{"id":27837,"date":"2016-01-22T11:36:58","date_gmt":"2016-01-22T15:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/?p=27837"},"modified":"2016-01-26T22:23:22","modified_gmt":"2016-01-27T02:23:22","slug":"anonymous-tip-in-which-gwen-gets-saved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/2016\/01\/anonymous-tip-in-which-gwen-gets-saved.html","title":{"rendered":"Anonymous Tip: In Which Gwen Gets Saved"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

A Review Series of Anonymous Tip, by Michael Farris<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Pp. 195-198<\/em><\/p>\n

I am beyond frustrated with this section. Just beyond frustrated.<\/p>\n

Peter waited anxiously in the church parking lot for Gwen, Casey, and the Mansfields. He had barely slept all night, even though he left Gwen\u2019s by ten-thirty. His hear and his spirit did battle as he replayed over and over Aaron\u2019s counsel from Friday morning. He knew it was right for Gwen to come to church, but, nonetheless, he was worried about what Aaron would think. Deep down, he was worried that he was going down a path that was not God\u2019s best for him, but he tried not to think about it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Is Peter is feeling nervous because his actions are highly unethical? No, not at all! He doesn\u2019t appear to have ever even considered that inviting a client whose case he is working for free to come to church with him might\u00a0violate the ethical standards he\u2019s held to as a lawyer. He probably slept through the ethics classes in law school. No, Peter\u2019s just nervous because Aaron gave him a dressing down the previous Friday. And if I may add, Aaron said nothing about ethics. Aaron was just concerned about Peter being involved with a divorced non-Christian. Aaron was worried that Peter is being carried away by his baser self (i.e. the self that wants sex).<\/p>\n

You know what else is bothersome here?\u00a0Aaron\u2019s concerns had to do solely with Peter holding true to\u00a0his religious convictions\u2014in other words, it was all about Peter. What about Gwen? What about concern that Peter\u00a0might take\u00a0advantage of her and then hang her\u00a0out to dry? What about noting Gwen\u2019s vulnerableness to being exploited? After all, he\u2019s just won her case and she doesn\u2019t have the money to pay him, so he\u2019s doing it for free. The last lawyer who realized she was in that position attempted to solicit her for sex. While Peter hasn\u2019t asked for anything explicitly at this point, it should be clear that there is great risk for implicit coercion.<\/p>\n

How the hell doe she know Gwen\u2019s not already thinking \u201cOkay, he\u2019s doing this for me for free, so I better not rock the boat. I was uncomfortable with him picking my child up out of her bed when she had a nightmare last night, but could I really say something about that? I wouldn\u2019t want to scare him off, and I\u2019m indebted to him, and I do want to sue those Nazi\u00a0social workers, so I really don\u2019t have an option. I\u2019ll even go to church with him to humor him.\u201d I mean really, what the hell? We have ethical standards governing this kind of thing for a reason!<\/em><\/p>\n

But this is Peter we\u2019re talking about. Ethics, schmethics. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Anyway, Gwen, Stan, June, and Casey arrived just three minutes before the service started, but that worked out okay because the church and \u201cfront-row\u201d parking spaces for first-time visitors. Peter \u201chustled\u201d them into the auditorium\u2014note that Farris\u00a0doesn\u2019t call it a sanctuary\u2014and then looked over and saw Aaron sitting with his wife, Lynn, and their four children across the room. I imagine we are to understand that that made him nervous, but for once, Farris shows rather than telling.<\/p>\n

And then we get stuff like this:<\/p>\n

The entire routine of church seemed different to the Mansfields. Casey had never sat through a church service before. The people seemed happy, the music was relatively lively, and it seemed to the Mansfields a fine and noble exercise, despite the unfamiliarity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This just feels off, I mean, for serious? I mean good god, the Mansfield\u2019s took Gwen to church off and on as a child, they should be familiar with the idea of church.\u00a0This reads like Farris trying to get into the heads of people he simply can\u2019t get into the heads of. Also, no way did Casey sit through that service. My siblings only sat through service because they knew they\u2019d get spanked if they didn\u2019t. Plot twist . . . maybe they threatened Casey with a spanking if she moved. UGH. But really, do they not have Sunday school at this church? Really?<\/p>\n

For his sermon, Pastor Lind continued his preaching on the book of James. The previous week, if you remember, he\u00a0preached on the first half of one\u00a0verse: \u201cIs any one of you in trouble? Then he should pray.\u201d\u00a0This week he preached on the second half of the verse: \u201cIs anyone happy? He should sing songs of praise.\u201d I remember pastors spending entire sermons on one fragment like this. It could get tedious.<\/p>\n

Pastor Lind preaches as follows:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will notice the stark contrast in these two phrases from the same verse. In the first half, we are dealing with troubled people. In the second half, we are dealing with happy people. The reality is that we all experience trouble in our lives. And we will all experience happiness in our lives. In fact, some of you may have been here last week in desperate trouble, and this week you are brimming over with happiness.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This of course makes a big<\/em> impression on Gwen. I\u2019m guessing it makes less of an impression on the people who are in desperate trouble this week but were brimming with happiness the previous week.<\/p>\n

Pastor Lind goes on to explain that in fact, the response God calls for from those who are happy is the same as that which he calls for from those who are in trouble, because \u201csongs of praise\u201d is really just another phrase for praying. He instructs his listeners to remember that they should pray not only when they are in trouble, but also when they are happy.<\/p>\n

This goes on for a while, and then we get the altar call:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd, most importantly, He is the One who gives us the opportunity to have eternal happiness. I am talking about salvation. Jesus died for you so that you might have forgiveness of sins and live in heaven with Him forever. Ladies and gentlemen, that is true happiness, and when we are there, we will sing songs of praise.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And then we have the predictable.<\/p>\n

Gwen could not hold herself back when the Pastor gave the invitation. \u201cPeter, I want that. Will you walk with me?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

He nodded, tears barely visible in his own eyes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

THIS IS VIOLATING SO MANY BOUNDARIES I CAN\u2019T EVEN.<\/p>\n

So they walked to the front, and the pastor exchanged \u201ca few whispered words\u201d and then beaconed for a counselor to come to forward, and, surprise surprise, Aaron and Lynn respond. And then, thank GOD, Lynn told Peter to get lost and leave poor Gwen alone. Well no, not quite, but she did at least take Gwen to a side room and leave Peter there with Aaron. So, points for that! Poor Gwen did not<\/em> need Peter leading her through the sinner\u2019s prayer. We\u2019ve violated enough boundaries here already!<\/p>\n

Now, this is the moment when Aaron and Lynn need to have a \u201ccome to Jesus\u201d talk of a very different type with Peter and Gwen. Aaron needs to give Peter a dressing down for having dinner with his client in her home the previous night and for inviting them to come to church with him, thus violating every ethical boundary known to the legal profession. Well, not every, but enough<\/em>. And as for Lynn, she needs to tell Gwen that Peter has been perving on her for weeks and that she needs to run the hell away from him. I mean right now, Peter is incredibly physically attracted to Gwen and doesn\u2019t know how to walk that back or behave professionally, and he also believes he cannot ever marry Gwen or have a longterm relationship with her. If that\u2019s not a recipe for disaster I don\u2019t know what is. Besides all that, Peter knows that Gwen is fresh off a lawyer who tried to proposition her. How is it not obvious that he should actually hold himself to professional standards here?! Run, Gwen, run!<\/p>\n

Sadly, none of that happens.<\/p>\n

Peter told Aaron that he felt the need to get back with Gwen\u2019s parents and Casey immediately after the close of the hum. Aaron knew the discussion that was obviously necessary would take a long time and should not even be attempted now.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Really? Really?<\/em> Now seems like the perfect time, actually.<\/p>\n

Gwen came out, hugged Peter modestly as a new sister in Christ, and said, \u201cThank you for bringing me here. You continue to do good things for me. Thanks so much.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What even is this hugging \u201cmodestly as a new sister in Christ\u201d thing?! What, did Lynn give her hugging lessons while they were praying the sinner\u2019s prayer together? Inquiring minds need to know!<\/p>\n

Stan looked about uncomfortably. He and June were confused about everything. They decided that Gwen was simply walking forward to demonstrate her thankfulness for getting Casey back.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I know, right? Church, so confusing for people who have been to church before.<\/p>\n

In all seriousness, the entire sermon was about being thankful and that altar call was not explicit, so that Gwen went forward to thank God\u00a0seems like a completely reasonable and not-at-all confusing conclusion.<\/p>\n

Peter was actually glad that the Mansfields had plans for June and Casey for the afternoon that pragmatically couldn\u2019t include him. Aaron noticed Peter leaving the sanctuary alone. He purposed to call soon.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

First, Peter, Peter, Peter<\/em>, would you have hung out with them all Sunday if they hadn\u2019t already had plans? Does Peter need an orange flashing neon light saying DANGER DANGER DANGER in front of him\u00a0constantly for him\u00a0to see the impropriety of such actions? There\u2019s this little thing called ethics. Can someone report him to the bar association already? But second, about Aaron purposing to call, Aaron is clearly not a good purposer, because I just flipped ahead and he ends up too \u201cbusy\u201d to call and doesn\u2019t have his \u201cobviously necessary\u201d chat with Peter until he sees him the following Friday morning.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the end of this section.\u00a0Can you see why I\u2019m feeling frustrated?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am beyond frustrated with this section. Just beyond frustrated. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":845,"featured_media":28083,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[469],"class_list":["post-27837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-anonymous-tip"],"yoast_head":"\nAnonymous Tip: In Which Gwen Gets Saved<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I am beyond frustrated with this section. 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