Nonviolent Action in the Middle East

On Tuesday evening (Dec. 2nd), Vanderbilt Students for Nonviolence, Jewish Studies, and The Office of Religious Life will be hosting both James Lawson and Rabbi Everett Gendler. Both are well known practitioners of nonviolence in the Civil Rights Movement and have been a well needed voice for nonviolent resistance for social change. Rabbi Gendler was influential in Georgia, Selma, and Montgomery and has recently been involved in community organizing for Tibetan exiles as well as initiating the Active Nonviolence Education Center in Dharmasala, India. He and Lawson will be discussing the possibility of nonviolent action within the Middle East, examining the social structures, history, and repetitive violence desolating the families and land. If you are in the Nashville area on Tuesday evening, head over to Wilson Hall (Room 126). It should be an edifying experience.

"The making of a great compilation..."

Joy and I went to the Exit/In on Thursday evening to take in the music of Sleeping at Last. While I was there, I started thinking about the top five bands I would see if they were in town. It is a list of bands that I have seen and haven't seen, but if they came to Nashville I would have to see them. I thought some would make it on the list, but obviously couldn't make the cut because they have already been through town in the few short months I've been here: like Ray Lamontagne and even Ben Folds. I have to admit that I didn't go see either because we were short on cash, but that's what makes the list better. If you go see this musician or band even when you are squeaking by, they deserve consideration. Without further ado:

5. Sleeping at Last: I have Levi and Katie Holland to thank for this one. They introduced me to this Wheaton/Chicago band while in college. I have now seen them four different times.

4. Death Cab for Cutie: I was introduced to this band by Chris Allison my freshmen year in College. I have yet to see them live but are a must on my daily play lists.

3. Coldplay: Nashville is almost too small of a venue for Coldplay. The closest they get to us in there Vida tour is Atlanta, and that is unfortunate. I would love to experience 'Lost' and 'Fix-You' in person.

2. Over the Rhine: Brilliant lyrics, amazing vocals, and majestic sound. I'm considering driving to Louisville, KY to catch this band on Dec. 12. (Shout out to Marcus who introduced me to OTR)

1. U2: If they are in a 5 hour radius of where you live, you need to go regardless of price. I saw them live in Chicago when they came through for the Vertigo Tour. If I made a top five list for my life's best experiences, a U2 concert would be in the top three. (My brother Doug has been influential in the maturation process of this particular band).

Why do I vote?

In the course of the primaries and the months leading up to this day, I have been pushing the idea of voting further back in my mind. I have always been told that voting is the number one way of making your voice heard. It is intricate in democracy. It is a national past-time and a privilege that others do not share. It is down-right American. And yet, I ask myself, is it Christian?

The James Dobson's and Pat Robertsons of the world would tell you that voting is intricately linked to our lives as Christians. Being involved in the political process is like being involved in the Kingdom of God. Jim Wallis would say that we have an obligation to vote our conscience but making a clear distinction between the difference between the nation and the Kingdom of God. And yet, I am haunted by the memory of the early church refusing any participation in imperial society. They would not defecate themselves by offering a pinch of incense to either party.

The relationship between the church and state has become extremely murky. Conservatives seem to scream about no prayer in schools and try to break down the barriers between the church and state, trying their best to build a theocracy with the Bush administration. But I wonder if the separation of church and state isn't so much to protect government as it is to allow the church the freedom to be what it ought. Christian citizenship has never been about aquiescing to the state. It has always been about courageous, community altering, unqiue set-apartness. Blending the church with the nation-state always ends up altering the church, never the other way around.

So how does this uniqueness look like when we go to the polls, acting as good Americans? I went to the Art Music Justice Tour the other week. Derek Webb took some time to talk about voting and started to question why voting seems like such a 'christian' thing to do. My wife looked at me and asked, "Did he just tell us not to vote?" Yeah, he did. And while I'm still working this out, I still took the time to submit my early vote. Maybe I should take some more time before the next election, but I'm interested in hearing what others think about this great American christianized voting mechanism.

Greatest Good?

I wanted to try something different with this post. I want to start a little discussion. It will probably be little because it might end being a discussion with myself. I was watching the Presidential debate the other night and noticed something that both candidates actually agreed upon. Both believe that the United States is the greatest force for good and peace in the world. Good and peace seemed to be interchangeable in the language that was used. I was in my nonviolent struggle course the other week when Jim Lawson said, "The #1 enemy of peace in the world is the United States." So where does the US actually sit on this spectrum? Obviously there will be some language issues. The terms are clearly comparative, and in the sense of judging a hierarchy of peace and its production might prove problematic; but the general idea can still be discussed.

So is the US the greatest force for peace, or the #1 enemy of peace?

I want to hear some thoughts before I post my own...

From out Defense Secretary

I thought this article was very interesting, in part because the Sec. of Defense admits the limitations of war and thankfully recognizes its inherent brutality. This was a speech given at the graduation of the National Defense University.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gates30-2008sep30,0,2382416.story

Athanasius and Creation

Before there was a beginning, there was only God. God is not restrained by time, nor can God be restrained. Time itself was a creation of God, but God now works within and through time. Athanasius recognized the act of creation as continual thread of human existence. In his work On the Incarnation of the Word, Athanasius develops a doctrine of the incarnation that hinges upon the doctrine of creation, “For in speaking of the appearance of the Saviour amongst us, we must needs speak also of the origin of men, that you may know that the reason of His coming down was because of us” (4: 2).
To understand the nature of the incarnation, one must first have an adequate view of the One who is incarnated. Athanasius taught that the Word was before time, one with the Father, begotten, and yet not created. The Word is known as Son, though not through adoption, but is co-equal with the Father. The Word had an intricate role in the creation process. As Athanasius remarks, “It may be duly perceived that the renewal of creation has been the work of the self-same Word that made it at the beginning” (1: 4). Yet, the grace given humanity by the will of the Father by means of the one law in the garden, so that we may continue in the knowledge of the Creator, afforded the possibility of corruption.
This corruption of God’s good creation did take place. Wickedness, wrongdoing, and evil wasted away God’s plan. God was left with a bit of a quandary: either the creation wastes away to non-existence (nullifying God’s goodness), or God could redeem humanity by turning a blind eye to his own law (thus making God a liar). Neither was acceptable. Humanity must be held accountable while still preserving the goodness and creation of God. Athanasius recognized that man had been created in the image of God, but it was in the fall that the image was lost. The incarnation then takes the role a redemptive act to restore the lost image. It seemed reasonable that the only way in which to restore the image lost was by the Image itself. As it was said by St. Gregory the Theologian, “The unassumed is unhealed.” In this way, the ‘Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.’
It is through the God-man that true knowledge of God also exists. The boring of flesh did not corrupt the divine, rather through the pairing of the divine with the body the body was made perfect. Likewise, through the indwelling of the Word the body is sanctified. Athanasius reminds us that “even though creation be a thing made, it is not absurd that the Word should be in it, then neither is it absurd that He should be in man.” And, while He was man he took upon himself the death of humanity so by it the Resurrection of the dead may be inherited. The Word in Christ gave man’s mortal soul a way in which to progress to immortality. Not only was the Word an instrument in creation but creation meets its fruition in the Word. The incarnation then acts as God’s deliverance to a state of communion with Himself.

James Lawson

I have officially sat through at least one of all my classes. My night class on Tuesday is entitled "The Nonviolent Struggle" taught by James Lawson. James Lawson was one of the leaders in the Civil Rights movement, particularly in Nashville. He is an older gentleman, white hair, with a very calming presence and an articulate diction. Here is a story that recounts my extreme intimidation in the presence of this man.

After asking us why we took his class, he asked us a series of questions. How many of you have been involved in a picket line? Half the class raises their hands. How many of you have been involved in a social struggle for change that lasts longer than 6 weeks? How many of you have been involved in Civil Disobedience? Three people raise their hands. How many of you have been arrested? No hands. He just looks at us. All I can think is that this man thinks we're a bunch putz's that like the idea on nonviolence but have no experience. Of course, we're sitting in front of man who was arrested for being a conscientious objector during the Korean War.

Later in the class he mentions a certain distinction. Though the authors of the books we will read make a distinction between nonviolence (as ideological) and nonviolent action, James Lawson sees no distinction. Nonviolence is a lifestyle that is not relegated to some distant realm of theory but makes its home in the nests of the practical way living.

I have not been arrested, and my little protest at Olivet against the war can hardly count as Civil Disobedience.

Class Schedule

I need to take the time to expound on the past week, but it's been crazy. Below is my class schedule: I'm excited to say the least.

MWF: Formation of the Christian Tradition (9:00)

MWF: Hebrew Bible (11:00)

T, R: History of Christian Liturgy (11:00)

T: The Non-Violent Struggle, taught by James Lawson (6-9)

Classes have finally started. I'm a student again, this time at Vanderbilt.

Where is our allegiance?

Last night, Barack Obama and John McCain met for the first time since becoming the presumptive nominee of their parties. Interestingly, they met at Saddleback church with Pastor Rick Warren as the moderator. Many people know him as the author of Purpose Driven Church/Life and establising massive networking machine within protestant evangelicalism. While there are things I like and dislike about Warren, that was not the point of last night's forum. (Though I am thankful he has moved away from right wing single issues political evangelicalism: abortion is important, but so is poverty, racism, HIV/aids, hunger, and human trafficking).

Last night was a unique time for both candidates to speak openly and honestly about their positions, character, and assumptions about leading the country. I don't get any of the cable news channels, but I was able to watch it online streaming from msnbc. I don't want to spend too much time talking about all the details. Briefly, I thought Obama was more personal and open. He seemed willing to discuss and explain how he believes what he believes. McCain was very straightforward and seemed to just reiterate everything his party platform already says.

One thing stuck out to me. It was something McCain said, and actually something he had written in TIME Magazine a few weeks ago. He tells a story of when he was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. His guards used to bind his hands and legs together with his head tucked down by his feet throughout the night. One night, a guard came in and loosened his ropes. A few hours later, he came back and tightened them again. A few months later, at Christmas, McCain was allowed to go outside for a few minutes. This guard, without saying a word, came and drew a cross in the dirt. McCain said last evening, "For a minute there, we were just two Christians worshipping together."

I thought it interesting that it was only for a minute. Obviously this is interpreted many different ways, but I see this as a deeper theological expression. For both the guard and McCain, nationalism comes before Christianity. I understand that many in the blogosphere may disagree, but when Christian is pitted against Christian in violent aggression for the sake of national interest, the church has a problem. The guard was unwilling to leave his post for the sake of another Christian (though he did risk much). McCain joined the military explaining that this his country has always been 'number one' in his life.

I often times wonder, if I may borrow a phrase from Ron Sider, what would happen if the church spent as much time and effort on peacekeeping as nations spent on war. We might be able to move from two enemies worshipping for a brief moment to two friends bound by the love of Christ deciding to renounce violent aggression. The time has now come where we can come together and worship in spirit and in truth.

A Fractured Unity

This morning Joy and I went to St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Franklin, TN. It was a good experience. One thing in particular stuck out to me: the beauty of the liturgy. Good evangelical protestants have often labeled more liturgical services as archaic, old, or out of date. I think it has more to do with a lack of understanding rather than the mode of service. The service flow has a centuries old witness. When I experience such a service I can't help but think that thousands of churches are reading this scripture and proclaiming the Lord's death at the same time, and we are not alone. Those who have gone before us are also 'groaning in child birth' as we await the holistic redemption waiting for us. They are present, as is Christ.

I particularly noticed the transition from the homily into the creed. As the media has made abundantly clear, the Episcopal church of the USA has been going through a rough patch. The seminal issue revolves around the acceptance of gay bishops. Some are for it and some are not. There was an honesty this morning when this was addressed. However, it was not a message against or even for homosexuality within the church. It was a message of love in the midst of our differences. One can interpret our differences as our views about homosexuality, our certain doctrines, or even the way in which we conduct a service. What matters is that Christ is in all and through all. And we as a church are still trying to figure that out.

The serviced progressed from the homily right into the first words of the Nicene Creed: "We believe in One God, the Father, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen." How beautiful a movement. To go from talking about the divisions that have arisen within the community and then still professing the unity that is in the body of Christ culminating in the Eucharistic feast. May the love of Christ continue to knock down the barriers that keep us from loving each other.

A few happenings

Joy and I have been here since the beginning of July. It's kind of weird because next month's rent is due on Thursday. It does not feel as if we have been here that long. It's also weird to actually pay rent. This is something neither of us have had to do. We can thank Joy's employment at ONU to thank for that one.

I usually don't take the time to update my blog about the goings on of my life. I usually have dedicated this blog to my thoughts and theology. I like it that way. And if you do too, I am sorry that I have not written much in the past month. To be honest, I have not been as disciplined here as I was back at school. I have all the time in the world with no job, but I am distracted easily while at home. I also lack the funds to visit the local coffee shops as much as I did in Bourbonnais. It is an entirely different to also have a wife that also does not work. Essentially, we spend all of our time together. This has been wonderful as I love my wife, but once again very distracting from the routines I had set up over the past year.

It is time for new routines, but I have been apathetic to start them (except for running and exercising everyday) because I would have to re-start them in a month when school begins. I still don't know what my schedule is, and that is frustrating. I know a few classes I will be taking: Hebrew Bible, Formation of the Christian Tradition, and perhaps a Pastoral Care and Theology course. That leaves room for one more. The hope is that there is room to register for a class entitled "The Non-violent Struggle." It covers the biblical basis of non-violence and then analyzes key non-violent movements throughout history with an emphasis on the civil rights movement, South Africa, and Ghandi. As many of you know, I want to take this class.

We're hoping that we have jobs sometime in the next week. If something happens, I will post. We were able to go to a book tour with Tony Jones, Doug Paggitt, and Mark Scandrete last night entitled "the church basement road show." They impersonated an early 20th century revival. It was interesting to say the least. I have not read their books.

That's it for now. If you want to read some funny stories about our first few weeks here in Nashville, check out my wife's blog entitled "Joy's Journey" on the blog roll. She tells these stories better than I could. Peace.

Good News

My wife now has a blog. Apparently, she has been going crazy with nothing to do. After moving to Nashville a little over two weeks ago, we still don't have jobs. So, she decided to write about it. You can check it out at...www.joytpaul.blogspot.com

And I swear I will start writing more shortly. I just want to be back in school...Vanderbilt is still a month from starting.

New Article

Just thought I'd let you know that I just wrote an article for an online magazine. It's under the culture section entitled "Christmas in July..."

The website is www.wreckedfortheordinary.com

Just moved to Nashville so I haven't written in a while. I will do so in a few days.

New Book: Jesus for President

I’m pretty sure that the best gift in the world is gift cards to bookstores. I recently received a few of these and bought a variety of books. I bought Glittering Images, by Susan Howatch, Jesus the Jewish Theologian, by Brad Young, The Cross-Shattered Christ, by Stanley Hauerwas, and Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals, by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw. I decided to read the latter text first. Joy and I are going to listen to Claiborne next Monday at Mars Hill. I thought it would be a good place to start. (I’m actually most excited about reading the book by Brad Young).

Let me start by saying that my first impression of Claiborne’s book is that it is a conglomeration of several theology books but with a lot more stories. It is very clear that Shane and Chris draw heavily from Yoder, Brueggeman, Hauerwas, Walter Wink, and a number of other authors who write substantially about God and Empire. It is also clear that he reads his Bible a lot more than I do.

This isn’t going to be a book review. I’m not in that mindset at the moment. Instead, I just want write about some of things that I thought about after reading this book. First, I like the language. Calling Moses an ‘orphaned refugee’ is a term I never thought of. Though, I’m not quite sure he was orphaned in the same way as a child from Uganda. Moses’ parents weren’t killed (enslaved yes, not killed). Or, the way the quotes are juxtaposed:

“Ever-faithful God, in death we are reminded of the precious birthrights of life and liberty you endowed in your American people. You have shown once again that these gifts must never be taken for granted….We seek your special blessing today for those who stand as sword and shield, protecting the many from the tyranny of the few.” – Donald Rumsfeld, Sept. 14, 2001

“We ourselves were well conversant with war, murder and everything evil, but all of us throughout the whole wide earth have traded in our weapons of war. We have exchanged our swords for plowshares, our spears for farm tools… now we cultivate the fear of God, justice, kindness, faith, and the expectation of the future given us through the crucified one.” - Justin (martyred in 165 AD).

Shane clearly reminds his readers that Jesus must be understood within his Jewish context, that Israel was not to be blessed more than others, but they were to be a blessing to the world. In fact, when Israel decided to be like others nations and begged for a King, God cried, “They have rejected me.” They were to be the ‘called out ones’, to embody God’s hope for the world.

Jesus then comes while the Jews are looking to be freed from the oppression of Rome. They want a liberator, one carrying a sword, for how else can one be freed from oppression than by violence? Except, their liberator, the one who strikes such fear in the king that he kills thousands of baby boys, starts preaching a peculiar message of loving your enemy and praying for those who persecute you. Then, when being arrested, not only does he not fight back, but he rebukes his disciple Peter for pulling out a sword, and answers Pilot, the governing official, that if he wanted to fight he could call on his disciples. BUT his Kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world. His Kingdom is different. It is one where we say to those that hate and curse us, ‘you are our brothers.’

Shane is often times funny. In the last chapter and a half he uses our own American empirical context to the show the idolatry in our system. Through many stories, and quotes from our early church fathers and Christians throughout history, Claiborne analyzes the struggle of ‘serving two masters.’ He even writes, “If it appears as though we are encouraging folks to leave the military, that’s because we are.” I love it. He reminds us that while America, and all other nations, put their trust in the bomb as our security and strength, we are admonished by the prophets to not put our trust in military might but in God alone. Shame on the church for making the military out to be an honorable profession. War is never respectable. War feeds on our fear, but love casts out all fear.

I’m pretty sure that God has a better dream for the world than what America is doing in Iraq. Shane draws on many saints who have gone before us. This is what some have to say:

“During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has to masquerade under the guise of patriotism.” - Howard Thurman

“I am a soldier of Christ and it is not permissible for me to fight.” - St. Martin of Tours

“On my knees I beg you to turn away from the paths of violence and to return to the ways of peace.” – Pope John Paul II

“Pray for them, and resist them.” – Fr. Daniel Berrigan

One Year ago...yesterday

Yesterday, my wife and I celebrated our one year anniversary. And by celebrate, I mean, I played nine holes of golf and watched Euro 2008 futbol while my wife worked all day. (Our vacation Bible School was aptly scheduled to be on our anniversary-thus the working all day). Our last day in Bourbonnais is on Sunday. We decided that we would take some time next week to appropriately celebrate. We will be spending three days on the sand dunes in Michigan. I can't wait to spend time with my wife.

I also can't believe that I have been married for a full year. We were always told that the first year is the hardest. I hope everyone is right. It certainly has been an adjustment, and if someone tells me that easing into marriage was easy, I don't really believe them. Responsibilities change virtually over night. Except, it takes the husband a really long time to realize it. I have moments in which I don't even think about my wife. The other day I was making coffee. I drink coffee almost every morning. Joy occasionally drinks coffee but has recently been enjoying a good glass of sweet tea instead. At any rate, I'm making coffee and am about two scoops short of enough for both Joy and I. I made the executive decision to make coffee just for myself. Well, that little mistake apparently gave my wife the idea that she could give herself another nickname: AT (After-thought). That was a fun day.

I say this because I'm still learning what it is to fully devote myself to someone else. And it's hard. Joy and I have a lot of fun and we love our time together and each other. But we are both still learning what it is like to truly love the way that Christ loves his church. (I see this learning continuing through the next 75 years of marriage). I am so thankful for my wife. She truly is teaching me how to live within the Kingdom of God. Below are the vows that we said to one another one year ago. I thought it appropriate to remind myself and others about the importance of our commitments to one another.

I, Eric, take you, Joy, to be my wife. With the deepest joy and a humbled spirit, today we embark on a new life as one. As Christ is to His Church, so shall I be to you a loving and faithful husband. Together we will hope and dream. When we stumble, we will restore each other, offering grace as Christ has done on our behalf. We shall serve one another as we strive to serve others. I promise to cherish and respect you, comfort and encourage you whatever the circumstance. I will be yours in the good and the bad, whether well fed or hungry, living in plenty or in want, freed and yet still bound by the love of Christ so that we may grow into Him who is our Hope. This I commit to you until death separates us.

Nazarene Compassionate Ministries

I picked up a magazine from church the other day. It is the publication of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. It tells the stories of those who have dedicated themselves to the cause of the poor, to combat injustice, and love mercy. This particular issue traced the history of compassion within the Church of the Nazarene. From the very beginning, the Nazarene Church was at the forefront of what we call ‘social justice’ issues. Our founder, Phineas Bresee, preached on the first Sunday of the first Nazarene church in Pasadena in 1885. He alluded that the only new occurrence of this particular movement was “its determination to preach the gospel to those in need, and give the poor a church where they could feel at home.”

A friend of mine was telling me why she particularly liked this magazine. It gives her hope. It gives her hope that there are people whose lives are so in tuned with the heart of God that they can’t help but help those in need. We don’t see much of this anymore. I work at a food pantry every Tuesday. It has been truly a blessing to be able to serve in this way. Recently, I have been more cognizant of Jesus’ words, “What you have done to the least of these, you have done to me.” Despite some smelling of alcohol, some who are angry, and others who are ashamed, I am beginning to see the face of God. There is an unexplainable love at this place. It is not easy, but it is love being worked out.

I mention this only to quote one of our earliest General Superintendents: “Pure religion always has and always will have two faces, purity and service. To neglect service in the welfare of others is to demonstrate a lack of purity. Holiness people should be pre-eminent in social service. This is what chiefly characterized the Early Church- their uniting service to bless their fellow men and care for their widows and fatherless children.”

I am thankful for this magazine. I am glad that it is being published by my church denomination, but I feel as if its very existence points toward our lack of understanding. The Nazarene church’s major publication is a magazine entitled “Holiness Today.” It deals primarily with issues of ‘purity,’ and by purity I am talking of issues of the heart. So we have created a separate magazine to deal with issues of service and social justice. At some point in our past, we have gradually gone from the recognition that holiness works itself out into compassion to the separation of purity from service. We now echo the dualism so prevalent in today’s culture. This magazine isn’t the only indicator. The Nazarene church began and flourished in the inner-city. We are now a church of middle-class suburbanites. One of the goals of the Chicago-Central district was to establish a Nazarene church within the Chicago city. So, there was not one Nazarene church among 4 million people. Astonishing.

I say this both as an indictment and a hope. I hope that we can once again recognize Jesus’ face in the face of others. Let us recognize that there is but one gospel that encompasses the social and the spiritual, and they are inherently related.

What Happened?

If you were to search Amazon for the top selling book in the past day, you would find that Scott McClellan’s book “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception” is the #1 seller. I have several thoughts about this. First, I have not read the book. I have read reviews and articles but not the book itself. My first gut reaction is that McClellan, the former Press Secretary in the Bush Administration, is making a killing off of this book. During an election, with an unpopular war, and a President whose approval ratings have been historical lows, this is the perfect time for a book such as this. So, if I were to read this book, I would read it with a grain of salt.

However, if I may quote Obama, this has “confirmed what a lot of us have thought for some time.” Over the past 3-4 years, Pres. Bush has come under heavy scrutiny for his seemingly unplanned invasion of Iraq. Now, we have no timetable for exit, and we’re coming out of one of the more violent times of the war. This we already knew. What McClellan states is that Bush had resolutely set out for War with Iraq shortly after Sept. 11. (We should note here that McClellan was Press Sec. from 2003-2006). In fact, McClellan writes that the White House went under a mass propaganda campaign to convince Congress and the American public that war is the only way, even at the expense of honesty and forthrightness. He writes, “Having gotten this far by vigorously seeking to manipulate public approval to our advantage – most notably in our political propaganda campaign to sell the war – we assumed the same approach [showing forward progress toward a democratic Iraq] would continue to work in our favor and help us overcome any challenges ahead.” And more to the point, “He and his advisers confused the propaganda campaign with the high level of candor and honesty so fundamentally needed to build and sustain public support during a time of war.”

I am thinking three things:

1. McClellan is being very strategic in the way in which he is making money. Controversy always sells.

2. President Bush is smarter than we give him credit for. Though he is quite known for his ‘Bushisms’ and below average grades, anyone who can convince the American public and both sides of Congress to go to war despite breaking international law and the Constitution in the process, is smarter than we first thought.

3. McClellan calls it a ‘culture of deception.’ I completely agree, but not just in the realm of politics. I’ll save my post on a ‘culture of deception’ for a later date.

I thought a lot more than three things. I thought about how this war was a ginormous mistake from the beginning. I thought about McCain trying to distance himself from the White House but still carrying the same agendas (It seems that the two major differences between McCain and Bush are on torture and the environment). Also, if a democrat does not win in November they should disband, take a few years off, re-think they’re purpose of being, and ultimately blame the Clintons. (This is written from the perspective of neither a democrat nor a republican. Seriously, the past 8 years of Bush’s administration seems to have proactively served the presidency on a silver platter to the Democrats. How this could be botched is beyond me…). This was not to turn into some election year rant, so I’m done. Peace.

Thoughts on Being Prophetic

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I am going back through some of my older books. I picked up Brueggemann’s ‘Prophetic Imagination’ last week and thought it worth mentioning. There is one particular part that I would like to discuss. Brueggemann develops the thought of Israel’s early existence as an alternative community. It is “the appearance of a new social reality” that emerges out of the exodus and forms “a social community to match the vision of God’s freedom.” Brueggeman asserts that there “is no freedom of God without the politics of justice and compassion, and there is no politics of justice and compassion without a religion of the freedom of God.” Of course, this seems best understood when it stands in stark contrast to a dominant, often hostile, culture.

When Israel decided to be like all the other nations and develop power through war and kingship rather than by God, they themselves became the oppressors. This becomes most evident through the reign of Solomon. Brueggeman, through Mendenhall, states that this Solomonic achievement is actually the ‘paganization of Israel.’ There are three things that characterize this achievement: incredible affluence, oppressive social policy, and the establishment of a controlled, static religion.

This third ‘achievement’ is the one that caught my attention, specifically when Brueggemann writes that this static religion consigned God and his temple “as part of the royal landscape, in which the sovereignty of God is fully subordinated to the purpose of the king.” In other words, God supports our particular nation-state; or, the freedom of God is now suppressed and given over to God’s easy accessibility. (We see a similar tension in 20th century theology between God’s transcendence and immanence). Essentially, God now resides in the temple for whenever the people need a God. Solomon builds God a house for him to dwell. According to Brueggeman, “God is now ‘on call.’” No longer is there need for a surprise burning bush or a cloud to follow. Instead, God follows his people. When one looks at the three ‘achievements’ of Solomon, one begins to recognize that “it provided a God who was so present to the regime and to the dominant consciousness that there was no chance of over-againstness, and where there was no over-againstness, there was no chance of newness.”

I started thinking about God and his temple. When I was younger, I remember hearing and reading the story of Jesus’ death. When Jesus was dead the sky was dark, there was a great earthquake, and the temple curtain that separated God’s dwelling place from the rest of the temple was torn in two. I was always told that this ripping of the curtain was God’s way of saying that the ultimate sacrifice was made. No longer was the blood of a lamb needed. Jesus paid the ultimate price. And in my nice and neat evangelical faith I accepted this as part of the doctrinal package of justification. It seemed congruent with the differences of the Old and New Testament.

I wonder now if this could be interpreted differently (not wrong, just different). What if this was God’s way of crying “Freedom?” When I think about it now, I actually smile and laugh to myself. Who would have ever guessed that a Roman crucifixion would be the way in which God proclaims his freedom? Israel stuck God in a building the same way we stick God into a neat doctrinal package. Our culture models Solomon’s in a scary way. Never in history has there been this enormous amount of wealth, which of course also characterizes a politics of oppression in which the marginalized are rarely, if ever, heard. And God’s presence is just a quick ‘prayer’ or drumbeat away. We have no recollection of his mystery because he’s our ‘best friend.’

Essentially, we have made Jesus into the kind of savior that we desire rather than the savior that He is. This reminds of a Hauerwas quote: “The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate sign that our salvation comes only when we cease trying to interpret Jesus’ story in the light of our history, and instead we interpret ourselves in the light of his.”

Something I read this morning

"Human beings are ambivalent toward holiness. We are drawn toward those qualities exemplified by a St. Francis or by Mother Teresa, or by communities who witness to the gospel under severe persecution. Yet we find such qualities disturbing, too far removed from the way we must live our daily lives. Something deep within our existence creates a restlessness for God, yet we live and move and work in a culture of technology, efficiency, and the tyranny of the literal. The hunger for holiness coexists uneasily with the practical atheism [italics mine] of our way of life. Still, the deepest language of the Christian biblical tradition claims that the created world itself already reflects the goodness of God but also groans in travail for sanctification and recreation. The time and place where these tensions intersect is the gathered church at worship." ('Sanctifying Time, Place, and People' by Don E. Saliers; taken from A Guide to Prayer...).

Incoherent musings

I’ve been hearing the same thing for a few years now. In fact, I’ve been hearing it since I was a sophomore in College. It has always bugged me a little bit. It’s this small phrase that seems to place me within a certain category of people. It assumes a certain immaturity of faith on my part, and it is almost connotes a certain superiority of the one who says it. In fact, this little phrase scares me. Allow me to explain, this is little phrase is always said by an older adult, and usually by one for whom I have great admiration. And, it is always said in a certain context.

Over the past couple years, I have come to believe that the Kingdom of God is more than getting into heaven, more than forgiveness of sins, and more than individual piety. I hold the conviction that the church is not God’s purpose for the world but merely an instrument to bring about his purpose. I believe Jesus came preaching a coming reality that is both present and still to come. It is a Kingdom of Peace: one that restores and re-creates; one that binds people together in mutual service and compassion. It is a Kingdom of peculiarity. It forms a community and it is in that community that we begin to understand the sanctification of the community as a foretaste to the Kingdom. And it is my belief that this Kingdom, especially in the light of Jesus’ teachings, is inherently political. For how can a formed community not be?

It is this last statement that usually gets me a little trouble (not that trouble is a bad thing: is not the nature of the church supposed to express the radical nature of the gospel?). My conviction that the Kingdom of God is actually a way of life, the way of Jesus, has led me to be involved in war protests, open discussions about stewardship issues in the church and University, support for the poor and homeless, and multiple letters and gatherings about the injustices around the world. As a result, I usually get this little phrase thrown my way: “I used to be just like you.” Sometimes it is coupled with another phrase, “But you’ll grow out of it.” Either way, the point is made that I am like most young people: newly education, immature in that education, an idealist, optimist, and heart-strong. At least, that’s what they’re thinking.

At the same time they think that, I am thinking about the divorce of the spiritual from the practical. These words are from the same mouths that say we are “The people of the book,” but where in that book do we learn of a community of a disembodied faith? How are we able to say we have our sins forgiven and yet cannot forgive our neighbor? How can we say that God is a God of peace and still pay war taxes with a clear conscience? How are we a distinct people if we cannot even show a consistent ethic of life: we say life is precious and support anti-abortion laws but are unwilling to uphold life’s ‘preciousness’ when it comes to the death penalty?

My church denomination began within the inner city working among the ones who had nothing. They worked with the drunkards and homeless, the foreigner and hungry. They could not justify spending money on massive buildings when our brothers were dying on the streets. The stories that come from my tradition during this time give me hope and inspire me. Unfortunately, over the years, we have moved from the inner city to the suburbs. Drinking is now just a standard to attain holiness rather than abstinence to support any kind of social change. I’ve been given a lot of crap because I don’t mind hanging out with those that drink. Apparently I’m not supposed to have relationships with people that do. But I think this is foreign to the Kingdom of God.

I know I’m still immature and have a lot of growing to do. In fact, I think I’ll be growing in my faith for the rest of my years. I expect nothing less than continual learning and testing what God is doing. But to hear these words that ‘they used to be just like me’ scares me. It makes me not want to be like them. I want to be more like Ron Sider who has developed a program of holistic ministry, one that teaches of the spiritual and temporal as inherently dependent. Yes, God offers us forgiveness for the wrongs we have committed, but those wrongs are often done to others. God’s forgiveness helps us move to healed relationships with others. His grace teaches us to bestow grace on others, and not just the ones we like. We are taught that God’s heart are for those who are broken and struggling.

A lot of times this brokenness comes from some of our institutions. I am pretty sure that this endless ‘war on terror’ is almost institutionalized. It is never ending. Capitalism is also inherently evil. What do we do with a system that feeds off greed? We see the effects of it as the rich just accumulate more and the poor can’t get out of poverty. Remember, there are never oppressed without oppressors.

I could go on, but this is already rather long for a singular blogpost. I just want to say one more thing. In my reading of scripture, I find that Jesus’ message is more directed toward change in the here and now rather than waiting for some miraculous trumpet blast that will usher in complete peace and restoration in a moment of divine intervention. I think this is part of the church’s responsibility: to be a foretaste of God’s reconciling love. In other words, we are forming an alternative community in the face of the dominant powers (I'm stealing my words from Brueggemann).

Finally, A Decision

As many of you know, I have taken the year off from school. Upon graduation last May, I was married and stayed in the Bourbonnais area. My wife is a children's pastor at College Church. During this year, I have been substitute teaching and serving at a local restaurant. While I am not sure why I would want to give up substitute teaching, we have made a decision to relocate. I have been offered a scholarship to attend Vanderbilt Divinity School. We will move to Nashville, TN sometime over the summer. We don't have jobs, money to pay for school, or a place to stay. But we're going anyway. And we're excited.

Moving on...I hope to get better at this blog posting. I have been in a real slump lately. I finished all my books that I got for Christmas and don't have the funds to buy more (this is another way of saying that I don't think my wife will let me). So, I'm re-reading my bookshelf. Hopefully, this will manifest itself into some noteworthy blog posts. We'll see what happens.

Over the Rhine

The other night I went to a friend’s house to hang out. We were roommates in college and now we are both in a state of transition: taking a year off before going back to pursue Masters work in Theology. My wife was gone for the evening so I didn’t need to worry about time (not that it mattered, I was still home by 12). We cooked up some beef steaks, cooked some fresh garden corn, and made some biscuits. It was a fabulous meal. As we sat there eating, we turned on some music and began discussing some of our favorites.

Marcus has seen Over the Rhine in concert 4 different times. I have yet to see them live, and to be honest, I just started listening to them two months ago. I still only own the two disc album ‘Ohio,’ and I absolutely love it. Marcus turned on this album through the stereo system while we ate. If you haven’t listened to Over the Rhine you should stop now and go listen to this miracle of music. They have a grace that transcends most bands of their raw honesty. The beauty of their melodic harmonies and deep soulful cries is only exceeded by the splendor of their poetry. The tension between their music and lyrics catches me off guard in a wonderfully splendid way.

Marcus and I sat their enjoying a good home cooked meal while listening to this band. We started talking about their lyrics, our favorite lines from numerous songs. A few are listed below.

From “Jesus in New Orleans”
Suggested by: Me

“But when I least expect it
Here and there I see my Saviors face
He’s still my favorite loser
Falling for the entire human race”

Same Song
Suggested by Marcus

“Ain’t it crazy
How we put to death the ones we need the most”

From “Changes Come”
Suggested by Marcus and I

“This ol’ world’s too f***** up
For any firstborn son
There is all this untouched beauty
The light the dark both running through me
Is there still redemption for anyone
Jesus come
Turn the world around”

Marcus and I both agreed that this is probably the most appropriate usage of the f-word we have ever heard. The sheer lyrical brilliance brings into tension the world as it is against the world as it is meant to be. This song reminds me that the word for conversion actually means a ‘slow turn.’ It is a new direction, a new way of life, a new way of living within the Kingdom of God. Changes come, ‘it ain’t all over babe, in fact it’s just begun.’ Or, as Jesus continues to say, “The Kingdom of God is here.”

Children and the Moral Life

My wife is a Children’s Pastor at College Church of the Nazarene. She loves her job and the children whom she is teaching. While she both loves and likes children, I have a hard time liking them. This is not to say that I don’t see a deep and important need for raising them within the Christian narrative, but it does render itself to relatively repeated occurrences of annoyance. No matter how cute they are, they still run, scream, bite, hit, cry, and smell. So I go to church every Sunday morning with a smile on my face as I work with these children. (It's really not bad. I wrote most of that in jest).

I could probably go into a lengthy discourse of how we as people learn to be moral. That is to say, we understand our sin only in relation to God’s creation. We act and think that this world is not God’s, that it is our world, and that our decisions are inherently our own simply because we made the ‘choice.’ Christianity teaches us that this is our fundamental sin, and that learning to see the world as it truly is, that we are fallen creatures, is instrumental in any transformative process. Yet, I will not bore you in the development of Christian ethics and the narrative is possesses. Instead, I will tell you a story.

This past Sunday I was leading a small group of fourth graders. We had just discussed the parable of the merciful King. If you are unfamiliar with this story is goes as follows: There once was a King, a powerful King. One day, this King decided that he was going to collect the debt that his servants owed him. He called in his servant who owed him a lot of money and demanded he pay it back. The servant could not pay it back. Knowing full well that he would be thrown in jail, he begged to King for mercy for himself and his family. And the King gave it to him. He dismissed all his debts. The servant, on his way home, saw a man who owed him a small chunk of change and demanded he pay it back. But the man could not. The servant then had him thrown in jail until he could repay his debt. The powerful King heard of this unmerciful act and called his servant forward saying, “Did I not show you mercy and forgive all your debt? Why then could you not show this man the same mercy?” He then had him thrown in jail. (Matthew 18).

During the small group, we began to talk about what it means to show mercy, love, and forgiveness. I asked these children what they would do in certain situations. How would you respond if your brother ripped off the legs to your favorite Barbie? What if your best friend accidentally shrunk your sweater in the dryer? What if your sister spilled kool-aid on your bedspread? What if you were kicked in the shin? The answers I received astonished me. I expected the pat Sunday school answers. We had just talked about showing mercy, and yet the children were honest (I love that about them). They responded, I would do the same back to them: I would kick them back, I would spill kool-aid on their bed, I would destroy my brother’s GI Joe figures. It was in this 4th grade discussion group that I realized an important parallel between children and adults. We as adults act like children.

Let me explain. What would happen if we taught our children a pattern of living that truly was merciful and forgiving? What if they could learn at a young age that retaliation is not the way of Christ? What if the narrative of God’s Kingdom come could be manifest in such a way that their reaction to being kicked is not to kick back but to offer friendship? I wonder if the Kingdom could be seen at a young age in this manner if it would translate to a particular social life. Instead of shooting back, we bring to light the destruction of violence. Instead of falling into a pattern of thinking violence can be redemptive, we recognize what it truly is: a myth of redemptive violence. Instead of suing our brothers and sisters, we could seek reconciliation instead of their money. The list could continue. We as people do a pretty poor job of practicing mercy and forgiveness, both individually and socially. Perhaps, it is because we have learned in the past few hundred years that our life is our own, and so is the world.

Honoring MLK

In 1989, there were 13 non-violent revolutions in 13 different countries. All but one was successful. In the 1950’s and 60’s, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led such a revolution. His words and actions challenged the social systems of his day. He was jailed, beaten, and killed in response to a revolution of values against the “giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism.” His words continue to challenge us today.

Many of us recognize partially the contribution King has played in our nation’s history and in the social movement that began to combat the evil of racism. He became one of the earliest Freedom Riders in Birmingham, organized non-violent protests aimed at overcoming the dominant powers, and worked endlessly throughout the courts and from the pulpit to express the way of Jesus as the “more excellent way of love and nonviolent protest.”
He was at the forefront of the desegregation laws in Birmingham, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1968, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (which came as a result of the Selma to Montgomery March). He did this constantly under a barrage of threats on his life and criticisms from the white churches that he characterized as the “archdefender of the status quo.” He longed for the days that had been characterized by the early church: “a thermostat that transformed the mores of society.” Yet, he loved the church, for there is no disappointment without great love. King recognized the Church as “a colony of Heaven, called to obey God rather than man.”

One can hardly fully appreciate the role MLK played in the moral growth of our nation. But I also believe we have consigned him to a domesticated historical icon rather than a true revolutionary figure. Our political leaders call on his name but only as political talking points. They forget that as much as King combated the evils of racism he saw the economic and political system driving blacks into a state of poverty. Now, we recognize that it is not limited to blacks but to also Latinos, Asians, and Arabs. King recognized the increasing immoral disparity between the rich and poor and commented: “we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a ‘thing-oriented’ society to a ‘person-oriented’ society.” When profit, property, and machines become more important than people, “the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”

In this month alone, the United States government will have spent 9 billion dollars on the war in Iraq. In the time of Martin Luther King, another controversial war was being played. In response to the war in Vietnam, King prophesied, “A nation that continues, year after year, to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." There is an estimated 42% of every dollar being spent on the war or its effects. Comparatively, this is enough money to cover universal health care, universal education, and affordable housing.

On April 4 we will once again remember the legacy of Martin Luther King, a man who died too early. May we do more than just remember. May we honor him by using the same methods of non-violent resistance in the face of the dominant powers. May we recognize, as King recognized, that Christianity “is a calling that takes [us] beyond national allegiances” and that “we still have a choice today; non-violent coexistence or violent co-annihilation.”

Colorado

This past weekend I was able to fly to Colorado with a good friend of mine, Jon Christensen. We spent two days skiing at Winter Park and then a day at Vail. Skiing is quite possibly my favorite thing to do. It is best when it is paired with reading and a loving wife, but still fantastic on its own. I am an average skier. I do the blacks and double blacks. I can do some 180's and some minor 5-10 foot drop offs, but I am still working on my technique. I have some issues with keeping my weight centered. I thought I would mention my flaws before I went into how amazing Vail was.

I have never seen anything like it. The night before skiing Vail, it snowed, and snowed, and then snowed some more. The day we were on the mountain it continued to snow. Visibility was limited, but it didn't matter. We had first tracks down one of the Back Bowls at Vail. It was knee deep powder. I will never forget that first run. We dipped into the untouched clouds of paradise. It was smooth, deep, and pure. Across the mountain, you could here screams of delight: men and women finding the joy of the heavens. By the end of the run, we couldn't even finish our sentences. "Oh My....Did you see...I cannot believe...That was amazing!"

Really, the best way to describe that first run was with a smile. And each of us had one.