muttered, smiling.

In the heat of the moment, he forgot all about his visits to Rob Owen. Now it flashed through his mind, and he drew a sharp breath. But did he really have to tell everything?

A little bit of deception and no one need never find out, Tim thought to himself. And was it really that important, after all, for him to follow every single commandment himself? Were the principles he preached any the less valuable simply because he didn't follow them all the time?

Tim smiled.

"Hope to see y’all next Sunday!" he said.

"Yessir!"

“Our church is a real community. One big family. You’ll find a warm welcome here, plenty of people who share your heart for God! We have plenty of social events going on, plenty of opportunities for you to get to know other cool and clean living Christians like yourself.”
“We were looking for a church just like this, sir.”

Tim’s eyes glittered as he handed out his card.
“Ring me anytime,” he said. “One of the jobs I take most seriously as senior pastor is guiding young Christians.”

“Very honoured, sir!”

“Enjoy the rest of the service.”

“Yessir!”

Tim stumbled on, breathing heavily, desperate for a drink of water. A drink, a drink! A drink of pure, clean water to slake his thirst! Next, he heard someone call his name. Irritated, he turned round and saw a small, wiry, pale young man. His pasty blond hair fell over his eyes. He looked shy and nervous.

"Yes, son?"

"That was awesome, Pastor Tim."

"Thanks!” Tim paused a beat. “What's your name, son?"

"Tobias."

"A Biblical name!"

"Yes, sir. My parents are both Christians. They come from Kansas, like you, sir."

Tim glared at him. Why did this stranger have to spoil everything now by reminding him of his miserable childhood in Kansas? The memory of his father, a doctor, a disciplinarian and a perfectionist flashed before his eyes. Breathing heavily, he lifted his finger and stabbed it in accusation at the young man, who had dared to bring back the pain he had banished by a glorious sermon.

"How did you know I come from Kansas?” asked Tim.

Tobias smiled, bemused.

Everyone knows, sir, where you were born. You're like one of the most famous pastors in the whole of America!"

"And?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you something…ask for your advice, Pastor Tim."

"Fire ahead."

"I was thinking of bringing a friend of mine, here. He’s my room mate at college…”

Tim nodded absently. He was half listening to the clapping in the auditorium. His eyes glittered with ecstasy when he heard his name. Glory, glory, glory be thy name, Tim Leitner!

“…I wanted to bring him along next Sunday evening…”

"Yes, bring your friend along next Sunday, son!" Tim muttered with glassy eyes.

He gave Tobias a friendly slap on the shoulder, then made to go on. But the young man held him back by the arm, then stood there, his eyes lowered from embarrassment.

"But he's gay, Pastor Tim," he said after a moment.

Tim stopped, thunderstruck.

Gay?" he muttered.

His eyes blazed. His nostrils flared.

"That’s why I was wondering whether it’s okay to bring him. I mean, you said gay sex is a sin just now."

"It is!" thundered Tim, straightening himself.

“And sinners have no place in our church. We do not tolerate sinners here!”

"Is it such a sin? I mean, the main thing is to be kind and loving, isn't it? And he is! He's a real cool guy."

"Read the Bible, son! It says there in black and white: no sodomy, no faggots, no sex with gay lovers, no meth!" Tim was shouting now, jabbing his finger accusingly at Tobias. "And no lies to your wife either, son."

"I'm not married, sir."

"You should be at your age!"

"I've got a girlfriend, sir. We're thinking of marrying this summer."

"Well, don't lie to your girlfriend."

"No, sir. I don't lie to her."

"Don't cheat on her!"

"I don't, sir."

Tim inhaled. His nostrils flared violently.

"There is no sweeter fragrance," he stammered, his eyes blazing "than the fragrance of pure, clean thoughts turned towards God!"
Tobias bit his lip. He lowered his eyes. For a moment, he stood there staring at the carpet. Or was it the laces of Tim's boots that had somehow come undone in all the excitement?

"I know, sir," Tobias, finally, mumbled.

Tim took a deep breathe and lifted up his finger in admonition.

"The Bible says sodomy is a sin. Don't sin, son!"

"I'm not gay, sir. I swear, sir. It’s my friend. And I did read the Bible. I saw that Christ never mentions abortion or gay sex. He just says hardness of heart is a bad thing. He forgives the prostitute, too, sir.”

But Tim did not seem to hear. His blazing eyes were fixed on Tobias. They bulged with ire.

"All sinners and all sodomists must repent before they dare enter our church,” he cried out. “No homosexuals are welcome in the temple of God. Your friend should not dare to come here until he has repented his sins and changed his sick and perverted ways. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you for helping me clear that up, Pastor Tim."Tim smiled – or rather the corners of his mouth turned upwards. His eyes, though, remained hostile.

"Any time, son," Tim said.

He turned and stumbled on down the corridor. Water! Water! He craved a drink of pure, cool water.

A dozen people had gathered outside his office, hoping to get his autograph. Parents and their kids with their pens poised over pads, watched him with awe, wide eyed, like he was a baseball star. Tim stopped, scrawled a few autographs. Then lurched through the crowd, pulled open the door of his office drenched in the sweat of euphoria and slammed it shut behind him.