POWER TO THE PEOPLE is the credo of my ministry as an intentional interim pastor. Interim time in a congregation happens when either the lead pastor or second pastor leaves the congregation, and an interim pastor is called to fill the ministry needs until a new, full-time pastor is called. The intentional interim pastor is trained to accomplish certain tasks to prepare the congregation for the future such as: doing surveys of preference, conversation about what it means to be the church, addressing questions of how ministry is done, writing or revising the constitution, developing a new mission statement, dealing with feelings relative to the pastoral change, and doing the regular ministry tasks.
The greatest calling is to give POWER TO THE PEOPLE. This means listening to and empowering the people in the congregation to assume greater responsibility for the ministry within and outside the congregation. It is easy for a congregation to simply "let the pastor do it." Good pastoral leadership does not fall into this trap, but constantly calls forth the talents of the people to do the ministry. PTTP is consistent with Paul's writing on the Body of Christ. PTTP is the time for the people to step-up and do new things, having learned from the previous pastor(s) what to do and perhaps what not to do! The interim time is not a time of "maintenance", but of action, of moving into the future with the dreams and faith of the people of God, set free by the Spirit to lead!
PTTP is dynamic! Instead of being led, the people lead! Certainly the pastor provides leadership, but the passion and volume of the Spirit goes out from the people. This is Christian Revolution! This is how the church grew! "Go therefore and make disciples...." The Gospel means liberation!
It is this same dynamic that is changing the world's political map. PTTP is telling the controllers, the dictators that the people are fed-up with domination and they are not going to take it anymore (remember "Network": "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"). The people want free speech, the right to assembly, the right to work, the right to travel, equal justice under the law, freedom from fear of reprisal, the right to choose their leadership, the right to earn a living wage.
PTTP means that what we are thinking is what we now demand through action. Action happens through expression, using cell phones, Twitter, Facebook, texting, and email. People seizing the power of expression is dangerous to the tyrant and dynamic to the people! It is kin to the Word of God providing the energy for the liberating effects of the Gospel to transform the world! Expression is the liberating spirit for revolution!
PTTP sparked the Reformation, ignited the American Revolution, stirred the Russian Revolution, energized the Civil Rights and Anti-War Movements.
And now, how inspiring to see and hear the people of Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yeman, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and more gather as POWER TO THE PEOPLE shakes the foundations of oppression to demand justice and freedom! It is the PEOPLE stepping up to a higher calling that transforms a nation and liberates a world, refusing to be controlled, refusing to go away quietly, refusing to accept injustice.
This Saturday, Linda and I are going to rally with other Minnesotans at the State Capitol in support of our Wisconsin brothers and sisters. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
Peace!
Ron
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Christianity and Democracy
Democracy is the clearest expression of Christian political ethics. Why?
CHRISTIANITY IS ABOUT...
THE BODY OF CHRIST. Considering Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12, Paul lifts up gifts of God. These gifts are a smorgasbord of skills, with different people bringing unique gifts to the table, all for the purpose of creating a tasty banquet of love for all people. The operative word is ALL. ALL foods-gifts are to be utilized, tasted, appreciated, for the sake of the common good. The banquet, the body, is for the good fellowship, the good life, of ALL.
FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT. Galatians 5 speaks of the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness, and self control. There is no hint of repression, no hint of emergency laws stifling free and open elections, no hint of negating free speech, no hint of justifying greed. Certainly, people can practice these fruits within an oppressive society. Indeed, this is one of the great gifts of God, that even under the most oppressive of regimes, one can still be Christian in actions. Yet, the political-social implications of the fruits can be best realized within the context of democracy.
THE PLACE FOR LAW. Deuteronomy 30 says: "If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God...by loving the Lord your God, walking in [God's] ways, and observing [God's] commandments, decrees and ordinances...." Democracies respect the rule of law, irrespective of who is in power. ALL elected officials, ALL citizens are equal under the law. Laws give permission. Violations yield consequences. The law holds ALL accountable.
LET JUSTICE ROLL. Amos speaks of letting "justice roll down like waters...." Justice posits equal treatment under the law. God gifts us with the call to fairness. This means everyone is entitled to having "enough" for a sustainable living; that wealth is to be shared; that there be health care for all; that education be available for everyone; that there be work for ALL; that we take care of each other, so that life does not sink into the abyss of survival of the fittest, but is instead about nurturing the common good; that the earth be respected and loved.
THE PLACE FOR FORGIVENESS. Jesus on the cross: "[God] forgive them for they know not what they do." In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of mercy, a close kin of forgiveness. Because of the equal rule of law, one can start over, reconciliation can occur. Debts can be paid and we can move on. Democracy is friendlier to forgiveness.
RENEWAL AND TRANSFORMATION. Romans 12 speaks of "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect." We are to be open to change so our love can be more inclusive and fuller in expression. We are called to get better at doing good. New laws can be enacted for the good of ALL. The Constitution can be interpreted to fit the causes of the historical moment. The human requirements for life can be advocated anew.
WE ALL ARE ONE IN JESUS CHRIST. Christianity includes ALL within the family of Christ. Galatians 3 says: "There is no longer Jew nor Greek, no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for ALL of you are one in Jesus Christ." Paul is talking about ALL, both in terms of those within the Christian belief family AND those citizens of the world: that Christ unites ALL of us, even those of different religious expressions. Christ came for ALL people, ALL persuasions, ALL nationalities, ALL cultures. Because we are ALL one, the democratic spirit can blossom.
PEACEMAKING. The Garden of Eden was a time and place of shalom: harmony and balance. Jesus blesses the peacemakers in Matthew 5. Jesus laments the lack of peace as he looks over Jerusalem on his way to the cross: "Would that you knew the things that make for peace". God did not create us for making war upon each other, for killing each other, or for despoiling the earth. We are created for harmony, to be members of God's orchestra, with each playing our instruments to create a musical delight. We are created to blend our gifts for the sake of ALL.
NONVIOLENCE. We are created for love. The fullest expression of love is nonviolence. Yes, all can love even within oppressive societies. But love can be most fully realized within a society when the above characteristics are most full realized in practice. Jesus never called upon his followers to kill.
I have always believed that implied with the grace of God in Jesus Christ is the ethic: the ethic of love and justice. This ethic flourishes most fully within democracy. I find it convincing that some of the greatest heroes of the faith have fostered strong elements of democracy: Luther and the reformation, insisting on freedom of theological expression, freedom of conscience; Martin Luther King, Jr. insisting on equal rights for African Americans; Desmond Tutu leading the movement against apartheid in South Africa; many of our Founding Fathers, although not all, adopting the Bill of Rights and a Constitution that serve as perhaps the most influential documents for universal democracy in today's world; Dietrich Bonhoeffer writing that "only those who stand with the Jews can sing Gregorian chants"; Jim Wallis and his constant calls for peace and justice; Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth working for freedom and equal rights.
The ethics of Christianity nurture democracy. I would challenge those who believe we are a Christian nation to live like it. And those who are Christian to give witness by our words and actions. Democracy for ALL!
Peace!
Ron
CHRISTIANITY IS ABOUT...
THE BODY OF CHRIST. Considering Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12, Paul lifts up gifts of God. These gifts are a smorgasbord of skills, with different people bringing unique gifts to the table, all for the purpose of creating a tasty banquet of love for all people. The operative word is ALL. ALL foods-gifts are to be utilized, tasted, appreciated, for the sake of the common good. The banquet, the body, is for the good fellowship, the good life, of ALL.
FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT. Galatians 5 speaks of the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness, and self control. There is no hint of repression, no hint of emergency laws stifling free and open elections, no hint of negating free speech, no hint of justifying greed. Certainly, people can practice these fruits within an oppressive society. Indeed, this is one of the great gifts of God, that even under the most oppressive of regimes, one can still be Christian in actions. Yet, the political-social implications of the fruits can be best realized within the context of democracy.
THE PLACE FOR LAW. Deuteronomy 30 says: "If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God...by loving the Lord your God, walking in [God's] ways, and observing [God's] commandments, decrees and ordinances...." Democracies respect the rule of law, irrespective of who is in power. ALL elected officials, ALL citizens are equal under the law. Laws give permission. Violations yield consequences. The law holds ALL accountable.
LET JUSTICE ROLL. Amos speaks of letting "justice roll down like waters...." Justice posits equal treatment under the law. God gifts us with the call to fairness. This means everyone is entitled to having "enough" for a sustainable living; that wealth is to be shared; that there be health care for all; that education be available for everyone; that there be work for ALL; that we take care of each other, so that life does not sink into the abyss of survival of the fittest, but is instead about nurturing the common good; that the earth be respected and loved.
THE PLACE FOR FORGIVENESS. Jesus on the cross: "[God] forgive them for they know not what they do." In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of mercy, a close kin of forgiveness. Because of the equal rule of law, one can start over, reconciliation can occur. Debts can be paid and we can move on. Democracy is friendlier to forgiveness.
RENEWAL AND TRANSFORMATION. Romans 12 speaks of "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect." We are to be open to change so our love can be more inclusive and fuller in expression. We are called to get better at doing good. New laws can be enacted for the good of ALL. The Constitution can be interpreted to fit the causes of the historical moment. The human requirements for life can be advocated anew.
WE ALL ARE ONE IN JESUS CHRIST. Christianity includes ALL within the family of Christ. Galatians 3 says: "There is no longer Jew nor Greek, no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for ALL of you are one in Jesus Christ." Paul is talking about ALL, both in terms of those within the Christian belief family AND those citizens of the world: that Christ unites ALL of us, even those of different religious expressions. Christ came for ALL people, ALL persuasions, ALL nationalities, ALL cultures. Because we are ALL one, the democratic spirit can blossom.
PEACEMAKING. The Garden of Eden was a time and place of shalom: harmony and balance. Jesus blesses the peacemakers in Matthew 5. Jesus laments the lack of peace as he looks over Jerusalem on his way to the cross: "Would that you knew the things that make for peace". God did not create us for making war upon each other, for killing each other, or for despoiling the earth. We are created for harmony, to be members of God's orchestra, with each playing our instruments to create a musical delight. We are created to blend our gifts for the sake of ALL.
NONVIOLENCE. We are created for love. The fullest expression of love is nonviolence. Yes, all can love even within oppressive societies. But love can be most fully realized within a society when the above characteristics are most full realized in practice. Jesus never called upon his followers to kill.
I have always believed that implied with the grace of God in Jesus Christ is the ethic: the ethic of love and justice. This ethic flourishes most fully within democracy. I find it convincing that some of the greatest heroes of the faith have fostered strong elements of democracy: Luther and the reformation, insisting on freedom of theological expression, freedom of conscience; Martin Luther King, Jr. insisting on equal rights for African Americans; Desmond Tutu leading the movement against apartheid in South Africa; many of our Founding Fathers, although not all, adopting the Bill of Rights and a Constitution that serve as perhaps the most influential documents for universal democracy in today's world; Dietrich Bonhoeffer writing that "only those who stand with the Jews can sing Gregorian chants"; Jim Wallis and his constant calls for peace and justice; Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth working for freedom and equal rights.
The ethics of Christianity nurture democracy. I would challenge those who believe we are a Christian nation to live like it. And those who are Christian to give witness by our words and actions. Democracy for ALL!
Peace!
Ron
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Democracy: The Essentials
Like a great pepper steak needing tasty beef, green peppers, soy sauce, and flour, democracy demands certain essentials for creative, tasty, satisfying action. My thanks to Cornel West and his marvelous book, Democracy Matters for his insightful essentials.
DEMOCRACY DEMANDS SOCRATIC QUESTIONING. The Greek philosopher, Socrates, taught us the importance of freely asking questions. This takes moral and intellectual courage. Indeed, he paid the ultimate price for his inquisitiveness. Our Bill of Rights endorses this privilege, ensuring freedom of expression. The vital importance of newspapers, "talking heads", the internet, Facebook, Twitter, Olbermann, Maddow, Hannity, Limbaugh are the stuff of democracy. Yes, we need to sift through the intellectual fog of discerning the truth of what we hear and read, but that is the gift and challenge an open society faces. We the reader, we the see-er, we the hearer, have the responsibility to discover the truth. But the pay-off has a tremendous upside! Being informed we can more readily make wise judgments, at least in theory! Consider the revolution in Egypt. Some consider this the first internet, Twitter, cell phone, Facebook revolution, all because people are learning, listening, communicating, questioning together, discovering common ground in realizing the present government does not have good answers to their questions about joblessness, economic stagnation, judicial rights, and more. Revolutions happen when questions, ideas, values, and people unite. Open minds and courageous questioning are dangerous to dictators, but fresh air to liberty!
DEMOCRACY DEMANDS PROPHETIC WITNESS. The Hebrew prophets demanded justice. They were consistent in their calls for justice for the poor and oppressed, particularly for the widows and orphans. They called for repentance, for kindness, for mercy, for a fast to "loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free....to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked to cover them...." (Isaiah 58:6-7) Indeed, the Constitution of the United States is a dramatic testimony to this quest for justice. Lincoln appealed for doing what is right. MLK, Jr.'s favorite prophet was Amos, and one of his favorite verses was "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream". (Amos 5:24) Carved in marble at the entrance to the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama are the same words. In front of the wall is a black marble disk with the names of 40+ martyrs who died for racial justice. These were witnesses who dared to ask the critical questions surrounding the quest for racial justice. In Kelly-Ingram Park in Birmingham, Alabama, a metal art form of angry dogs snapping at courageous justice demanders reminds us of the price of courageous questioning in the demand for justice. Similarly, today in Cairo, in Tahrir Square, questions are shouted and justice demanded. Democracy NOW!
DEMOCRACY DEMANDS THE BLUES. Cornel West explains the value of the "blues" as being sensitive to, listening to cries of the suffering. Only when we are aware of the pain can we ask the questions. Only when we feel the despair within lives can we demand justice. The blues are rampant today! The environment sings the blues, warning us that our world is heating up with dire consequences, that fossil fuels are poisoning the air, that clean water is running low, that the rain forests are disappearing. In its own way, the earth is crying out: "Give me a break"! Poverty, joblessness, mortgage fraud, bank and corporate greed. It was disheartening to read a report from the World Economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, that "all is well". Sure, if you are a CEO of a major corporation. Yes, there is the realization in Davos that we are becoming more and more a two tiered world, with the top tier quite well equipped to take care of itself and the rest of us left for the scraps. Yet, who is compassionately listening to the blues of the world? Who plays the blues? Revolutions always come from the bottom up. Revolutions do not always lead to democracy. Those who sing the blues sometimes vent their rage unjustly. As much as I disagree with the Tea Party folks, I hear the blues echoing from their lips and hear remedies that will further oppress.
The hope is that Christian witness fits nicely within these essentials. Jesus is about truth and openness. Jesus questioned authority. Jesus demanded justice and mercy. Jesus listened to the blues of the people. Jesus was essential to the liberation of life. Today, Jesus is essential for the furtherance of democracy. Jesus is alive today! Christians awake! Church act! You are the seeds of democracy!
Peace!
Ron
DEMOCRACY DEMANDS SOCRATIC QUESTIONING. The Greek philosopher, Socrates, taught us the importance of freely asking questions. This takes moral and intellectual courage. Indeed, he paid the ultimate price for his inquisitiveness. Our Bill of Rights endorses this privilege, ensuring freedom of expression. The vital importance of newspapers, "talking heads", the internet, Facebook, Twitter, Olbermann, Maddow, Hannity, Limbaugh are the stuff of democracy. Yes, we need to sift through the intellectual fog of discerning the truth of what we hear and read, but that is the gift and challenge an open society faces. We the reader, we the see-er, we the hearer, have the responsibility to discover the truth. But the pay-off has a tremendous upside! Being informed we can more readily make wise judgments, at least in theory! Consider the revolution in Egypt. Some consider this the first internet, Twitter, cell phone, Facebook revolution, all because people are learning, listening, communicating, questioning together, discovering common ground in realizing the present government does not have good answers to their questions about joblessness, economic stagnation, judicial rights, and more. Revolutions happen when questions, ideas, values, and people unite. Open minds and courageous questioning are dangerous to dictators, but fresh air to liberty!
DEMOCRACY DEMANDS PROPHETIC WITNESS. The Hebrew prophets demanded justice. They were consistent in their calls for justice for the poor and oppressed, particularly for the widows and orphans. They called for repentance, for kindness, for mercy, for a fast to "loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free....to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked to cover them...." (Isaiah 58:6-7) Indeed, the Constitution of the United States is a dramatic testimony to this quest for justice. Lincoln appealed for doing what is right. MLK, Jr.'s favorite prophet was Amos, and one of his favorite verses was "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream". (Amos 5:24) Carved in marble at the entrance to the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama are the same words. In front of the wall is a black marble disk with the names of 40+ martyrs who died for racial justice. These were witnesses who dared to ask the critical questions surrounding the quest for racial justice. In Kelly-Ingram Park in Birmingham, Alabama, a metal art form of angry dogs snapping at courageous justice demanders reminds us of the price of courageous questioning in the demand for justice. Similarly, today in Cairo, in Tahrir Square, questions are shouted and justice demanded. Democracy NOW!
DEMOCRACY DEMANDS THE BLUES. Cornel West explains the value of the "blues" as being sensitive to, listening to cries of the suffering. Only when we are aware of the pain can we ask the questions. Only when we feel the despair within lives can we demand justice. The blues are rampant today! The environment sings the blues, warning us that our world is heating up with dire consequences, that fossil fuels are poisoning the air, that clean water is running low, that the rain forests are disappearing. In its own way, the earth is crying out: "Give me a break"! Poverty, joblessness, mortgage fraud, bank and corporate greed. It was disheartening to read a report from the World Economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, that "all is well". Sure, if you are a CEO of a major corporation. Yes, there is the realization in Davos that we are becoming more and more a two tiered world, with the top tier quite well equipped to take care of itself and the rest of us left for the scraps. Yet, who is compassionately listening to the blues of the world? Who plays the blues? Revolutions always come from the bottom up. Revolutions do not always lead to democracy. Those who sing the blues sometimes vent their rage unjustly. As much as I disagree with the Tea Party folks, I hear the blues echoing from their lips and hear remedies that will further oppress.
The hope is that Christian witness fits nicely within these essentials. Jesus is about truth and openness. Jesus questioned authority. Jesus demanded justice and mercy. Jesus listened to the blues of the people. Jesus was essential to the liberation of life. Today, Jesus is essential for the furtherance of democracy. Jesus is alive today! Christians awake! Church act! You are the seeds of democracy!
Peace!
Ron
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