Sometimes I wonder if Jesus could have saved himself a few words and rephrased the Golden Rule by saying, "It's not about you."
On my way home today, there was lots of traffic leading up to a red light. An oncoming car was trying to turn left through the jam, and the car a few up from me in my lane stopped to let him turn, since we were stuck at a red light anyway. The car behind me, seeing that we were stopped, zipped into the right lane to race his way to the red light, nearly hitting the poor left turner that our lane had tried to let turn.
It's not about you.
When I voted yesterday, I thought about the unemployed, the poor, seniors on fixed incomes, families living in homelessness, children who rely on free school lunches for nutrition, hopes for peace in our world, the ways that I am compelled and called to take care of my neighbors. I voted not for my own interests but for the interests of others, for the common good.
Voting: It's not about you. It's about us.
If there is one prevailing side effect of my faith in God, it is the understanding that I do not live for myself. And everything I do has an effect on someone else, whether I intend it or not.
And so, in faith, I see it as my responsibility to leave a gentle footprint on this earth, stepping lightly and humbly over the course of my existence, not trampling anyone or anything, letting go of myself, living in the awareness of my connectedness, dependence, and responsibility to my fellow human beings and all creation.
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." (Philippians 2:3-4 NIV)
It's not about you.
Showing posts with label current events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label current events. Show all posts
11.07.2012
11.02.2012
Money makes the world go 'round
I had the afternoon off and was flipping channels while I waited to switch over some laundry. I came upon a re-run of a recent edition of FRONTLINE entitled "Big Sky, Big Money." And, as FRONTLINE usually succeeds in doing, it sucked me in. I watched this story unfold about campaign finance, and outside funding groups who raise money, have no legal responsibility to disclose where these funds come from, and who use these funds to promote "issues," but really, to take down opposing candidates. I cannot convey in words how disgusted this investigation made me feel (you'll have to watch it to see what I mean). I am always surprised by human willingness to do smarmy, despicable, dishonest things, and to think that exploiting legal loopholes somehow makes their actions right
The piece mentioned the billions of dollars that will be spent in campaign season across the country, and I couldn't help but think about what a horrible waste of money that seems to me. Investing such an incredible amount of money in order to drag someone's name through the mud so that your favorite person can win the political game...while in the meantime, our economy continues to struggle and people in our country and around the world live in severe poverty. Isn't there a better use of billions of dollars?
Meanwhile, I think about how I will sleep outside in a box tomorrow night. I'll do this because I am raising money and awareness for homelessness in our community. I'll do it to support the work of Bridge Communities, a community organization that helps homeless families get back on their feet. I will sleep out because there are people in need who rely on others to help them survive.
Our church's goal is to raise $3000. And that feels like a huge goal. Why is it so hard to raise $3000 to help people in need, but elsewhere in the country, there are billions of free dollars being used to pitch attack ads against opposing political candidates? This is one of those days when I feel angry.
Billions of dollars would help homeless families, and help hungry families, and help starvation across the world, and that money could create jobs and fund college scholarships and build hospitals and improve public transportation....
I am so ready for campaign season to be over. And I am so ready for people to be generous in ways that actually matter.
The piece mentioned the billions of dollars that will be spent in campaign season across the country, and I couldn't help but think about what a horrible waste of money that seems to me. Investing such an incredible amount of money in order to drag someone's name through the mud so that your favorite person can win the political game...while in the meantime, our economy continues to struggle and people in our country and around the world live in severe poverty. Isn't there a better use of billions of dollars?
Meanwhile, I think about how I will sleep outside in a box tomorrow night. I'll do this because I am raising money and awareness for homelessness in our community. I'll do it to support the work of Bridge Communities, a community organization that helps homeless families get back on their feet. I will sleep out because there are people in need who rely on others to help them survive.
Our church's goal is to raise $3000. And that feels like a huge goal. Why is it so hard to raise $3000 to help people in need, but elsewhere in the country, there are billions of free dollars being used to pitch attack ads against opposing political candidates? This is one of those days when I feel angry.
Billions of dollars would help homeless families, and help hungry families, and help starvation across the world, and that money could create jobs and fund college scholarships and build hospitals and improve public transportation....
I am so ready for campaign season to be over. And I am so ready for people to be generous in ways that actually matter.
9.06.2012
Something political
Election years, as well they should, cause me to consider again my ideals and values, and the expectations I have for how a government should function and how a government should best seek the common good for its citizens.
This time around, I've realized that my own politics can be summed up in two statements, which are not my own, but come from a pretty respectable source:
First, loving God: This means that I live in the care of and in the hope of God. It means that I am free to realize that no political system can give me salvation, or no one political party has the corner on saving the world. It means that I don't ever see political candidates as larger-than-life, nor do I need to put all my trust in them. It means that I am free to understand that no one candidate has the power either to save or destroy the world, and that there is life after election day.
Second, loving neighbor as yourself: This is where the rubber hits the road. It takes all individualism out of politics. Preserving my own interests comes second to taking care of the common good. I seek the good of my neighbors, trusting that they will seek good for me. A political system of loving your neighbor means that you seek peace and not war, that all lives have dignity and deserve to be preserved, that wealth is to be shared, that opportunity be available no matter class or race, that justice is tempered by mercy, and that I vote on behalf of my neighbor's needs and interests and not my own.
Loving God and loving neighbor mean that, for me, politics is not about whether I am better off but rather whether we are better off...but at the end of the day it is not even about being better off. It is about being better at the things that matter: love, grace, patience, charity, inclusivity, caring for one another.
So for all of the campaign commercials, all of the conventions, all of the email forwards and blog posts and articles shared on Facebook - every piece of rhetoric that tries to tell me how I should vote - I find that I don't need anything to guide me except for two short sentences: Love God. Love neighbor.
All the law and prophets hang on these two things.
This time around, I've realized that my own politics can be summed up in two statements, which are not my own, but come from a pretty respectable source:
Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."And how do these two statements inform my politics?
And a second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
First, loving God: This means that I live in the care of and in the hope of God. It means that I am free to realize that no political system can give me salvation, or no one political party has the corner on saving the world. It means that I don't ever see political candidates as larger-than-life, nor do I need to put all my trust in them. It means that I am free to understand that no one candidate has the power either to save or destroy the world, and that there is life after election day.
Second, loving neighbor as yourself: This is where the rubber hits the road. It takes all individualism out of politics. Preserving my own interests comes second to taking care of the common good. I seek the good of my neighbors, trusting that they will seek good for me. A political system of loving your neighbor means that you seek peace and not war, that all lives have dignity and deserve to be preserved, that wealth is to be shared, that opportunity be available no matter class or race, that justice is tempered by mercy, and that I vote on behalf of my neighbor's needs and interests and not my own.
Loving God and loving neighbor mean that, for me, politics is not about whether I am better off but rather whether we are better off...but at the end of the day it is not even about being better off. It is about being better at the things that matter: love, grace, patience, charity, inclusivity, caring for one another.
So for all of the campaign commercials, all of the conventions, all of the email forwards and blog posts and articles shared on Facebook - every piece of rhetoric that tries to tell me how I should vote - I find that I don't need anything to guide me except for two short sentences: Love God. Love neighbor.
All the law and prophets hang on these two things.
2.07.2012
Soap box: human dignity
Not worth linking to it (because it will just make me MAD again), but I read an article this morning about illegal immigrants, children born in the US (and therefore citizens), and food stamps. And Alabama.
And I made the HUGE mistake of reading some of the comments. And I read as people called illegal immigrants "garbage" and their children "spawn" and watched as they preferred that the children of illegal immigrants to die of starvation rather than Americans having to pay money to help people who weren't going to give them anything back.
And I could have cried. Or punched something. And I went a little crazy, commenting on lots of comments, trying to make the point that compassion and human decency are basic human values, and that we are being horrible human beings if we are honestly saying to immigrant families that we wish them dead, simply because they didn't play by our rules.
Laws are good. Order is good. Our immigration system is broken. But other countries and governments are corrupt and broken, and there are plenty of people who leave their home countries in order to protect and save their lives and their hopes for a future.
And so, honestly, I don't care whether we are Americans or Canadians or Mexicans or whomever else. Our nationality and even our country's laws don't let us off the hook for being decent human beings.
God is generous. God is gracious. And I know that I most certainly have not followed all the rules. And yet God promises me hope and life and new life nonetheless. And it breaks my heart to think that I'm in the minority when it comes to viewing others with that same gracious attitude.
Human needs are human needs. People need food. People need housing. People need clean water and clothing. And we are being unjust if we deny any of those things to our neighbors, no matter what their legal status. Because they are human beings. And they are children of God. And if you want to talk to me about the sanctity of life, then please talk to me about how we can care for one another and preserve life for ALL, not just for those whom we deem worthy.
Ok. Stepping off my soapbox now...
And I made the HUGE mistake of reading some of the comments. And I read as people called illegal immigrants "garbage" and their children "spawn" and watched as they preferred that the children of illegal immigrants to die of starvation rather than Americans having to pay money to help people who weren't going to give them anything back.
And I could have cried. Or punched something. And I went a little crazy, commenting on lots of comments, trying to make the point that compassion and human decency are basic human values, and that we are being horrible human beings if we are honestly saying to immigrant families that we wish them dead, simply because they didn't play by our rules.
Laws are good. Order is good. Our immigration system is broken. But other countries and governments are corrupt and broken, and there are plenty of people who leave their home countries in order to protect and save their lives and their hopes for a future.
And so, honestly, I don't care whether we are Americans or Canadians or Mexicans or whomever else. Our nationality and even our country's laws don't let us off the hook for being decent human beings.
God is generous. God is gracious. And I know that I most certainly have not followed all the rules. And yet God promises me hope and life and new life nonetheless. And it breaks my heart to think that I'm in the minority when it comes to viewing others with that same gracious attitude.
Human needs are human needs. People need food. People need housing. People need clean water and clothing. And we are being unjust if we deny any of those things to our neighbors, no matter what their legal status. Because they are human beings. And they are children of God. And if you want to talk to me about the sanctity of life, then please talk to me about how we can care for one another and preserve life for ALL, not just for those whom we deem worthy.
Ok. Stepping off my soapbox now...
11.22.2010
Black Friday Anxiety
I will admit that I am already feeling anxious about the end of this week. Not because I have to write two sermons. Not because I am running a 5k on Thursday morning that I have under-trained for. And not because I'm worried about family or food or anything having to do with Thanksgiving.
I am feeling anxious about Friday. Black Friday. I have no inclination to go shopping nor do I harbor any secret glee about lining up in the middle of the night to secure for myself a 40% discount on some item that I probably don't need anyway. I feel anxious because I have become keenly aware of how companies and consumerism are so shamelessly trying to convince me that I have needs so that they can be the ones to fill those "needs," and how Black Friday has become a grim joke of a holiday in itself. I am anxious because Black Friday advertising is so strong and ubiquitous that Thanksgiving itself, which hasn't even taken place yet, has already been eclipsed. Instead of gearing up for family time and grateful hearts, we are planning what time we need to go to bed if want to be first in line when Kohl's opens its doors at 3am (no joke).
Black Friday is the kickoff for the holiday spending season...and it is commercials like the one below that make me particularly angry and sad, both because of their reversal of the flippant but not inaccurate "Jesus is the reason for the season" into their holiday sales slogan, "the season of reason," and because they are luxury car maker trying to sell themselves as "simple" in the midst of a culture of extravagance:
[Youtube video link.]
It baffles me that a company would spend so much money on advertising to try to sell me a luxury car as an alternative to extravagant Christmas purchases. It baffles me that a company would spend so much money on advertising to try to convince me that rational Christmastime behavior would be to purchase a car in general. It baffles me that a company would decide that the general public is looking for Christmas to be a "season of reason" rather than, say, a season of joy or hope or love or faith. Methinks that trying to prey on people's residual recession sensibilities is a pretty low (and ineffective) move for a luxury car company.
For another (similar) reflection on this commercial, see this blog post.
Watch for future posts as we move into Advent that offer ideas for how to resist, rebel, and even (mildly) subvert a holiday culture of stuff, spending, and consumerism.
I am feeling anxious about Friday. Black Friday. I have no inclination to go shopping nor do I harbor any secret glee about lining up in the middle of the night to secure for myself a 40% discount on some item that I probably don't need anyway. I feel anxious because I have become keenly aware of how companies and consumerism are so shamelessly trying to convince me that I have needs so that they can be the ones to fill those "needs," and how Black Friday has become a grim joke of a holiday in itself. I am anxious because Black Friday advertising is so strong and ubiquitous that Thanksgiving itself, which hasn't even taken place yet, has already been eclipsed. Instead of gearing up for family time and grateful hearts, we are planning what time we need to go to bed if want to be first in line when Kohl's opens its doors at 3am (no joke).
Black Friday is the kickoff for the holiday spending season...and it is commercials like the one below that make me particularly angry and sad, both because of their reversal of the flippant but not inaccurate "Jesus is the reason for the season" into their holiday sales slogan, "the season of reason," and because they are luxury car maker trying to sell themselves as "simple" in the midst of a culture of extravagance:
[Youtube video link.]
It baffles me that a company would spend so much money on advertising to try to sell me a luxury car as an alternative to extravagant Christmas purchases. It baffles me that a company would spend so much money on advertising to try to convince me that rational Christmastime behavior would be to purchase a car in general. It baffles me that a company would decide that the general public is looking for Christmas to be a "season of reason" rather than, say, a season of joy or hope or love or faith. Methinks that trying to prey on people's residual recession sensibilities is a pretty low (and ineffective) move for a luxury car company.
For another (similar) reflection on this commercial, see this blog post.
Watch for future posts as we move into Advent that offer ideas for how to resist, rebel, and even (mildly) subvert a holiday culture of stuff, spending, and consumerism.
11.09.2010
Sticks and stones
On my drive to church yesterday morning, I caught the following news item on NPR:
Anti-Abortion Activist on Trial for "Wanted" Posters (Audio here)
As I listened to Flip's antics and considered his statements, I couldn't help but draw parallels between this mode of Christian witness and the words and actions of your average, devastating school or workplace bully. Bullying is all over the news media these days. There is a certain call to outrage that pervades media discussions of bullying. Communities, schools, and other groups are working diligently to offer tools and advice about how to curb bullying behavior and how to help those who have been victimized.
I strongly believe that the church should be a place where young people experience and learn the value of human life, the value of diversity, and the value of unconditional love. Theologically speaking, Christianity is fundamentally at odds with all sorts of bullying behaviors. At their root, bullying behaviors are a matter of division, judgment, and self-interest. At its root, Christianity is a matter of grace, compassion, love, and justice.
That being said, I am incredibly saddened by people like Flip Benham and others who skew the good news of God's grace into a message of "believe the good news and get your act together...or else." There is a large and distinct strain of Christian theology that utilizes evangelism techniques and language that walk a fine line between impassioned belief and flat-out evangelistic bullying.
Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, made the following statement in a speech given earlier last spring:
If we intend to believe that our faith communities can be places capable of curbing and condemning bullying behaviors, then we must ensure that our faith communities take a deeper look at our own faith practices and presumptions. In order to resist bullying with any shred of integrity, the demands and practices of our faith must be centered around the values of Jesus, and the good news that we preach must be, in fact, good news of God's unfailing compassion, grace, and love.
Anti-Abortion Activist on Trial for "Wanted" Posters (Audio here)
As I listened to Flip's antics and considered his statements, I couldn't help but draw parallels between this mode of Christian witness and the words and actions of your average, devastating school or workplace bully. Bullying is all over the news media these days. There is a certain call to outrage that pervades media discussions of bullying. Communities, schools, and other groups are working diligently to offer tools and advice about how to curb bullying behavior and how to help those who have been victimized.
I strongly believe that the church should be a place where young people experience and learn the value of human life, the value of diversity, and the value of unconditional love. Theologically speaking, Christianity is fundamentally at odds with all sorts of bullying behaviors. At their root, bullying behaviors are a matter of division, judgment, and self-interest. At its root, Christianity is a matter of grace, compassion, love, and justice.
That being said, I am incredibly saddened by people like Flip Benham and others who skew the good news of God's grace into a message of "believe the good news and get your act together...or else." There is a large and distinct strain of Christian theology that utilizes evangelism techniques and language that walk a fine line between impassioned belief and flat-out evangelistic bullying.
Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, made the following statement in a speech given earlier last spring:
We are very rightly suspicious of proselytism, of manipulative, bullying, insensitive approaches to people of other faith which treat them as if they knew nothing, as if we had nothing to learn and as if the tradition of their reflection and imagination were of no interest to us or God.How can Christianity be an effective, essential voice against bullying when there yet exists a strong tradition of bully-evangelism? How might a Christian church that utilizes evangelism-by-threat-of-eternal-damnation be unwittingly forming its youth to believe that threats and bullying are ultimately acceptable tools for getting your way, or that might-makes-right is an acceptable and faithful value by which to live? How is this sort of evangelistic focus unintentionally condoning threatening or bullying behaviors?
If we intend to believe that our faith communities can be places capable of curbing and condemning bullying behaviors, then we must ensure that our faith communities take a deeper look at our own faith practices and presumptions. In order to resist bullying with any shred of integrity, the demands and practices of our faith must be centered around the values of Jesus, and the good news that we preach must be, in fact, good news of God's unfailing compassion, grace, and love.
11.05.2010
Why I'm sleeping out.
Bridge Communities provides the families who are accepted to its program free housing for two years - the organization owns an number of apartment buildings - and offers them mentoring, social service assistance, and other resources to help them get back on their feet. Churches who partner with Bridge "adopt" a family. They pay the rent on the family's Bridge apartment for two years, and they provide volunteer mentors who meet with the family once a week over the course of those two years. It is a high investment - time and money - but with enormous returns. St. Timothy is nearly one full year into our partnership with our first Bridge family. Sleep Out Saturday feels even more important this year than it did last year (or the year before) for St. Timothy, because we are so connected to Bridge and it's mission.
I'm sleeping out tomorrow night in a tent on the church lawn. I'm braving the cold (overnight lows in the 30s) and I'm taking the risk of leading worship with bad hat-hair/bedhead on Sunday because I know how important an issue homelessness is.
I'm sleeping out because I'm one of the lucky ones who has a great family and a great safety net.
I'm sleeping out because I am one of the lucky ones who can afford to pay rent on an apartment even if I wish I owned a house.
I'm sleeping out because I am one of the lucky ones who is blessed with stable employment in an economy where jobs are hard to find and hold.
I'm sleeping out because I know that every family is more fragile than they want to believe they are.
I'm sleeping out because I know that homelessness is more often than not an effect of an otherwise stable family coming into hard luck; the face of homelessness is a mother losing her job or a family losing everything to high medical bills.
I'm sleeping out because I have a voice, and I am called to use that voice to speak on behalf of the voiceless.
So tomorrow night, when you are climbing into your nice, warm bed inside your nice, warm home, with a roof over your head and food in your kitchen and a job to go back to on Monday, remember me and my St. Timothy friends and all those throughout the county who have committed to sleeping in the cold for a good cause...but more importantly, remember all those people who don't have a home to look forward to after a long day, who don't have food to serve their families, nor a table to serve it on, who don't have any plans for Monday besides filling out more job applications at the public library or standing in line at the unemployment office.
If you've read all the way to this point, I would encourage you to think about whether you might want to contribute a few dollars to such a great cause. Did you know that every $25 raised for Sleep Out Saturday provides one night of shelter for a homeless family? It doesn't take a lot to make a big difference. So if you are able, please consider sponsoring our St. Timothy sleepers. Every little bit helps!
11.02.2010
Election Day
I'm so glad that Election Day is (nearly) over. I'm so tired of alarmist, cruel, vindictive political ads. I'm tired of watching everyone's inner cynic float to the surface. I decided that I'd be a good citizen and vote today, only to find out that I unsuccessfully transferred my voter registration out to the suburbs when we moved here from the city over a year and a half ago. So I am sorry to say that I couldn't vote. But I did pay attention to what other people had to say about voting and elections and politics today.
Here are a few links and thoughts from around the web that had an impact on me today:
"If we want qualified and capable [people] for both civil and spiritual leadership, we must spare no effort, time, and expense in teaching and educating our children to serve God and mankind." –Martin Luther
Today's post on my friend's blog "The Private Intellectual" made the astute observation, "In politics, demographics is destiny."
Today's Stillspeaking Daily Devotional, "Beware of false prophets" offers us the following challenge: "So while we study the candidates to try to figure out who is real and reliable, let’s remember to be real and reliable ourselves."
One friend on facebook "hopes there will be an item on her ballot today that will allow her to vote for an end to ridiculous, negative, petty, demeaning, mudslinging political campaigns. Seriously, people, they wouldn't allow that crap in grade school student council elections, why do you think that's it's ok to do as adults???! Rant over, go vote."
Another friend on facebook offers some perspective: "Despite everything I disagree with about how negatively this election was run, and all the unlimited shady financial contributions, I am glad it was money and not violence, or threats of torture, death, or imprisonment being used. I'm also glad that even if my preferred candidates don't win, I know the fairly-generated polling results will be honored."
And last but not least, in case you were just dying to make a mid-term mix tape, NPR has some suggestions for you: Wait Wait Don't Tell Me's Midterms Mix
Here are a few links and thoughts from around the web that had an impact on me today:
"If we want qualified and capable [people] for both civil and spiritual leadership, we must spare no effort, time, and expense in teaching and educating our children to serve God and mankind." –Martin Luther
Today's post on my friend's blog "The Private Intellectual" made the astute observation, "In politics, demographics is destiny."
Today's Stillspeaking Daily Devotional, "Beware of false prophets" offers us the following challenge: "So while we study the candidates to try to figure out who is real and reliable, let’s remember to be real and reliable ourselves."
One friend on facebook "hopes there will be an item on her ballot today that will allow her to vote for an end to ridiculous, negative, petty, demeaning, mudslinging political campaigns. Seriously, people, they wouldn't allow that crap in grade school student council elections, why do you think that's it's ok to do as adults???! Rant over, go vote."
Another friend on facebook offers some perspective: "Despite everything I disagree with about how negatively this election was run, and all the unlimited shady financial contributions, I am glad it was money and not violence, or threats of torture, death, or imprisonment being used. I'm also glad that even if my preferred candidates don't win, I know the fairly-generated polling results will be honored."
And last but not least, in case you were just dying to make a mid-term mix tape, NPR has some suggestions for you: Wait Wait Don't Tell Me's Midterms Mix
6.07.2010
Learning about Israel and Palestine
This past weekend was the 2010 ELCA Metro Chicago Synod Assembly. (Translation: the annual gathering of 400 or so Chicago-area ELCA pastors and congregation members to discuss issues, policies, and official business of the metro-Chicago division of the ELCA.)
Among the resolutions that we discussed were three that dealt with Israel/Palestine and issues related to the Holy Land. This, honestly, is a a set of issues about which I know far less than I wish I did. And it is a set of issues that I nevertheless have strong feelings about. This means that I am constantly on the hunt for helpful information that can help me honestly frame the issue for myself. It is a difficult topic to discuss. It is highly controversial, and there are issues embedded in issues embedded in issues. I get the sense that both sides of the issue dismiss information provided by the other as "propaganda," and I myself am still quite naive when it comes to distinguishing unbiased information from propaganda. A starting place for me is to explore the commitment of the ELCA to stand in solidarity with our partner church in Palestine (the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, or ELCJHL).
I have spent a small amount of time browsing the multitude of resources concerning Israel/Palestine on the Peace Not Walls page of the ELCA website. (There's a lot there - I admit that I have barely scratched the surface.) In fact, my first real introduction to the issues at stake was this video: Peace Not Walls - Making a Difference in the Holy Land
One of the resolutions that we discussed was one that asked our synod to endorse the Kairos Palestine Document, a document written by Palestinian Christians for Palestinian Christians, expressing their own sufferings and hopes for the future.
Also, just a few weeks ago, I heard this piece on the radio, and found it quite interesting, especially his thoughts on Christians, and especially Christian clergy, when it comes to discussing issues surrounding the Holy Land: Worldview - Talking about Israel
I still have much to learn. But it is obvious to me that this is a matter of justice, of human rights, of the nature of faith and religion, and of the strengths and limitations of politics. I think that I feel strongly about the issue precisely because it touches on so many deep and, ultimately, universal themes. Please let me know if there are other resources that you have found helpful in learning more about the Holy Land - I very much want to continue my education.
12.02.2009
I'm Not Famous...and I'm Grateful For It!
For as much as any one of us ever entertains dreams of fame or notoriety, I can say with some certainty that most of us don't actually want that lifestyle. It might be fun to daydream about money and mansions and being recognized for doing something that we love, but if we really stop and think about fame, we're perfectly happy going home at night not having spent our days fending off the paparazzi or crazy fans, and perfectly happy going to the grocery store in our pj's, knowing that no one is going to take pictures of us and make public commentary on our fashion decisions (or lack thereof).
Two "news" stories broke over the last week that should confirm for many of us that we'd rather not be living famous, public lives.
The first story concerns racy pictures of Grady Sizemore that somehow found their way onto the internet for the world to see. As quickly as there was one headline about the pictures being posted, there was another headline about Sizemore (and MLB) wanting the offending parties to take them down. If he weren't a celebrity, no one would have cared about these pictures, that's true. At the same time, this isn't an uncommon occurrence. Every few months, there's a new story about a celebrity who took some racy pictures or made a racy video that suddenly showed up on the internet. Isn't there a lesson to be learned here? If you're a celebrity, just don't take those sorts of pictures or make those sorts of videos! You'd think that they would have learned. Because these sorts of things are bound to leak out into public view. That's the nature of being a celebrity. Even your private life isn't so private.
The other story is the mysterious Tiger Woods car crash. While the moral of the Sizemore story is clear (once you're famous, people will find ways of making your private life public, so take care with the things you do even in private), the moral of the Woods story isn't so clear. The real debate isn't what Woods should or shouldn't have done differently, it is about what the public and the media should or shouldn't have done differently. I find it appalling that we, the public, try to act like we have a right to know everything about a famous person's private life. As if they somehow owe us this information. I loathe the current internet "news" climate, where breaking the story first is more important than breaking it well, and where the only way to survive is to provide the headlines that people want to see, even if there's nothing much to report on. Traditional news media has to dabble in this sort of celebrity "news" in order to keep up with the gossip sites.
There's plenty of blame to go around in these and other similar situations. Is it smart to email racy pictures of yourself to your girlfriend if you're Grady Sizemore? Probably not. Is it your own fault that the public really wants to see those pictures when they happen to leak? Probably not. Does the public's thirst for gossip disguised as news perpetuate these Sizemore and Woods sorts of situations? Probably. Does our media culture feed on these situations because it makes them money? Probably.
We all live two lives - our public and our private lives. Every time we leave our house, we are entering the sphere of the public. And none of us are immune to the possibility that our private lives become more public than we would like them to be. But in the realm of celebrity, the already-small sphere of private life seems to be continually shrinking. I think it's a sad commentary on all of the rest of us that this is the case. It makes me glad I'm not (and never will be) famous.
Two "news" stories broke over the last week that should confirm for many of us that we'd rather not be living famous, public lives.
The first story concerns racy pictures of Grady Sizemore that somehow found their way onto the internet for the world to see. As quickly as there was one headline about the pictures being posted, there was another headline about Sizemore (and MLB) wanting the offending parties to take them down. If he weren't a celebrity, no one would have cared about these pictures, that's true. At the same time, this isn't an uncommon occurrence. Every few months, there's a new story about a celebrity who took some racy pictures or made a racy video that suddenly showed up on the internet. Isn't there a lesson to be learned here? If you're a celebrity, just don't take those sorts of pictures or make those sorts of videos! You'd think that they would have learned. Because these sorts of things are bound to leak out into public view. That's the nature of being a celebrity. Even your private life isn't so private.
The other story is the mysterious Tiger Woods car crash. While the moral of the Sizemore story is clear (once you're famous, people will find ways of making your private life public, so take care with the things you do even in private), the moral of the Woods story isn't so clear. The real debate isn't what Woods should or shouldn't have done differently, it is about what the public and the media should or shouldn't have done differently. I find it appalling that we, the public, try to act like we have a right to know everything about a famous person's private life. As if they somehow owe us this information. I loathe the current internet "news" climate, where breaking the story first is more important than breaking it well, and where the only way to survive is to provide the headlines that people want to see, even if there's nothing much to report on. Traditional news media has to dabble in this sort of celebrity "news" in order to keep up with the gossip sites.
There's plenty of blame to go around in these and other similar situations. Is it smart to email racy pictures of yourself to your girlfriend if you're Grady Sizemore? Probably not. Is it your own fault that the public really wants to see those pictures when they happen to leak? Probably not. Does the public's thirst for gossip disguised as news perpetuate these Sizemore and Woods sorts of situations? Probably. Does our media culture feed on these situations because it makes them money? Probably.
We all live two lives - our public and our private lives. Every time we leave our house, we are entering the sphere of the public. And none of us are immune to the possibility that our private lives become more public than we would like them to be. But in the realm of celebrity, the already-small sphere of private life seems to be continually shrinking. I think it's a sad commentary on all of the rest of us that this is the case. It makes me glad I'm not (and never will be) famous.
11.24.2009
Conspiracy Theory
Blame it on the fact that we are a single-income family who can't afford to make shopping a viable form of entertainment (at least not if we want to pay the rent, buy food, and pay off our student loans). Blame it on the fact that I've always had a hard time understanding the "shop-till-you-drop" mentality. Blame it on the fact that I already have too much stuff and routinely feel guilty when I think about those who have nothing. Blame it on the fact that I get claustrophobic in big crowds, or that shopping and consumerism often bring out the very worst in people. But whatever the reason, I have never understood the appeal of Black Friday.
I'm not anti-shopping. And there are times that I myself do enjoy shopping. But I will never - I promise, never! - head over to Old Navy at 3am to do any post-Thanksgiving shopping. I will never stand in line at Best Buy or Macy's or WalMart or anywhere else to take advantage of "first 500 people" door-busters. I appreciate good deals, but never at the expense of my sanity...or my dignity!
But what truly disturbs me about Black Friday has little to do with the shopping experience itself, and more to do with the weight that our culture, our media, and our economy give to this one day, and to the "season" that it kicks off. The season that Black Friday begins isn't Christmas or Advent or the holidays...it's the so-called "Holiday Shopping Season."
Three articles in Time this month are devoted to Black Friday and its implications for and about our economy:
Can Retailers Get Consumers into the Christmas Spirit?
Retailers Gear Up for Black Friday
Holiday Shopping: This Year it's a Game of Chicken
These articles speak of Black Friday as a gauge of our country's economic health and our collective consumer disposition. These articles speak from a perspective that it is good if we keep our retailers afloat and profitable, and bad if we don't - a perspective that implicitly says "the ability to buy stuff is one value that we as a country must uphold." I know I sound like a first-class cynic here, but is anyone else disturbed that we are more concerned with the health of our retail institutions that we are with the health of our minds and our souls?
I repeat - there's nothing inherently bad about shopping, and I won't try to convince anyone to stay home this Friday if they feel like braving the malls. But I feel like there has to be something better that we can get anxious about than the fact that this year's holiday shopping season is five days (including one weekend) shorter than other years, given Thanksgiving's late date. We can do better than this. We really can.
I just finished reading Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World? It's a book that coincides with the [AC] Advent Conspiracy movement, which attempts to reclaim a vision for the holiday season that is centered around God, relationships, worship, and service. In stark contrast to Black Friday panic, AC encourages us to make better choices with our money and our gifts, and to make better choices about the values we seek in the Advent and Christmas seasons.
I don't know about you, but I'd much rather talk about these next few weeks in terms of the hope and joy of Advent, rather than in terms of dollars and cents.
I'm not anti-shopping. And there are times that I myself do enjoy shopping. But I will never - I promise, never! - head over to Old Navy at 3am to do any post-Thanksgiving shopping. I will never stand in line at Best Buy or Macy's or WalMart or anywhere else to take advantage of "first 500 people" door-busters. I appreciate good deals, but never at the expense of my sanity...or my dignity!
But what truly disturbs me about Black Friday has little to do with the shopping experience itself, and more to do with the weight that our culture, our media, and our economy give to this one day, and to the "season" that it kicks off. The season that Black Friday begins isn't Christmas or Advent or the holidays...it's the so-called "Holiday Shopping Season."
Three articles in Time this month are devoted to Black Friday and its implications for and about our economy:
Can Retailers Get Consumers into the Christmas Spirit?
Retailers Gear Up for Black Friday
Holiday Shopping: This Year it's a Game of Chicken
These articles speak of Black Friday as a gauge of our country's economic health and our collective consumer disposition. These articles speak from a perspective that it is good if we keep our retailers afloat and profitable, and bad if we don't - a perspective that implicitly says "the ability to buy stuff is one value that we as a country must uphold." I know I sound like a first-class cynic here, but is anyone else disturbed that we are more concerned with the health of our retail institutions that we are with the health of our minds and our souls?
I repeat - there's nothing inherently bad about shopping, and I won't try to convince anyone to stay home this Friday if they feel like braving the malls. But I feel like there has to be something better that we can get anxious about than the fact that this year's holiday shopping season is five days (including one weekend) shorter than other years, given Thanksgiving's late date. We can do better than this. We really can.
I just finished reading Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World? It's a book that coincides with the [AC] Advent Conspiracy movement, which attempts to reclaim a vision for the holiday season that is centered around God, relationships, worship, and service. In stark contrast to Black Friday panic, AC encourages us to make better choices with our money and our gifts, and to make better choices about the values we seek in the Advent and Christmas seasons.
I don't know about you, but I'd much rather talk about these next few weeks in terms of the hope and joy of Advent, rather than in terms of dollars and cents.
9.08.2009
Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.
Today is a good day to remember how to take a deep breath. It helps you keep from getting overwhelmed, it helps you deal with change, it helps you show grace to others.
I have a giant to-do list for this week. With the office closed yesterday, and with Friday as my weekly day off, I have a three-day week. Which sounds nice enough, I know, but it turns out that I have enough to work on this week that three days is not nearly enough! Or so it feels. Must remember to take a deep breath - no sense in getting overwhelmed.
This weekend kicks off the Sunday school year, the program year (children's/youth programming, choir rehearsals, meetings and events, etc.), and our new worship schedule. While worship times might not seem like a big deal, changing them causes plenty of anxiety. I'll be glad when this weekend is over. I think that everyone - congregation AND staff - will breathe a sigh of relief no matter what happens this weekend. There's just something about getting through the first week that helps everyone take a deep breath and deal with the change.
Speaking of people not taking a deep breath and thinking rationally, have I mentioned how angry I am about all the folks who absolutely will not allow their children to be addressed by the president, simply because they disagree with his politics or because they are irrationally fearful of what he'll say? Never mind that the text of the speech was released in advance. Never mind that other presidents have done this. Never mind that it is a civil, decent thing to respect your president, no matter what party he is and no matter what party you are.
I get frustrated when adults stop acting like adults, and when decent human beings stop acting like decent human beings. I get frustrated when there is no grace.
And it's times like this when I remember exactly why I feel called to the ministry...I can do my part to try to preach and teach grace, patience, and love in the midst of a world that isn't always so great at exhibiting any of those qualities. So, I suppose, preaching and teaching about God's grace is, in a sense, preaching a message of "deep breaths" with the hope that at least a few people will keep deep-breathing in their daily lives, being faith-formed examples of grace, patience, and love out in the world.
I have a giant to-do list for this week. With the office closed yesterday, and with Friday as my weekly day off, I have a three-day week. Which sounds nice enough, I know, but it turns out that I have enough to work on this week that three days is not nearly enough! Or so it feels. Must remember to take a deep breath - no sense in getting overwhelmed.
This weekend kicks off the Sunday school year, the program year (children's/youth programming, choir rehearsals, meetings and events, etc.), and our new worship schedule. While worship times might not seem like a big deal, changing them causes plenty of anxiety. I'll be glad when this weekend is over. I think that everyone - congregation AND staff - will breathe a sigh of relief no matter what happens this weekend. There's just something about getting through the first week that helps everyone take a deep breath and deal with the change.
Speaking of people not taking a deep breath and thinking rationally, have I mentioned how angry I am about all the folks who absolutely will not allow their children to be addressed by the president, simply because they disagree with his politics or because they are irrationally fearful of what he'll say? Never mind that the text of the speech was released in advance. Never mind that other presidents have done this. Never mind that it is a civil, decent thing to respect your president, no matter what party he is and no matter what party you are.
I get frustrated when adults stop acting like adults, and when decent human beings stop acting like decent human beings. I get frustrated when there is no grace.
And it's times like this when I remember exactly why I feel called to the ministry...I can do my part to try to preach and teach grace, patience, and love in the midst of a world that isn't always so great at exhibiting any of those qualities. So, I suppose, preaching and teaching about God's grace is, in a sense, preaching a message of "deep breaths" with the hope that at least a few people will keep deep-breathing in their daily lives, being faith-formed examples of grace, patience, and love out in the world.
9.03.2009
Discourse, not Diatribe.
Given the state of politics in our country, and given the current controversies in the ELCA, this article makes the important statement that engaging ideas is far more important than sticking to a label or a party: Open your minds, America. It's a must-read.
[HT: Peter Allen]
[HT: Peter Allen]
4.22.2009
Earth Day: All Creatures of Our God and King
All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voices, let us sing: Alleluia, alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beams, thou silver moon that gently gleams, O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Thou rushing wind that art so strong, ye clouds that sail in heaven along, O praise him, Alleluia!
Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice, ye lights of evening, find a voice, O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Thou flowing water, pure and clear, make music for thy Lord to hear, Alleluia, alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright, that givest man both warmth and light, O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Dear mother earth, who day by day unfoldest blessings on our way, O praise him, Alleluia!
The flowers and fruits that in thee grow, let them his glory also show: O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
And all ye men of tender heart, forgiving others, take your part, O sing ye Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear, praise God and on him cast your care: O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
And thou, most kind and gentle death, waiting to hush our latest breath, O praise him, Alleluia!
Thou leadest home the child of God, and Christ our Lord the way hath trod: O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Let all things their Creator bless, and worship him in humbleness, O praise him, Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son, and praise the Spirit, Three in One: O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
This hymn, a paraphrase of St. Francis of Assisi's "Canticle of the Sun," gets at the heart of the connection between faith and care of the earth. A moving text, the stanzas praise God for the whole expanse of creation - the earth and sea and sky, all the life therein, and even the beauty of death. But more than just a beautiful hymn of creation, this text reveals how God's promise of salvation and restoration follows in line with God's declaration at creation, "It is good!" We of tender heart can forgive others and bear our sufferings because God sent Christ to save and restore the creation to wholeness. We can thus our creator bless, because we live into this salvation and restoration - we praise God as liberated, restored, and saved people, and care for the world that God has created and has promised to restore:
In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground— then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flows out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides and becomes four branches. (Genesis 2:4b-10)The stained glass window above is the creation window from Boe Chapel, on the St. Olaf College campus. Boe Chapel boasts a number of beautiful, thoughtful, and inspiring windows; this one was by far my favorite. I love the picture of the creation swirling around the creator - its existence and its purpose centered on the goodness of the creator and redeemer. To me, it is a visual reminder that God cares for the whole of the creation, and that we are never far from God's presence. In the description of this window, it reminds us that in creation, "the stage is set for the promise and fulfillment of God’s redemptive work in history." How beautiful a thing to know that the good news of God in Christ was rooted in the very swirling waters of creation!
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." (Revelation 21:1-5a)
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:1-5)
4.20.2009
Morbid Coincidence
I find it disturbing that these two headlines showed up right near each other when I was reading the news just now:
Poison Suspected in Deaths of Polo Horses
Southern California Man Booked in Horse Decapitation
Apparently it is a VERY BAD DAY to be a horse...
Poison Suspected in Deaths of Polo Horses
Southern California Man Booked in Horse Decapitation
Apparently it is a VERY BAD DAY to be a horse...
4.14.2009
Embracing the Gray
Over the past week, I've engaged in serious conversations (either in-person or on blogs) about three different controversial issues: gun control, homosexuality (and the church), and immigration. While the subject of the conversations was wildly different, the content of the conversations was eerily similar. Controversial issues bring out the worst in people, but more than that, they bring out people's thinly-veiled fears. Everyone wants to hunker down and barricade themselves in by spouting "facts" that are, in reality, widely-spread and often-inaccurate myths. All of the arguing tends toward two extremes: 1)Ideology detached from the human experience, which thus becomes dehumanizing rhetoric, or 2)Extreme emotionality bound so tightly to individual experience that it cannot look or dialogue beyond itself.
Today, I find myself doing much thinking and reading about immigration. I've become an avid New York Times reader online, and all it takes is one article about immigration before I've read six articles about immigration. I find it dangerous that when you read one piece, the website offers you a list of other related pieces...I just keep reading and reading. The commenters on all of these articles follow the pattern I illustrated above. The reasoned, middle-voices that attempt to engage the content are so often ignored, because for members of either extreme to enter into actual dialogue on the issue would mean that they would have to step outside of their black/white world and come to embrace the gray.
I'm passionate about the immigration issue, and believe that it is nothing but gray. I could spend time here sharing with you everything that I've learned over the past few years and what conclusions I've come to about the issue, but I think that a better starting place today would be to share with you the links to the stories and articles that re-sparked my engagement with this issue:
Obama to Push Immigration Bill as One Priority
Editorial: Immigration Reform and Hard Times
Immigrant Detainee Dies, and a Life is Buried, Too
The Room for Debate blog posts on Immigration
And, in case you were curious, I have contributed my thoughts to two of the ensuing comment conversations; here and here.
Today, I find myself doing much thinking and reading about immigration. I've become an avid New York Times reader online, and all it takes is one article about immigration before I've read six articles about immigration. I find it dangerous that when you read one piece, the website offers you a list of other related pieces...I just keep reading and reading. The commenters on all of these articles follow the pattern I illustrated above. The reasoned, middle-voices that attempt to engage the content are so often ignored, because for members of either extreme to enter into actual dialogue on the issue would mean that they would have to step outside of their black/white world and come to embrace the gray.
I'm passionate about the immigration issue, and believe that it is nothing but gray. I could spend time here sharing with you everything that I've learned over the past few years and what conclusions I've come to about the issue, but I think that a better starting place today would be to share with you the links to the stories and articles that re-sparked my engagement with this issue:
Obama to Push Immigration Bill as One Priority
Editorial: Immigration Reform and Hard Times
Immigrant Detainee Dies, and a Life is Buried, Too
The Room for Debate blog posts on Immigration
And, in case you were curious, I have contributed my thoughts to two of the ensuing comment conversations; here and here.
3.30.2009
Sanctity of what?
I'm struggling over here this morning. I'm struggling with so-called "Christian values." I'm struggling with the politicization of faith; with the way that faith and politics have allied themselves and abstracted morality from justice.
To my brothers and sisters for whom their greatest social/political causes are the protection of the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage; to those for whom abortion and homosexuality are perceived as two of the greatest threats facing our society:
How has your focus on abortion protected the sanctity of life for those nursing home residents in Carthage, North Carolina, who were killed at the hands of a brutal and senseless gunman? How has your focus on homosexuality has protected the sanctity of marriage, knowing that this gunman is believed to have opened fire at this nursing home because his estranged wife worked there?
It seems that there have been too many violent acts in the past months where innocent victims have been injured and killed in the wake of violence that ex-spouses have intended against their estranged significant others. I think of the man dressed as Santa Claus that opened fire at a Christmas party at his ex-in-laws' house, for example.
If we, as Christians, want to claim as our causes the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage, might we do well to widen our scope?
Perhaps instead of inciting fear that homosexuality will destroy marriage, we should be doing more to help couples before, during, and even after their marriages. We could be helping them through the rough parts, finding them more help and support, grieving more with people in broken relationships, doing more to prevent abuse and to protect people from it, looking for warning signs, and taking seriously the things in life that truly do destroy relationships.
And perhaps instead of believing that the only lives that are sacred are those of the unborn, we stand up to violence and work to make our societies safer. Perhaps we remember the sanctity of lives taken by violence, lives lost in war, lives lost due to substance abuse and to suicide, lives that we give over to capital punishment. God has created us all in his image and declared us good. No matter how far we stray from God's will, God does not consider us lost causes - God does not deem our lives worthless. What, then, gives us the right to deem others' lives worthless?
I'm angry today. I'm angry that people don't feel as angry as I do about the things that I read in the news. I'm angry that that the terms "sanctity of life" and "sanctity of marriage" have been co-opted by Christians with a narrow political agenda. I'm angry that there are people who will peg me as un-Christian or "just a crazy liberal" because I've written this post.
We are inching closer and closer to Good Friday and Easter, and I think that my anger might be a good thing right now. It reminds me that the cross itself is an outrage. Jesus' crucifixion is not a safe or comfortable story. It is a story of injustice and cruelty, torture and death, violence and indifference. But the precise reason for Jesus' death was to save us from all of those those things.
And on Easter morning, with the resurrection came the promise of new life, of renewed life, of redeemed life. The sunrise in the garden brings us the promise of new creation. It is my fervent hope that people of faith can see each sunrise as a new Easter, as another day's reminder that Christ's resurrection has begun the work of justice and reconciliation, and not the work of fear. It is my prayer, then, that we can remember our own redemption, and feel called to work for peace, justice, and hope in our wider world.
To my brothers and sisters for whom their greatest social/political causes are the protection of the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage; to those for whom abortion and homosexuality are perceived as two of the greatest threats facing our society:
How has your focus on abortion protected the sanctity of life for those nursing home residents in Carthage, North Carolina, who were killed at the hands of a brutal and senseless gunman? How has your focus on homosexuality has protected the sanctity of marriage, knowing that this gunman is believed to have opened fire at this nursing home because his estranged wife worked there?
It seems that there have been too many violent acts in the past months where innocent victims have been injured and killed in the wake of violence that ex-spouses have intended against their estranged significant others. I think of the man dressed as Santa Claus that opened fire at a Christmas party at his ex-in-laws' house, for example.
If we, as Christians, want to claim as our causes the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage, might we do well to widen our scope?
Perhaps instead of inciting fear that homosexuality will destroy marriage, we should be doing more to help couples before, during, and even after their marriages. We could be helping them through the rough parts, finding them more help and support, grieving more with people in broken relationships, doing more to prevent abuse and to protect people from it, looking for warning signs, and taking seriously the things in life that truly do destroy relationships.
And perhaps instead of believing that the only lives that are sacred are those of the unborn, we stand up to violence and work to make our societies safer. Perhaps we remember the sanctity of lives taken by violence, lives lost in war, lives lost due to substance abuse and to suicide, lives that we give over to capital punishment. God has created us all in his image and declared us good. No matter how far we stray from God's will, God does not consider us lost causes - God does not deem our lives worthless. What, then, gives us the right to deem others' lives worthless?
I'm angry today. I'm angry that people don't feel as angry as I do about the things that I read in the news. I'm angry that that the terms "sanctity of life" and "sanctity of marriage" have been co-opted by Christians with a narrow political agenda. I'm angry that there are people who will peg me as un-Christian or "just a crazy liberal" because I've written this post.
We are inching closer and closer to Good Friday and Easter, and I think that my anger might be a good thing right now. It reminds me that the cross itself is an outrage. Jesus' crucifixion is not a safe or comfortable story. It is a story of injustice and cruelty, torture and death, violence and indifference. But the precise reason for Jesus' death was to save us from all of those those things.
And on Easter morning, with the resurrection came the promise of new life, of renewed life, of redeemed life. The sunrise in the garden brings us the promise of new creation. It is my fervent hope that people of faith can see each sunrise as a new Easter, as another day's reminder that Christ's resurrection has begun the work of justice and reconciliation, and not the work of fear. It is my prayer, then, that we can remember our own redemption, and feel called to work for peace, justice, and hope in our wider world.
3.11.2009
Painfully Obvious
Looking at the week thus far, first there was this: Pastor is Shot and Killed at an Illinois Church.
Then, there was this: Gunman Kills 10 in Alabama.
And now, there is this: At Least 15 Killed in School Shooting in Germany.
I'm sorry, NRA, but I'm having a hard time feeling convinced that we need to protect people's gun-toting rights. At what point will outrage at events like these cause us to consider that protecting innocent lives might morally trump the need to protect our right to carry guns? At what point will we realize that it might be more necessary to curb those who abuse the right rather than to preserve the right for those who are responsible - at what point will we be willing to ask the responsible to sacrifice their freedom for the sake of the victims and potential victims of the abusers?
It seems painfully obvious to me that this whole right-to-gun-ownership thing isn't really working out.
Then, there was this: Gunman Kills 10 in Alabama.
And now, there is this: At Least 15 Killed in School Shooting in Germany.
I'm sorry, NRA, but I'm having a hard time feeling convinced that we need to protect people's gun-toting rights. At what point will outrage at events like these cause us to consider that protecting innocent lives might morally trump the need to protect our right to carry guns? At what point will we realize that it might be more necessary to curb those who abuse the right rather than to preserve the right for those who are responsible - at what point will we be willing to ask the responsible to sacrifice their freedom for the sake of the victims and potential victims of the abusers?
It seems painfully obvious to me that this whole right-to-gun-ownership thing isn't really working out.
2.08.2009
Recession Thoughts: A Study in Constrasts
On CNN's front page this morning, there were links to the following two headlines:
Tough Choices for America's Hungry
Recession Takes Toll on Parties
I am stuck on what I think about the economic climate. In one breath, I want to believe that there's something good to be learned from being forced to cut back luxuries and extravagances. But in another, I think about all the people who are losing jobs that they depend on - all the people who can't afford to be losing jobs.
I am disgusted that both of those above headlines received equal billing on CNN's front page. (Ok, the first article was in a bigger font and had a picture, while the second one was in a list of "Latest News" links. But still. You know what I mean.) The message put forth by both articles is that the recession is hitting people hard. Reading about people having to consider food stamps for the first time because of the recession is sobering news. But reading about how parents have to scale back and not throw their children parties that cost thousands of dollars? Are you serious? It makes me sad that luxury, wealth, extragavance are assumed to be such givens in life that we make a major news story about people having to "cut back" their party-throwing budgets. It seems almost like a farce, trying to convince me that I should feel bad for people who can't throw extravagant parties because of the recession.
It honestly makes me mad. This sort of story is why part of me believes that the recession might have some enduring positive impact on the way that we think about money. It could help us figure out how to get our priorities in check.
Unfortunately, the other story reminds me that the recession is devestating to the people who can least afford to bear it.
And this is why I get stuck whenever I try to think about the economy these days.
Tough Choices for America's Hungry
Recession Takes Toll on Parties
I am stuck on what I think about the economic climate. In one breath, I want to believe that there's something good to be learned from being forced to cut back luxuries and extravagances. But in another, I think about all the people who are losing jobs that they depend on - all the people who can't afford to be losing jobs.
I am disgusted that both of those above headlines received equal billing on CNN's front page. (Ok, the first article was in a bigger font and had a picture, while the second one was in a list of "Latest News" links. But still. You know what I mean.) The message put forth by both articles is that the recession is hitting people hard. Reading about people having to consider food stamps for the first time because of the recession is sobering news. But reading about how parents have to scale back and not throw their children parties that cost thousands of dollars? Are you serious? It makes me sad that luxury, wealth, extragavance are assumed to be such givens in life that we make a major news story about people having to "cut back" their party-throwing budgets. It seems almost like a farce, trying to convince me that I should feel bad for people who can't throw extravagant parties because of the recession.
It honestly makes me mad. This sort of story is why part of me believes that the recession might have some enduring positive impact on the way that we think about money. It could help us figure out how to get our priorities in check.
Unfortunately, the other story reminds me that the recession is devestating to the people who can least afford to bear it.
And this is why I get stuck whenever I try to think about the economy these days.
12.18.2008
The Problem
I had an epiphany this morning: All of my frustrations with politics, religion, blog comments, road rage, and any other venue where people seem to be inordinately contentious and cruel stem from one underlying fact about our current society.
We have forgotten how to give people the benefit of the doubt.
Adam's latest blog on sexuality has brought out commenters in droves, and the comments have (again) brought out some of the worst in people.
Obama's decision to have Rick Warren give the invocation at his inauguration has sparked disproportionately impassioned comments despairing over his political maneuvering and judging him to be manipulative or flip-floppy or [insert negative connotation here].
Even the stupid debates over who likes what sort of coffee descend into the immediate assumption not only that your opinion is right and everyone else's is wrong, but moreover, that your opinion is right and everyone else is an idiot.
I wonder what the world would look like if we held our own thoughts and opinions a little more loosely. I wonder what it would be like if we started on the assumption that our opponent's views were just as likely to be valid as are our own views. I wonder what it would be like to discuss and even debate issues while making an intentional effort to validate the true or useful or good points that the other side was making - if we gave our opponents credit for their opinions. I wonder what the world would look like if we didn't always jump to the assumption that people are manipulative or conniving or have dishonorable intentions or have hidden agendas.
I'm tired, people. I'm tired. When did we stop putting in the effort to see good in all people? When did we stop trying to be civil? When did we stop thinking about people as people, and instead start thinking of them as punching bags or political parties or simply means to an end?
I am certainly in a place of advent right now. I believe so strongly that God in Christ has begun the work of restoration and reconciliation. And especially on days when those things feel so far away (and so impossible!), I need to cling to the faith that while the winter may be dark, Christ is indeed coming soon.
O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife, and discord cease;
Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
We have forgotten how to give people the benefit of the doubt.
Adam's latest blog on sexuality has brought out commenters in droves, and the comments have (again) brought out some of the worst in people.
Obama's decision to have Rick Warren give the invocation at his inauguration has sparked disproportionately impassioned comments despairing over his political maneuvering and judging him to be manipulative or flip-floppy or [insert negative connotation here].
Even the stupid debates over who likes what sort of coffee descend into the immediate assumption not only that your opinion is right and everyone else's is wrong, but moreover, that your opinion is right and everyone else is an idiot.
I wonder what the world would look like if we held our own thoughts and opinions a little more loosely. I wonder what it would be like if we started on the assumption that our opponent's views were just as likely to be valid as are our own views. I wonder what it would be like to discuss and even debate issues while making an intentional effort to validate the true or useful or good points that the other side was making - if we gave our opponents credit for their opinions. I wonder what the world would look like if we didn't always jump to the assumption that people are manipulative or conniving or have dishonorable intentions or have hidden agendas.
I'm tired, people. I'm tired. When did we stop putting in the effort to see good in all people? When did we stop trying to be civil? When did we stop thinking about people as people, and instead start thinking of them as punching bags or political parties or simply means to an end?
I am certainly in a place of advent right now. I believe so strongly that God in Christ has begun the work of restoration and reconciliation. And especially on days when those things feel so far away (and so impossible!), I need to cling to the faith that while the winter may be dark, Christ is indeed coming soon.
O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife, and discord cease;
Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
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