"I can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty." - George Burns

This is what a job half done looks like. But since I took these early this morning I’ve got the rest of the popcorn off and all the repair work done. A final sanding and she’ll be ready for priming and painting. But that will have to wait until tomorrow because I won’t have sufficient light this evening with all the lamps and the ceiling fan out of the room.

I want to officially apologize to anyone for whom I sprayed on popcorn ceilings. When I was finishing basements in Michigan I’m pretty sure I did so, and I now have the deepest regret for that act of malfeasance.

After phone calls from the editor at TIME magazine and Mayor Bloomberg I’m ready to weigh in on the Ground Zero mosque issue. However, you should understand that my thoughts have less to do with the constitutional and political issues than they do with matters of a more personal and pragmatic nature.

From a legal perspective the construction of a mosque, or for that matter, a mansion on a lot anywhere in N.Y. has to do with matters of zoning. That puts the question within the purview of the N.Y. City zoning commission, and perhaps the City Council on review. I’m sure N.Y.C. has a very long list of codes and regulations that objectify the question, which should make this a fairly simple issue to decide. Does a mosque on this lot fit within the guidelines for structures on that site? Alas, I’m also sure these codes and regulations get twisted and bent frequently for any number of reasons, valid and invalid.

That’s where the political dimension comes into play. Nobody is naive enough to think that a politician, especially a New York politician, can’t get the rules to somehow say whatever political expediency requires them to say. That’s one reason for having a 4” thick book of rules and regs; the sheer volume provides plenty of opportunities for cover when a person(s) with sufficient power needs to find a way to get something to turn out the way they want it to. “Chapter 8, section VI, subsection 5, item a) can be understood to say....”

What, then, are the overriding political concerns among the relevant politicians? That group is larger than just N.Y.C. politicians, because state and federal politicians have a stake in this, too. Hey, even the President, who is from Chicago, felt the need to chime in.

Those concerns vary depending on the politician and his/her constituency. The President stuck his foot in political hoonyah when he implied the mosque should be built. But he was standing before a group of Moslems celebrating the holy month of Ramadan when he made that statement. Would he have said the same thing, would he have even touched on the topic, if he was appearing before a group of Southern Baptists? (OK, that’s not a likely scenario, but you get my point.)

Mayor Bloomberg thinks the mosque should be built. He says he believes this because of the great principles on which our country was founded. Color me cynical but I suspect he also has an eye on the Muslim population in his city and on the city’s other minorities who see themselves mirrored in this issue. On the other side, virtually every Republican opposes the construction of a mosque anywhere near Ground Zero. I call this the SaPaPaEf - The Sarah Palin Paranoia Effect. No Republican anywhere near an election wants to take a position on any topic that will bring the Alaskan She-Bear to attack.

I am neither the mayor of N.Y.C. nor a Republican politician (thank God). I’m also not a Muslim. If I were a Muslim I’d try to get my religious leaders to oppose the construction of the mosque on this site. It’s clearly provoking hostility among a sizable portion of the U.S. population, and if there’s one thing the Muslim faith doesn’t need now it’s more bad press. Why unnecessarily antagonize people? Unless your goal is to engender hostility (and I accept that the vast majority of practicing Muslims do not want that) why do something that assaults a very sensitive nerve? Never mind attracting new adherents, a positive attitude from others toward the Muslim faith should be a goal.

Unless Muslims consider that particular spot holy ground, a sacred space.

I have no reason to think they do. So far as I know the Muslims have holy sites, but not in this country. So where a mosque gets built is a pragmatic issue involving, among other things, the good will of others, and not a religious issue. Therein lies my entry point to the matter.

In its two-and-a-half year history Pathway Bible Church has met in a living room, a dance studio, an upscale resort and now at an older elementary school. Each has had its advantages and disadvantages, but somehow we have managed to worship and God has blessed in all four sites. We will have a more permanent site someday, Deo Volente, but the building and its location will be, must be, secondary to what goes on in and through that assemblage of wood, metal and stone.

When I talked on the phone to the pastor of the church who vacated this school he said they found it difficult to worship in a cafeteria with vending machines against the wall, a large model of an F-16 hanging from the ceiling (an homage to Luke Air Force Base nearby) and old linoleum tiles on the floor. It’s only been one week but I don’t think anyone at Pathway had a problem with that last Sunday.

Worship is a choice. I can worship in spirit and in truth with other brothers and sisters in Christ in a cafeteria or a cathedral. Some environments are more conducive than others (Pam’s childhood church met in a mortuary, complete with bodies in caskets) but if I set my mind to worship neither the space nor its geographical location will be determinative.

I’m interested to see how the issue of the Ground Zero mosque gets settled. I’m not optimistic that the outcome will resolve some of the bigger questions at the heart of the matter. I suspect it will only further inflame passions on one or both sides. But it serves as a reminder to me that my worship must not be dependent on the environment. As a pastor I want things to be as conducive to worship as possible. But when factors beyond my control (budget, availability, public perception, etc.) prevent a conducive environment I hope and trust our congregation will commit to worship despite less than ideal surroundings simply because worship is our great privilege and responsibility.