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
Monday, January 24, 2011
Museums and the Reign of God
Linda and I have returned home from a 24 day southern adventure. Since moving back to Minnesota, we have now joined the myriad of "sotans" who take time during the winter months to head south for warmth and R and R. Travel also gives us great times of learning and reflection. Hence, I brought along a book by Richard T. Hughes entitled Christian America and the Kingdom of God. A great book. He writes of how America came to believe itself a Christian nation and how questionable is this claim. He also writes that Jesus' purpose was to usher in the Kingdom of God. In a later blog I will be commenting on his thesis. For now I will focus on the Reign of God, the Kingdom of God.
Museums give a paradoxical insight into the character of the Kingdom of God. We visited several on our journey. Museums are more than a collection of artifacts. Museums are essentially "story". They tell us stories about persons, events, and creations. A couple of weeks ago I shared the civil rights story and what those events say to us today, and how we can help make real the Kingdom of God by duplicating their actions. The challenge now is to learn from these stories, much like we learn from the Biblical stories, and how these stories can give us insights about making real the Reign of God.
We, or should I say "I", visited the Naval Museum in Mobile, Alabama. As Linda read the newspaper and organized our gear, I walked through the battleship USS Alabama, gazed upon American fighter aircraft, took pictures of a Russian MIG-15, wiggled through a submarine, and walked around a B-52 intercontinental bomber in "mothballs". As a kid I liked to build plastic models of ships, bombers, and fighters. Now the real thing! I was surrounded by steel, gun turrets, 20mm, 40mm, 5" guns, bullets of many calibers, 16" projectiles which could travel over 20 miles, torpedos, and subsonic to mach 2.5 fighter aircraft. Massive, sophisticated killing machines covered acres of ground and water. I felt a cold adrenaline rush.
Likewise, when we were in New Orleans, we toured the new WWII Museum. Hanging from the ceiling were fighter aircraft, a C-47 that flew over Normandy, tanks, a German 88 anti-aircraft battery, guns of every sort, and hundreds, perhaps thousands of pictures. There was the moving story of the American Jewish soldier, fighting for freedom while also experiencing forms of discrimination. The 4-D movie narrated by Tom Hanks was a visual buffet of sights, sounds, motion, and smells of the conflict. There were about 65 million deaths in that war: 465,000 Americans, 20 million Russians, 12 million Asians, 6 million Jews, and onward on a descending spiral. Most of the dead were the innocents, caught in the crosshairs of "honor and national justification".
Then came Tucson. Another war. The shooter and the victims. The Violence Policy Center says there are 283 million guns in American homes. It reports a direct relationship between the availability of guns per state and the rate of gun deaths per state. An article in the Des Moines Register reports that in 2007, there were 12, 632 homicides in the United States, 179 in Canada, 42 in Great Britain, and 30 in Australia. Americans own more guns than these three countries combined. Indeed, if my memory is correct, gun deaths per year in the USA are more than all other nations in the world combined, unless there is a war within a nation. As an aside, while driving through Alabama, we saw more huge fireworks stands than I have seen in any other state. Also, there was a sign: "One Million Rounds of Ammo" for sale at a local gun store. The ritual of death had come closer to home and become more personal and possible for each of us. Museums of the past had come home to the present.
I have never been a fan of the Just War crowd. Violence cannot be justified. Violence creates only victims. Violence is a sign of brokenness, of us falling short of God's design. Violence is sin. Violence is the antithesis of the Kingdom of God. Yes, I know we can say that we needed to stop Hitler and Tojo, that we needed to stop the Holocaust, that we needed to teach Sadam a lesson, that we needed to halt the aggression and genocide in the Balkans, that we needed to fight for our independence from England. The arguments are strong and the justifications convincing. But let us not allow these arguments and justifications to assuage our consciences and parade down the avenue of celebration, carrying the cross as if it were the flag of nations. The Kingdom of God, the Reign of God is about love and reconciliation and peace and nonviolence. If we allow for anything less we distort the life of Christ. Jesus wept because he was saddened at the death of his friend. Jesus wept at the anticipation of his impending suffering. Jesus cried out: "Why have You forsaken me?" War, death, bullets, guns are signs of us forsaking God's will and choosing our will. It is pure nationalistic ego to carry the cross of Christ at the forefront of battle.
This is why the Kingdom of God, the Reign of God, is also about forgiveness. Being there is no justification for war and violence, there can only be mercy. We bend our knees, bow our heads, and open our hands to receive God's gracious forgiveness. We confess our complicity in creating the downward spiral of death. No celebrations. No hymns to honor. No twisted logic. Just confession and forgiveness and restoration and recommitment to making real the Reign of God, the Kingdom of God in Christ.
While in Montgomery, Alabama, Linda and I visited the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Civil Rights Memorial Center. We heard more stories of moral courage based upon nonviolence as the method for change. Gandhi was given a significant place as inspiration for King's commitment. Part of the SPLC was the Wall of Tolerance, a huge visual scroll of names committed to nonviolence. You could add your name. We did. A small act. A step. Museums are about people who take steps. It is steps that make real the Reign of God.
Peace,
Ron
Museums give a paradoxical insight into the character of the Kingdom of God. We visited several on our journey. Museums are more than a collection of artifacts. Museums are essentially "story". They tell us stories about persons, events, and creations. A couple of weeks ago I shared the civil rights story and what those events say to us today, and how we can help make real the Kingdom of God by duplicating their actions. The challenge now is to learn from these stories, much like we learn from the Biblical stories, and how these stories can give us insights about making real the Reign of God.
We, or should I say "I", visited the Naval Museum in Mobile, Alabama. As Linda read the newspaper and organized our gear, I walked through the battleship USS Alabama, gazed upon American fighter aircraft, took pictures of a Russian MIG-15, wiggled through a submarine, and walked around a B-52 intercontinental bomber in "mothballs". As a kid I liked to build plastic models of ships, bombers, and fighters. Now the real thing! I was surrounded by steel, gun turrets, 20mm, 40mm, 5" guns, bullets of many calibers, 16" projectiles which could travel over 20 miles, torpedos, and subsonic to mach 2.5 fighter aircraft. Massive, sophisticated killing machines covered acres of ground and water. I felt a cold adrenaline rush.
Likewise, when we were in New Orleans, we toured the new WWII Museum. Hanging from the ceiling were fighter aircraft, a C-47 that flew over Normandy, tanks, a German 88 anti-aircraft battery, guns of every sort, and hundreds, perhaps thousands of pictures. There was the moving story of the American Jewish soldier, fighting for freedom while also experiencing forms of discrimination. The 4-D movie narrated by Tom Hanks was a visual buffet of sights, sounds, motion, and smells of the conflict. There were about 65 million deaths in that war: 465,000 Americans, 20 million Russians, 12 million Asians, 6 million Jews, and onward on a descending spiral. Most of the dead were the innocents, caught in the crosshairs of "honor and national justification".
Then came Tucson. Another war. The shooter and the victims. The Violence Policy Center says there are 283 million guns in American homes. It reports a direct relationship between the availability of guns per state and the rate of gun deaths per state. An article in the Des Moines Register reports that in 2007, there were 12, 632 homicides in the United States, 179 in Canada, 42 in Great Britain, and 30 in Australia. Americans own more guns than these three countries combined. Indeed, if my memory is correct, gun deaths per year in the USA are more than all other nations in the world combined, unless there is a war within a nation. As an aside, while driving through Alabama, we saw more huge fireworks stands than I have seen in any other state. Also, there was a sign: "One Million Rounds of Ammo" for sale at a local gun store. The ritual of death had come closer to home and become more personal and possible for each of us. Museums of the past had come home to the present.
I have never been a fan of the Just War crowd. Violence cannot be justified. Violence creates only victims. Violence is a sign of brokenness, of us falling short of God's design. Violence is sin. Violence is the antithesis of the Kingdom of God. Yes, I know we can say that we needed to stop Hitler and Tojo, that we needed to stop the Holocaust, that we needed to teach Sadam a lesson, that we needed to halt the aggression and genocide in the Balkans, that we needed to fight for our independence from England. The arguments are strong and the justifications convincing. But let us not allow these arguments and justifications to assuage our consciences and parade down the avenue of celebration, carrying the cross as if it were the flag of nations. The Kingdom of God, the Reign of God is about love and reconciliation and peace and nonviolence. If we allow for anything less we distort the life of Christ. Jesus wept because he was saddened at the death of his friend. Jesus wept at the anticipation of his impending suffering. Jesus cried out: "Why have You forsaken me?" War, death, bullets, guns are signs of us forsaking God's will and choosing our will. It is pure nationalistic ego to carry the cross of Christ at the forefront of battle.
This is why the Kingdom of God, the Reign of God, is also about forgiveness. Being there is no justification for war and violence, there can only be mercy. We bend our knees, bow our heads, and open our hands to receive God's gracious forgiveness. We confess our complicity in creating the downward spiral of death. No celebrations. No hymns to honor. No twisted logic. Just confession and forgiveness and restoration and recommitment to making real the Reign of God, the Kingdom of God in Christ.
While in Montgomery, Alabama, Linda and I visited the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Civil Rights Memorial Center. We heard more stories of moral courage based upon nonviolence as the method for change. Gandhi was given a significant place as inspiration for King's commitment. Part of the SPLC was the Wall of Tolerance, a huge visual scroll of names committed to nonviolence. You could add your name. We did. A small act. A step. Museums are about people who take steps. It is steps that make real the Reign of God.
Peace,
Ron
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Civil Rights Lessons
Her name is Annie. Her name card reads: "Civil Rights Activist and Foot Soldier". She was in the Selma March on 7 March, 1964. She says she was the first one arrested. I asked her if the marchers sang and prayed. "No time for that", she said. When we first met, she was on the phone with an author who is writing an account of the march and she wanted Annie's recollections. We talked a few yards from the Edmund Pettis Bridge. As we shook hands I thanked her for her witness and encouraged her to keep up the struggle.
Margurite is a tour guide at MLK, Jr's former parsonage. She is 80 years old. She joined Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church while he was pastor (1956-1960). Her affection for her former pastor is clear.
Linda and I traveled the trail of civil rights activists and actions. We visited the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, located at the old Lorraine Motel where MLK, Jr. was assassinated. We also visited the building across the street, seeing the bathroom where James Earl Ray fired the fatal shot. We stood six feet from the spot where King was shot. We looked inside his room. We visited Birmingham, Alabama, where four children were killed by a bomb at the 16th Street Baptist Church, and where children and adults were water hosed, bitten by dogs, and clubbed by the police in Kelly-Ingram Park. There is also an excellent museum which tells the story. We visited Selma, walked over the bridge, and spoke with Annie. We visited Montgomery, Alabama, visited the Rosa Parks Museum, and stood on the site where Rosa was arrested. We visited Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, viewed King's office, saw his desk, listened to some stories. We climbed the State Capitol steps to stand where Jefferson Davis took the oath of office for the Presidency of the Confederacy, and where the Selma March concluded with King speaking.
What can we learn from this civil rights era to give us courage and purpose for today's struggles? The Civil Rights Struggle must not be relegated to the dustbin of history, having no relevance for today, being only a hollow echo. The struggle is a great teacher and a source of inspiration.
First, there is change only with struggle. The status quo is always reluctant to change. Expect to expend great effort. As Elie Wiesel says: "Neutrality helps only the oppressor, never the victim".
Second, expect to pay a great price. Justice happens only through suffering. We may lose friends. We may lose our job. Our reputations may suffer. We may die. The list of martyrs is long. Step up! A person said: "Votelessness is hopelessness". The children of Birmingham were blown down by the force of fire hoses, but they marched. Freedom now!
Third, be in it for the long haul. First, the Blacks were slaves. Then in 1787, men became 2/3 of a man in our Constitution. Following the Civil War, several progressive civil rights bills were passed, but then not enforced when Union soldiers left the South during the Republican presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes. The disappointment of Plessey v. Ferguson in 1897, opened the door to separate but equal. Yet, hope rebounded in 1954 with the Brown v. Board of Education. The Montgomery Bus Boycott succeeded in ending Blacks sitting in the back of the bus. The Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965 gave more rights and freedoms to the Black community. In short, freedom evolved over centuries of effort, by people who committed for the long haul.
Fourth, Congress is both helpful and a hindrance. Similarly, the Supreme Court is both helpful and a hindrance. Expect a mixed bag. Politics and justice are contradictory rapid streams AND molasses trying to flow upstream! Yet, the truth is that over time it is congress and the court's actions in creating and interpreting the laws that leads to lasting progress and justice.
Fifth, justice happened when the Federal authority was used to trump individual states' rights. States' rights must not trample on the universal meaning of the Constitution. Today, there is a growing urge to blindly give ultimate power to the states at the cost of justice for all.
Sixth, the church is central to change for justice. Historically, the church was the one place for African-Americans to gather, organize, pray, and hear the moral vision for justice. Meetings often started with prayer, and the pulpit the "sounding horn of Tekoa" for God's grace to shine!
Seventh, justice happens when people are "fed-up being fed-up"! There comes a time when we must say "Enough"! Who is fed-up being fed-up today?
Eighth, ONE PERSON can spark a revolution, can make a difference. Gandhi said: "You must be the change you want to bring forth". Sojourner Truth defended her womanhood by asking the question: "Ain't I a woman?" In front of the Southern Poverty Law Center is a black marble disk with water flowing over the names of martyrs who intentionally or innocently paid the ultimate price for freedom. On the wall behind the disk are the words from Amos: "Let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream".
On her card, Annie has printed: "The lessons must be retaught! The story must be retold!" The Book of Hebrews speaks of the "cloud of witnesses who have gone before us". We have been graced by these witnesses to empower us to make justice real today. Let us learn. Let us act.
Peace!
Ron
Margurite is a tour guide at MLK, Jr's former parsonage. She is 80 years old. She joined Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church while he was pastor (1956-1960). Her affection for her former pastor is clear.
Linda and I traveled the trail of civil rights activists and actions. We visited the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, located at the old Lorraine Motel where MLK, Jr. was assassinated. We also visited the building across the street, seeing the bathroom where James Earl Ray fired the fatal shot. We stood six feet from the spot where King was shot. We looked inside his room. We visited Birmingham, Alabama, where four children were killed by a bomb at the 16th Street Baptist Church, and where children and adults were water hosed, bitten by dogs, and clubbed by the police in Kelly-Ingram Park. There is also an excellent museum which tells the story. We visited Selma, walked over the bridge, and spoke with Annie. We visited Montgomery, Alabama, visited the Rosa Parks Museum, and stood on the site where Rosa was arrested. We visited Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, viewed King's office, saw his desk, listened to some stories. We climbed the State Capitol steps to stand where Jefferson Davis took the oath of office for the Presidency of the Confederacy, and where the Selma March concluded with King speaking.
What can we learn from this civil rights era to give us courage and purpose for today's struggles? The Civil Rights Struggle must not be relegated to the dustbin of history, having no relevance for today, being only a hollow echo. The struggle is a great teacher and a source of inspiration.
First, there is change only with struggle. The status quo is always reluctant to change. Expect to expend great effort. As Elie Wiesel says: "Neutrality helps only the oppressor, never the victim".
Second, expect to pay a great price. Justice happens only through suffering. We may lose friends. We may lose our job. Our reputations may suffer. We may die. The list of martyrs is long. Step up! A person said: "Votelessness is hopelessness". The children of Birmingham were blown down by the force of fire hoses, but they marched. Freedom now!
Third, be in it for the long haul. First, the Blacks were slaves. Then in 1787, men became 2/3 of a man in our Constitution. Following the Civil War, several progressive civil rights bills were passed, but then not enforced when Union soldiers left the South during the Republican presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes. The disappointment of Plessey v. Ferguson in 1897, opened the door to separate but equal. Yet, hope rebounded in 1954 with the Brown v. Board of Education. The Montgomery Bus Boycott succeeded in ending Blacks sitting in the back of the bus. The Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965 gave more rights and freedoms to the Black community. In short, freedom evolved over centuries of effort, by people who committed for the long haul.
Fourth, Congress is both helpful and a hindrance. Similarly, the Supreme Court is both helpful and a hindrance. Expect a mixed bag. Politics and justice are contradictory rapid streams AND molasses trying to flow upstream! Yet, the truth is that over time it is congress and the court's actions in creating and interpreting the laws that leads to lasting progress and justice.
Fifth, justice happened when the Federal authority was used to trump individual states' rights. States' rights must not trample on the universal meaning of the Constitution. Today, there is a growing urge to blindly give ultimate power to the states at the cost of justice for all.
Sixth, the church is central to change for justice. Historically, the church was the one place for African-Americans to gather, organize, pray, and hear the moral vision for justice. Meetings often started with prayer, and the pulpit the "sounding horn of Tekoa" for God's grace to shine!
Seventh, justice happens when people are "fed-up being fed-up"! There comes a time when we must say "Enough"! Who is fed-up being fed-up today?
Eighth, ONE PERSON can spark a revolution, can make a difference. Gandhi said: "You must be the change you want to bring forth". Sojourner Truth defended her womanhood by asking the question: "Ain't I a woman?" In front of the Southern Poverty Law Center is a black marble disk with water flowing over the names of martyrs who intentionally or innocently paid the ultimate price for freedom. On the wall behind the disk are the words from Amos: "Let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream".
On her card, Annie has printed: "The lessons must be retaught! The story must be retold!" The Book of Hebrews speaks of the "cloud of witnesses who have gone before us". We have been graced by these witnesses to empower us to make justice real today. Let us learn. Let us act.
Peace!
Ron
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
The Church as Praxis
Praxis means practical, real life action. Praxis is about making a concrete difference. I believe this is also at the center of the Church's mission. Christ came to make a difference in people's lives, so the people would make a difference in each others' lives. This happens through the Church. The people are the Church. The Church is about praxis.
Martina McBride sings song which begins: "In this time in which we live....". I ask: What can the Church offer to life? How can the Church be "God's praxis"? What good is the Church? Recently, a TV piece focused on thriving construction projects: building churches! In some instances, building churches was keeping construction companies afloat. Not houses but churches! This must mean something.
In the words of a Ray Makeever song: "What Have We to Offer?", I build upon the FIVE PROMISES within the Affirmation of Baptism of the ELCA. The Church makes FIVE PROMISES to the world, thereby calling all the faithful to fulfill these promises.
COMMUNITY. The Church provides a people, a place, and opportunities for people to come together for fellowship and learning. Bring on the pot lucks, the Bible studies, the small groups, the opportunities to connect. No money required, no racial or gender or economic qualifications required. Just come. Come off the streets, from apartments, condos, single family homes, from all nations, just come on in. All are welcome! We are all part of the same family of God. "How sweet it is for people to dwell together in unity." (Psalm 133:1) Community is the Church's praxis.
WORSHIP: Come and worship God in Christ. Discover your purpose by yielding to Christ. Let Jesus be the central focus of life. Worship says life is not simply about "me", but instead about life discovered and re-energized through adoration of the Christ. As Bonhoeffer says: "Christ is the center" around which and through which life is lived. Call Christ the Sun in the swirling galaxy of life. Without the Sun there is no gravity holding us together. Living in Christ frees us to live for each other. Living in Christ revives the heart. Worship opens us to hear of God's grace, grace that loves us where and as we are, without qualification. Grace speaks forgiveness, reconciliation, and transformation. "Behold, I make all things new!" Worship, coupled with Word and Sacrament, ensures this renewal. Worship is the Church's praxis.
TELLING: We are graced to tell others about Jesus. Telling is sharing the Good News of God in Christ. Telling feeds the soul. Telling gives purpose to life. Verbalizing our faith gives spirit to ourselves and to others. Words matter. Words ignited the Holocaust. Words hurt each other. Words express our affections. Words enable friendship. Words in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence reflect who we are as a nation. The creeds of the Church reflect our identity as disciples of Christ. Words spark action. God's grace gives us words of God to inspire, to comfort, to give hope. Telling makes God's grace real. These words are God's promises to us. Telling is the Church's praxis.
SERVE: The Church calls and teaches us to care for each other and for the earth. We are created to serve, to be co-creators for life. We are called to give Christ to the world through giving ourselves away for the sake of others. I recall Sydney Carton in A TALE OF TWO CITIES, as he stands before the guillotine, preparing to give his life for another, saying: "It is a far, far better thing to do that I have ever done. It is a far, far better place I go than I have ever been". The faithful life is about serving others and the earth. In this time in which we live, it is easy to turn in upon ourselves in despair and hopelessness. Tolstoy writes: "The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity". The Church teaches us that in Christ we are graced to serve: to show compassion, to listen, to connect, to support, to welcome, to weep with each other, to be the hands of Jesus for each other. People all over are giving desks purchased for the children of Malawi. (See MSNBC.com Look for K.I.N.D.) Serving is the Church's praxis.
WORK FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE: Another song: "Who Will Answer?" I recall the words of Rev. Allan Boesak of South Africa: "We will go before God to be judged, and God will ask us, 'Where are your wounds?' And we will say, 'We have no wounds.' And God will ask, 'Was nothing worth fighting for?'" Someone once said: "If you give a person a fish they can eat for a day. If you teach them to fish they can eat forever. But you must also ask the question 'Who owns the lake?'" And a quote from Jean Donovan, lay missioner murdered in El Salvador: "The Peace Corps left today and my heart sank low. The danger is extreme and they are right to leave.... Now I must assess my own position, because I am not up for suicide. Several times I have decided to leave. I almost could except for the children, the poor abused victims of adult lunacy. Who would care for them? Whose heart would be so hard as to favor the reasonable thing in a sea of their tears and helplessness? Not mine, dear friend, not mine." Working for justice and peace is the Church's praxis.
In this time in which we live, when a sense of purpose is often dimmed or snuffed out, it is good to know the Christ and the Church give us the grace of purpose, the grace of knowing that God has not abandoned us, because God lives for us and we are graced to live for each other.
Peace!
Ron
Sunday, December 19, 2010
A Timely Christmas
Christmas hope is particularly timely in 2010. The Light of Christ is a beacon for the future as well as shining its Light on the truth of who we are and what we have become.
I have often been intrigued by the question: Why was Jesus Christ necessary? My answer has always been: Because God wants to remind us what it means to be a human being. Or, because we forgot what it means to be created in the Image of God. So, God said: OK, I'll remind you what it means. I will become a total human being while also being God incarnate.
What is this Image of God in which we were ALL created? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness, self control. Justice is implied.
Now, juxtapose what we have become, or been all along. Take the recently passed bipartisan tax bill. The middle and lower classes got some hamburgers while the upper 2% got filets with lobster. I am reminded of the parable of the man who wanted to build more barns for his surplus grain and Jesus responded: "Fool, this night your soul is required". Also, Jesus spoke these prophetic words: "Where your treasure is, there is your heart". What have we become? "More" has become God. "I worked for it. I invested it. What is mine is mine." Forget about the common good. What have we become? The Light of Christ shines light upon the truth. Christmas is timely.
Something is wrong when trying to give support for the truly needy, one feels compelled to make a "Faustian bargain", a deal with the devil, in the spirit of bi-partisanship. We can argue the politics of the deal, that serious conversation should have been engaged months ago to work out a more equatable deal. I would agree. This is a case of poor leadership. Yet, the result was a small win for most, coupled with a big win for the few. The nation on the whole is the loser. What have we become? The Light of Christ shines light upon the truth. Christmas is timely.
The "Dream Act" was defeated. Youth who were brought into the country through no fault of their own by parents willing to work for a new future for their family, willing to make a contribution to America's future, were denied a path to citizenship. Somehow it is OK for a young person to fight and perhaps die or lose a limb for the USA, but that sacrifice is not enough for a nation to express its gratitude by opening the door to citizenship. These youth have become victims. The arrogant, powerful fat cats say thanks but no thanks, and then go home to a Christmas party feeling justified that they have once again protected America. What have we become? The Light of Christ shines light upon the truth. Christmas is timely.
Yet, thankfully, the Light of Christ also shines as a beacon for the future! The apparent passage of DADT is an act of justice. Commentators referred to the axiom: "Justice delayed is justice denied". True. Now, justice is no longer delayed or denied. A wrong is righted. We celebrate and give thanks to God and to our leaders who "saw the Light". Christmas is timely.
Now let us hope for this Light of Christ to shine in our hearts through our actions, so the START Treaty will be renewed, that Social Security and Medicare not be cut but enhanced, that our national debt be addressed with fairness and compassion, that the Dream Act be reintroduced, that immigration be addressed with justice, that our military adventurism be stopped, that energy and environmental issues be seriously engaged, that education be transformed and empowered, that infrastructure be renewed. The Light of Christ this Christmas shines to remind us who God created us to be: creators, reconcilers, peacemakers, purveyors of justice, kinder and gentler. The vision is alive! For us! For God's world! Christmas is timely.
For God so loved the world.... Merry Christmas!
Peace!
Ron
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