Sarah Palin's Speech

So we all got to know a little more about Sarah Palin last night. I have to admit I was bouncing back between the speech and my college football game I was playing on PS2 - that will give you plenty of fodder to express how far from a true American I am. If I get home tonight I'll watch McCain's with my attention undivided. However, a few comments on Palin.

She's an impressive figure with a broad appeal to be sure. She undoubtedly will appeal to the conservative base in this country, though I really wonder how she will do with independents and conservative Democrats. Her in-your-face, no-holds-bar facade will do well with the conservative down-home moms, but left me a little wanting. I kept having this feeling, all through the speech, that I was listening to a revamped George W. Bush intimidation speech done with a skirt on. The "snide" (that was what some of the Democrats thought of the speech) comments constantly coming from her were strange and left me scratching my head. I mean, I suppose I understand from a political standpoint what was going on, but I still found the whole thing really odd. The cynic in me believes the Republicans are really just participating in underhanded sexism - putting the mother of 5 (oh yeah, with the baby with Down's Syndrome that they kept), dealing with family problems (pregnant daughter, who hasn't been there?), working class husband . . . all that - it's great, I'm not knocking that, don't read that, I just wonder if her part on the ticket is more about all that than any political fortitude she brings to the country.

OK, that made me sound like a Democratic sounding post . . . I'm trying to get away from all that. My real concern is to read her speech through as a Christian. How should I interpret her words through the lens of my faith? The snideness undermines alot of the Christian value I would have hoped to see in a woman who is such a stalwart Christian, but I'll pass on that because that has become the way we do politics in this country. Give me someone who doesn't worry at all about the other candidate and attempts to win the votes on their own merit, and then my ears will really perk up to listen.

I guess the aspect of Palin (and not just her but the whole McCain ticket) that really worries me from a Christian perspective is their insistence on scare tactics. Palin's whole deal, "My son's going to war and I want someone who's been there, etc. etc." doesn't connect with me. Now I know it does with alot of Americans, but I don't see the appeal for Christians. Why must we fear our boundaries? We are Christians! We have no boundaries. There are Christians in the nations we are bombing. Our nation has killed Christians. If you have not thought about that, then you have sold out to your nationalism too far. Is there ever a perfect solution? Of course not. However, in Obama's devotion to diplomacy, I feel we would be taking important steps forward, making back up some of the diplomatic ground that we have lost over the past 8 years.

I find it very interesting that my Christian peers are so afraid of the deterioration of the moral fabric of our nation, while casting a blind eye at the terrible name our country has (and read: MORAL name) across the globe. And in our entirely snobbish nationalistically centered ways, we think they are all wrong and ill-founded and ungrateful and fill in the blank. American Christians must cure their myopia and see the world larger than one or two issues.

I appreciate Palin and all that she represents for women. As a side note, it says a great deal about the Democratic party that this dog and pony show came their way (with Geraldine Ferraro) more than 20 years ago, and now they are breaking new ground on race - imagine how long it will be before the Republican party gets there? I'm not saying you vote for anyone because of their anatomy or skin color, but you have to grant a party something for breaking those barriers first. If you are unwilling to concede that, I feel you have been significantly jaded by your political lenses.

So the race if off. Much good was said of Palin and rightfully so. The real corrective, in all the debates and discussion, will be the facts. (More people should check out www.factcheck.org and websites like that as they get us a little closer to the actual facts). It is as difficult to see through the rhetoric in politics as it is in religion. Should I teach my Sunday school class on voting for the right candidate or the role of women in church? I suppose either choice would be as caustic. If we could just stick to the facts. The great philosophical realization we're all forced to come to terms with, however, is that there are never just facts. All facts have to be interpreted. My favorite thing to do in this political season is to watch these speeches and then flip back and forth between Fox News and the other news stations and listening to the different perspectives. I sit there and listen and say to myself, "Wait a minute, didn't we just all watch the same speech." Perspective is a powerful thing! Read my last post!

The Flobots

I heard this song on a new radio station in town (shout out to the new http://www.radio1067.com/). It's a great station and has exposed me to some new great music. This one, though has taken the cake . . . this song is so awesome, and the video is great too! Music with depth . . . I like it!




Handlebars-Flobots from http://aelberling.vox.com/

Book Review: Cradle to Cradle

I ran across this book referenced in a recent Lipscomb alumni news and my interest was piqued enough to run out and purchase it. My first choice was to borrow it from the library, but they didn't have it, so . . . now I do.

Cradle to Cradle was published back in 2002 and is calls for a paradigmatic shift in the manufacturing industry. I have to admit, at times the book is a little fatalistic in it's perspective of the burgeoning industrialization of our world. Written by an architect and a chemist, they offer unique and important insights into our culture's newfound desire to be "green."

While the topic of discussion (environmentalism, industry, and commerce) fall far from my field of emphasis, it seems clear that this work has the potential to be paradigm-shaking. The first chapter left me cheering, encouraged by their critique of the Industrial Revolution. "The Industrial Revolution was not planned, but it was not without motive. At bottom it was an economic revolution driven by the desire for the acquisition of capital." (p. 21) And that desire for capital, to do more cheaper and faster has led us to the current global crisis that we face (and focus on this being Earth Week) in pollution, deforestation, energy crises, and on and on the list could go.

The authors lay out what they call the "cradle to grave" philosophy that has dominated the thinking of the Industrial Age. Widgets are manufactured with a certain purpose in mind, they fulfill that purpose, and then they are thrown away. I was all over this discussion and felt as though my attempts to recycle, compost, and do as much as possible to keep our waste to a minimum fit nicely into their paradigm.

Then I read chapter 2 and realized the breadth of the problem. Chapter 2 is entitled, "Why Being 'Less Bad' is No Good." In this chapter, the authors critique the approaches many have taken to recycling as a cure to the aforementioned problems. While we may look at our attempts at recycling as better than the the previous attempts which ignored the problem altogether, McDonogh and Braungart believe this to be no more than a band aid to a deeper and more significant problem. There's still a grave in sight for each product, we're still using finite natural resources, there's still an end in sight. Recycling as is currently practiced is actually down-cycling. The problem, according to the authors, comes at the design stage. Instead of dealing with the issue at the end of the life of a product, manufacturers need to begin at the design phase to begin to turn the ship in the right direction.

The authors bring the bar where it needs to be: "The goal is zero: zero waste, zero emissions, zero 'ecological footprint.' As long as human beings are regarded as 'bad,' zero is a good goal. But to be less bad is to accept things as they are, to believe that poorly designed, dishonorable, destructive systems are the best humans can do. This is the ultimate failure of the 'be less bad' approach: a failure of the imagination. From our perspective, this is a depressing vision of our species' role in the world." (p. 67).

They go on to propose the idea of 'eco-effectiveness.' Their proposal is creative, out-of-the-box, and optimistic. They move beyond the current paradigm that assumes waste as a natural by-product of manufacturing, and propose the idea of "waste equals food." Rather than producing toxic emissions and by-products, what if the by-products were proactive. They offer a great analogy of the cherry tree. It produces greatly more than it needs (picture the ground littered with buds and flowers) just for hopes of creating one more tree. However, the waste is not toxic, instead it contributes to the ecosystem. It is a necessary part of the cycle. Human beings, as part of this system, we should strive to contribute to nature as the rest of creation does.

Drawing lessons from the cherry tree, from ants, and other naturally occurring specimens, the authors believe we can learn from their process and overcome the current process. What would the world look like if the human processes followed the natural processes? "We believe that industry can be so safe, effective, enriching and intelligent that it need not be fenced of from other human activity." (p. 87) Can you imagine property values next door to factories escalating as their by-products are seen as assets to the neighborhood? This is the kind of "out-there" goals we need to begin to work towards.

"To eliminate the concept of waste means to design things - products, packaging, and systems - from the very beginning on the understanding that waste does not exist." - (p. 104) The very pages the book is written on go towards their cradle to cradle concept. The book comes written on a soft, durable and water-proof polymer that can be recycled. It is not the ideal, as they go on to note a few shortcomings, but it is a stride in the right direction.

There is much to be admired in the work of these two authors. For the ordinary, average consumer (I'll put myself there), it can be a little daunting as you just begin to consider how big this issue is - just how much you consume, and just how little has been thought about its post-consumption life.

I found myself encouraged and saw important parallels for my faith and my ministry in faith to others. Christians need to capture the imagination seen in this book and work towards incredible things in all areas of vocation as we seek to live out our calling to take care of and tend creation. While these two authors don't appear to be Christians, their work is admirable by those of us who are and should inspire all of us to rethink the way we live our lives every day in consideration of those who will come long after us.

Book Review: Inside the Small Church

If you are not familiar with the Alban Institute, you are missing out on a very useful and insightful resource for ministers. The institute is interfaith and ecumenical focusing more on sociological insights for churches as opposed to theological ones. The institute is heavily reliant on research data and is a helpful resource in studying churches. They are a corrective to the "what if" dreaming and choose instead to make reflections based on solid research. I haven't used them as much as I would like, but have had this book on my shelf since college and finally chose to dig in. The Alban institute releases several books a year as well as a quarterly (I think it's quarterly, check the link) journal. You can become a member and receive both the journals and the books. A really, really worthwhile resource.

As for, Inside the Small Church, it was what I expected. A really helpful and practical look at one of the most over-looked ecclesiastical structures: small churches. Being a pastor at a small church, this issue is very important to me. The book is broken up into four parts ("Leading the Small Church," "Loving the Small Church," "Building the Capacity of the Small Church," and "The Small Church in Mission." Each part is comprised of several very short essays written from a plethora of small church experts.

There's a little of something here for everyone. Several of the articles I'm sure will be far a field for everyone, but that is more than made up for the articles that are found relevant. The authors wrestle with the enigmatic aspects unique to the small church such as the bivocational pastor, co-operative congregations sharing staff and resources, as well as others.

In general, the book is refreshing in its overly positive perspective of small churches. The first chapter, the only one of length "Supporting Small Churches and Their Pastors" is worth the price of the book (especially when you paid $2.00 from a former professor!) in its practical and insightful advice for the small church. Sherry and Douglas Alan Walrath spend some time characterizing the different kinds of sociological spheres small churches fall into. I found the descriptions to be dead on. Throughout the chapter they present much information rooted from surveys they did of small church leaders and lay people that offer much insight into the unique dynamics of the small church.

Part 1 is an especially good reference for those of us in leadership capacities in small churches. It's a shame that so much literature us devoted to the large church when the vast majority of pastors will spend a great deal of time in small churches. Editor Anthony Pappas offers two strong essays in this sections, and I found his essays throughout to be some of the high points of the collections. The articles remain concise, direct, and practical.

Part 2 gets at the commitment that small congregations demand. Something I really appreciated about the perspective of the authors (in this section and throughout the book) is their emphasis on loving and remaining committed to the small church. Those who are content at the small church and are dedicated are the truly effective ministers. The authors here are right to emphasize that many people only see the obvious disadvantages of being at a small church (limited budget, limited resources, lack of critical mass, etc.), but acknowledge there is a great deal of positives to be found in most small churches (real community, commitment, etc.)

Part 3 focuses on a helpful insight that is often lacking in discussions of small church theology - utilizing full capacity. With a "smaller" capacity than a larger church, the small church may be better prepared to utilize a "higher" percentage of its capacity - in other words, it's easier to get more people involved using their gifts. Here the tone of the essays is encouraging, but remains grounded and realistic.

Part 4 broaches the issue of mission and the role with small churches. A little more lacking than the other three sections, I still found some value in these essays as well. Gary Farley's essay entitled, "Becoming a Thirty-Mile Church" was one of the strongest and most memorable works in the book as he reflects on the Wal-Mart effect in American society and considers the sociological impact that has had on the small (especially rural church). This was an excellent article and very interestingly utilizes insights from Sam Walton's biography.

My only real critique of the book, and it is just a reflection of my current situation, is that too often the authors interchanged the concepts of "small church" and "rural church." In a few places the authors acknowledged that the small church is a more rural situation than an urban, but our church finds itself on the edge of the suburbs with dozens of simliar churches: 75 - 150 members, struggling to get established, but suited for rapid growth, arms-length relationship with denomination, etc. I would have liked to see a few articles addressing our situation in place of one of the 8 - 10 articles specifically about rural ministry.

In summary, this is an excellent resource for those in small church ministry, especially in small towns. It is light on theological presuppositions and suggestions that aren't practical. Very helpful, especially, for suggestions on leading the small church.

Potpourri

My favorite category in Jeopardy is "Potpourri." You never know what you are going to get. Well, here is a potpourri of resources I've run across this week: you may even find one or two useful:

* Yesterday the Columbus Dispatch ran the editorial of NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. I often enjoy his articles, especially impressed by the global perspective he tends to write from. This particular article, "Our Racist, Sexist Selves" wasn't my favorite, but it did lead me to the two resources below that I found to be interesting.

* Racism and Sexism tests:

http://backhand.uchicago.edu/Center/ShooterEffect/ and

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/research/

Finally, the below video I found very provocative and well done.

Book Review: Mandate to Difference

Walter Brueggeman is the preeminent Old Testament scholar of our time. When I saw this book last fall in the store, I was excited that he had come out with another work. Mandate to Difference is a collection of sermons, presentations, and works Brueggeman presented in 2005. The attempt to put them together in a uniform work was a stretch as they seem to fit together only loosely. Some of the essays I found especially helpful and insightful, even prophetic ("Some Theses on the Bible in the Church" for example is a great work to both conservative and liberal sects of Christianity highlighting the overemphases in both camps), while others were more technical and felt disjointed from the call of mandate to difference the title offered ("Bread: The Good Stuff on the Table may have been a great essay, but last night as I read it, I just couldn't quite bring it all together).
In the end, it is a difficult work to summarize without going through each chapter because the topics addressed are so vast. The work does hope to address, in more technical terms, the cultural captivity much of liberal Christianity has fallen victim of (and he does well to indict Conservative Christianity on the same line as well). Rooted in his vast knowledge of the Old Testament, Brueggeman finds texts that most of us have read over innocently for years and draws convicting and challenging conclusions.
Early on, Brueggeman makes the statement that "faith . . . is not about pinning down moral certitudes. It is rather about openness to wonder and awe in glad praise." (p. 1). If there is something that I found refreshing throughout the work is his constant reassertion of this fact. It is a great corrective to the conservative demand for certitude. That is the big challenge for right-leaning Christians as they approach the Bible. It's never been about having it all nailed down. The Bible is full of imagination and creativity and should be celebrated as God continues his ongoing revelation to us.
Chapter 2 offers an interesting look at the different approaches in the Old Testament God takes through the nation of Israel: critical dissent in Joshua, uncritical embrace of anticovenantal urbanism in Solomon, alternative torah in Josiah, and harsh truth and wondrous possibility in Jeremiah. His interaction with the text and contemporary American setting lead to an interesting reading of these selections.
Chapter 3 briefly deals with the concept of Sabbath, however, his extended discussion in chapter 8 with a different focus I found to be especially helpful. In it, Brueggeman challenges the consumeristic and productive obsession in our culture that has effectively killed the Sabbath. He emphasizes the central role that it must play in the life of a disciple. He encourages the reader to, "take a sabbath rest and become a hope-teller, a poet of 'assurace of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (p. 44)
Chapter 4 is entitled "A Welcome for the Others" where Brueggeman highlights the central role the alien and foreigner always played in the world of Israel. "In context, then, ministry cannot be about maintenance; it is about gathering, about embrace, about welcoming home 'all sorts of conditions' of people." (p. 51) He mentions especially homosexuals (which he mentions very interesting argument regarding the evolution of revelation in regards to the inclusion of eunuchs in Isiah 56 - very interesting!) Here, he gets at the counter-cultural reality that it is to open ourselves to "the other." This is a very significant teaching that needs to be more at the front of our discussions of ministry (I am especially interested in reading Volf's Exclusion and Embrace on the topic). An especially poignantly prophetic rebuke is made when he writes, "That intolerance of the others among us is even more toxic now that our society in the United States is divided into 'red' and 'blue,' and I fear that we are at the edge of red and blue clergy, and red and blue parishes." (p. 65) And, I love the ending, "You are my witnesses. When the truth is told, a new world remains possible. Everything depends on that testimony!" (p. 71)
In Chapter 5 ("The Fearful Thirst of Dialogue") Brueggeman addresses the challenge of serving a God who is always dialogic. Dialogue is at the heart of our understanding of who God is, a vastly different option than what has been the dominant modernistic approach which is monological as opposed to dialogical and will remain difficult in such a divided society. Relying heavily on the many voices found in the Psalms Brueggeman points out the importance that each voice plays in our understanding of God. (He focuses most of his attention to Psalm 35 highlighting the changing voice throughout.
Chapter 6 was originally written for a Jewish publication and highlights the commonality of the call for Jews and Christians to be called out from their culture at large. He points out five "components of contemporary despair" that I think all should consider critically:
1 - The maintenance of a 'national security state.'
2 - The uncriticized technological advancements of the state
3 - Closed ideology
4 - A shameless kind of certitude
5 - Smitten by commodities
Citing evidence of the above dangers, Brueggeman highlights an article by Karl Barth entitled, "Ending Time" at length. Further evidencing his case, Brueggeman also quotes at length from Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hebrews. He ends his discussion emphasizing the significance of the "already-not yet" concept plays in our interactions with such a culture.
Chapter 7 is another chapter I found especially enlightening and encouraging as it furthers the discussion of imagination. "Worship is an act of poetic imagination that aims to reconstrue the world." (p. 117) What a great quote! Basing his research in Miriam's song in Exodus 15, Brueggeman extrapolates the concept of imagining a world contrary to the abounding evidence. "The song is an act of imagination that hopes the alternative, because the data is all against the song." (p. 120) Their imagination is rooted in memory . . . remembering the great works of God. Chapter 8 is entitled, "You Cannot Fool Your Nephesh." In it, he offers a lengthy conversation relating to the Hebrew concept of Sabbath placing it in the context of the Egyptian empire and lack of Sabbath. His initial argument is that sabbath is about economics and faith, not worship. "There is very little evidence in the Old Testament connecting sabbath to worship." (p. 143) And again, "The Sinai offer was an alternative to the quota system of the empire." (p. 145) His argument stems from the Hebrew concept of nephesh, which he defines as the complete self. Our nephesh gets tired and weary and needs to be replenished. Sabbath is an inherent need in all of us. "Thus sabbath is about recovered nephesh, and nephesh is not a 'religious idea,' no 'soul,' but self in all of its complex social existence." (p. 150)
Chapter 9 is a poignant essay on the mission of the church called out of her native society. His argument flows through addressing the Israelites interaction and call as it inhabited the land of the Canaanites. It was a no-holds-bar look at the counter culture God calls his people to.
Chapter 10 is about bread and the relationship of the academic discipline to ministry and I had a little trouble grasping the heart of his bread analogy . . . I'll have to go back and read it when I'm more alert.
Chapter 11 ends with a fitting discussion of the Bible's place in liberal churches, though he also addresses conservative churches. He offers 20 theses on the Bible that are broad-in-scope and thought provoking. A very helpful book to read.

Brueggeman is always worth reading, and I enjoyed most sections of the book. I think they probably served much better on their own in their initial setting, but there is plenty to take away here.

Book Review: Beyond Prisons

So, this post begins my new attempt at offering a separate blog for references, mainly focusing on books I will be reviewing. Hopefully people will find this easy-to-use and helpful to their ministry and thinking. This book offers a unique topic of discussion in comparison with what I usually read.

Sometimes, God takes you places you never would have imagined going. That is how I wound up in a Delaware County Jail over a year ago, in a visitation cell, on the phone behind a protective glass window looking at a long-haired guy in orange . . . I mean there were times when I had to remind myself I wasn't in a television show. This was the real deal. Through a number of separate, yet connected, circumstances, I have wound up ministering to criminals in the Delaware county area. I have had conversation with people I never would have imagined: the convicts themselves, probation officers, half-way house directors, sex offenders, and numerous others. I'll try to post more of this experience at a later time, but all of that led me to pick up this book last year at a bag sale at Cokesbury.

God continues to stretch and grow me through the entire process, and reading this book has been part of that process - a very stretching process. Authors Laura Magnani and Harmon Wray are both active in the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker group actively involved in the process of restorative justice as an alternative to the current criminal justice system in the United States.

As I began reading this book, I have to say it was a little uncomfortable - something I am not accustomed to as I consider myself a pretty open person (especially to liberal propositions). However, I was unprepared for the radical proposition proposed here by Wray and Magnani, and the more I read of their book, the more I empathized with their initiatives and the more I found myself rallying to their cry.

As I have posted in previous posts, I have an affinity for J.H. Yoder's theology of the state and the empire and consider myself a pacifist. I am more and more convinced that the role of Christians is not in the state and find that consistent with revelation both Old Testament and New, through the withdrawal of Israel from the empire to Jesus' choice to be suffering Servant over riotous zealot. I have applied this discussion to war, national political discussions, and many other matters, but have never had the opportunity to consider what the implications are for the criminal justice system.

Magnani and Wray offer a penetrating look at the great failure of the criminal justice system in our country. With my limited experience with working with offenders I have had at least a brief glimpse firsthand at what this justice system is all about on the local levels (I have never dealt with any kind of federal offenders). It is a system rooted in racism, classism, sexism and, with increasingly common movement towards privatization of prisons, driven by profit rooted in conflict of interest.

They present a well-researched argument piling up number after number illustrating the flaws in the current system. Fundamentally, their problem with the current system is that it is rooted in vengeance. They attack the fundamental principle that vengeance is rehabilitative. They propose moving from a system that is punitive and punishment driven to one that focuses on restoration and rehabilitation. While their goals and ambitions are lofty, they are consistent with the biblical picture of grace, forgiveness, and restoration.

It is perhaps in our discussions of prisoners and punishment where we fall furthest from the ideal of grace. The authors acknowledge that neither of them have been the victim of a heinous crime, but also acknowledge that the majority of those reading will not have been affected. The argument, for the most part, is one of theory. However, it is a theory that finds its way into action every day at courts, police stations, and prisons around the country. Our current system is not biblical and I am fully on the side of the authors when they state that we cannot support it.

Their summary of the system holds back no punches:
"It is a crisis that allows fellow human beings to be demonized. It is a crisis that legitimizes torture, total isolation of individuals (sometimes for a lifetime), sensory deprivation and abuse of power. It is a crisis that extends beyond prisons themselves into judicial, parole and probation, law enforcement, mental health, and public education systems. It further damages not only crime survivors and offenders, but also the families of both survivors and offenders. As the system becomes more and more dependent on profit-making companies, the 'public mission' of the system is lost behind the self-interest of every group wanting to make a buck - from the unions representing the guards on the tier to the corporate food-services companies, from the construction firms to the for-profit detention corporations." (p. 161)

The authors poignantly paint a picture of how the current system creates cyclical systems of incarceration, punishment, and obstacles that are insurmountable. We work from false presuppositions such as locking people up for their crimes is justifiable because it (1)keeps potential crimes from happening (though they do acknowledge there are a few people who need to be separated from society, but that number is but a fraction of the current 2 million of the prison population). (2) they "deserve" it because of their crimes, (3) it is prohibitive to others (they note, "who ever stops to think of the consequences before committing a crime?") All of these reasons for incarceration have been proven false, yet they are most frequently given publicly.

What if there were no jails? What an interesting concept. I know my first reaction was, whoa! But the more I allowed their arguments to settle, the more I believe them to be absolutely right. God is a God of forgiveness. No one deserves to be locked up for life in prison. What is the purpose of that end? I agree with Magnani and Wray that that serves neither the offender or the survivors (their choice in place of "victim.") All crimes should be seen as broken relationships, not broken laws. Crime is personal, not abstract offenses against inanimate law. Upon the breech of relationship, all effort must be sought to restore relationship and work towards reinstallation into the community.

Some will scoff at the authors' seemingly impossible proposal, but that is no reason to cast it aside. They are insistent that they propose an alternative system, not a tweaking of the current system. Again, I think a very important point

In their final chapter, they offer the AFSC's 12-Point Plan of action. It is too lengthy to offer here, but I think it gives both small and tangible steps as well as loftier and broader hopes of restoration in the future. They offer no easy fix, "Solutions must be complex and revolutionary in a society as dependent as ours on solving problems through police powers and repression. " (p. 163).

My guy feeling is that this is a topic that the average Christian has given little thought to, but one to which most average Christians would have a quick and sharp criticism and outcry in response to the proposal offered here. I believe this is yet another area where, as Shane Claiborn in his new book says, "The church has fallen in love with the state and she has lost her political imagination." We seem to believe that the state has come up with the best answers to social ills . . . where has the church's voice gone?