{"id":1883,"date":"2014-07-03T01:09:36","date_gmt":"2014-07-03T06:09:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jeffhood\/?p=1883"},"modified":"2014-07-03T01:09:36","modified_gmt":"2014-07-03T06:09:36","slug":"dont-you-dare-turn-your-head-the-self-immolation-of-the-rev-charles-moore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jeffhood\/dont-you-dare-turn-your-head-the-self-immolation-of-the-rev-charles-moore\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t You Dare Turn Your Head: The Self-Immolation of The Rev. Charles Moore"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"rev-charles-moore-327x388\"<\/a>
The Rev. Charles Moore \/\/ photo courtesy of The Moore Family<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The fiery passion of 79-year-old retired United Methodist pastor The Rev. Charles Moore is raging in my soul right now.\u00a0 On June 23 around 5:30pm, Moore exited his vehicle in Grand Saline, Texas, doused his body with gasoline and set himself on fire.\u00a0 After rescue efforts by bystanders, Moore was taken by helicopter to Parkland Hospital in Dallas and eventually died late last night.\u00a0 Based on notes left behind, Moore chose to self-immolate based on his frustration with the United Methodist Church\u2019s position on human sexuality, opposition to the death penalty, disdain for racism (especially in his hometown of Grand Saline) and his deep anger at Southern Methodist University\u2019s decision to house the George W. Bush Presidential Center.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rev. Moore knew how we would react.\u00a0 On June 22, the day before he self-immolated, Moore wrote, \u201cI know that some will judge me insane.\u201d\u00a0 When I first shared Moore\u2019s story with a table full of people at a Dallas restaurant, everyone immediately declared him insane.\u00a0 I know different.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

While a graduate student in history at the University of Alabama, I spent six months studying self-immolations that took place in both the United States and in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.\u00a0 With stark consistency, the persons who self-immolated that I studied were remarkably sane and unquestionably persons of deep conviction.\u00a0 The temptation of the hour will be to turn our heads and call The Rev. Charles Moore insane.\u00a0 If we do\u2026we should also turn our heads from Jesus and call him insane too.\u00a0 For we must not forget, Jesus sat in the Garden of Gethsemane and made a conscious clear decision to step out into death\u2026just like Moore.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Instead of judging Rev. Moore, maybe we should try to ignite the passion for justice that burned so brightly in his life in ours.\u00a0 When Texas tries to execute Manuel Vasquez on August 6, maybe we should do something more than simply turn our heads and protect our dignity.\u00a0 When our churches and societies ignore racial segregation and discrimination, maybe we should do something more than simply turn our heads and protect our pride.\u00a0 When we are asked to perform a same-sex wedding ceremony or ordain a same-gender loving person, maybe we should do something more than turn our heads and protect our salaries\/pensions.\u00a0 When institutional injustices occur all around us, maybe we should do something more that turn our heads and bless them with our silence.\u00a0 I will go to bed this evening thankful for the public witness of The Rev. Charles Moore and pray that the church would garner even an ounce of his passion and courage.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

On a personal note, I serve on the Board of Directors of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.\u00a0 Rev. Moore helped found the organization.\u00a0 Because Moore lived, I am able to do the work that I do.\u00a0 My respect for Moore is unwavering and I am proud to follow in his footsteps.\u00a0 Jesus asks us to give our lives and Moore did.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tonight my passion for Jesus burns as intensely as ever.\u00a0 When I look straight ahead into the dark, I see Moore\u2019s bespectacled image burning.\u00a0 I see Moore giving his life so that others might live.\u00a0 I refuse to turn my head.\u00a0 I know that Jesus is speaking to me from there.\u00a0 The courage of a passionate follower of Jesus can set the world afire with love.\u00a0 May the great martyrdom of The Rev. Charles Moore make it so.<\/p>\n

Amen.<\/p>\n

details from:<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.umc.org\/news-and-media\/retired-pastor-saw-destiny-in-self-immolation<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The fiery passion of 79-year-old retired United Methodist pastor The Rev. Charles Moore is raging in my soul right now.\u00a0 On June 23 around 5:30pm, Moore exited his vehicle in Grand Saline, Texas, doused his body with gasoline and set himself on fire.\u00a0 After rescue efforts by bystanders, Moore was taken by helicopter to Parkland […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2509,"featured_media":1884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[481,556,769,822,829,1213,1323,1330,1358,1450,1600,1634,1729,1810,1883,1885,1897,1904,2150,2187,2551,2607,2631,2817,2887,2973,3091,3142,3143,3275,3390,3455,3457,3573,3748,3749,3761,3805,3806],"class_list":["post-1883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-freshwritings","category-thoughts","tag-burns","tag-charles-moore","tag-dallas","tag-death","tag-death-penalty","tag-fire","tag-garden-of-gethsemane","tag-gasoline","tag-george-w-bush-presidential-center","tag-grand-saline","tag-homosexuality","tag-human-sexuality","tag-insane","tag-jesus","tag-judge","tag-judging","tag-june-23","tag-justice","tag-manuel-vasquez","tag-martyrdom","tag-ordaination","tag-parkland-hospital","tag-pastor","tag-public-witness","tag-racism","tag-rev-charles-moore","tag-same-sex-wedding","tag-self-immolate","tag-self-immolation","tag-southern-methodist-university","tag-suicide","tag-texas","tag-texas-coalition-to-abolish-the-death-penalty","tag-the-rev-charles-r-moore","tag-united-methodist","tag-united-methodist-church","tag-university-of-alabama","tag-vietnam","tag-vietnam-war"],"yoast_head":"\nDon't You Dare Turn Your Head: The Self-Immolation of The Rev. 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