Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Reader's Choice: Top Posts for 2017

Over the course of this year, here are the top five blogposts that you, dear readers, have chosen:

Kaitlin Curtice
Meet Kaitlin Curtice

Kaitlin is a writer, worship leader and Native American. Her book, GLORY HAPPENING, which is about finding the extraordinary presence of God in the middle of the ordinary, just went into its second printing. It reads very much like a spiritual diary, with each section offering a prayer of inspiration. Kaitlin lives with her husband and two sons. She had a lot to say about her book, and her own faith journey. Kaitlin is scheduled to be a speaker at the upcoming Why Christian? Conference in 2018. You can read Kaitlin's interview here.

Meet Greg Brown
Gregory Brown


Gregory Brown is a chaplin, writer and visiting professor at Handong Global University, living with his family in South Korea. He's authored a series of bible studies, titled the Bible Teacher's Guide. Each book in Greg's series includes scriptural references, topical questions and a study guide to facilitate group discussion. If you're interested in going deeper into some of the books of the Bible that Greg has offered, it's time well spent. You can read Greg's interview here.

Sonya Hollins
Meet Sonya Hollins

Sonya Hollins runs a publishing business (Season Press) with her husband Sean. She's also been a journalist and writer for a couple of decades. Additionally, Sonya founded and coordinates the Merze Tate Travel Club, named after the first African-American woman to graduate from Oxford University in England. In her career, Sonya has received numerous awards to reflect her commitment to making the community around her a better one. You can find Sonya's interview here.

Meet D.L. Mayfield
D.L.Mayfield


D.L. Mayfield lives in Oregon and has a ministry of living and working with immigrant families, mostly from African countries. D.L. has been doing this work with her husband for over a decade. She's also a writer and her book ASSIMILATE OR GO HOME has rapidly drawn attention for its authenticity. D.L. frequently writes on the issues of immigration and refugee reform. You can read D.L.'s interview here.

Beth Watkins
Meet Beth Watkins

If you aren't a follower of Beth Watkins' blog, you should be. She's consistently written compelling, thoughtful and insightful pieces - mostly on the subject of social justice and the church. Especially focused on refugees and immigrants. Beth spent six years working with vulnerable children and refugees in the closed countries of North Africa, South Sudan and also in Egypt. You can read Beth's interview here.

I'd like to thank all of the writers who took the time to be interviewed this year. And you, the readers of this blog, for taking the time to get to know them.

Best wishes to everyone for a wonderful New Year!

And speaking of 2018, if you know of an up-and-coming author or social justice leader that you'd like to see interviewed on this blog, please leave a comment letting me know their name, and if possible, their contact information!

Monday, December 18, 2017

Advent's Hope

This is the last week of Advent.

Traditionally, this season is one of contemplation.

Yearning.


Anticipation.


Ever growing excitement.


The spiritual equivalent of a young child sitting in a darkened living room, captivated by brilliant Christmas tree lights reflected off dozens of shiny ornaments. If Advent were a fragrance, its name would be anticipation. 

This year, I've come to hover around the story of Mary (Jesus' Mom).

It's a very familiar scene as Luke records it. (Luke 1:26-45)

The angel Gabriel visits Mary.

Gabriel tells
her she's going to have a child. God's son.


Then a few days after this happens, Mary decides to go visit her (much) older cousin, Elizabeth, who was already six months pregnant with a baby who would grow up to be John the Baptist.


Elizabeth sees Mary coming and the baby jumps in her womb "for joy."

I've tended to skip over the rest of Elizabeth's response and cued in on Mary's response (traditionally called The Magnificat.)

But not this Advent.

This time,  I was stopped dead in my tracks by the tail end of Elizabeth's greeting to Mary, which is this:

"You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said."

Wow. Such a bold declaration!

If there were ever a time when we needed hope, this is it!

Trump's tweets. Mueller investigation into Russian meddling. Korean crisis. Global Warming. DACA held in limbo. A new tax bill signed into law that hardly anyone understands (including the people who voted for it).

The list goes on and it's seemingly endless.

Are you old enough to remember the old Wendy's commercial, with the spunky elderly woman who had the audacity to ask, "Where's the beef?" 

Maybe it was a simpler time. Or maybe it was the practicality of it - if you didn't like Burger King, chances are a McDonald's was bound to be across the street, flanked by a Taco Bell or Kentucky Fried Chicken at the next intersection. Whatever the fast food folks promised you, if they failed, it was no big deal. An alternative was always within walking distance.

But things aren't so simple anymore.

How do you handle an administration in Washington like the current one that can't seem to get through a day without lying about it? (It's not that I dislike republicans - it's that I can't handle consistent lying as a way to govern effectively.)


It's enough to make a person very unsettled. As in, who can you rely on these days?

Which brings us back to the main point.

Right in the middle of her own pregnancy, Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth and gets an incredible boost.

"Blessed are you because you believed what the Lord has said he would do."

There's a lot a person could say about that one sentence.

. Trust reaps dividends
. But it's important to know who you're trusting
. God honors his promises
. But you've got to know the promises to actively hope in them.

If you believe in God. And if you believe that God can't lie. Then you can safely put your hope in God. And by extension, God's son.

"Blessed are you

because you have believed
what the Lord has said he would do."

As we head into the final days of Advent, that is absolutely good news!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!


Photo Credit: top - Santa Fe Presbyterian Church
middle - praiseworld


Monday, December 11, 2017

To Kill A Mockingbird & Alabama's Senatorial Race

Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch
Where is Atticus Finch when you need him?

Remember To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus was Scout's widowed father. And an unswervingly moral lawyer.

Atticus, Scout and her brother Jem lived in Alabama and their story takes place during the Great Depression.

In case you don't recall it, or haven't read this marvelous, Pulitzer Prize winning novel, here's a synopsis. But you really should do yourself a favor and read Harper Lee's brilliant work, and then see the film.

At any rate, at one critical point in the story, Atticus chooses to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who has been unjustly accused of raping a white woman.

Very few white people in the town are sympathetic. So the all-white jury quickly renders a guilty verdict when Robinson goes on trial.

In the film version, Atticus camps out on the front steps of the small town jail before Robinson is sent to prison. During the night a crowd of white folks gather in front of the jail, hell-bent on lynching Robinson. Atticus stands them down. But it's Scout who diffuses the situation by simply asking one of the men how his son is doing.

It was this simple act that appealed to another person's humanity that caused the crowd of white men to walk away in embarrassment for what they were about to do.

Throughout the book and film, Atticus stands tall. Refusing to give in to group pressure, and he continues to see Robinson as a fully equal human being who was unjustly accused. (Gregory Peck won an Oscar for his role, and the screenplay won an Oscar as well.)

Harper Lee won a Pulitzer because her writing was deeply personal and deeply universal in its telling of the truth - life in a small southern town in the 1930s.
Harper Lee

With the current focus on Alabama and the senatorial campaign of Roy Moore, I wonder what Atticus and Harper Lee would have to say about it? It's ironic that the character of Atticus was a lawyer, and Moore was suspended from his federal judgeship on two occasions for refusing to follow the US Constitution and encouraging Alabama residents to follow his example.

Moore also has made a point of parading his so-called Christian values as an excuse for why people should vote for him, even though he is in the middle of a scandal involving multiple cases of pursuing teen-aged girls when he was over 30 years of age. He has also made racist remarks. He  makes no apologies for his behavior and continues to deny the allegations. And he says he'll continue to be guided by his "Christian values" if he's elected to a seat in the Senate. 

It's also highly ironic that Mr. Moore has most recently been endorsed by President Trump, who has been accused, by at least a dozen women, of inappropriate sexual contact. The Washington Post, a few weeks before election day, broke the story of a recorded interview where Mr. Trump boasts about his own sexual philosophy.  Shortly after the story broke, Mr. Trump, under pressure from his campaign heads, half-heartedly apologized. - actually it was more of an excuse for his behavior than an apology.  Now that he's president, Mr. Trump has denied that it was his voice that was recorded. He's also denied all of the allegations made during the campaign. (His accusers say otherwise.)

I feel sorry for the people of Alabama who have to face a senatorial race with such a person on the ballot. I feel sorry for the evangelical pastors of Alabama who have been telling their congregations to vote for Moore, as a test of their own Christianity. 

Most of all I weep for our nation that doesn't seem to have a single Atticus among its republican members of congress (except two) who had the courage to speak out and break away from Moore and from the president - the supposed leader of their party. The subsequent results of Alabama's special election should serve as a clarion call that the republican party would do well to heed.
-------

Here's the trailer for To Kill a Mockingbird, with the scene where Atticus explains to Scout why he's defending Tom Robinson.

Photo Credits: top pintrest, bottom biography.com

Monday, December 4, 2017

Simple tips for a peaceful holiday season!

True confession: over the past few days there has been a lot happening that, at times, had head my head spinning.

But then I took a deep breath. And got to thinking, soon we'll be celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas. Some of these celebrations involve gift-giving. So, in the spirit of the holidays, here's a few recommendations:

1. Give yourself the gift of more peace by unfollowing @realDonaldTrump on Twitter if you are following him. Ninety-nine percent of his tweets are false or divisive, or both. Don't worry, you won't miss important news by doing this. Speaking of which...

2. Give yourself the gift of being informed. Get in the habit of getting your news from reliable news sources. For instance, a daily newspaper that has a legitimate news team and clearly separates news from opinions. It's no accident that one of  Mr. Trump's chief targets is the news industry, which he regularly accuses of spreading "false news." If you're watching television news, steer clear of any news cast that runs segments of people yelling at each other. That's not news. That's divisiveness. Speaking of which...

3. In an effort to give the gift of peace, refuse to give in to the temptation to add to what is already a volatile level of division in the US and the world. Don't hang around divisive people. Steer clear of political quicksand when posting on Facebook or other social media. Posting your political opinions on Facebook usually won't convince anyone. Speaking of communication...

4. Give the gift of listening. Practice being an active listener. Be eager to hear what your friend is saying. Nothing enhances friendship like actively being engaged in a conversation. But at least half of that conversation, under normal circumstances, should involve being quiet and listening to what your friend has to say. While you're listening, watch body language for non-verbal clues. Here's another, very important way of communicating...

5. Become an encourager! I recently listened to a podcast by Rick Warren in which he made a simple but profound suggestion. He said get up every day and ask God (if you believe in God) to help you find a few people that you can encourage that day. It can be the cashier at the grocery store, the clerk behind the counter at the convenience store, the person sitting next to you on the subway, the bus driver on your bus, your neighbor or friend. The only caveat is that it has be genuine. If you can sincerely look at someone and tell them, "Good job!" or "Good morning!" You've just encouraged them. Speaking of which...

6. Give the gift of yourself. Go out of your way to meet people who don't look like you or think like you. This is probably the toughest gift to give. For example, volunteer at an after-school program in a neighborhood where most families don't have as much as you. Look for opportunities in your community hosted by cultural organizations or churches/other faith-based groups to get together and learn about other cultures. But be prepared, you'll probably wind up receiving more than you may give.

7. Most major religions of the world teach the importance of getting outside of ourselves. That it's better to give than to receive. To look out for each other.  Because, ultimately, what happens to the least of us has consequences for all of us. (You could probably make a case that, from God's point of view, there really is no such thing as the "least" of us. God simply doesn't have a ranking system.) Having such an inclusive world view actually promotes mental, spiritual and physical health. Speaking of which...

8. Here's something from Nicholas Kristof. It's his annual gift-giving list. More accurately, it's a really good list of alternatives to traditional gifts. These are gifts aimed to support non-profit organizations around the world that are doing amazing work in very cost-effective ways. Please take a look. It'll do your heart a world of good!

If you have any other gift-giving ideas, please feel free to comment and share them!

Photo Credits: top: 123greetings; middle afrocentriqueAZ; bottom history.com

Monday, November 27, 2017

Peter In the Advent Season

An after-church conversation the other day sparked a deeper interest in St. Peter.

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, "He apparently learned slowly and erred time and time again, but later, when entrusted with responsibility, he demonstrated that he was mature and capable."

Any way you look at Peter, he's an interesting fellow.

For instance, Jesus changes his name, from Simon, to Peter, right after Jesus asks him, "Who do you say I am?" (Matt. 16:16).

Simon tells him, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Jesus congratulates him, changes Simon's name, and tells him that no one revealed that answer, but God. Then Jesus tells him, "You are Peter (which means small rock). And upon this [big] rock I will build my church." Matt. 16:17

According to scholars, there are two different meanings for rock in this quote. Peter's name comes from the Greek word petros, a piece of rock. But petra, the word Jesus was using for the foundation of the church, means a mass of rock.

If you keep these two different meanings of the word in mind, then a case could be made that Jesus was not necessarily indicating that Peter would be the foundation of the church. 

Jesus was a deliberate, thoughtful person, and it would be just like him to use a play on words to single out Peter and, at the same time, keep him humble. Additionally, the literal translation from the Greek would bring us to the conclusion that of course, Jesus would want his foundation to be on a large mass of rock - not one individual human person, but on the entire teachings of Jesus.

Be that as it may, Peter certainly had a prominent position in that early community of Jesus' followers. And we'll take a look at a few verses, later on, that point to this.

Another interesting thing about Peter is that Jesus openly rebuked him more often than any other apostle. In fact, just a few verses after Jesus changes Peter's name, he begins to talk about how he would suffer and die, then be raised from the dead. Peter takes Jesus aside and reprimands him saying, "Heaven forbid. This will never happen to you!" (Matt. 16:22)

In response, Jesus tells Peter, "Get behind me Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not God's." 

So it appears from this exchange, that Peter really didn't get what Jesus was talking about. In taking Jesus aside to admonish him, Peter wasn't speaking from a position of wisdom or understanding, but merely out of a strong desire and instinct to protect his leader. 

Mark's gospel records that on the way to Gethsemane to pray the night Jesus was arrested, Jesus predicted that "all of you will desert me." (Mark 14:27). Peter almost immediately asserts, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will." To which Jesus replies, "I tell you the truth Peter - this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me."

Of course, Peter declares, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!" (Mark 14:31). Luke's recording of this incident includes Jesus telling Peter, "I have pleaded in prayer for you Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers." (Luke 22:31-32). 

That same evening Peter denied Jesus three times, as he stood in the courtyard while Jesus was being tried for blasphemy. Luke records Jesus looking across the courtyard directly at Peter the very moment of Peter's final denial. (Luke 23:61). One can only imagine the impact of that moment which resulted in Peter leaving the courtyard and "weeping bitterly." It was in Luke's telling of the betrayal that we find Jesus not only warning Peter, but letting Peter know he had been praying for Peter to repent afterwards, and then, in the humility and wisdom of that repentance, strengthen the other apostles, leading them by his example. 

And John (21:15-17) records an incident after the Resurrection of Jesus, where Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?" Each time Peter replies, "You know that I do." Each time Jesus asks Peter to "feed my sheep." Again indicating the future role of Peter in the nurturing of the first community of followers of Jesus.

Then, there's the interesting story of Peter attempting to walk on water, with Jesus' encouragement. (Matt: 14:24-31).

There's a storm at sea in the middle of the night. The disciples are stuck and see a being walking on the water towards them. They were terrified, thinking it was a ghost (Matt. 14:26). Jesus assures them it's him.

Peter calls out, "If it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water." Jesus tells him to go for it.

Peter steps over the side of the boat and begins to walk on water towards Jesus. But when Peter begins to focus on the wind and the waves, he starts to sink. "Save me Lord!" he shouts. (Matt. 14:29). Jesus immediately reaches out his hand and grabs him, saying to Peter: "You have so little faith. Why did you doubt me?"

Peter was one of three apostles that Jesus took with him to a high mountain, where Jesus was transfigured before them - being in the presence of Moses and Elijah (Matt. 17:1-8). Peter says, "Lord, it is wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I'll make three shelters as memorials - one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." But when God the Father says, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him," they are absolutely terrified and fall face down.

Through all the rebukes, Peter keeps on trying. He doesn't seem capable of giving up. Often wavering, but he keeps stumbling towards Jesus. Wanting desperately to have a deeper relationship with Jesus, but often not having a clue how to accomplish this. And here-in lies a lesson for Advent which occurs this year from December 3 to December 24.

Traditionally, this is a time set aside to contemplate the meaning of Jesus' birth. A time to prepare our hearts to receive the message of the incarnation in a new way. 

Consider spending part of your Advent contemplating the life of Peter.

Peter could be, at times, so determined, and yet so dense; able to fly off the handle, and yet, full of love for the other apostles and followers of Jesus.

Peter was a person who desperately wanted to understand Jesus. To pledge his fidelity. But Peter struggled mightily - even to the point of denying Jesus on the very night when Jesus needed him the most.

In a word, Peter, like us, was human. 

He quite often stumbled. Often spoke up before he knew what he was saying. 

Yet Jesus saw fit to change his name and call him a rock. 

During this Advent season, Peter's life is worth reviewing.

Photo Credits: top Ephesus Tour; middle Jesusway4you; bottom Christian Faith Ministries.

Monday, November 20, 2017

Happy (Immigrants) Thanksgiving

Did you ever think that the history of Thanksgiving in the US is actually a lesson in how to creatively and compassionately handle immigration?

The story goes that in 1620 a group of 102 Pilgrims landed in what is now Massachusetts. During their first winter half of them died. In the spring, fortune smiled on them in the face of Squanto - a member of the Pawtucket tribe - who taught the Pilgrim immigrants how to cultivate corn, catch fish and avoid poisonous plants. Just as importantly it was Squato who helped the Pilgrims forge important alliances with other Native American tribes.

Later that Autumn, the Pilgrims who had survived got together with Native Americans to celebrate the harvest. It's worth noting that without help from these natives, some of the very first immigrants to North America would not have survived.

The local natives welcomed the Pilgrims into North America. At this point, these immigrants had nothing to offer the natives. It's a fortunate thing for the Pilgrims that the natives didn't seem to be concerned with establishing immigrant quotas. Neither did the natives seek to selectively help only those natives who had recognizable skills. To the natives, who knew how to survive, the Pilgrims probably had zero skills that they needed.

And I'm pretty sure the Pawtuckets weren't concerned about building a wall along the eastern seaboard to keep other Pilgrims from coming.

In 1827 Sarah Joseph Hale, a noted magazine editor and writer began a nearly four-decade campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Finally, in the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln agreed with her that it was a good idea to recognize and give thanks for our blessings.

In part, here is what Lincoln wrote in his proclamation in 1863, when he established the holiday "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficient Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him [God] for such singular deliverances and blessings, they [US residents] do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His [God's] tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife [Civil War] in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union."

Fast forward to the present day, according to the 2016 Current Population Survey, that immigrants and their US-born children now comprise 27% of the entire US population. So it's safe to say that from the start with a relatively small group of 102 Pilgrim immigrants, the US has always been and continues to be, a nation of immigrants. Sort of flies in the face of anyone making a claim against the importance of immigrants. Or that only certain ethnic groups or cultures are important when it comes to the rich mixture that is the reality of life in the US. 

According to Americans for Immigrant Justice, unauthorized immigration is at its lowest level since 1972. The only increase in unauthorized immigration has been among children who are fleeing the gang violence from drug cartels in Central America. Interestingly, there are more Mexicans leaving the US than arriving at our borders seeking entrance. The AIJ sited above also noted a study conducted by the American Immigration Council in July, 2015 that found undocumented immigrants commit violent crimes at far lower rates than native born Americans. Putting into question any claims of the need for a stronger wall along the Mexican border, due to safety reasons or to control an upswing of Mexican immigrants.

This Thanksgiving Day we should gave thanks for:

. American natives freely helping the Pilgrim immigrants survive after their first winter in a strange land
. rich mixtures of cultures that make up the US
. incredible contributions in science, industry and religion that have come from immigrants

We can also give thanks for the religious tradition of the US, that includes so many different faiths offering welcome to the immigrant and refugee alike. Jews and Christians can both use the reference from Leviticus 19:33-34 ("Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in the land...love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt.") Muslims can use the Quran (Al-Baqarah 2:177, An-Nissa 4:36) which all contain similar concepts of actively welcoming and helping the stranger (immigrant) among us.

We can give thanks that every one of of us living in the US, come from a long line of immigrants. And we can express our thanks by extending welcome to the current generation of immigrants wishing to make the same journey that our ancestors did.

Photo Credits: top photo - indiancountrymedianetwork

Monday, November 13, 2017

Freedom of Religion & Ray Moore

Last week I attended Grand Valley State University's Annual Academic Consortium Conference. The topic was Can Religions Collaborate for the Common Good?

Dr. Scott Appleby gave the keynote address and touched on the differences between several religions, including Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Hindu. 

The focus of that afternoon's speech and the panel discussion afterwards, was to set the groundwork for the evening's emphasis on answering the question of collaboration.

Dr. Appleby and the panel members pointed out the intricate nature of organized religion - especially being prone to the influence of politics and power.

Bruce Ashford, writing for the Billy Graham Evangelical Association, makes the point that you can't separate organized religion from politics, and you shouldn't try to. (He is writing from the point of view that many white evangelicals take.)

On the other hand
, John Traphagen, a professor of religious studies at the University of Texas wrote in a Huffington Post blog piece that separation of church and state is necessary to protect the very freedom of religious expression that has been an integral part of living in the US.

It's basically this tension, between recognizing the influence of politics on religion, and understanding the importance of separation between church and state that can cause conflict.

Freedom of religious expression is guaranteed in the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which states:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

In the Constitution, freedom of religion is mentioned, in close proximity, to freedom of speech, the press and the right of people living in the US to "peaceably assemble and petition the government."


The framers of the Constitution seemed to understand the danger of linking the two (religion and politics) to the extent of making the formation of a state religion illegal. Perhaps their recent history of only being a few generations removed from Puritans - who were religious refugees from England - helped make them sensitive to this issue.

So, the issue of separation of church and state does not deny the influence that politics has on religion. It directly addresses it.

Too often in human history, religions have aligned themselves closely to governments to attain political power. The past is rife with examples of such actions. From the Holy Roman Empire and the Crusades, to the Ottoman Wars, to the Pakistan - India conflict, wars in Nigeria, Bosnia and Sudan, The Troubles (pitting Catholic against Protestant in Northern Ireland) and the current crisis in Burma among the Rohingyans.

All of these conflicts had the commonality of religion feeding ethnic or political differences.

What are ways of reducing conflict?

The First Tee website (an organization promoting good sports conduct) incorporates four steps:

1. Communicate
2. Actively listen
3. Review Options
4. End with a win/win solution

P
receding any discussion, it's a good idea to promote purposeful understanding. Realize that our religious views - although personal and at times emotional - are not the only viable ones and they don't exist in a cultural vacuum. Understand that other people, including our neighbors, co-workers and friends, may have different religious views than ours, but they are equally valid.

The columnist David Brooks recently penned a piece addressing the broader issue of the current level of cultural polarization. One of the commenters to his column noted: "Evangelical Christians, of whom I am one, often confuse love of God with love of country and righteousness with patriotism. This makes it hard for them to separate the private life of faith and public life of citizenship."

And
separation between private faith and government has been part of the controversy surrounding senate candidate Ray Moore. When Moore was a federal judge in Alabama, he was suspended from the bench for refusing to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments that he had installed in a state building. A few years later, in direct defiance of a US district court order, Moore was again suspended from the bench after ordering state probate judges to ignore a federal ruling that recognized gay marriage. In both cases, Moore went against decisions rendered by federal courts. 

He is a professed evangelical who has been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment when they were in their teens. In commenting on the allegations, William Brewbaker III, a law professor at the University of Alabama noted: "Evangelicals may love their country, and may even believe that it has been, on balance, a force for good, but they cannot affirm that the United States (much less its military) is the world’s hope. Nor can they affirm that a political party (or an institution like the Supreme Court) is the hope of the United States. Whatever their opinions about the political issues of the day, evangelicals must place their hope in Jesus, period.


"While this should not mean disengagement from the public square, it means that such engagement should proceed from a posture of humility, love of neighbor and ultimate loyalty to Christ, instead of arrogantly identifying the success of a given party or political movement with the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

"Roy Moore’s success among evangelical voters — like Donald Trump’s — is a consequence of the fact that we evangelicals seem to have conveniently forgotten certain fundamental truths. We need to open our Bibles, or maybe better yet, our hymnals: “For not with swords’ loud clashing/Nor roll of stirring drums/With deeds of love and mercy/The heavenly kingdom comes.”

Molly Worthen, writing in the New York Times, observed the inherent challenge of a fundamentalist evangelicalism that seeks to 'make America great again,' no matter what the moral consequences. "The battle for the soul of evangelicalism, the struggle to disentangle it from white supremacy, from misogyny — and from the instinct to defend politicians like Roy Moore — demands sound arguments grounded in evidence. But the effort must also advance at the precognitive level, in the habits and relationships of worshiping communities. Fellowship has the power to refashion angry gut feelings and instead form meek hearts and bounden duty."


So, here's how the process of finding commonality towards the common good could work in real life: My neighborhood library recently held two 'Meet Your Muslim Neighbors' events. One get-together consisted of a panel discussion that included Muslim and Christian leaders. About a month later, a follow-up event, was held with more discussion - but also an opportunity to sit down, have middle-eastern food, and chat with Muslim families.

Since I don't regularly spend time with folks of the Muslim faith, this was my first opportunity to have an actual conversation with a Muslim family. (It's heartening to report that so many people wanted to attend these events that the host site was moved from the local library to a neighborhood United Methodist Church so everyone could be accommodated.)

Separation of church and state, as provided by the First Amendment, allows such events as 'Meet Your Muslim Neighbors 'to take place. It's a sign of a healthy democracy. It keeps any religion from overstepping its bounds when influenced by politics and power. And it's the First Amendment that keeps the door open to exploring adventurous avenues of cooperation among people of all faiths.


Photo Credits:
top - Hacienda publishing, bottom - Irish Examiner

Monday, November 6, 2017

Beth Watkins, Blogger on Faith & Social Justice



Beth Watkins is a Christian writer, painter, has-been missionary, and wannabe homesteader. She spent six years working with vulnerable children and refugees in closed countries in North Africa, South Sudan, and Egypt. In those years Beth experienced some extreme situations: interrogation, expulsion, and evacuation from war.

She now lives in the US with her British immigrant husband, where she tries her best at, but (as ever) mostly flailing awkwardly into, neighbor love.

On her blog she writes about living toward the kingdom of God wherever we find ourselves, seeking justice, and finding neighbors all around us–even in places we didn’t know to look.
-------------------------

You tend to write incredibly thought-provoking blog posts. So, I’d like to focus on four of them and ask a few follow-up questions.

From your blog post on the vetting process for immigration to the US:

Your husband is an immigrant and you mentioned that he had to be thoroughly vetted before coming to the US. From your experience, what’s the most misunderstood part about the US immigration process?

There is quite a bit that is misunderstood, and the biggest is probably just how complex US immigration is. Even just figuring out the starting point for the visa took several hours of research. We probably put in 30 hours or more researching the process and working out how to complete it as quickly and effectively as possible. Information is difficult to find and decipher. People seem to think there is just a line to join, but that is not the case at all. SO many people were surprised that, as a spouse, and maybe because my husband is from somewhere seemingly non-threatening like England, we even had to apply for a visa for him.

People tend to be surprised how long, in depth, and expensive the process actually is, and incredulous when I share that this is the easy route. Marrying an American is the easiest way to get a green card, but the process is still complex, expensive, incredibly thorough and in-depth, time intensive, and anything but easy. Refugees, for example, take at least 2 years, even for expedited cases, but usually more like 5–10, and are checked by a total of 6 government agencies – whereas my husband only had to be vetted by two. Even the ‘easy’ routes for US immigration are difficult.

What was the most personal aspect of the vetting process?

We had to present birth certificates, extensive travel histories, proof that our relationship is legitimate and not a sham marriage, plus my husband needed to submit background checks from every country he’d lived in for more than six months. Much of it was quite intensive, but it was probably the finance parts that felt the most personal. There is something that feels intensely personal about printing off 12 months of bank statements, three years of tax returns, and official reports of any assets, and sending that in to the government.

Beth & Daniel Watkins
What did you and your husband learn from the vetting process? What was the biggest take away?

What really stuck out was the amount of misinformation from well-meaning people. It was kind of incredible the number of people with no knowledge of the vetting or immigration process who tried to give us advice. And when we would share about the process, it was surprising, still, how people were reluctant to believe how much time and effort it took.

We were also very lucky that my husband is fluent in English, and that he has a background in understanding bureaucratic language. Some of the instructions were difficult to decipher and we really felt for people who were applying who didn’t have those advantages.

One thing we took away was amazement with those who go through the process without visible anxiety. While we celebrated making it through each step of the process, all 11 months, we never fully relaxed until we’d landed and he made it through the final interview. After we were approved by the embassy, and picked up the provisional green card from them in his passport, packed up our home and boarded a flight to move countries, we were still on edge until he came out of the interview and joined me in baggage claim. Even if you have all of the correct paperwork and green card, it’s still up to the discretion of the border guard to let you in, and so we didn’t feel like we could relax until we made it through that final hurdle.

From your blog post on Johnnie Moore’s letter regarding his decision to stay on President Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Council (EAC):

You take issue with Moore’s main point that only those on the EAC have a “seat at the table of power” to influence decision making. You wrote that the make-up of the EAC (mostly white) “doesn’t reflect the make-up of the kingdom of God.” Would you elaborate?

For a religion that follows a Middle-Eastern man living at the margins of the Roman Empire, it’s always surprising to me how easily some of his followers forget Jesus was far different from them.

But it’s not, not even in America. The evangelical church in America is 76% white – which is less white than mainline protestant churches overall (source); people of color tend to be more religious than whites, and POCs are driving church growth across the country – and yet they are conspicuously absent from the council. This council claims to represent American Christianity to the President – but it doesn’t look like American Christianity. A more accurate name would be the White Evangelical Advisory Council. That’s not the same thing, and to me, it doesn’t reflect the Kingdom of God that is made of every tribe and tongue, and dominated by no tribe or tongue.

Second, this isn’t just representation for representation’s sake – I’m not trying to get 24% of the council to be non-white for the sake of it – but a core feature of Christianity is the elevation of voices the world counts as unimportant. Jesus was very intentional in amplifying those on the margins, putting the last first, and this council only represents the dominant culture in America.

But this is bigger than just representation, it’s about whose voices are heard through that council. If you’re sitting at that table representing Christians, you better be amplifying the voices that are marginalized, and speak for the ones Jesus identified himself with – the hungry, thirsty, prisoner and immigrant. You can’t claim to represent Christians and the Kingdom and really only be advancing the interests of straight, white, middle-class men – especially as the one we follow said the first would be last, and the last would be first. I see no reflection of that on the council, and have no reason to believe this is the voice of Christians in America – or anywhere, for that matter.

You state that the current make-up of the EAC’s table “shows a narrow view of how the kingdom and change and progress comes.” How so?

I elaborate on this in my essay a bit, but Johnnie Moore’s statement was essentially, that to make change on Christian issues, you need a seat at the table. And I think that’s just wrong from the start, in part because most of us never will have a seat at that table. So, if what he says is true, it kind of implies the rest of us shouldn’t even try, because very few of us will ever have the ear of the President.

Also, it’s not even true. The early church thrived in spite of the hatred by the Roman government and an active campaign of suppression – it’s in the book of Acts! Historically, too, Christianity has thrived in spite of governments and worldly powers, like the thriving underground church in China right now.

But more than the argument about effectiveness, this seems to me to be a departure from a Christian idea of how the Kingdom comes. If, suddenly, the only way we can make a difference, or be faithful to our call, is with a seat at the President’s table, then what do we do with Church history? And what about Christ? The government of Jesus’ day killed him, and John the Baptist before him, and the disciples after him. They didn’t just not have the ear of the government – they were actively despised and pursued by government. Were these failures? Or was that how the Kingdom came?

To me, a Christian theory of change that hinges on having the favor of government isn’t a Christian theory of change at all. 

You mention several individuals and groups that, despite not having a seat at the table (of power) went on to implement major social change. Then you go on to say: “I think we forget neither Rome nor the Sanhedrin gave Jesus a seat at the table.” Why is this significant, given today’s culture and political climate in the US?

I think all of the above matters because that thinking – that we need to have the ear of the powers and principalities rather than be standing as a bold witness in spite of them – has crept into our Church culture.

Perhaps it’s always been this way, but these days it seems many people are ambling to the top, and by doing so, making compromises for the sake of power. American Christians are far less likely than they were even five years ago to condemn a political leader for moral failing (source), pastors willing to speak out about racism in America are being forced to resign (source) leading to other pastors unwilling to speak up against white supremacy and racism, not wanting to jeopardize their jobs. Pastors and prominent Christian leaders defend Donald Trump for morally reprehensible statements and behavior. People are making compromises for a chance at having a seat at the table, and supporting political agendas that harm the poor and benefit their bottom line.

They excuse evil for small gains because of this thinking that we have to have a seat at the table. I think we desperately need a re-think, and to affirm that having positions of power is not a Christian goal.

Jesus didn’t scramble to the top. He astonished the scribes as a child, but didn’t work his way to the top of the Sanhedrin. Jesus interacted with Roman soldiers and state tax collectors, but he wasn’t in awe of Rome’s power, and didn’t boast to reason with Pilate. He didn’t need to be at the top to heal people, to perform miracles, to feed the hungry, to challenge society’s conscience, to forgive sin, to bring in his Kingdom.

That should be comforting to those of us who follow him. We don’t need the world’s approval or success to be faithful followers of Jesus and see his kingdom. We’re called to faithfulness, not success. And, more than that, I think we need to be really careful that our pursuit of success doesn’t compromise our faithfulness to a Savior who seemingly couldn’t have cared less about political power or gain. Those are the footsteps we’re to follow.

From a blog about when not to quote Jeremiah 29 (“I have a future and a hope for you…”)

In times of trouble you wrote: “It (the quote from Jeremiah) doesn’t mean I get to offer easy answers to my friends who have known some of the greatest evils, heartache and hardship in the world… We don’t get to quote this verse to others in pain and go about our lives. We are called to the hard work of suffering with those who suffer.” How do we accomplish this?

That is a big question, and one I asked myself a lot in my years overseas, and am still asking now. As with so much, I think a lot of it comes down to relationship, and being willing to do the work of grief and lamentation.

On a systemic level, we need to build relationships with those who suffer at the hand of society, so we can better understand their suffering, their hopelessness, their grief. And be broken with them. Spend time listening and trying to understand if we can’t identify with their life or their pain. And search, honestly and openly, to any hand we may have in the suffering of others. Repent, if such is the case. Not justify or excuse pain, but accept the pain of others, and grieve with them. Then, we have work to do to dismantle the causes of suffering, but not before we’ve sat in pain and grief and have stopped blaming people for their own problems, and searched our own hearts and lives to see if we have any part in the suffering of others.

On a personal level, we need to hurt with our friends who are hurting. It means not looking for someone to blame, God or our friends, not being quick to jump to the promise of hope and redemption, though those are key and important. It means we’re willing to do the necessary work of grief and lamentation to get there. Otherwise it’s cheap grace. A microwave meal version of nourishment.

It means understanding that God doesn’t cause or prevent our suffering, but that he is with us in it. God being with us is the good news, but it doesn’t diminish the hurt or the suffering. The church should be a place where the hurting find healing, but aren’t told they shouldn’t be hurt, or should already be over their hurt by now. I would love it if the Church had a reputation for being a place for people who are hurting found comfort, the broken find healing, and the hungry are fed.

You wrote “Pain doesn’t need easy answers, and it can’t be fixed by them. It needs faith, hope and love shared in an embodied form.” How can the local church accomplish this goal?

There are lots of ways, and I’m sure I can’t even imagine all of them. I think one heading it might fall under, is solidarity with those whom Christ showed solidarity with. The poor, the sick, the broken, the hurting, the stranger. If we show solidarity with those on the out, we can be an embodied form of hope. A people who value people our society has said have little or no value. Can you imagine? If God’s people made a point of gathering around and flocking to people who are without hope? Looking inward is important, and looking outward equally so – and realizing we are the in-between. We are not fixed people fixing broken people. We are broken people walking with broken people.

I grew up hearing a lot about being Jesus’ hands and feet. Jesus fed people who were hungry, healed people who were sick, welcomed those who were unwelcome. Can we embody that? Can our churches be known for that? Can church people be known for helping single moms, seeking for all in their communities to have a safe place to sleep and enough to eat, as people who care for the earth, who speak truth to power, who admit mistakes and dismantle or subvert systems that harm people? There are a million things the local church can do to reach this lofty goal, but all of it must come from knowing their communities, listening to the people who have real needs, and willing to be in it for the long haul.

From a blog about having to choose between right belief or serving others.

In this particular blog post, you gave the example of World Vision losing thousands of child sponsors because of their initial stance on same sex unions. “If our seemingly pure principles and beliefs keep people hungry and poor, then I think we’re wrong.” What would you say about the white evangelical movement’s propensity to support candidates who say they are “pro-choice” while having histories of voting against legislation that would help the poor?

I was one of those white evangelicals for a while, so I understand the heart, and also, in my case, the misinformation informing my politics on the issue. I know the hard anti-abortion position comes from a place of deep care for the unborn, and a desire to be a voice for the voiceless, and an affirmation that life is precious to God, both of which are commendable and good.

I was incredibly challenged, though, by Sister Joan Chittister’s words on the subject, that have really informed my thinking: “I do not believe you’re opposed to abortion that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed. And why would I think that you don’t? Because you don’t want any tax money to go there. That’s not pro-life, that’s pro-birth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of pro-life is.”

Preserving life doesn’t stop after the womb. If the leaders I’m electing support legislature that keep people hungry and poor, stuck living in unsafe neighborhoods, without access to proper healthcare, working multiple jobs and still unable to make ends meet, shutting down family farms to profit agribusiness, polluting the earth that feeds us, that’s not being for life either, is it?

From what I can gather, to be pro-life in the way Christ taught is to affirm that life is precious to God, and to be a voice or the voiceless. In everything. From birth, through death, regardless of status or position. For me, that conversation is so much bigger than abortion – and we do ourselves a disservice when we limit it to a person’s stance on just that one issue.

What was your own faith journey like?

I was raised in a Christian household, and have been trying to follow for Jesus as long as I can remember. In high school I was really involved with church and youth group, and about that time I felt ‘called’ (I use that term loosely these days – I felt it was what God wanted for me, but also what I decided I wanted to do) to full time ministry. At some stage, feeling burdened for vulnerable kids and places with a very small or no Christian presence, plus a fascination since childhood with Africa, I decided that meant full-time missions. I went to a Christian University, majored in Cross-Cultural Studies, waited tables for a few years after graduating to pay off my loans. I was accepted with a mission’s organization and did the requisite training, then moved sight unseen to a closed country in North Africa to work with street boys and learn Arabic.

That was the start of six extremely beautiful, wonderful, hard, and breaking years overseas. I experienced interrogation, expulsion, three days stuck in a city at war, evacuation, and eventually serious health problems. I ended up in three different countries, though that was never my intention. I only ever wanted to put roots down in a place, and that was never able to happen. I worked with street kids and refugees, trying hard to help them generate their own income, have some hope, and be self-sufficient in places and situations where every odd was stacked against them.

We were forced to move back to the US a few months ago because of my health, and we don’t see being able to move back overseas anytime in the foreseeable future.

All of that to say, my faith journey took me to places and through experiences I never expected. It rocked my theology in ways I never would have dreamed, and I am so, so grateful. There is much I’ve had to unlearn about what Western thought and tradition, that was sold to me as Christian belief. I love Jesus deeply, I hope I always will, and I desperately want to live my life doing unto those hungry, naked, poor, and prisoner as I would unto my Savior, while resting in the promise that His love for me is not conditional, in the hope of the coming kingdom, and trying hard to be a part of ushering it in wherever I find myself.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

If folks want to keep up with me, the best way to do that is over at my blog. I’m also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I send out A Neighborly Newsletter every two weeks, where I round up bits of the internet and a few thoughts encouraging us to love our neighbors, and even our enemies, better. You can also download my free mini ebook For the Moments I Feel Faint, about fear and my first two years overseas as a single woman in a predominantly Muslim context, here.

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