You Keep Using That Word...

There’s a word that is used over and over again throughout the Bible that has also become incredibly popular in our contemporary culture over the last decade. It’s the word FOLLOW. The word follow is used over 250 times in scripture—and Jesus himself says the phrase ‘follow me’ twenty-one different times in the Gospels. And it makes sense that the word ‘follow’ is used so frequently in scripture, because following is central to a life with God.

The word follow has also become a regular part of the contemporary lexicon through the advent of social media. Facebook uses this word as the primary way to use their product and network with others. You want to use Facebook…you follow someone. To follow on Facebook means you will receive regular updates about what they are doing and what they choose to share with their followers.

The irony of the Bible and Facebook using the same word so often, however, is that when they each use the word follow, they mean almost the exact opposite thing as the other. As Bishop Curry so astutely pointed out in his sermon during the Royal Wedding, social media is a socially dysfunctional way to connect with each other. So, when Facebook allows me to follow someone online, they are only guaranteeing that I will know some information about that person (whatever the person chooses to share). But following someone on Facebook in no way guarantees that I will actually be in relationship with that person. In fact, research shows that a Facebook relationship may actually stunt a relationship. Following, on Facebook, is shallow, impersonal, and often fails to result in any actual relationship.

To follow Jesus, however, is the exact opposite. To follow Jesus means you have moved beyond a surface knowledge of Jesus and entered into a deep, abiding, day-in-and-day-out commitment to walking the way and path of Jesus. Following Jesus is costly and demands our dedication and intentionality. Following Jesus means I will actually know Jesus—in a deep and abiding way—and our actual relationship will result in a change in lifestyle and behavior. Where following someone on Facebook is superficial and detached, following Jesus is profound and personal.

But the temptation is out there to follow Jesus in a Facebook sort of way—to know a few things about him, show up to church once in a while, and never allow his radical message of love, inclusion, hospitality, and holistic salvation to soak into our being and impact us at the core. We can even attend church weekly while still not following Jesus the way he invites us to.

But, while following Jesus is challenging and daunting, it is a good and beautiful way to live and is worthy of our efforts. May we be willing to take this challenge of following Jesus—abandoning the easy, comfortable, Facebook way of following—taking up our cross daily to follow Jesus into lives of radical humility and sacrificial love.

Diversity as Witness

[I recently spoke at a concert celebrating diversity in our community and world. The following is the manuscript of my speech.]

Good afternoon. And thank you for allowing me to be a part of this special service. My name is Jason Bowker and I’m the pastor at First Baptist Church…just a block from where you’re currently sitting. I had a little ambivalence when Kathy asked me to speak about diversity… since I’m a WHITE, MIDDLE-CLASS MAN…but I’m excited to share a few thoughts with you.

This afternoon, I want to talk about diversity as WITNESS. You see, our faith lives are meant to be public; on display; for all to see; a witness and testimony. We’re meant to live our faith outside the walls of our sacred buildings. We’re meant to be on mission out in our neighborhoods, community, and world; testifying to the good news of a good God; working toward the flourishing of our place and an abundant life for all we encounter there. I fervently believe that we have good news that our world desperately needs to hear—that a good God loves them dearly. So, we have the task of sharing this news. Our faith is to be witnessed.

But it’s not always easy to share this great message…largely because the world is an incredibly diverse place—even here in Bozeman. It’s not easy to engage well with our neighbor—it takes work; it takes intentionality; it takes commitment. Which means it often doesn’t happen…because it’s just easier to disengage. But that’s why diversity in our churches is so important. We often aren’t good at engaging with difference…simply because we haven’t had the opportunity to practice. It’s too hard to encounter the other in a real, significant way…so, instead, we choose to place ourselves in safe, comfortable echo chambers…or at least I too often do.

That’s why diversity in our faith communities is a necessity and a blessing as a witness to a better way of engaging with one another. I’ll say that again… diversity in our faith communities is a necessity and a blessing as a witness to a better way of engaging with one another. When we gather for worship, community, and service in our diverse churches…this is an opportunity to learn, grow, and practice cultural and community engagement. The church…at its best…is a laboratory for loving the other…a chance to hone our skills of blessing, peace, forgiveness, and listening. It’s challenging to do these things out in the world, so when we gather we get to practice in a safe, loving environment. When we’re a part of a diverse congregation, each gathering is a place to practice radical hospitality and continue to work with God in restoring and redeeming all things.

And finally, I believe that faith communities—both internally and one to another—should be leading the way in demonstrating to the world a better way forward in engaging with difference. So…when we are in communities of diversity…and we choose to gather in worship and community…despite our vast differences…and we engage with one another in peaceful and hospitable ways…and still love, support, and pray for one another this incredible way of living BOLDLY and BEAUTIFULLY declares to the world that a different way of living is possible. We become an amazing testimony to the world about how to engage difference with civility and love. Diversity becomes a witness.

So, may we be people who surround ourselves with diversity. May we listen, learn, and really engage. And may this embrace of diversity become a beautiful witness to the world of a better way forward.

Celebrating the True MLK

I find it interesting that, over the past few years, EVERYONE seems to suddenly love Martin Luther King, Jr. He's quickly become a national hero -- with near saintly stature in our country. He has his own national holiday, his own monument in D.C., and nearly every group of people in America has come to revere Dr. King. And rightfully so. I am ABSOLUTELY thrilled that he's now receiving this attention.

But I find it strange, since it wasn't that long ago that very few people knew about Dr. King's life and legacy...or even cared. Growing up, I knew that Rosa Parks had a bus seat and Dr. King had a dream, but that's about as far as my history classes ventured into the Civil Rights Movement. And in his own time, he was wildly unpopular. A Gallup poll in 1966, just two years before his death, shows King as having only a 32% approval rating in the country. He was hated and opposed by so many people, including the FBI, that he was eventually assassinated. And yet today, King's approval rating is at 94%.

What has happened, unfortunately, is the sanitization of Dr. King's legacy. We have forgotten how radical and subversive King's message actually was, and too often succumbed to simply tweeting out a nice, catchy quotation. Again, it's fantastic that more people are learning about Dr. King and celebrating his life and work, but personally, I want to make sure I'm actually remembering the actual thrust of his message and ministry.

I want to remember how fervently he fought for the poor and the marginalized, the outcast and the downtrodden. I want to remember his courageous struggle for equality and justice for all, regardless of the color of your skin or the neighborhood in which you grew up. I want to remember how he stood up against the 'powers that be' when they had turned their backs on those with no power. Jesus set the tone for us, Dr. King admirably followed in his footsteps, and we are called to do the same. May we be people who honor King's legacy by continuing his work -- the hard, radical, gospel-centered work of striving for peace, justice, and equality for all.

I'll close with the profound words of one of my former pastors, Eugene Cho: 

"Don't reduce Martin Luther King Jr. to a yearly quote on social media. Live out the dream. Confront evil. Speak up. Seek justice. Love mercy. Pursue reconciliation. Build bridges. Love your neighbors. Forgive your enemies. Pray unceasingly. Live a committed life of peace, love, and justice. The God who deposited this dream into MLK is still speaking to us today. Be brave."

Striving for Both/And in an Either/Or World

It has been like this forever – as there is nothing new under the sun – but we currently live in polarizing times. We are pitted against each other. We are expected to take sides. One group must be right and the other must be wrong. Red vs. blue. Gay vs. straight. Black vs. cop. It is an either/or way of thinking about the world.

But what if it could be BOTH/AND instead? What if you could BOTH hold your Christian identity with strength and assurance AND honor, respect, and learn from people of other faith traditions? What if you could BOTH support a political candidate AND acknowledge that the opposing candidate maybe-just-maybe isn’t the anti-Christ? What if you could BOTH question the morality of homosexuality AND love our LGBT brothers and sisters through welcoming them into our churches and supporting their equal rights under the law?

What if saying ‘Black Lives Matter’ came with the undergirded assumption that, of course, All Lives Matter? What if BOTH Black Lives Matter AND Blue Lives Matter?

It is possible to BOTH love and support our police officers who daily risk their lives for our safety AND to recognize that there are some systemic racial problems in our country that have led to much discrimination and way too much lethal force of late. The danger of labels like “black” and “blue” is that we can so easily forget that REAL people are ACTUALLY being made black and blue. People are getting hurt and killed as we resort to violence instead of peaceful, creative solutions that might bring about real, actual, substantive change.

The gospel of Jesus is all about breaking down barriers of separation. Jesus, in everything he does and says, is eradicating an either/or, us vs. them, hate-the-enemy sort of worldview. And we are called to do the same. Let’s commit to not demonizing our opponent. Let’s commit to putting aside the false-binaries that our world teaches us exist. Let’s commit to listening to all people, even and especially when we know we will disagree. Let’s commit to the Jesus-centered spirit of hospitality, generosity, and love that we see laced throughout the pages of Scripture. Let’s commit to being BOTH/AND people, rather than EITHER/OR.

Another Hilarious & Provocative Cartoon

While I almost always LOVE the prophetic and provocative cartoons of David Hayward (Naked Pastor), this one was too good not to share. This cartoon is entitled "He Came in Like a Wrecking Ball." So good. So culturally appropriate. So seasonally appropriate. Enjoy!

HT: Naked Pastor

Pretty Soon You Can Own Facebook

No, Mark Zuckerberg is not selling off his $28 billion cash-cow. At least not most of it, anyway. Facebook is preparing to sell their stock for the first time, however, so they have chosen to release some statistics to the world. The following article from the BBC offers some greater insight into this social-media giant that has consumed our fascination and free-time over the past decade. Some of these statistics are really interesting. I've bold-ed some of my favorites.
__________

THE BIG PICTURE

• Facebook is an advertising company. Of its total revenues of $3.7bn in 2011, 85% came from advertising. And that is down from 98% and 95% in the previous two years.
• The company makes $1bn in pure profit.
• Facebook has a total of 845 million monthly users and 483 million daily users.
• Of its monthly users, half have used Facebook on their mobile. (But there are no ads on its mobile site, so it makes no money from them.)
• The majority of its money comes from the US, but the majority of the users are outside the country.
• And the majority of its non-US revenues comes from western Europe, Canada, and Australia.
• The company generates 2.7 billion "likes" and 250 million uploaded photos everyday.
• Zynga, the games maker behind FarmVille, single-handedly accounts for 12% of its revenues.
• The company has 3,200 employees.
• Lady Gaga may have the most popular page on Facebook - with 47 million "likes".
• Facebook's ticker on the stock exchange will be "FB".

MONEY MEN AND WOMEN

• Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and chief executive, has 28% of the company - 533.8 million shares - which are worth $28bn based on an overall valuation of $100bn. He is 27 years old.
• But Mr Zuckerberg is the controlling shareholder because of proxy voting rights. All in, he controls 57% of the shares.
• Mr Zuckerberg's base salary last year was $483,333 and, with bonus, he was paid $1.49m.
• From 1 January 2013, Mr Zuckerberg's annual salary will go down to $1.
• Mr Zuckerberg was memorably portrayed in the Oscar-winning movie, The Social Network. The Winklevoss twins, Tyler and Cameron, are not named in the filing after settling their legal battles with Facebook. Neither is Eduardo Saverin, his former friend and classmate.
• Napster founder and early investor Sean Parker is mentioned - but his shareholding is not declared.
• Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer, owns 0.1% of the company. She is the best compensated director at Facebook. With her salary and stock awards, she made $30.87m last year.
• But with her stock options and depending on the share price, she will still become one of the world's richest women. She has 38.1 million shares that have not yet vested that will do so from October.
• David Choe, a graffiti artist, decorated Facebook's first offices and took stock instead of cash as compensation. The New York Times reports the stake could now be worth about $200m.
• The singer Bono is also rubbing his hands. Elevation Partners, an investment firm he co-founded, spent $210m buying Facebook shares in 2009 and 2010, which could now be worth $800m.
• Mr Zuckerberg's friend and co-founder, Dustin Moskovitz, has almost 8%, or 133.8 million shares.

RISKS

• The company has listed other social networks as possible threats - including Google's relatively-new Google+ and its older Orkut service, South Korea's Cyworld, Japan's Mixi and vKontakte in Russia.
• Facebook has no legal presence in China - but there are already established social networks such as Tencent and Renren that locals can use.
• Besides China, Facebook is currently restricted in Iran, North Korea and Syria.
• The company also cited the "uncertainty" over evolving legal protections across the world on consumer privacy. It cited a revision to the European Union's privacy laws, specifically.
• Facebook said that potential advertisers could decide not to advertise with them and instead just use a Facebook page.
• Fame is fleeting on the internet. "A number of other social networking companies that achieved early popularity have since seen their active user bases or levels of engagement decline, in some cases precipitously," Facebook said. "There is no guarantee that we will not experience a similar erosion of our active user base or engagement levels."

HT:  BBC News

Fantastic Quote

I'm working on a project for school where I'm collecting thoughts and quotes from many of the books I've been reading over the past 3 years (probably more like 6 or 7) as an integration of all that I've learned in seminary. As I was looking through the book "How (Not) to Speak of God" by the brilliant Irish philosopher Peter Rollins, I was reminded of this enlightening quote and thought I would share it with you. These thoughts seem especially relevant in the midst of our current economic climate. Enjoy!

"For too long the Church has been seen as an oasis in the desert--offering water to those who are thirsty. In contrast, the emerging community appears more as a desert in the oasis of life, offering silence, space and desolation amidst the sickly nourishment of Western capitalism. It is in this desert, as we wander together as nomads, that God is to be found. For it is here that we are nourished by our hunger."

Thoughts on the Penn State Scandal

If you have, in any way, been tuned-in to the sports world over the past week, then you have assuredly heard about the breaking news of sexual abuse and cover-up at Penn State University over the past decade. Am I'm sure you have an opinion. There are a million angles a blog post on this subject could explore, but there are two issues I will address in this post.

Firstly, I have been pleased to see all parties involved in this scandal (the president of the school, the athletic director, coach Joe Paterno, & the assistant coach who first witnessed the sexual abuse 12 years ago) removed from their positions. While people losing their jobs is rarely a good thing, and part of me is extremely disappointed and saddened that Paterno's career will end in this way, I feel that these firings needed to take place as an act of solidarity with the victims. I can only imagine the horrors of sexual abuse and cannot fathom the pain that the victims of these heinous crimes are enduring as they relive the traumatic events of their past. I am happy the Penn State board of trustees has taken this first step in siding with the victims, even if the reputation of their beloved coach is tarnished in the process.

The second issue that I deem worthy of discussion is one that I have heard only a few people write or speak about so far. One of the biggest problems regarding this issue is that the Penn State football program (and many other athletic programs around the country) has gained way too much power and been given far too much significance. Despite being just an extra-curricular activity at an institution whose focus is higher learning, playing sports is often seen as being more important than getting an education. Coaches are more popular and powerful that the presidents of schools. Players walk around campus as if they can do no wrong. Teachers are coerced into giving certain privileges to athletes so that they can remain eligible for the big game.

We even see this line of thinking occur in the language we use to talk about these powerful athletic programs. As I was listening to sports talk radio in the car yesterday, an analyst was speaking to the drastic decline that is occurring at Penn State. He described the Penn State football program as once being 'hallowed,' in contrast to their current lowly state. This is a word that is often used to describe storied athletic programs, but this word choice is incredibly fascinating. In normal, everyday conversation, the word 'hallowed' means something that is held in high regard, but in the church we use this word (in the Lord's Prayer) to mean 'holy.' Perhaps this is the meaning, however, that is often intended for these athletic programs. We see them as holy. As perfect. As incapable of disappointing. These coaches and players are gods among men. And when they are in the wrong, we are quick to sweep their transgressions under the rug in an effort to maintain the status quo...to appease the gods.

It's tragic...and it leads to an environment where abuses are ignored in order to protect the powerful and sustain the monster that has been created. Perhaps if anything good can come from this horrific situation, it will be a re-examination of the value and significance we place on athletics in our country. As an avid sports fan myself, I highly encourage athletic participation and fan-dom, but I desperately hope we can still see sports as entertainment, as a game. These athletes and coaches are not gods. They are not above the rules. They are not beyond reproach.

All Truth is God’s Truth: Finding Wisdom in Places You Never Thought to Look

I think I grew up assuming that when Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” this meant that the only place that we can find truth is in his actual words, the Bible. While I have not strayed from believing that the Bible is an incredibly wise, helpful, truth-filled text, I have come to see that truth and beauty and wisdom can be found in a myriad of other places as well. And when we arrive at this truth, we can know that God is involved...because all truth is God’s truth. With this in mind, we can honor these other places of truth, rather than fear or avoid them. Regardless of where this truth arrives from, if it allows us to better live into the way of Jesus, it can be freely embraced without fear or xenophobia (fear of the other).

These thoughts arise out of the class that I am current taking called ‘Our Religious Impulse’ (basically a world religions class). I was reading about Buddhism this morning and came across some beautiful thoughts from Thich Nhat Hanh, a famous Zen Buddhist thinker and writer. When I have approached world religions in the past, it has typically been a quest to know a plethora of data so that I can disprove that faith tradition, thus validating Christianity. I have come to see these actions as quite fruitless, however, so it is exciting to study these other forms of spirituality with the intent of learning from my brothers and sisters around the world. If my primary posture as a Christian is to love my neighbor, then this sort of interest in, and curiosity about, my neighbor seems like a healthy undertaking. While I still see Christianity as the best possible way of living, and Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life, I want to maintain a posture of openness and invitation, a freedom to absorb the truth of God wherever I may find it. With that in mind, I hope you enjoy these words of wisdom from a Buddhist brother.   

There is a story in Zen circles about a man and a horse. The horse is galloping quickly, and it appears that the man on the horse is going somewhere important. Another man, standing alongside the road, shouts, "Where are you going?" and the first man replies, "I don't know! Ask the horse!" This is also our story. We are riding a horse, we don't know where we are going, and we can't stop. The horse is our habit energy pulling us along, and we are powerless. We are always running, and it has become a habit. We struggle, all the time, even during our sleep. We are at war within our selves, and we can easily start a war with others.

We have to learn the art of stopping--stopping our thinking, our habit energies, our forgetfulness, the strong emotions that rule us. When an emotion rushes through us like a storm, we have no peace. We turn on the TV and then we turn it off. We pick up a book, and then we put it down. How can we stop this state of agitation? How can we stop our fear, despair, anger, and craving? We can stop by practicing mindful breathing, mindful walking, mindful smiling, and deep looking in order to understand. When we are mindful, touching deeply the present moment, the fruits are always understanding, acceptance, love, and the desire to relieve suffering and bring joy.

A Tragic End to a Great Sunday

Yesterday was a great day that was capped off in a sickening way. I had heard about Osama bin Laden's death while we were at our small group, but was greatly troubled to come home, flip on the tv, and see the celebration and revelry taking place around our country and world. OVER SOMEONE'S DEATH!

Now I realize that posting these thoughts will make me seem unpatriotic, which is really is not the case. I love my country (most of the time) and am grateful to live in a nation that holds freedom, liberty, and opportunity as its priorities. Killing bin Laden may have been the right thing to do in this situation. I'm not sure. What I am most troubled with in this whole issue is the joyous celebration we are seeing over the loss of life and the perpetuation of the cycle of violence. Sing and dancing in the street?? Really??

This situation reminds me of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's dilemma over whether to kill Hitler in the midst of his reign of terror. Bonhoeffer willingly participated in a secret plan to assassinate Hitler, but never felt justified in his actions. He wrote of seeing murdering Hitler as a sin, but was willing to stand before God in judgment in order to do what he felt needed to be done. I wish we would have seen the attitude of Bonhoeffer shine force yesterday in the midst of this tragedy. I wish Obama would have said something like, "We regret that killing Osama bin Laden was the decision that had to be made today. While taking another person's life is never ideal, we felt that this was the lesser of two evils, the only way we could find to keep him from doing more harm to innocent people around the world." I could respect a statement like that. At least it would own the tragedy of the loss of life, rather than celebrate it.

I pray that we will begin to see the lunacy of thinking that one more act of violence will finally end the cycle of violence. I pray that we will become people who choose non-violent resistance as an alternative to violence. I pray that we will have the courage and creativity to find subversive ways of non-violently turning the other cheek, rather than blindly gouging out another's eye. In the strong words of Jesus to a room of cowering, hurt, vengeful disciples, "Peace be with you."

Living in a Multi-Cultural World

Today in my class (Developing Intercultural Competency) we had four guests join us to talk about their lives and ministries. Three of the guests were people of color, the fourth was a young, white woman, and all four are working in intercultural jobs. It was fascinating to hear their stories and words of wisdom about how to navigate the racial, ethnic, and cultural differences we each butt up against every day. As the class session ended, our profession invited them to each share a few words of advice for how we might live into these differences well. Their words were very helpful, so I thought I would share them with you. Hear all of these thoughts within a multi-cultural context. Here are their responses:

1. Immerse yourself in uncomfortable learning communities
2. Don't do anything out of guilt
3. Become a part of a community (let your neighborhood teach you)
4. Ask "How can I be sustainable in this community?"
5. Be okay with who you are
6. Be bold in what you can offer that community
7. Be comfortable with chaos
8. Create liminal space for conversation and learning to happen
9. Be proactive in learning about other cultures

Christians & Fanny Packs

These two nouns can best summarize our time in airports over the last few days. I'll say more in a minute. We started out flying from Seattle to Amsterdam on Thursday afternoon Seattle time. The flight was 10 hours long and incredibly tiring. The entertainment technology on planes today has gotten to be pretty awesome, though, as each seat has their own little tv and you have the choice of watching tons of new movies and tv shows as you fly. So I watched a few movies and did a bunch of reading. A few people's first question for me when they found out I was going to Africa was "Have you read The Poisonwood Bible?" I had heard good things about that book, but had never read it. So I used about half of that first plane ride to start making a dent in the 500-page text. It was morning when we arrived in Amsterdam, which was strange because it felt like midnight to us. Let the jet-lag begin.

The title for this blog post became apparent once we arrived in Amsterdam and made our way to the gate for our flight to Nairobi, Kenya. It seemed that nearly every person in line at our gate was either a Christian on a mission trip to Kenya or wearing a fanny pack en route to going on safari or climbing Kilimanjaro. While initially the site of so many Christians was endearing and brought me back to my time in youth ministry leading similar trips, I also felt a bit embarrassed that there were so many teams. I guess I'm just a bit torn.

On the one hand I can see the beauty of Christ followers wanting to go be a blessing to the world. That is a great desire. At the same time, a lot of abuse has been perpetrated on Africa at the hands of Christians with 'good intentions.' While we may not be colonizing African lands any longer, it seems that we can still try to colonize African culture and religious practices. Plenty of American missionaries to Africa are coming in with 'all the answers,' pedaling a health-and-wealth prosperity gospel that ends up hurting Africans more than helping. I simply found myself hoping that the missionaries I was seeing were actually interested in building long-term relationships with the people they would meet, offering them respect and dignity, trying to converse instead of convert.

Just a Bit Over the Top??

I ran across this picture/advertisement on a blog today and thought I would share it with all of you. I couldn't believe this was real...but it seems to be. I'm not sure I fully know what the connection is between a Christmas tree and American patriotism. I can maybe understand the cross, but I'm struggling with the red, white, and blue. Hope you enjoy!

HT:  Eugene Cho

Our Strange Celebrity Fetish

I was just watching the news while eating my lunch and was reminded of America's odd fascination with celebrities. A caption flashed on the screen that there was a "breaking news story." I assumed it would be news of some large-scale, world-wide event, but was shocked to find out that they were simply announcing a new reality TV show on teenage mothers that will air on MTV. Wow!! Great news!! Who cares?!?

But yet, often the answer is "I do." For some reason the Western world (and now seeping into the Eastern world) is obsessed with celebrity. We desperately need to know how this movie star or that musician is doing at all times of the day. When are they having their baby? Where are they going on vacation? Are they splitting up with their spouse? What did they eat for lunch? When I list out these questions, it seems so silly that we would care about the answers, especially since they are coming from a group of people we have never met. But yet, we are obsessed. We tune in to the newest reality TV show. We purchase the newest celebrity gossip magazine. We follow thousands of random people on Twitter. We talk about these folks as if we are best friends.

I wonder if we are so fascinated with celebrity because we have often failed to build strong, healthy, real-life relationships. Few of us are really interested in getting to know others in an honest and intimate way, and even fewer of us are willing to be vulnerable with our friends in allowing them to know us on the deepest level. My opinion is that if we were actually courageous enough to bare our souls to our friends, we would realize the abundance of life that comes through these intimate friendships, and would no longer be interested in trite, pseudo-relationships with celebrities. May we have the courage to bare our souls to others, and the curiosity to allow others to be bare before us.

Thoughts on Health & Peace

We are talking about war tomorrow in my 'Essential Community' class and were required to read a chapter of a book by Craig Rennebohm called Souls in the Hands of a Tender God. This quote stuck out to me as being vitally important for working toward health and peace in this world.

"Health and peace begin each day, in every community, with how we treat one another. How we act on the larger stage of human affairs is rooted in the ways we have practiced at home and on the sidewalks and street corners of our communities. We cannot ignore our sister or brother's suffering, we cannot turn away from the stranger in need before us and expect that we will somehow have the knowledge and skills we need to create well-being and lasting security on the national or global level. A peaceful world grows only on the foundation of compassionate community, laid down as generations of humans cultivate and spread the practices of companionship, the art of hospitality, the gift of listening, and the capacity to walk with one another--and especially the stranger--toward a shared well-being."

~Craig Rennebohm

The (Anti)Evangelism Project

"To invite a world that we would wish to critique and dismiss to be a mirror into our own world is a difficult thing to do. It requires both bravery and humility."

For those who frequent this site, you know that I am a huge fan of Peter Rollins, a philosopher from Northern Ireland, who never ceases to challenge my thinking and inspire me to action. In his first book, How (Not) to Speak of God, he talks about something his church does called "The Evangelism Project." Actually, the project is more of an anti-evangelism project, as the group meets with different political and religious organizations, not to have an inter-faith dialogue, but to simply be evangelized by that group. I was originally skeptical of this idea, but it is actually quite beautiful. As they listen and learn they are allowed to see their own beliefs with fresh vision and new eyes, greatly impacting their faith and the way it is acted out in the world.

Peter recently fleshed this idea out in much more detail on his blog. I highly recommend you check out his post called "Evangelism Will Change the World." Click HERE.

The Revenge Lie

I spent this last weekend rock climbing in Oregon and took this picture during the drive. Every so often I am reminded of the anger, hatred, and revenge that is so ever-present in this world. This sign on the back of a semi-truck was one of those examples. Now don't get me wrong...I'm as angry about terrorism like September 11 as the next guy and wish America would never have had to suffer through that horrific event. But I continue to be surprised by the incredibly ungracious and unforgiving quest for revenge and retaliation that has permeated American culture since that fateful day.

The true sadness is that this desire for revenge is built upon a lie. Scholars call this lie the 'myth of redemptive violence,' that the next act of revenge and violence will settle the score once and for all. We all know that this is not true. Violence only begets more violence. That next, and assumed last, action only perpetuates another action..and another action...and another action.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is clear that the appropriate response to violence is grace and peace. The only way that we ought to respond to terrorism is through forgiveness and love, not hatred and retaliation. I understand that some might argue that this way of living would never work, that it would never stop violence and terrorism from happening. Maybe they are right. But maybe they aren't...we don't know because no society has ever tried it. It is obvious that war and further violence has not succeeded in ending violence, so I wonder what the world might look like if took the words of Jesus seriously when he calls us to turn the other cheek and walk 2 miles rather than 1. At least that seems closer to redemption than redemptive violence.

Fairly Accurate...Unfortunately

HT: Clint Walker

Thoughts From Wendell Barry

Over the past few years I have heard so many good things about the writing of Wendell Barry, but still have not found my way to any of his books. A Seattle pastor, Richard Dahlstrom, quoted Barry on his blog today and I loved the words so much I thought I would share them with you. Enjoy!

Let me be plain with you dear reader.
I am an old faishioned man I like
the world of nature despite its mortal
dangers. I like the domestic world
of humans, so long as it pays its debts
to the natural world, and keeps its obligations.
I like the promise of Heaven. My purpose
is a language that can pay just thanks
and honor for those gifts, a tongue
set free from fashionable lies.

Neither this world nor any of its places
is an 'environment'. And a house
for sale is not a 'home.' Economics
is not 'science', nor 'information' knowledge.
A knave with a degree is a knave. A fool
in a public office is not a 'leader.'
A rich thief is a thief....

The world is babbled to pieces after
the divorce of things from their names.
Ceaseless preparation for war
is not peace. health is not procured
by sale of medication, or purity
by the addition of poison. Science
at the bidding of corporations
is knowledge reduced to merchandise;
it is a whoredom of the mind,
and so it the art that calls this, 'progress.'
So is the cowardice that calls it 'inevitable.'

HT: Richard Dahlstrom

A New Issue in Athletic Competition

An 800-meter race today at the track and field world championships in South Africa has brought with it new problems for the athletic community worldwide. Caster Semenya, an 18 year old female runner from South Africa, crushed her competition by 2.45 seconds, an alarming victory in this rather short race. Following the race, the world track and field federation requested that Semenya be put to a gender test. She has seemingly lived as a female for all of her life, but genetically may not be eligible to race in the female category. The tests are quite extensive and time consuming, so the results will not be ready for quite some time.

Until the tests results are received, the committee is unsure about what to do, but this instance does raise awareness of an issue that may become more prevalent in a culture of increasing gender reassignment. I would guess there will be no gray area if fraud is involved, where people are trying to gain an advantage through said surgeries, but we all can imagine other scenarios that would not be as black and white. It will be interesting to see how the athletic world deals with this and other issues, perhaps setting precidents for how the rest of the world will respond. ESPN.com wrote an informative article about Semenya recentely, that you can find HERE.