More on Darfur

Keeping updated on what's been going on. The article is a few days old because I tend to get my news 2nd and 3rd-hand.

Here's the piece Tara mentions in the comments.

Practical Spiritual Instruction

When I was in college, I dated a guy who was part of a fairly conservative Christian crowd. We would go to great worship services together--lots of energy and heartfelt prayer--but it seemed like he wasn't able to take that energy and use it to transform how he lived out his everyday life. Like that letter-writing Paul, he would want to do one thing, but then do the opposite.

Heather has just sent me an article by an evangelical, who is noticing the same thing on a larger scale--that what people say and what they actually do are often miles apart. Although this is couched in terms of evangelicals, I don't think it's a problem limited to them. I think with liberals we just don't have the same kinds of defined goals. We may not get so worked up over divorce, but on the other hand while we want to be diverse and talk about it all the time, somehow diversity eludes us.

So, what's the answer?

First off, relying on the grace of God--these are problems larger than a single person of a single community.

The next step is to place a real emphasis on practical religious instruction.

In the article, the author wants to get people back into orthodox belief, but I think belief only goes so far, and then you have to show people how to live. If I want to discourage divorce in my community, I need to teach people how to cherish their spouses, and how to communicate with each other. If I want to encourage diversity, I need to teach people how to listen to one another and pay attention to differing cultural cues.

Saying things should be a particular way doesn't give people the tools to make it so--only the (frustrated) motivation.

Genocide

A basic definition of genocide:

1. One group of people decides that another group is worth less/inferior/not human. Usually this smaller group is a minority or weaker than the first group. It's the foundational justification for any corporate sin: "They" are not as good as "us."

2. Leaders of the first group take advantage of innate prejudices and encourage the powerful majority to systematically kill/rape the "inferior" group, in an attempt to wipe them out.

Genocide is going on in Darfur as we speak and there is almost no media coverage. But every human being belongs to God, and is equal to every other in God's eyes. Evil is at work and must be stopped, whether or not it presents an immediate threat to our national interests. Genocide is a crime against God, and cannot be ignored.

(Here the Sudan Tribune remarks on the irony of saying "Never again" to the Holocaust, but dragging our collective feet in Darfur.)

Ah, Harvard

Flashbacks to the progressive-in-name, but conservative-in-practice politics at my fine alma mater.

Here's the article.

Here Slate takes on why it's so irritating and wrong for Summers to be spouting off like that.

Preachin' and tensions

I preached on Sunday and really enjoyed it. The church is about twenty minutes up the road from us, and there was a reasonable crowd of people. Before we went in, the choir and I had a short prayer, which was very encouraging. I feel like when I go to new churches, I frequently meet people of a deep, warm and sharp faith.

I preached about how church people can be open about their faith and invite others to take part, but was careful to point out, too, that it's not about badgering people into submission.

It's a funny tension to live with--being clear about who you are, but not demanding that another person believe and live exactly as you do. For example, today in the lunchroom, a coworker talked about how excited she was to go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. For me, I recognize, the drinking and the crowds are really not enjoyable. But then she was talking about bringing an extra bag for all the beads she'd be bringing back. And if you are familiar with how said beads are acquired...
Of course, is it really my job to keep people from all kinds of foolishness? It's not going to be within my power.

Your thoughts on the dilemma of the day?

Nedstat hilarity

I was looking at my stats for the blog, and noticed that they're selling wallpaper for mobile phones. Here is my question:

Why is the sacred heart of jesus picture followed immediately by marijuana leaves?

Click on the little checkmark under the blogger symbol if you want to see for yourself.

Tsunami III

I was chatting with Tara last night about a blogger she found who decided that people are to blame for the mass destruction of the tsunami. (Even the kids)

No! No! No! Bad theology.

It's a nice idea to think that somehow we have control over these things. But really we don't. And where God is in the midst of it is walking with us and helping us heal and help each other. Not punishing us randomly. Nice try.

Churches and Money II

The other piece of the puzzle, as far as giving money to a church goes, is that it's actually a spiritual discipline. At Stillwater UMC, for example, they don't expect visitors to give. The main reason for this is because visitors are guests in the church, and the members, as hosts, are the ones who cover the costs of the worship service. It is a positive reminder that the church (defined as the members and regular attenders) does not exist for its own sake, but as sanctuary and servant to others.

I might put it another way. Money is one of the most material things there is. But it's also a way we express our priorities. If my appearance is important to me, I'll spend my extra money on hair cuts and tanning salons and makeup and clothes. Or if it's important to me that people know I have a lot of money, I'll spend it on a big house or a car. But if God is the first priority in my life, then I will want to dedicate every part of my life to God, including my finances. Giving money to church or to other charities, then, is a spiritual discipline. And for many of us, it's one of the harder ones because it means, in very concrete terms, trusting God to care for us. It's not necessarily a discipline for neophytes.

In other words, it's one thing to say you believe in God, but it's another thing to say you believe that God will sustain you even if you give away some of your limited means. But giving has its own rewards. Our actions and our beliefs feed each other. So taking actions to trust God, however risky it may feel, builds up our trust in God when we see that God still cares for us, even when we're not sure we'll have enough.

Churches and Money

Here's a touchy subject.

People suspicious of organized religion often characterize churches as "only interested in money." And there are plenty of examples that prove them right--unscrupulous televangelists who live like kings, weird direct-mail books that promise a car for praying a particular prayer and sending in two dollars, or, I don't know, other stuff.

And I think, too, there are some more innocent ways that churches get a bad rap about money--there are well-intentioned people who worry about the financial solvency of their spiritual homes, and end up projecting a lot of anxiety and need in fundraising efforts. When you combine that with big building and personnel expenses (most ministers are underpaid, but health insurance rates don't accept voluntary pay cuts) and you get churches that sink into the mentality of not having enough and holding onto everything very tightly.

It's not a coincidence that Jesus said that the root of all evil is the love of money.

So why give money to a church? First off, most churches and most church people are not interested in money for its own sake. Most of them want to use the money to do good things--provide worship services and pastoral services to the community through their pastor; provide space for community life through their building; make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged people; help people learn about and encounter God through education. And as an active church member, you get to help decide how the money is spent and support ministries that way.

Tsunami II

You may want to take a look at Angela's pledge--see her new link on right.

Also, something to consider is the long-term nature of disaster recovery. Not to draw attention away from this disaster, but just to remember that in a few months, they're probably still going to be needing help, just like right now the folks in Florida are still slowly picking up the pieces from Charley, and folks in Pennsylvania and W. Virginia are still recovering from flooding from Ivan.

Tsunami

Heather sent me an interesting article about different world religions' reactions to the tsunami in Asia. Obviously, it's hard not to oversimplify in a two-page article. But the basic idea is there.

I think, though, that this kind of overwhelming event does make all of us stop and reconsider our lives. On a basic level, we may be wondering whether this could be a punishment from God, or if there is a reason for all this heartache.

I feel anger that better warning systems were not in place, and deep sadness that it was the poorest of the poor who were most gravely affected.

There's a story about someone who met God and said, "How could you allow so much suffering to go on?" And God's response was, "How could you?" We have a chance now to be co-workers with God in alleviating the pain of the devastation.

May your compassion move you to action.

Big Dreams

So I've been doing some more dreaming about a new church start, and here's another really neat website I've found.

Also, some resources for starting a website:

www.theooze.com

www.forministry.com

www.fuseboxmedia.com

Ah, to come up with a cool name like catalyst!