[america in three words]

I've been reading William Stringfellow's An Ethic for Christians & Other Aliens in a Strange Land, which I received as an early Christmas gift from my buddy Don. Not an easy read, and certainly challenging in terms of how one sees the world. Take this quote as an example:

The illusion has been that, in the aftermath of the Second World War, America succeeded British Imperialism and French Colonialism in the world, but the truth is that America succeeded Nazi Germany. That is to say, the ethos of Nazism, the mentality of Nazism, the social ethic of Nazism survives, prospers, and more and more prevails in specific American versions—not literally identical to the particulars of Nazism, but nonetheless having the same moral identity as Nazism—which can be symbolized and summarized in three words: war, racism, genocide.

Stringfellow, p. 125
Italics in original
Other formats by me.

War: Ongoing, in the Middle East. Other "skirmishes" in other parts of the world. And the legalized war against people of colour within the U.S. itself.
Racism: Systemic across the U.S.
Genocide: the American holocaust - killing the indigenous peoples of Turtle Island (North America).

God help us.


p.s. Ironically, parts of the book read as if it was written post-Ferguson, though it was actually published in 1973. When Stringfellow talks about the principalities and powers of darkness, he is talking about systematic racism (among other things). Very timely.

auto-basileia

Basileia is an ancient Greek word meaning "kingdom".

Auto-basileia is related to basileia, but quite different in resulting meaning.

I was recently introduced to the term in "The Church and the kingdom of God" by Drew G.I. Hart, an article which really resonated with me. In particular, I like the term "auto-basileia" and his explanation of it:

Simply put, the kingdom of God is anywhere King Jesus is present in any particular place. The most important thing to remember about the kingdom of God is that it's not the Church (though there is close association between the two) but it is Jesus himself. For this reason Origen famously described Jesus as “autobasileia”. Jesus embodied the reign of God all by himself! That means that wherever Jesus is present, the kingdom of God has come near!

Drew G.I. Hart

As you can tell from Drew's reference to Origen, one of the church fathers, the idea has been around for a long time... and perhaps needs to be re-introduced to our time and place.

So what does the kingdom of God look like? It looks like Jesus:

• we serve others
• we wash their feet
• we embrace those at the margins of society (for Jesus, this included lepers, Samaritans, prostitutes, tax collectors and more) 
• we feed the hungry
• we give the thirsty something to drink
• we invite strangers into our lives and communities
• we clothe the naked
• we care for the sick
• we visit those in prison
• we serve one another
• we wash their feet
• we preach a gospel that really is good news
• we heal the sick
• we clean out the temple (hmm...)
• we give our lives for others

Very upside-down. Very opposite to our earthly kingdoms and aspirations. Hart goes on to discuss what this kingdom-king looks like, and how the least being first and the marginalized being at the center goes hand-in-hand with this king/kingdom Jesus.  Read the article!

Here's Pope Benedict on the subject:

Jesus himself is the Kingdom; the Kingdom is not a thing, it is not a geographical dominion like worldly kingdoms. It is a person; it is he. On this interpretation, the term "Kingdom of God" is itself a veiled Christology. By the way in which he speaks of the Kingdom of God, Jesus leads men to realize the overwhelming fact that in him God himself is present among them, that he is God's presence.

Pope Benedict, in his book Jesus of Nazareth (p. 49)

[generous spaciousness at TWU]

Wendy Gritter, executive director of New Direction, and her colleagues recently made a cross-Canada `Generous Spaciousness Road Trip". Here`s an excerpt of what Wendy said at Trinity Western University, speaking at their Gender Café:

Might we be animated by a vision of unity and diversity that would restore our public witness?

Might we be able to call out the fear and the anxiety for what it is, and have the courage and the trust and the faith to recognize that the body of Christ is diverse and a whole lot bigger than we might even like it to be, filled with people who think differently than we do and yet who name the name of Jesus, who honour the Scriptures, and are also seeking to share the good news of Jesus with the world?

Might we recognize the gift and the opportunity of this conversation at this time in the history of the church, rather than a problem to fix or a conflict to avoid, an opportunity for growth and maturation?

Wendy Gritter speaking at TWU, November 13, 2014

Video link

jesus faces a difficult decision

Jesus faces a difficult decision. Neither option is a winner, neither promises to end well. Yet because of his love for every one of us, he gave up his privilege, he "emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant," he became one of us.

History moves on. Two thousand years later, the same crap is still happening in this world of ours.

Instead of following his example, we picked up the pieces of privilege and made gods of ourselves....

come, you who are blessed...

Come, you who are blessed by my Father;

take your inheritance,

the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

For I was hungry and you passed laws against feeding the homeless,

I was thirsty and you gave me a religious tract,

I was a stranger and you fought for the right to discriminate against me,

I needed clothes and you filled your closet with the latest fads,

I was sick and you refused to give your employees health benefits,

I was in prison and you used me for cheap labour.

Matthew 25:34-40, adapted.

[#MMIW]

Jonathan Labillois' tribute to 1183 murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls in Canada.

For more information, search Twitter for #MMIW.

Artist's website.

Source: @windspeakernews

[repay violence with violence]

Since Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot to death by Darren Wilson, a police officer, in Ferguson Missouri this past summer (Aug 9, 2014),

since that time,

and more since since the grand jury decided not to indict Wilson (Nov 24, 2014),

I have occasionally had the following thought pop into my head:


On a happy sunny day, a sniper (a white sniper, to avoid increasing racial violence) should take out Wilson's teenage son as he's walking down the street on his way home from school.


And today, only today, after reading an article by Suzanne Ross (see below), I'm thinking,

"Did I seriously wish that?

How do I -- the guy with this blog about embracing people instead of excluding them -- wish that someone would kill Wilson's kid? And to take so long to realize what I'm wishing....


For starters, his son is as valuable as Michael Brown and also deserves to live a life free of violence. Of course, in a country with systemic racism, the opposite is the reality: Wilson's son is considered as worthy of having a life free of violence, and Michael Brown just doesn't matter....

so perhaps I'm reacting in an equal and opposite way.

But as a follower of Jesus, I should see all lives as being valued and equally deserving a life free of violence, regardless.

an apology from Cleveland Police Department Officer Michael Brelo

For Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell, an unarmed couple shot 137 times by 13 Cleveland Police Department police officers at the end of a high speed chase, November 29, 2012. This apology is from Michael Brelo, one of those officers.

---

i just want to say

you had been speeding
in your nice car
speeding unarmed
with your love

I was afraid
shot 49 bullets into you
while standing on the hood
of your car

Forgive me
if I had spent more time on the firing range
I'd have done the job
with two bullets

poem by rob g

---

Read more.

This is a false apology poem in the style of William Carlos Williams.

Back-posted to November 29, 2014, to match the anniversary of their death.

the roth of god

This is our beloved priest and resident alien, "the roth of god."

He loves Jesus and he loves people. Pretty biblical, uh?

With two faces, he can see parishioners on the right and on the left side of the church, differing points of view, and the entire length of the longest all-you-can-eat buffet in town.

He is not double-minded nor "blown and tossed by the wind" — there's only one brain inside that head, and both feet are planted firmly on the ground.

His hair is styled after Wolverine, his favourite movie character.

He has four arms because he is embracing of others and because they're useful for complex tasks like the Eucharist.

What looks like funky vestments is really his skin with racing stripes tattooed onto it.

While some aliens are toxic, the roth is antidotal.

He doesn't paint his toenails. Those are their natural colours.

He levitates tables and turns blood into wine!

---

You might wonder how someone ostensibly reasonable and sane like me comes up with such drawings, and I have to confess that not only am I not that reasonable and sane, but it was very easy.

I was at church a few months ago, and during the Eucharist squinted my eyes and looked up to the front, where the roth was waving his arms around. He looked kinda like an alien, and what more does one need than that?

And clearly, if you have read I Peter 2:11 in some translations, being strange and an alien is very biblical...

[embedded]

Richard Beck on the kingdom:

'The eccentric Kingdom doesn't claim territory over against the world. The eccentric Kingdom doesn't erect walls to create a gated community. Rather, the eccentric Kingdom, like salt and leaven, is embedded in the world.

The eccentric Kingdom is the embedded, pilgrim, landless, possessionless, homeless, sojourning, itinerant missionary community called and commissioned to live lives of radical service and availability to the world.'

Isn't that quote just delicious?! And I wonder, why is such fare so rarely found?

Read the whole post.

[lest we forget...]

Here in Canada, we remember our soldiers -- those who have gone before and have lost their lives; those who go now.War is a horrible thing, and I agree with Steve Young's sign that there are no unwounded soldiers.

But as the wars are "somewhere over there", as we are not in a war zone, it is easy to forget that there are civilian men, women and children being hurt and killed every day, and that just as there are no unwounded soldiers, there are no unwounded civilians.

---

Sign in front of the office of Steve Young, MLA for Edmonton Riverview.
Photo and edit by rob g. Photo taken on 2014-11-17.

my picture of god

At a recent prayer time at church, we did some drawing. First, we were asked to draw a picture of God as we understood him when we were young. I drew a bearded man up on a cloud, and me on the earth.

Then we were asked to draw a picture of God as we understand or perceive him now. The picture above is what I drew: a quick sketch of Jesus and friends. Why? Cuz one thing I'm sure of, is that Jesus embodies what God is like. So the way I understand and perceive God, is by looking at Jesus.

[peace is a human right]

Peace is a human right.

I don't know if I ever heard anyone say that before reading Koehler's article the other day.

Nor did I know that in 1999, the United Nations considered a culture of peace resolution. Imagine that!

Read Robert Koehler's article to find out what happened to the resolution .... (I'll give you a hint: it wasn't passed).

love your enemies...

Here's a cartoon inspired by an evening spent with MT, Michael Hardin, Jim Robertson and others, discussing mimetic theory, non-violent atonement and other such things.

Does this fit with what you read and see of Jesus in the New Testament? If we are to love our enemies and do good to those who persecute us, wouldn't our heavenly Father do the same, but a zillion times more completely?

[ending the teaching of contempt against the church’s sexual minorities]

Dr. David P. Gushee, a leading evangelical ethicist, has just given an incredible talk at the Reformation Project's Regional Training Conference.

Entitled “Ending the Teaching of Contempt against the Church’s Sexual Minorities”, it is a must-read.


In the talk, he addresses the

unchristlike body of Christian tradition,

amounting to what can be fairly described as a teaching of contempt against one particular group, which was prevalent in the church for centuries until the mid 1900's, and then compares that to a similar teaching of contempt has been directed against another group in more recent years.

Read Dr. Gushee's talk. This is a must-read if you are a Christian serious about your faith.

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Related:
My cartoon about Martin Luther
My cartoon about who is ostracized