Friends,
There is a lot to the story, but Tim Pernetti losing his job as Athletic Director at Rutgers University would appear to be up for debate. Pernetti felt that he took the right and considerable action last fall when he fined men's head basketball coach, Mike Rice, $50,000 and suspended him for three games, because of Rice's mistreatment of players on the basketball team. This seemed to be a good call at the time (and to others involved, apparently). What is now certain is that the coach, Rice, has lost his job because of an ESPN report by Outside the Lines where the network has showed an unfortunate video of the coach abusing his players, physically and verbally. It has also come about that an assistant coach under Rice who was also responsible for mistreating players has been fired. Now, the athletic director himself has been fired. Some are going to blame ESPN for much of this, and a case could certainly be made for such. But, this is the result of investigative reporting that those in the sports world do, much the same as those in the political world. I am not saying it is ethical or right, but "it is what it is" in the society that we presently live in.
What coach Rice did was reprehensible. He should have been disciplined...and the debate will continue as to whether he should have been fired on the spot -- it is certainly feasible that this should have been the action by the A.D. But, Pernetti was doing what he thought was best to help the man and to diffuse the situation. I do not see how that this is so wrong and unredeemable? Certainly coaches have been disciplined for similar matters and not lost their jobs. But, rest assured...if anyone has eyes to see through the eyes of our culture...the coach did not lose his job because he threw basketballs at players or shoved them (although both of those actions are clearly in error); the coach lost his job because of the insensitive slur he made, which certainly should not have been done. But, in the hypersensitive, reactive culture that we live in...that is all it takes in order for their to be a firestorm on the part of certain militant groups. I could take an entirely different tangent at this point and discuss just how out of sorts our culture is in relationship to this point, but I am going to resist the temptation.
I am not defending Pernetti's action not to fire the coach. What I am defending is Pernetti himself...and whether what he did was a fireable offense. It is important to note that as a 1993 Rutgers graduate who was hired as Rutgers' AD in April 2009, Pernetti was instrumental in Rutgers moving from the Big East to the Big Ten Conference for 2014. Because of the move, Rutgers will increase its media rights revenue from about $3 million annually in the Big East to more than $40 million annually by 2017, sources said. On top of this, NFL All-Pro running back Ray Rice (a Rutgers graduate) said when he returned to campus recently after the Ravens won the Super Bowl in February, Pernetti's main message was positive and inspirational -- he wanted Rice to complete his degree. It is apparent from a number of reports that Pernetti is a good man who has looked out for the best interests of people at Rutgers University and beyond. I believe that he acted in good faith with the program, and so, to fire him seems to be the result of pressure from others in the university system and on the state level. Could it be that they felt the need to make Pernetti the fall guy because this has been an enbarrassment to the University and so that they could save face? This would seem to be the case. But, was it the right thing to do? I do not believe so...but this will be debated for some time. What has happened to Pernetti appears to be the result of the same "mob mentality" witch hunt that is created by such situations that usually results in someone "paying the price". Should we be surprised by this? No. It has been the same for millenia. And once again, I am going to resist the temptation to take a religious tangent with regard to Jesus' own crucifixion as the result of a "mob mentality." But, I think the point is made...and open for thought, discussion.
Blessings, Don
P.S. Now the reporting is that Pernetti "has resigned."
P.S.S.. As I have further come to understand it, Pernetti was seriously considering firing coach Rice last fall after the incidents, but was talked out of it by a "consensus of school officials." Apparently, it is a consensus of "officials" that have chosen to run him off, as well. Hmmm.
Showing posts with label integrity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label integrity. Show all posts
Friday, April 5, 2013
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The Devil Didn't Make Me Do It, But Someone Else Did
Friends,
We live in a society where truthfulness and accountability are no longer necessary - we can put our own spin on everything…and even re-write history. A little satire might help us to better understand where this is going. “Really officer, I did rob that bank, but…it wasn’t my fault, you see. If my parents had done a better job…if my teachers had done a better job…I wouldn’t be in this predicament. It’s not my fault that I never learned to accept responsibility…” Or, even more recent and realistic (and I am not saying this to make a political statement, but is for the purpose of illustration). From any number of presidents, senators or congressmen – “Even though I have been in office for 4…8...12 years, our country, my state, county, city or township…you name it…is in the condition that it is, because my predecessor messed everything up.”
As one popular news network claims, most of us would like to believe that we live "fair and balanced” lives. But, is this really the case? What do our actions say? How do we report our own stories? Isn’t it true that when we do our own "anchoring" that we think things like…"we wonder – but they are nosy; we are cautious - they are paranoid; we are composed - they are stuffy; we are concerned - they gripe; and, we are determined - they are stubborn!" In our unguarded or self-protective moments, we choose words that give the benefit of the doubt to ourselves at the expense of others. With little thought, we hide our own wrongdoings and exaggerate the faults of others. This is our human nature…it is our pride, and is not a good reflection on our spiritual nature to which we have been called.
How do we explain our tendency to be unfair and unbalanced? The Word of God gives us a better explanation for why we, even unintentionally, shade, slice, and dice the truth? Without covering up the wrongdoings of its own "chosen people," the Bible tells many stories that reflect not only our own inclinations, but why we all aspire to something higher. Where did all of this begin? According to the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve had no reason to do anything but love life and truth. They were both created by God who used His own words to compose a perfect story for them. With a turn of the page, however, God’s real-life cast of characters walked out on Him. Instead of following the script, the pair decided to write their own story. The history of truth-telling took a turn for the worse when the first man and woman met someone who claimed to know more about God’s motives than they did. Like a golfer hitting an intentional slice, the serpent put his own spin on the only limitation that God had given to Adam and Eve. While they may have wondered why He had put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil off limits to them, they had no reason to doubt His motives.
However, the stranger raised an interesting question -- why doesn’t God want you (Adam and Eve) to eat of that tree? And that question became two more questions -- What secrets are being kept from you? Why doesn’t He want them knowing as much as He knows? Adam and Eve had, unknowingly, just entered a trap. When the Lord found the couple and asked the man what he had done…what happened? Adam’s response -- “It is this woman that you gave me” (Genesis 3:12). He did not accept responsibility for his own actions, but placed blame…he passed the buck. The woman, in turn, pointed her finger at the serpent. Even though neither Adam nor Eve saw it coming, they both now had something in common with the blame-shifting devil whose name means "the accuser." Some people would say that the first couple "bet the farm and lost it" on some very bad advice. But, being evicted from their home and land was the least of their growing problems -- something within them had died. For the very first time, they were not on the same page with the Almighty God. Their loss of innocence and knowledge of good and evil changed the way that they thought and the way that they talked about one another. From that time forward, the first couple, and their children, had something to hide concerning themselves and something to suspect in everyone else. In an effort to avoid blame for what they had done, they would always tend to tell their story in a way that blurred the line between fact and fiction.
Today, my brothers and sisters, we all face the temptation to live this out…and with a vengeance. The use of half-truths to color our thinking reflects spirits and lives that are out of focus. Well…what is the solution? With such propensity to want to spin the truth, how could our own story turn out well? According to the Word, God, through the writer of Hebrews (12:2), tells us: "We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the Cross because of the joy He knew would be His afterward. Now He is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in Heaven." While we are inclined to project our own guilt onto others, Jesus, the Christ, does the exact opposite! He takes our guilt upon Himself - He accepts full responsibility for our spiritual debts, and…He gives His blamelessness to anyone who receives Him as their personal Lord and Savior. The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:21, tells the Corinthian church and us: "For God made Christ, Who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." Know that the way that we twist the truth about ourselves and others, says so much about our need for Jesus, the Christ. We keep falling back into our old ways of favoring ourselves at the expense of others. We need to ask God to help us to show an honesty of conversation with ourselves and others and have an integrity of life that demonstrates to the world that our hope and security is not in ourselves. So, when we are tempted not to want to deal with our own sinful nature…blaming mom and dad, or the church, or the elders, or the preacher, or the deacon, or brothers or sisters, or the school, or the judge, jury or executioner…we need to look in the spiritual mirror and realize that…much more often than not…to quote Walt Kelley…“we have met the enemy and he is us.”
As one popular news network claims, most of us would like to believe that we live "fair and balanced” lives. But, is this really the case? What do our actions say? How do we report our own stories? Isn’t it true that when we do our own "anchoring" that we think things like…"we wonder – but they are nosy; we are cautious - they are paranoid; we are composed - they are stuffy; we are concerned - they gripe; and, we are determined - they are stubborn!" In our unguarded or self-protective moments, we choose words that give the benefit of the doubt to ourselves at the expense of others. With little thought, we hide our own wrongdoings and exaggerate the faults of others. This is our human nature…it is our pride, and is not a good reflection on our spiritual nature to which we have been called.
How do we explain our tendency to be unfair and unbalanced? The Word of God gives us a better explanation for why we, even unintentionally, shade, slice, and dice the truth? Without covering up the wrongdoings of its own "chosen people," the Bible tells many stories that reflect not only our own inclinations, but why we all aspire to something higher. Where did all of this begin? According to the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve had no reason to do anything but love life and truth. They were both created by God who used His own words to compose a perfect story for them. With a turn of the page, however, God’s real-life cast of characters walked out on Him. Instead of following the script, the pair decided to write their own story. The history of truth-telling took a turn for the worse when the first man and woman met someone who claimed to know more about God’s motives than they did. Like a golfer hitting an intentional slice, the serpent put his own spin on the only limitation that God had given to Adam and Eve. While they may have wondered why He had put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil off limits to them, they had no reason to doubt His motives.
However, the stranger raised an interesting question -- why doesn’t God want you (Adam and Eve) to eat of that tree? And that question became two more questions -- What secrets are being kept from you? Why doesn’t He want them knowing as much as He knows? Adam and Eve had, unknowingly, just entered a trap. When the Lord found the couple and asked the man what he had done…what happened? Adam’s response -- “It is this woman that you gave me” (Genesis 3:12). He did not accept responsibility for his own actions, but placed blame…he passed the buck. The woman, in turn, pointed her finger at the serpent. Even though neither Adam nor Eve saw it coming, they both now had something in common with the blame-shifting devil whose name means "the accuser." Some people would say that the first couple "bet the farm and lost it" on some very bad advice. But, being evicted from their home and land was the least of their growing problems -- something within them had died. For the very first time, they were not on the same page with the Almighty God. Their loss of innocence and knowledge of good and evil changed the way that they thought and the way that they talked about one another. From that time forward, the first couple, and their children, had something to hide concerning themselves and something to suspect in everyone else. In an effort to avoid blame for what they had done, they would always tend to tell their story in a way that blurred the line between fact and fiction.
Today, my brothers and sisters, we all face the temptation to live this out…and with a vengeance. The use of half-truths to color our thinking reflects spirits and lives that are out of focus. Well…what is the solution? With such propensity to want to spin the truth, how could our own story turn out well? According to the Word, God, through the writer of Hebrews (12:2), tells us: "We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the Cross because of the joy He knew would be His afterward. Now He is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in Heaven." While we are inclined to project our own guilt onto others, Jesus, the Christ, does the exact opposite! He takes our guilt upon Himself - He accepts full responsibility for our spiritual debts, and…He gives His blamelessness to anyone who receives Him as their personal Lord and Savior. The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:21, tells the Corinthian church and us: "For God made Christ, Who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." Know that the way that we twist the truth about ourselves and others, says so much about our need for Jesus, the Christ. We keep falling back into our old ways of favoring ourselves at the expense of others. We need to ask God to help us to show an honesty of conversation with ourselves and others and have an integrity of life that demonstrates to the world that our hope and security is not in ourselves. So, when we are tempted not to want to deal with our own sinful nature…blaming mom and dad, or the church, or the elders, or the preacher, or the deacon, or brothers or sisters, or the school, or the judge, jury or executioner…we need to look in the spiritual mirror and realize that…much more often than not…to quote Walt Kelley…“we have met the enemy and he is us.”
We have every opportunity to bless and to be blessed in Jesus Christ. We do have all the riches of spiritual blessings available to us in Christ. We have opportunities as a church family to take advantage of and promote these blessings…all we need to do is be willing. We must submit our wills to God’s will so that He can use us to the glory of His kingdom.
Blessings, Don
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