January 2010 Archives

You just can't read The Hole in our Gospel, written by the current World Vision President and respond with the affirmation: yes this was a good reminder of the grinding inequality of our world, I am so glad that we sponsor a world vision child and give to missions organizations.

Here are a few sound bites that have continued echoing in my mind after completing the book last year:

For I was hungry, while you had all you needed. I was thirsty, but you drank bottled water. I was a stranger, and you wanted me deported. I needed clothes, but you needed more clothes. I was sick, and you pointed out the behaviors that led to my sickness. I was in prison, and you said I was getting what I deserved.
(RESV-Richard E. Stearns Version)

"Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it"
"Well, why don't you ask Him?"
"Because I'm afraid He would ask me the same question"

Pray, but when you pray, move your feet.- African proverb

Any response seems trivial and completely underwhelming, but this will not keep me paralyzed.
I will not buy any clothes for six months and will sponsor another World Vision child. I remain educated beyond my obedience, but this will not keep me from attempting obedience however meager.

Yesterday morning my husband and I's debate began by my asking him what he had done the previous evening (I was hanging out with my girlfriends). He told me that he had watched the film "Glory"- the 1998 civil war film highlighting the bravery of the African Americans who fought in the 54th Massachusetts volunteer infantry. His comment "the self sacrifice they displayed is the most powerful force in the world" sparked my agreement that self-sacrifice is indeed the most powerful force on the planet, but my dissent in the context of war being the best way to display it. Of course he wasn't arguing that war was the best way to embody this truth, but for the sake of the discussion that so often ensues in our bed late into the night or early in the morning, our practically nonexistent point of disagreement was highlighted to heighten the spiritedness of our conversation.

Most of my points were inspired by my recent completion of Shane Claiborne's Jesus for President. Although the first half was similar in focus to Rob Bell's "Jesus Wants to Save the Christians," my favorite section was near the end where Claiborne highlights communities who are resisting evil and violence with creative imagination. One of the most memorable stories he told was of a Christian community in Belize that was constantly plagued by armed bandits who were stealing money from families homes. Rather than contact the authorities or arm themselves they decided to change their currency to a form that would not be recognized anywhere else than in their community (I guess they didn't need to rely on their country's monetary system much). There was one particular man, however that repeatedly robbed a family of their possessions and was eventually thrown in jail. The community decided to get together and build this man (a person who had no house of his own) a house within their community. When he was released from prison they were there to greet him and present him with this gift and invite him and his family to live among them.

I don't have the creative imagination needed to envision this sort of nonviolent, loving response to aggression, but when I hear stories like this I am inspired to hope that this is possible, and believe that Christ's vision for the world extends beyond my limited practicalities. Perhaps as a community of believers we can together believe in the power of Christ enough to imagine that building the kingdom of God is possible.

When thinking about other faiths I used to think that the biggest threat to the public's belief in Jesus was the existence of other faiths. Now I think a belief that we are alone in this world, and that all we have is the initiative of humankind is the bigger competitor to my, and our world's belief. If I am honest, I probably find myself questioning whether there is anything divine on a monthly basis (I suppose that I am in good company as John the Baptist also found himself questioning whether Jesus was the real deal). I don't remember the last time I was tempted to acknowledge the prophet Muhammad as God's final messenger or contemplate the unity and divinity of all things. Perhaps this is mostly a function of the people I am in relationship with.
So while I would have previously found Mitch Albom's bookHave a little faith- a true story than chronicles a journalist's experience of the faith of a Rabbi and Pastor- somewhat of a threat, it now encouraged my faith. One of the things that the author cannot seem to get his mind around is how the pastor, a former drug dealer, can have turned his life around enough to earn the respect of God and the congregation that looks up to him. I too struggle to wrap my brain around this paradoxical phenomenon of redemption but am so glad that the faith I embrace holds it as evidence of its truth and power.

"In the days ahead, you will either be a mystic (one who has experienced God for real) or nothing at all."
--Karl Rahner
As usual reading a Brennan Manning book-The Furious Longing of God- allures my spirit towards desiring to experience God. I think previously in my life an intellectual fascination with the historical Jesus, or even a deep appreciation for the wisdom found in the ancient prophets or the life of Christ was enough to bind my hear to the Christian faith. Now in my thirties I find myself wearied with "correct" theological explanations and critical of the implied evangelical assumptions of my childhood that wisdom and truth can only be found in Christian scriptures. I can, of course, unhesitatingly present the solid intellectual foundation for God's existence and Jesus being divine, but true things, even when incredibly significant and meaningful, are not enough to bind the soul or enamor the heart. I must continue to experience the love of God, not as in the vagueness of a warm reassuring emotion, but in the personal, soul-transforming embrace of Christ. If Christianity is to be truth that matters, I must experience its God.