Forward!

What words can drive us forward, into the future, engaging the new year? I share three:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light....

For the yoke of their burden...you have broken....

For a child has been born FOR US....

His authority shall grow continually,

 and there shall be endless peace....

He will establish and uphold it with justice

and Righteousness....

Isaiah 9:2-7 (portions)

"If we want to participate in this Advent and Christmas event,

we cannot simply sit there like spectators in a theater 

and enjoy all the family pictures. Rather, we must

join in the action that is taking place and be drawn into

this reversal of all things ourselves. 

Here we too must act on the stage, 

for here the spectator is always a person acting in the drama.

We cannot remove ourselves from the action."

Bonhoeffer

"Good news to some will almost inevitably be bad

news to others....When Jesus came...it was to proclaim

the end of things as they are and the breaking in of things

that are to be: the status quo is not to be criticized, 

it is to be destroyed."

Peter Gomes

I share these words in the context of gun violence prevention. It is easy to be despairing when engaging this cause. The list of names and places are all too familiar moments of tragedy. It is a sad commonplace: "O, no! Another one! Enough!" So hammers the litany. Nothing seems to make a difference in lessening gun violence, or so it seems. Congress is fearful of losing their seats and funding for re-election, so they share "thoughts and prayers" instead of committing to legislative action, clinging to a doctored and historically dishonest interpretation of the Second Amendment, paying fealty to the NRA leadership while being deaf to the vast NRA member majority. 

There is hope if we seize it, if we allow it to move us forward in the Spirit of the above words drawn from the deep well of faith active in love. If we act!

Facts prove, statistics support that UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS save lives. States with UBChecks have 46% fewer women being shot to death by an intimate partner and have 48% fewer suicides. FBI data shows that in states that require UBChecks for all handgun sales, blocking criminals from buying guns or owning guns in unlicensed sales online or at gun shows, there are 48% fewer police officers killed. 

It is heartening that many polls including polls of NRA rank and file members, asking people's feelings about UBChecks, indicate a 70%-80% support for this common sense law. Why? Because most people believe it is smarter and safer to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, domestic abusers, those who should be watched due to stress, and the mentally ill. Most people believe gun safety is a public health issue that demands common sense laws. Most people realize that with UBChecks the hunter can still hunt, the home protector can still protect, the sportsman can still shoot. But the others cannot. A UBC law can be passed. It is possible. This is a way forward!

Forward action is also possible by passing a law preventing those 800,000 people on the Terrorist Watch List from purchasing guns. Since 2004, over 2000 people on the TWL have purchased guns. ISIL and Al Qaeda have told people that it is easy to buy a gun in the USA! Do it! Jihad! Allah Akbar! Martyr yourself! Men, remember you will have the pleasure of 70 virgins as your reward! 

Yet, there is hope that action will be taken to prevent this irresponsible purchasing. 

The Church is ideally placed to insist upon action. We have a Biblical witness, church statements, theological urgings from wise leaders and the blood of the many to guide and empower action. We have a bold way forward. It is time! We can do it!  Enough!

This is what Advent is about: anticipating hope and deliverance as real. This is what Christmas is about: God coming in Christ to transform the status quo, change hearts and minds from violence to peacemaking, and insist upon justice for all. In Christ we are given the way forward.

Let's do it! It is WE who bring hope to life! It is WE who are the voices, hands and legs to go FORWARD. It is WE who provide the ACTION. It is WE who DESTROY THE STATUS QUO.

It is WE who BREAK THE YOKE OF BURDEN, CREATE PEACE and ESTABLISH AND UPHOLD JUSTICE!

It is WE!

Peace!

Ron

  

Well-Being of the City

Seek the well-being of the city to which I have sent you;

pray for it to the Lord,

for in seeking its well-being you shall find your own.

Jeremiah 29:7

Linda and I participated in a solidarity march following the Paris massacre. It was sponsored by Alliance Francois, the local French-American community. Outside their building hangs two flags, one American and the other French. On the march down Hennepin Avenue to The Basilica of Saint Mary and at the gathering, one heard the French National Anthem and shouts of Je Suis Paris (I Am Paris). Inside the basilica we celebrated the "Solemn Vespers for Peace and Justice." The text from Jeremiah was the foundation.

The occasion was precipitated by the violence done by guns. Yes, we can and should address the issue of terrorism by studying the "whys" and origins of Daesh, Al Quaeda, Boko Haram and many other terrorist groups. As in America we should and are engaging reasons for our own terrorist reality. As of this date there have been approximately 250 mass shootings this year alone. Each year in the United States we suffer over 12,000 homicides of which many are mass shootings. I call this American Terrorism. There would be no AT without guns. So, in the conversation about what to do about our reality, it is also necessary to talk about gun violence prevention.

Let us begin by addressing the issue of how to keep guns out of the hands of potential terrorists. One of the most urgent needs is to prevent those on the FBI's Terrorist Watch List from purchasing guns. Common sense, right? Presently, the FBI is watching about 420,000 people, of which 2,043 are on the TWL. However, and as an affront to common sense, the NRA and other gun rights groups are opposing a bill introduced by Senator Diane Feinstein of California which would begin to address this gap in our security. 

Senator Feinstein's bill was introduced in February 2015. It prevents Federally licensed gun dealers from selling firearms to those on the TWL. The legislation would not, however, prevent private sellers or online sale of weapons to them. Call this the gun show loop hole. Says Jennifer Baker, spokeswoman of the NRA, the NRA opposes this bill, "pointing to past instances where innocent people were added to the TWL either in error or as the result of tenuous ties to others involved in suspicious activities" (Huffingtonpost). She says:

It is appalling that the anti-gun politicians are

exploiting the Paris terrorist attacks to push

their gun control agenda and distract from

President Obama's failed foreign policy.

I call this obfuscation and distraction. The immediate issue is the safety of the American people. One needs to suspend belief to believe that we are protecting our people by allowing those on the TWL to purchase guns! As to some who believe it makes sense for the House of Representatives to vote to put a "pause" on accepting Syrian refugees who are fleeing for their lives, wouldn't it be prudent to also act to keep guns out of the possession of possible terrorists? This is a no brainer! Yet, our elected leaders and leaders of the leaders refuse to bring the bill to a vote. 

I would guess that nearly all of our elected leaders are or profess to be members of Christian churches. Perhaps they have heard the verse from Jeremiah in a sermon or at least read as one of the prescribed texts. I think the text provides the Biblical foundation for faithful action within the scope of our Constitution to pass this law for the protection of our citizens and members of our congregations. I would urge all people to write your elected leaders and urge them to support the passage of this bill "for the sake of the well-being of the city."

Peace!

Ron Letnes

Republican Party Epitaph

I remember wearing my "I Like Ike" button. It was a new fangled type that had both the words and the picture of a smiling Ike if you tilted the button. Pretty neat! The 1960's changed my party affiliation. Not that the Democrats made all the right decisions (Vietnam tarnished illusions), but there was an imperfect balance of values that tilted towards justice and a passion for peace in the Democratic Party. 

I say tilted because this action describes the honesty of balance in decision-making. No decision is pure. Honesty births nuance and honors complexity. Only bigoted legalists trumpet moral absolutes. This is why Christians find their perfection only in Christ, not in themselves. Even then we are humbled by our moment by moment sinfulness and are driven to our knees in confession, only to receive absolution by the grace and mercy of God.

So it was that I turned away from the Republican Party. Today, the scale of justice and peace tilt ever more away from the party. Our nation, our Constitution need both Republicans and Democrats to provide balance. Now, all that can be written about the Republican Party is their epitaph. Consider these nails in the coffin:

1. Elimination of abortion rights for women

2. Efforts to shut down Planned Parenthood which provide reasonably priced contraception

             and reproductive care for women

3. Elimination of Obamacare which provides affordable health care for millions

4. Increasing age qualification for Social Security and wanting to privatize its finances

5. Increasing military spending even though we spend more than nearly all nations combined

6. Elimination of labor unions, collective bargaining and encouraging right to work legislation which  

             lowers wages and lessens pension possibilities

7. Restrictions on voting rights making it more difficult for the poor and minorities to vote

8. Promoting unlimited anonymous campaign contributions which gives unrivaled

             power and influence to the very wealthy and corporate elite

9. Opposition to LGBT rights

10.  Roadblock to comprehensive immigration reform until the borders are tight and a wall

             is constructed

11. Meager support at best for increased minimum wage

12. Opposition to Consumer Protection Agency, wanting to give power to a partisan committee 

             controlled by Republicans which will limit its ability to protect consumers

13. Opposition to Dodd-Frank Bill which regulates banks and Wall Street

14. Cutting back on food programs and welfare for the needy

15. Support for off-shore and foreign tax havens for the wealthy

16. Blind support for the National Rifle Association

17. Opposition to Black Lives Matter and blind support for police

18. Eagerness to once again support large scale troop commitment in the Middle East

19. Blind support for Israel at the expense of justice for Palestinians

20. Attacks upon fact-based science and acknowledgement of the reality of climate change

21. Narrow and blind interpretation of the Second Amendment which leads to increased

               proliferation of gun availability and stifling of gun safety legislation

22. Refusal to fund the study of gun violence 

23. Obsession with cutting taxes at the expense of funding education and providing 

               poverty programs

24. Obsession with saying "No!" to job creation programs and funding of infrastructure

               programs

25. Cutting back of Medicaid availability

26. Unquestioned bias towards the very wealthy and corporate elite leading to unprecedented

               income inequality

And on and on! Again, I make these observations on the basis of "balance and tilt". There are Republicans who would disagree with these positions and Democrats who would agree with some of them. I look at the balance. 

The balance, the tilt points towards a Republican Party Epitaph. And further, with the increased metastasizing of these cancerous positions, the Epitaph of America. Democracy is being decimated.

An arrogant hubris rises amidst the ruins. The next monument on the Washington Mall is of a fat middle finger pointing towards a polluted sky.

As a Christian, I am alarmed at the injustice and violence of this imbalance. Isaiah's call to be "repairers of the breach", Micah's call to "Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God", and Mary's Magnificat in Luke: "He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and he sent the rich away empty....", and Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you." provide a transformative counterpoint to the Republican Party Epitaph.

It is the time to hear John the Baptist: "You brood of vipers....Bear fruits worthy of repentance!" Through repentance there is renewal. God's grace frees us to repent! Republicans, Democrats, People of God. And then: 

Every valley shall be filled,

and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight,

and the rough ways made smooth;

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

Luke 3:5-6

Arise! 

My Gun Story

I grew up in small town Climax, Minnesota. I loved playing guns. I had six shooters, cavalry holsters with a six shooter cap gun, an army "burp" gun, a plastic Thompson sub machine gun. The creme-de-la-creme was a rubber gun constructed of laths and clothes pins. The idea was to cut up an old car tire to create 1/2 inch wide strips which you attached to the front of the laths, stretch them back to the rear handle, fit an end of the rubber into the clothes pin (trigger) and go shoot someone!  You could make a machine gun lath rubber gun by cutting notches into the laths and running a string down the barrel, putting several rubbers along the laths and activate the machine gun by pulling up the string. Fun!

I loved John Wayne movies!  I watched "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" and "Fort Apache." Television brought "Bonanza", "The Rifleman", "Rin Tin Tin" and "Paladin" into our home and my heart.  

Then came the B-B gun. I still remember the tears I shed after killing my first sparrow. However, the next weekend I shot 11 more.  Then, I was done. I went hunting a couple of times with my step-dad but never got a shot off. I took a gun safety course, learning to shoot a .22. I recall him hunting rabbits with it. He was a good shot.

My love affair with guns started to change when my step-dad purchased a Winchester 30-30 and went deer hunting. He came home with a deer strapped to the fender of his car and said he was done.  No more. He sold his 30-30. He felt the deer was too beautiful of an animal to kill. Perhaps he had some recurring PTSD from his service in Europe in WWII.

Then came the 1960s. My love affair with guns ended. The assassinations, Civil Rights struggles and the Vietnam War led me to say "Enough!" Guns meant death. No more fun. Guns were not innocent games anymore. I gave away my .22. The only gun I have today is an 80 year old rusty shotgun owned by my dad, broken stock, a memento in the museum of my memory. I became a committed pacifist, committed to nonviolence.

While serving congregations I taught and preached about nonviolence. I upset people with my anti-gun screed. I wrote anti-war resolutions for district conventions. Linda and I participated in several anti-war marches. We marched in Washington, DC on the 20th Anniversary of MLK, Jr's "March on Washington." 

I designed "The Gun Game" while executive director at Sky Ranch in Colorado. Each week we played this variation on "capture the flag." It was a three-phased game. Phase I was everyone playing the standard capture the flag for about 20 minutes. Phase II involved everyone being given a squirt gun (pistols, super soakers). The idea was to play the game, and when you were shot with water you had to adjust accordingly. That is, if you were shot in the arm or leg you couldn't use that appendage. If you were shot in the head or torso you were out of the game and sat down. Phase III had one side getting all of the squirt guns. Naturally, this phase was short-lived!

We processed the game following the three phases. All enjoyed the first phase!  Great fun! The second and third phases brought responses like: "It wasn't fun anymore." "We became angry." I asked, "What would it be like if you came to camp and were given a loaded Uzzie or pistol upon arrival?" The responses were: "It wouldn't be camp anymore." And "We'd kill each other." I then asked, "Would Jesus carry an AK-47?" Overwhelmingly the response was shouted "No!" Youth saw the truth.

Now, I am on the Protect Minnesota Board of Directors. Our purpose is to work for gun violence prevention. I have led conversations in our church and taken action at synod assemblies. I am organizing a synodical committee to address gun violence prevention in churches, believing that the People of God, the Church, are the moral conscience of our communities, state and nation. A friend and I have developed a course called ENGAGE which is a guided conversation on many gun violence prevention facets: Biblical, Church statements, Second Amendment, NRA, and specific possible actions.

Frankly, finding an audience in the church has been a difficult slog. I am frequently disappointed at the lack of interest, lack of will, and lack of clergy courage to address the issue. This in spite of unprecedented mass shootings and 34,000 deaths a year. It is incomprehensible to me how the Church  can be so hesitant to reject this scourge and seek solutions. 

What keeps me going? Statements from our ELCA, Holy Scripture, Jesus and Paul's ethics, love of Linda, family and people, and the truth. "Enough!"  "No more of this!" "Blessed are the peacemakers!"

What's your story?

Peace!

Ron

The Pope of Hope!

Listening to Pope Francis almost swayed me to join the Catholic Church! The ethics and pastoral spirit he embodied shone the Spirit of Christ in profound and refreshingly grace-filled and faith-filled ways. The rigor of Catholicism and spiritual arrogance accompanied with the accoutrements of ecclesiastical power were significantly lessened, though not completely absent, by his words and actions. What shone brightly were his many words and actions of hope. Here are a few memorables, along with personal comments.

INCARCERATION IS NOT EXCLUSION: When addressing prisoners and speaking of Jesus washing the feet of the poor, Pope Francis emphasized the grace of God still including the prisoners within God's sphere of grace and redemption. Being INCLUDED in God's grace empowers re-entry into society and positive reconciling lives. Never give up on the possibility of hope and rehabilitation. Abolish the global death penalty. ALL of life must be honored.

4-DOOR FIAT 500: Pope Francis was driven around in a small, average looking, non-descript, middle class, gasoline skimpy Fiat.  There was no Lincoln, Mercedes, Continental, up-armored modified Hum-Vee for transport. The message: Moderation is adequate. Spend money on helping others. Being church is not to be extravagant. I am like you. Care for our natural resources because they are finite.

LOVING THE CHILDREN: There were many times when Pope Francis took the time to touch children, smile at children, talk with children. His affection for children was heart-warming. His visit to the school was an education in the value of education. The family is essential for the building of this country. 

POLITICS IS AN EXPRESSION OF OUR NEED TO LIVE AS ONE: Politics is a gift from God to order and make real national comity, justice and opportunity. Politics writes the laws which direct structures and guarantee civil liberties. We must confront every type of polarization in order to confront violence. Good political leaders initiate and minimize armed conflicts.  Politics involves the effective distribution of power for the sake of ALL.  No group can consider itself absolute.

CONGRESS: YOU ARE THE FACE OF THE PEOPLE: The people elected you to guide and provide for the common good, to satisfy the common needs.  The people reflect and expect the common good. The task of Congress is to reflect the will of the people for the common good. The elected officials are to work for the benefit of all people. You are not elected to live within the perks of the office and neglect doing the responsible good for the people. Insure the human dignity of all people. Real human beings take precedence over partisan ambition. A nation can be considered great that fosters liberty. If you fight among yourselves you will be devoured by those outside.

FOUR EXAMPLES OF AMERICA'S GUARDIANS OF LIBERTY: Abraham Lincoln: Liberty for all; Martin Luther King, Jr.: The call to dream and create a good life for all. Dreams awaken the future of freedom. America is a land of dreams; Dorothy Day: Social justice for all; Thomas Merton: Capacity for dialog and contemplation.

REFUGEES AND IMMIGRATION: Most of us were once foreigners. We must not be taken aback by the sheer numbers.  We must see refugees as persons. Remember the Golden Rule. If we want security, let us give security.  If we want opportunity, let us give opportunity. We must allow refugees to be dignified persons of their own destiny. Refugees must have the right to an education. Governments must provide for a minimum of lodging, labor and land, as well as civil rights and religious freedom.

ENVIRONMENT: The earth is our common home. We need dialog about environmental degradation caused by human activity.  Nature must be protected. Our human survival depends upon environmental care. The environment is a fundamental good. We have a culture of waste. Waste excludes others from life. Exclusiveness focuses on ourselves at the expense of others. When we see only ourselves we abuse creation. Creation is to be used for ALL of God's creation. There are ethical limits which humans must acknowledge.

ECONOMIC JUSTICE: There needs to be international equity, sustainable development, and elimination of oppressive lending systems which generate more oppression. Justice is essential for development. Opportunities must be open for all people. We must pool our resources, foster fraternity and solidarity for the common good. Business is a noble vocation if it creates jobs for the common good. Wealth and power are only the products of man. Religious freedom is a pillar of development.

WAR AND WEAPONS: Why are deadly weapons being sold? We must stop the arms trade. War is the negation of all rights. The real danger comes from man.

SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION: The spiritual supports ands sheds light.  Know that we attain God when we love. Our future rests in affirming the sacredness of all of life.  This leads to the creation of our common home. The voice of faith is that of fraternity and love. We are to care for one another, have respect for one another and be close to one another. Full meaning in life is found in selflessness and service.

PEACE!

Ron Letnes

America: Waning Democracy-Rising Fascism

Part II

A Theological-Political Response

Part I presented a description of fascism. Part II presents a theological-political response. Why unite theology and politics? Because a grace-centered, faith-filled theology is naturally political. Theology leads to action in the world, action that challenges personal decisions and structural realities. Theology always calls for renewal and change. Politics is about action, renewal and change. 

The characteristics of fascism in Part I contain many touch stones which are contrary to the Biblical witness. That's what scripture does! The Word is always focused on a contrary transformation of the world! What is the contrary Biblical witness to fascism?

TRADITIONALISM: Sitting for dinner at Levi's house, the scribes of the Pharisees asked, "Why does he[Jesus] eat with sinners and tax collectors?" Jesus was breaking with the traditional religionists, the conservative status quo, the rigid keepers of the Law, the righteous. Jesus' response: "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." Fascist traditionalists do not see themselves as "sinners." They are the "righteous." Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17: "If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, everything old has passed away...." Fascists protect the old, the established powers.

NATIONALISM: "You are the light of the world" says Jesus in Matthew 5:14. "God has established the world"-Psalm 93:1. "For God so loved the world...." - John 3:16. There are over 300 references to "world" in scripture. The Biblical witness gives testimony to God's creative affection for the entire world! God is global! No boundaries! Fascism urges an isolated native nationalism as the center of values.

INTOLERANCE: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." - Matthew 25:35. "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God." - Ephesians 2:19. Fascists are part of the "in group" which blames the "outsiders" for problems. Fascists look for scape goats. Intolerance is tolerated for the sake of control and profit.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST: "If there is among you anyone in need...open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need." - Deuteronomy 15: 7-8. The Parable of the Good Samaritan stresses compassion for the wounded stranger. - Luke 10:25ff. Fascists nurture corporate power whose purpose is to support the dictatorial power of the state. All are expendable at the state's powerful mercilessness.

PASSION OVER REASON: "A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh, but passion makes the bones rot." - Proverbs 14:30. "For the grace of God trains us to renounce worldly passions...to live lives that are self controlled." - Titus 2:11-12. "While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the Law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death." - Romans 7:5. Fascists do not want people to think deeply, to contemplate the nuances and consequences. Fascists want only to tickle the emotions of entertainment, to keep us laughing while the mind sleeps.

XENOPHOBIA: "You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice...." - Deuteronomy 24:17. "I was a father to the needy, and I championed the cause of the stranger." - Job 29:16. "There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear." - I John 4:18. Fascists create a fear-filled environment in order to maintain a powerful, militaristic control.

CORPORATION: Leviticus 25 declares a Jubilee Year in order to level the economic playing field and stir economic equality and equal opportunity. Luke 6:24-26 declares "Woes" to the wealthy and powerful because of their injustice and lack of kindness for all. Fascists control and cooperate with corporate elites for financial control and employment control of the people. People are tools of the corporation and state functionaries. The state and corporations control the levers of power and expression. The corporate boardrooms and government departments crush democracy.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION: Genesis 1:28 calls us to have "dominion" over creation meaning to care for, to be good stewards of the environment. Creation is an inter-relationship between people and the earth, each to nurture the other for life! Romans 8:21 - "...that creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." "...for in Him all things in heaven and on earth were created...." - Colossians 1:16. Fascists are the "gods" of creation. Fascists use creation, degrade creation, destroy creation for the sake of profit.  The environment exists at the mercy and purpose of the corporate state, for profit, for control of the people. 

AUTHORITARIANISM: I Corinthians 13 speaks of love in gentle terms, of humility, of listening to each other. I Corinthians 12 speaks of the various gifts within the Body of Christ.  All are valuable. There is a collegiality and equality, an interdependence. In Romans 13, love brackets the injunctions of the state. The state is to function out of love, towards a love that nurtures, demonstrates justice and creates peace. Fascism is not concerned with people love, but only corporate profit and control for the sake of goals established by corporate and state rulers. Ruling trumps love.

Holy Scripture is contrary to fascism. The Biblical witness is about God's grace alive in love, justice and mercy; whereas fascism demands obedience and controls the levers of life for the sake of corporate dominance and profit. Scripture is anathema to fascism!

The essence of American democracy is nurtured by a faithful following of the Biblical ethic of love, justice and mercy. The trend of our government is away from this Biblical theological-political ethic and towards a demonic fascism which exists for its power and profit controlling self. Democracy is waning.

The way forward is for Christians to be Christians, to insist and give witness to its Truth. The Biblical witness is clearly contrary to fascism. Before it is too late it is time to be contrary and nurture democracy.

Peace!

Ron Letnes

America: 

Waning Democracy - Rising Fascism

Part I 

I recall an early Pilgrim clergy calling America a "Light on the Hill." I nod affirmatively reading the words "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" from the Declaration of Independence. I smile reading the Preamble of our Constitution and the words"We the people..., in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity...."

Alas, I feel these democratic commitments waning, being blown way in the hurricane of rising fascism. I am fearful and saddened, because the good, the spark of liberty, the energy of creativity, the standards within our Bill of Rights are being flushed.  Yet, I believe the way of hope and healing lies in seeing the truth of what is happening, acknowledging its cancerous negativity, and deciding on correctives. 

PART I in moving us towards the sunrise of hope and healing will focus on an analysis of fascism. I will use the fascist portrait within an article in SALON, 26 July 2015. PART II will be a theological response to each portrait color because I see the Biblical witness as possessing a socio-political way forward. 

PART I

What is Fascism?

TRADITIONALISM: Fascism is an appeal to traditionalism.  Look to the past, look to the original meanings, look to the literal intent, look to fundamental truths. There is a negation of change unless change is deemed consistent with what has always been. Supreme Court Justice Anton Scalia hangs his hat on "originalism" when voicing an opinion, asking "What was the original intent of the Founding Fathers within their context as if to deny that contexts change.

NATIONALISM: "My country right or wrong, but right or wrong my country" can be the fascist nationalist mantra. The fascist believes their nation can do anything it wants as long as it is in their national interest. International, global thinking is secondary to national will. Our thinking, our actions are dictated by whatever we understand WE need to do from our understanding to achieve OUR goals. We are supreme! Our gaze is narrow. Nationalism is all about US. Respect for other nations is secondary to our will for ourselves. War is always an easy possibility.

INTOLERANCE OF IMMIGRANTS: The fascist is protective of its power elite, its culture, its color, its religion. Any people who would want into the country due to economic necessity or asylum for fear of death, are not welcome unless their presence will enhance our national interest. Compassion and justice are sacrificed in the cauldron of fear. Walls are constructed to keep the foreigner out. The immigrant is blamed. Only those who nurture the established powerful status quo are welcome.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST: The poor and vulnerable, the unproductive be damned. Only the strong and well connected survive. Citizenship becomes an extension of "The Hunger Games." Watch your back, stick your fork into the other person, slice and dice if necessary. "God is on the side of the biggest battalions." Competition is the norm for advancement. The other person is a potential enemy, a threat to your survival. All is fair because your own survival is paramount. Violence is as common as a latte'.

PASSION OVER REASON: Think Donald Trump. Think Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Mao Tse Dung, Charlemagne, Napoleon, Idi Amin, Osama Bin Laden and.... Living by passion means living by what makes me feel good, feel right, what justifies my sense of righteousness. Passion is the drug of hubris, the grandiose ego eruption.  Passion is the quick fix, the feel good answer to challenges, the narcissistic triumph of the will! Consideration of the other is blackened out.  The nuances of relationships are annoyances. The complexity of connections are nullified.  Education is restricted and becomes propaganda. Thinking is group think. The Internet is controlled to allow only ideas that support the corporate-political elite. Only the "now" and what justifies the passionate desire is acceptable. Unchecked passion leads to justifiable violence.

XENOPHOBIA: Fear of the foreigner or stranger is paramount. They are the enemy. Justice and compassion, a welcoming spirit are squelched because of the need to protect, to survive. Violence is justified to preserve the corporate-political estate.

CORPORATISM: The political operatives and corporate CEOs run the country.  What is good for the bottom line, for the powerful elite is what is good for the nation. The political decisions are captive to what will assist and protect the profit of the corporation.  The workers are tools of the corporation for the good of the wealthy political leadership and corporate CEOs. The worker is slave to the profit makers. Political decision are made to further corporate profiteering interests nationally and globally.  Justice is defined by what is good for profit and obscene salaries for the political and corporate elite.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION:  The environment is a tool to be used and abused for the benefit of the corporate state.  Whatever it takes to generate profit is justified: deny climate change, prevent development of solar and renewable energy sources, poison our water with chemicals, over fish the oceans, encourage use of coal and fossil fuels, clear cut the rain forests, drill for oil in the Arctic, all are justified for the sake of profit.

AUTHORITARIANISM: (This is my personal addition) Democracy is denied.  decisions are made by the corporate and political elite. National will is decided by a select few.  The people are victims of the few. War is on the table as long as it fits the national goals of the corporate-political cabal. The people are the cannon fodder, the expendable. Militarization is paramount and takes the majority of the budget.

Democracy is dead.

Ron Letnes

Lack of Shared Humanity?

Following the recent shooting of two journalists in Virginia, I wrote the following on my Facebook:

Not the time? "The host of the NRA radio show reacted to the fatal

shooting of two journalists in Virginia County by attacking gun activists

for using the tragedy to call for stronger gun laws, claiming they 

'politicized' it and demonstrated a lack of shared humanity."

(Media Matters)

I am speechless.  But not for long. One can assume that this is the 

position of NRA leadership. O, they will lay low for a few days. 

This is their MO. Let emotions settle. Then will come the justifications

for needing more guns. This time the call to arm the journalists. 

Equipment: cameras, AR-15, microphones, Glock 9mm and....

Lack of shared humanity? O, yes, let's comfort the gun manufacturers,

the gutless politicians, the sellers of death, the NRA leadership. Surely

we must weep over their misfortunate publicity.

It is time to enact gun safety laws that will protect more people, 

perhaps your daughter or son, spouse and friends, the stranger and

yourself.

Yes, let us affirm the dignity of a "shared humanity" and say as one: 

"Enough." 

I also wrote on Facebook:

We have spent too much time fretting over the government wanting

to take our guns away and insisting on our right to own guns.

Show me the data that proves the big bad government is coming to take

guns away. The truth is the politicians, fueled by gun nuts

are so afraid of offending the gun nuts that they do nothing

to pass gun safety laws. Don't worry about the government

as they are chickens in pants and dresses.  Worry instead about

the gun in your home and the 300 million in public circulation.

That ought to give us serious pause.  We are hemorrhaging in

guns and the 34,000 deaths a year are the result.

Sleep well.

And another post:

Consider this all you gun lovers.  Nearly 2/3 of all gun

deaths are suicide by gun.  By my calculation those 2/3 would

still be alive if they had chosen their "right" to NOT buy

a gun. So much for how much guns "protect" us.

Indeed they enable us to kill each other and ourselves

with sad regularity. Hello!

The organization Everytown for Gun Safety recently published a chart titled "Gun Murders Per 100,000 Residents" which compared the murder rates of several countries. Yup, the United States is #1 again! Per 100,000: U.S.A., 3.7; Italy (#2) 0.68; Luxembourg (#3) 0.59; Finland 0.57; Canada 0.50; Norway (#14) 0.04. 

When will we affirm the sanctity of life? When will we take action beyond "My thoughts and prayers are with you." When will we respond with actions to Jesus' injunctions of "Enough", "No more of this", "They who live by the sword shall die by the sword" and "Blessed are the peacemakers"? 

"How many deaths will it take till we know that too many people have died?" Bob Dylan

Peace!

Ron Letnes

Fear and Rights: a Lethal Mix

FEAR and insistence upon the freedom to exercise one's perceived RIGHTS are the lethal mix that prevent significant action in gun violence prevention. 

It matters little that a gun in the home increases the chance of being killed by 72%, is responsible for the vast majority of children being killed by guns, is 22 times more likely to be used in a suicide or homicide or accident than to be used in self defense, triples the risk of homicide, increases likelihood of suicide by five times, means an abused woman is six times more likely to be murdered.

It matters little that more guns equals more unnatural deaths (CBS News), that more guns in homes increases the chance of homicide by two times and suicide by three times according to the AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY.

It matters little that victims of property crimes use guns in self defense 1/10 of 1% of the time according to the Violence Policy Center.

It matters little that in 2013 there were 33,636 people who died from gun violence, that states with higher rates of gun ownership have greater rates of gun suicide, that a gun buy-back program in Australia took 1/5 of the guns off the streets and wound up reducing firearm suicide by 74%, that when Israeli Defense Forces stopped letting soldiers bring their guns home over the weekend, suicides declined 40%, that 90% of people who have survived suicide do not end up dying by suicide, that the Center for Disease Control says that 85% of suicide attempts by gun resulted in death, compared to 6.7% via cutting and 6.5% by poisoning. The above from VOX and the article "America's Biggest Gun Problem is the One We Never Talk About" by Dylan Matthews and Estelle Caswell.

It matters little that the Public Policy Polling survey between June 19-20, 2015, reported that 82% of Americans support preventing domestic abusers from buying guns, that 80% of gun owners think this is a good idea, that 87% of women support the idea, as well as 92% of Hispanics and 89% of African Americans. This poll is used to support the Dingell-Dold Bill (HR-3130 and S-1520). Debbie Dingel is a Democrat from Michigan and Bob Dold a Republican from Illinois.

What does matter is that I have the right to protect myself from threat, the right to be shielded by a narrow reading of the Second Amendment, the right to allow fear to trigger violent-deadly response against anyone or anything that threatens the well-being of me or my family or my team or my group or my gang or whatever I value with few if any restraints. 

FEAR and RIGHTS trample on any notion of gun violence prevention such as universal background checks, safe storage, denial of right to purchase if family or police deem a person at risk for committing violence, requiring trigger locks on all guns, requiring a gun safety course for all gun purchasers, registration of all guns (we register automobiles which kill 40,000 a year), requiring permits for conceal and carry, banning sale of assault weapons and large ammunition magazines.

Trumpeting FEAR and RIGHTS have trumped LOVE. Fear and rights have turned us into ourselves and voided love for the other.  Fear and rights focus our being on ME.  We choose to cocoon ourselves behind a wall of weapons which isolate and insulate us from connection. The tragic outcome is more violence, more death, more grief. Battlefields are littered with the the millions of dead who marched to the drums and bugles of FEAR and RIGHTS. Streets, homes, schools, public squares, worship centers and places of business are the new battlefields.

I am moved by the words within the Declaration of Independence which state we are all entitled to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."  I am moved by the words in the Preamble of our Constitution that the words contained exist for the purpose of insuring "domestic tranquility." 

I have learned from Jesus that perfect love casts out fear. That it is time to say "Enough!" and "No more of this!" That God's response to Cain's question after he killed his brother, Abel, "Am I my brother's keeper?" is an unqualified "Yes you are!"

Peace! 

Curiosity and Questioning

Gun Violence Prevention

Recently, a writer-philosopher responded to a question about the greatest gift a person can bring to life's table. His response was CURIOSITY. I can run a long way with his answer. Yet, being a Christian and a Lutheran, thereby in love with the Word of God, I opened my NRSV Concordance and looked under curiosity.  Alas, there was only one reference and that was in the Apocrypha, 2 Esdras 9:13: "...to be curious about how the ungodly will be punished...." Not very helpful!

When in question look to Jesus!  There it was in Luke 23:8-90: "When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer." Herod was curious so he questioned him.

How curious are we about finding solutions to gun violent prevention? Do we even ask questions in search of answers? I am convinced until we do get curious and ask questions about solutions, the carnage of 34,000 gun deaths a year will only increase.

Linda and I attended a conference which focused on NEW APPROACHES TO REDUCING GUN VIOLENCE IN MINNESOTA. The presenters were from Duke University, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Minnesota, the Minneapolis Chief of Police, and the Executive Director of The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence. The sponsor of the event was THE EDUCATIONAL FUND TO STOP GUN VIOLENCE.

Their CURIOSITY led them to ask QUESTIONS about how to reduce gun violence. They were curious and questioning because in the previous 204 days there had been 204 mass shootings (not all leading to deaths), 34 people are murdered each day, about 20,000 people commit suicide each year and there are about 300 million guns in private hands in the USA. More guns equal more gun deaths.  They were committed to asking questions and being curious about protecting life.

They concluded that being proactive rather than reactive was part of the solution. Being proactive means recognizing the RISK FACTORS which lead people to use guns, and then ordering Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVRO) upon those individuals who are at risk for gun violence. A GVRO provides the opportunity for family, friends and intimate partners to intervene and temporarily disarm a loved one who is in crisis.  By intervening to remove guns already possessed and to prevent new gun purchases, a safer circumstance was created for their family to seek treatment or engage other resources to address the underlying causes of the dangerous behaviors.

The RISK FACTORS are: 1) Domestic violence convictions and accusations; 2) Violent misdemeanor convictions (assault, road rage); 3) Multiple DUI and drug/alcohol convictions.  In these situations, a judge could issue a GVRO for those exhibiting the RISK FACTORS and who are a danger to their families. The respondent has a right to a hearing.  After the crisis has passed, the GVRO is lifted.

Why is the GVRO needed?  Because presently there is no mechanism to restrict firearm access on a case-by-case basis when no crime has been committed or an individual does not meet the criteria for an involuntary civil commitment for mental health treatment. California has adopted the GVRO strategy. The outcome: a 29% reduction in gun violence and a 25% decrease in homicides.

The GVRO is worth a try.  It seems CURIOSITY leading to QUESTIONING has saved lives. Where are the Herods?

Peace!

Alternative to the Dominant Culture

Walter Brueggemann wrote: ""[The prophet's task is] to nurture, nourish, and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture." In my understanding this means Jesus preached, taught, and acted counter to the dominant culture. Following Jesus means figuring out a "Jesus Way" in our actions.

Placing this action in the context of gun violence prevention, a Jesus Way is to pray upon, reflect upon and act upon Jesus' two clear comments on weapons. 

The first is Jesus telling his disciples what to take with them when they are "sent out": "And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one.... They said, 'Lord, look, here are two swords.' He replied, 'It is enough.'" (Luke 22:35-38) The second is Jesus in Gethsemane: "Then one of [the disciples] struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, 'No more of this!' And he touched his ear and healed him." (Luke 22:50-51)

At the very least, Jesus is placing limits on the use of weapons in the first example. Discipleship is not by the sword. The second example has Jesus criticizing the use of the sword and siding with the victim. The Jesus Way is enhanced by healing and nonviolence. Jesus will embrace violence upon himself and not do onto others. Likewise is discipleship.

Jesus' actions are counter to the weapons habits of the dominant culture. Christians, followers of Jesus, are freed and called to act opposite of societies gun culture by insisting upon limits and or elimination of dependence upon guns as solutions. The Christian way is an alternative way. 

I composed a song to lift up this alternative way. It is called "It is Time".

CH: It is time, it is time, it is time to say enough

It is time to say no more

It is time, it is time, it is time to get tough

It is time, it is time to restore

Too many children, too many innocents feel the sting of lead.

Too many workers, too many students lay in the ground cold dead. (CH)

Second Amendment, twisted abused, I've got my rights to put you in my sight.

Regulations, blindly refused, because I've got my rights. (CH)

Purchasing weapons like candy in a store, background checks for some.

But if you're hazy or ethically shady, private sale and mum. (CH)

I've got my right to stand my ground, make my day, protect my life.

I've got my freedom to shoot a few rounds, justifying strife. (CH)

Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, are not they a right?

Freedom to love, free to be my best, free from hate and fright. (CH)

Safety for ALL, freedom for ALL, joyous life for ALL.

Friends with each other, sisters and brothers, gentle like a feather. (CH)

Peace!

Lutheran College Integrity

The Concordia College-Moorhead, Minnesota Mission Statement reads: "To influence the affairs of the world by sending into society thoughtful and informed men and women dedicated to the Christian life." It is purposeful, faithful and focused. I like it. Linda and I are Concordia graduates.

Mission statements are cherished as well as challenged. Mission statements contain the core of a college's integrity and are rightly cherished.  Events of life challenge the integrity of mission statements. Life events put flesh on the words. Administration, staff, students and graduates are challenged to engage how the mission statement guides and empowers each to respond to lifes realities, which in themselves challenge the integrity of the mission statement.

The issues of climate change and fossil fuels challenge the Concordia family to faithfully live out the Concordia Mission Statement. A friend and classmate, Rollie James and I are concerned that Concordia stay strong and faithful in addressing climate change and fossil fuel issues. We have composed a letter to Concordia leadership expressing our affection and urging them to fulfill its calling as a college of the ELCA academic ministry of Christ. 

Rollie and I are inviting all who have attended Concordia to prayerfully consider signing the letter. If you want to have your name included, send me an email at: ronletnes@hotmail.com.  The deadline is August 1. If you are a graduate feel welcome to include your graduation date. Thank you.

THE LETTER

Dr. William J. Craft, President

Dr. Michelle Lelwica, Chair-Department of Religion

Dr. Michelle D. Marko, Co-Director-Environmental Studies

Dr. Hilda P. Kester, Co-Director-Environmental Studies

Pastor Tim Megorden, Campus Ministry

John R. Tunheim, Chair-Board of Regents

Concordia College

Moorhead, Minnesota 56562

Dear Concordia Leadership:

Grace, mercy, and peace in the strong name of Jesus!

We are those who have attended Concordia. We write out of gratitude for the significant contribution Concordia has made in the shaping of our sense of mission, providing life purpose and stirring faith-filled affection for God's world. We value Concordia's profound mission: "To influence the affairs of the world by sending into society thoughtful and informed men and women dedicated to the Christian life." So simple yet so encompassing.

We also write out of concern for God's gift of creation, a concern buttressed by the ELCA Social Statement "Caring for Creation" which exclaims: "We see the despoiling of the environment as nothing less than the degradation of God's gracious gift of creation." Pope Francis has expressed similar concern in his latest encyclical, "Praise Be To You: Laudato Si": "This sister [creation] now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods that God has endowed her." Pope Francis has also emphasized the need for political action and policy changes. Dr. James Hanson, sometimes called the world's premier climatologist, has thanked the pope for recognizing the need for an international and transparent carbon fee. The consistent alarms surrounding climate change and fossil fuels signal the necessity of critical commitment to analysis and action at the highest level.

Institutions of higher education similar to Concordia are well positioned and indeed called by Christ and the Church to preach, teach, give witness and empower a reflective and active creation stewardship.

Towards this end, we view with alarm the pressure brought upon some centers of higher education to compromise their highest disciplines in order to satisfy expectations of some wealthy climate change deniers, fossil-fuel corporate donors, those who would denigrate peer-reviewed science and be critical of change prophets. Institutions may be tempted to sell the integrity of their mission for profit and pottage.  These trade-offs can be costly to creation stewardship, academic honesty and Christian witness.

Therefore, we urge Concordia to maintain and advance its commitment to solid science, environmental stewardship, progressive theological environmental justice and academic freedom. The earth groans in expectation of active environmental justice.

Our affection for Concordia is strong! We believe in Concordia's Mission. We are grateful for your leadership and we trust it to continue its faith-filled vision.

We would appreciate responses to this letter and information on climate actions taken by Concordia.  You may address responses too: Rev. Dr. Ron Letnes, 2917 124th Cr. NE, Blaine, Minnesota 55449.

Thank you for your attention.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Church, Race, and Guns

The shooter, Dylann Roof, killer of nine, including four ministers, at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC, was many things: an ELCA member, baptized and probably confirmed in the ELCA, regular church attendee, and a summer camper at a church camp. And a White supremacist. Dylann's father, Franklin, goes to church twice a week. And there is more. Two of the pastoral victims were graduates of an ELCA seminary. 

What intrigues me is how the church is a central focus in this tragedy.  I am driven to my knees that as an ELCA pastor, I am led to ask questions about the place of the church, the teachings of the church, the practices of the church, my ELCA! And of the Black Church. Places of worship, learning, counseling, nurturing, community gathering, suddenly becoming central casting characters in a racist tragedy.

Yet, this scenario is unfortunately not new. The church has historically been the cauldron of violence. In the 1960's, more than 200 Black and multi-racial churches were torched. Similarly, in the 1960's, over 300 Black churches were bombed. In the fall of 1870, the KKK burned nearly every Black church in Tuskegee, Alabama to the ground. In 1963, in Birmingham, Alabama, 4 young girls were killed in a church bombing.

Why? Racism for sure. But more deeply, according to W.E.B. Dubois, churches were the "First social institution fully controlled by Black men in America." Pastor Belin, an African American pastor, said, "You attack the center, whatever you think is going to hit at the heart. The Black church has been the heart." The church was a center for growing Black strength which was threatening to the White power structure.

Heidi Beirich of the Southern Poverty Law Center says: "[The Black church] is a symbol of Black communion.  If you want to harm Black folks, it's an obvious easy target." The Black church was a vulnerable "soft target." There were no guard towers, land mines, or barbed wire protections. The church is about relationships, fellowship, sharing of means, learning, and listening to the Word, together. Come on in!

In the NEW YORK TIMES, Campbell Robertson and Rachel Swarns write: ""During segregation, churches became places where Black men and women found leadership opportunities denied them by White society." The Black church was about empowerment and human development, unsettling dynamics to White Supremacists. 

Yet unfortunately, the impact of church on violence is sadly legion. Church can create guilt. Church can create a relationship of us and them, insider and outsider. Church can create a justification of the righteous against the unrighteous. Church can be a volatile mix. Into this mix, guns can be the means of a distorted cleansing and blasphemous capital punishment.

Yet, the church must be the church. By its nature, the church is a vulnerable people. The church welcomes all people, opens itself to all, peaches and teaches to all.  The church is not a place for guns, nor a place to preach and teach hatred. The church is the place where peace and love are practiced, forgiveness is generous, where justice is planned and carried out in the world, where the nonviolence of Jesus is announced, taught, and practiced, where all kneel to receive the grace of God in the Body and Blood of Jesus. In church, guns do not have the last word, even as the gun cracks, the bullets strike, and the powder fills the room. The church is the place of eternal rising. The Emanuel AME Bible study has reclaimed the place of shooting: "This territory belongs to God." "Death is swallowed up in victory!"

Peace!

I'm Stickin'

James Carville, former advisor to President Clinton, wrote a book titled I'm Stickin'. He explained why he was staying with certain political positions and party. Call it a political apologetic! There have been times when I have had questions about whether to "stick" with the ELCA. I remember proclaiming that I was an ELCAer by confession, but a Mennonite at heart. I liked the Mennonite positions on peacemaking and nonviolence; whereas I felt the ELCA was rather "mushy" about both.

Since that time, I have remained with the ELCA.  I'm stickin'!  Why? 

Because, as I have made a major commitment to nonviolence and anti-violence action in the arena of gun violence prevention, the ELCA has stood-up and spoken-up about positions to address anti-violence actions that lend Biblical, confessional, and ecclesiological support for actions addressing gun violence prevention. The ELCA has stood strong. What has been said:

1.  Jesus has said "No more of this" and "Enough" and "Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword." when addressing swords and weapons. Nonviolence anyone?

2.  Paul writes of the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians, all of which are nonviolent: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control.

3. One might ask: "What about the Old Testament?" Two responses: 1) We must look at the OT through the lens of the NT and Jesus, and in so doing we see an evolving arc of growing nonviolence; 2) Ask: If the OT was so correct about the way of following God, why was Jesus Christ necessary? I suggest Jesus was necessary because people had lost their way in knowing what it means to follow God, to live lives pleasing to God as created in God's Image, to live as human beings as God intended. God had to come in human form to remind us what it means to be a human being. To be a human being means to live nonviolently.

4.  Statements of the ELCA. When it comes to gun violence prevention, the ELCA has made some bold and courageous statements: In 1989 at the Church wide Assembly, a ban on military-style semi-automatic weapons was urged as a study proposal meant to move the ELCA to consider an outright ban or regulation. In 1993, again at Church wide, support for the Brady Bill was passed, as was the urging of congregations, synods and agencies to support a broad array of gun control measures.

The 1994 Church Council called on members of the congregations to consider how they might be more involved in countering the reality of and fear of violence in their communities. Gun control was again urged. The 1995 Social Statement "For Peace in God's World" calls upon people to become peacemakers. The 2013 Church wide Assembly called upon members to contact their elected officials and advocate for passage of legislation that promotes universal background checks, prevents gun trafficking, and requires the reporting of lost or stolen guns. A 2013 Pastoral Letter endorsed by the ELCA Bishops urged the church to address gun violence.

Biblical, confessional and ecclesiological groundwork have been formed to encourage and empower people to address gun violence prevention. This is good enough for me! Now the call and the challenge to synods and congregations to trust the Biblical, confessional, and ecclesiological witnesses. With God on our side, who can be against us? [We] can do all things in Christ who strengthens us!

I'm stickin'! 

Peace!

Ron Letnes

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Pete Seeger and Joe Hickerson asked this question in the 1950's. Their answer? "Gone to graveyards, everyone." Yes, it is true. After visiting many museums, sites, and cemeteries commemorating WWI and WWII this spring, Linda and I, on our Europe 2015 journey, discovered that every grave we saw had a flower. Every cemetery was well manicured, free of rampant weeds. The headstones had varied inscriptions, some with names, units and citations, and some with "Known Only to God." So many cemeteries.  So many signs with arrows pointing the direction and kilometers to the next cemetery. Soldier-poet Siegfried Sassoon wrote in November 1918: "I died in hell.  They called it Passchendaele."

In Ypres, Belgium, every evening at 8:00 P.M., since 1928 (Yes, you read that correctly), the city commemorates "The Last Post", a service of remembrance of 58,896 soldiers who sacrificed themselves but who have no known grave, the fragments of their bodies morphed with the fields. Their names are etched in the walls and ceiling of the Menin Gate Memorial. One name is read along with what is known of the soldier's life and duty. Poppies are in abundance in wreaths and on lapels. The mantra is the same: "You are remembered."

I think of a song written from Isaiah 49:14-16: "I will never forget you my people. I have carved you on the palm of my hand. I will never forget you.  I will never forget you.  I will never forget my own." "The Last Post" is a metaphor.

Northern France, in the Alsaac and Lorraine Districts, in Belgium and Luxembourg, poppies are in abundance. Poppies are the silent red symbols of the human cost of war. The poppy has the stubborn grace to grow amidst the denuded battlefields of Verdun, the Somme, the Ypres Salient, and Bastogne. Though its stem is willowy thin and blows easily in the gentlest breeze, it is bright, beautiful, and tough. And blood red. Like people. We are weak and strong, vulnerable yet capable of eye-catching beauty. Brigade doctor Major McCrae immortalized the poppy in a poem he wrote after the death of his friend: 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place, and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

During our Europe 2015 journey, I read Phillip Jenkin's book, Laying Down the Sword. He takes a detailed look at the violence texts primarily in Deuteronomy and Joshua, and compares them with violence texts in the Quran. Sadly, there is more violence in the Holy Bible than in the Quran. Jenkins  addresses the sticky question: "Does the Bible justify violence?" His answer is a quote from John J. Collins from his book, Does the Bible Justify Violence? Collins writes:

The answer is simple: if the circumstances

in which you live move you to seek such

justification, then you will find them, and 

the same is true of the Quran. If you don't

need them, you won't find them.

Pogo was right.  The enemy is US. Where have all the flowers gone? The poppies are for US, on the graves of our choices. God have mercy.  Christ have mercy. God have mercy.

Peace!

By Their Fruits

Bear fruit worthy of repentance (Mt. 3:8)

Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees;

every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit 

is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Mt. 3:10)

...for each tree is known by its own fruit. (Luke 6:33)

For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord

you are light.  Live as children of light-

for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good

and right and true. (Eph. 5:8-9)

The recent NRA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee was an orchard of bad fruit. You can get sick on bad fruit. In spite of the reality that over 30,000 people die of gun shot wounds each year, that guns in the home double the homicide risk and triple the suicide risk, despite the fact that gun injuries cost about $250 billion a year to treat, even though the United States has the highest rate of gun related deaths among all industrialized countries, even though the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a policy statement recommending that pediatricians urge parents to remove all guns from homes, and pediatricians are calling for permission to talk with patients about the dangers of having guns in the home, the Nashville Gun Bash triumphantly sold rotten fruit to the 70,000 attendees.

Here are some NRA Convention "fruits"!:

All guns on the convention floor will be nonoperational

with firing pins removed....

The Tennessean (local paper)

Yet the NRA supports guns in schools, businesses, on college campuses, state capitol buildings, and everywhere. But not at their convention. Do they know something that we should know? Hypocrisy reigns!

Lt. Col David Grossman lectured:

[Prepare to kill children] Folks, we've raised a

vicious generation of children...Sandy Hook is just

the beginning...We have a million students who are

criminals, gang members, and its exploded...Our

Founding Fathers knew there would be days like

this....and they created the Second Amendment

for just a time like this....

Lt. Col. David Grossman

David Grossman is the man who lent understanding following Columbine, who spoke of video games as "basic training" for learning how to kill, who implied we need to do something to stop a killing culture, yet is now prepping us to kill youth, and assuring us the Second Amendment will assuage our consciences. After all, killing is a practical necessity for a civilized culture. Grossman has coined the word "killology", a study of the psychological and physiological effects of killing. Some attendees at the convention have said his talk was the best! Then he calls upon people to prepare to become "predators," saying "Only a predator can hunt a predator."

Then there is Mr. Rock 'n Roll, Ted Nugent, NRA Board Member, who in 2010 at the NRA Convention in Houston said:

[The Obama administration is] wiping its ass

with the Constitution....If the coyote is in your

living room pis____ on your couch, it's not the

coyote's fault.  It's your fault for not shooting him.

Ted made similar comments in Nashville.

I think most NRA members are good folks who would support reasonable gun laws in the interest of safety. There is abundant "good fruit" in the NRA. Eat up! But bad fruit contaminates good fruit. The leadership and corporate money folks too often sell rotten fruit which sickens society, ruins peaceable homes, spreads the fruit of terror in schools and public places. 

When listening to the NRA, we need not be intimidated and bow in fealty. Instead, we need to discern what kind of fruit they are selling. The shiny apples are on top, but too often underneath the shine is the worm infested fruit. 

Peace!

Ron

Holy Week: Reformation and/or Revolution?

Holy Week is the Christian Super Bowl! Jesus' mission is revealed in its entirety: life changing, world changing, cosmos changing! Were Jesus' actions reformative and/or revolutionary?

The case for REVOLUTIONARY rests in the degree of violence and respect for human rights. Hence, to what degree did Jesus reject physical and ecological violence during his ministry? To what degree did Jesus promote human rights? These questions are appropriate because God became human to embody the human gift of all of us being created in the Image of God and being good stewards of God's earth. It is the People of God who are the expressions of Jesus in the world.  It is the People of God who are responsible for seeking and doing the Will of God towards people and the earth. We are called to imitate Christ! 

How does Jesus' Holy Week actions reflect REVOLUTIONARY actions? First, Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a colt, the foal of an ass. The colt is symbolic of humility.  The colt bears the burdens of others labor. The colt is basically a walker rather than a strider. The colt is often guided by others who are walking. The colt is never used on the battlefield. The colt symbolizes nonviolence.

The Chief Priests, Elders, and Scribes sought ways to kill Jesus. They were tricksters, trying to catch Jesus acting contrary to Roman law, thereby opening the door for Jesus being arrested and imprisoned. To these attempts Jesus responded that people should pay to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's. The fig tree is given prominence as a metaphor for what it means to be obedient to God. Furthermore, the religious elite were looking for a Davidic figure who would lead the People of God out of Roman oppression. Violence was on the table and Jesus was not playing their game. At no time did Jesus advocate violent overthrow of Roman rule. Finally, Jesus told the leadership that God would destroy the "tenants" of Israel (religious leadership) because of their denial of God's intention for their mission.

Yet, through his actions, Jesus used the power of speech, of the Word, of the mind and Spirit to teach, preach, and heal nonviolently. Human rights were addressed through his explanation of paying taxes to Caesar and giving generously to God's work.  Both expenditures are necessary for human dignity and life preservation. Jesus taught the Great Commandment: love God, love yourself, love others. Loving each other honors human rights and supports human dignity. Finally, Jesus told the people to expect persecution, NOT to be persecutors. Living nonviolently with a commitment to human rights invites persecution. This is the Cross: Jesus accepting death and suffering for us rather than inflicting it upon others. 

Was Jesus a REVOLUTIONARY? Yes, with a scandalous style, changing the methodology, surprising the world and followers with unconventional acts. 

The case for REFORMER is grounded in how he addressed the religious and cultural Jewishness of God's Chosenness through the People of Israel, unveiling radical new faith practices. 

Consider Jesus' chasing the animals and sellers of sacrifices out of the Temple. The worship life of God's followers was redefined. One does not earn God's grace by paying for a substitute for one's sins. Jesus' sacrifice for us will take care of that. Furthermore, worship is about prayer and nurturing relationship with God and God with us through focused attention on the Word through the Spirit. Relationship instead of paying blood money for God's love was central. 

Jesus taught the resurrection was for all which was contrary to the teaching of the Sadducees. Jesus was inclusive rather than exclusive.  Jesus expanded the definition of "chosenness" and "holiness" to include the world! All are welcome! One's bloodline was not the arbiter of life with God! What one wears, one's level of religious education, ecclesial position, appearance and pomp does not make one holier and closer to God's pleasure. Love makes the difference! Obedience to God's freeing us to love defines our holiness. The widow, not the Sadduccess, nor Scribes, nor Elders is lifted up as the exemplar of the God life. The Temple is redefined as where prayer, the Great Commandment, and generosity towards mission are practiced. Bricks and mortar are helpful, but they do not and cannot wall out all people of the world! Jesus opened the hearts of God's people to ALL!  Jesus went global! 

The Lord's Supper is for ALL!  ALL are welcome! Come!  Receive and meet Jesus! The Cross and Jesus taking upon himself all that would separate us from God's love and from us loving others and the earth is killed on the Cross. The Resurrection is for ALL people in the world, for a renewal of our care for the earth, for being Jesus' hands and voice in God's transforming grace!

Yes, Jesus was a REFORMER!

The Great Week!  Holy Week! A time of REVOLUTION and REFORMATION! Let's do it! Let's be it! It's kick-off time!

Peace!