[video: we see no enemy]

"We See No Enemy presents five stories told against the backdrop of Israeli-occupied Palestine, creating an anthology of the West Bank. We See No Enemy chronicles the conflict from the perspective of those rarely heard. By weaving these narratives together, We See No Enemy seeks to turn up these inspiring voices to hear their passion and listen to their suffering."

Full video (1 hr 17 min long):

We See No Enemy video from We See No Enemy on Vimeo.

The five stories in the video are as follows, and can be viewed individually by clicking the title. (timing refers to location in full video)

Story 1: Paradise (timing 1-20)
Story of the Al Basma Center, which works with men and women with mental challenges. Half the staff and the clients are Muslim, the other half Christian.

Story 2: Conversion (24-38)
Story of a Palestinian Christian man, who changed his views on how to respond to violence..

Story 3: Hospitality (38 - 49)
The story of the hospitality of a Palestinian man toward others.

Story 4: Trespass (49-59)
The team returns to Palestine, and finds that someone has been into their house. Discussion of what Palestinians face in terms of searches, night raids, evictions, etc.

Story 5: Home (59 - 1:13)
The story of a family forcibly evacuated from their home by police officers, in order to give their house to settlers.

[loving enemies who won't bake cakes for you]

How would you love someone who discriminated against you because of your race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ability or some other reason?

Here's a real life story:

In January 2013, Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of a bakery called "Sweet Cakes by Melissa," refused to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple. The reason they gave for this refusal was their religious beliefs.

The lesbian couple filed a complaint and the bakery was investigated by the Oregon department of labor, which found that there was "substantial evidence of unlawful discrimination." Side note: public accommodations laws in many American states (known as Fair Accommodation Laws in Canada) mean that a business (restaurant, hotel, store, etc.) may not discriminate as to whom they serve. While some folks are unhappy about this as they would like the right to discriminate against lgbt people, this is the same law that means a business cannot serve "whites only" or carry on any of the other discriminatory practices that used to be lawful.

In any case, the department may bring formal charges if the two parties can't come to a settlement.  Formal charges could accompany a fine of up to $150,000.


Now here's where it gets interesting.

Matt Stolhandske, an evangelical, gay rights activist, is trying to raise money to help them pay the fine. Yes, you read that right. He's gay, he's a follower of Jesus, and he's trying to help out the Kleins. Even though he disagrees with their refusal to bake the wedding cake, he wants to help them out. Here's why, in his own words (as quoted at katu.com):

'Stolhandske, who is gay, told KATU his effort is inspired by the teachings of Christ.

“We would like to demonstrate the true character of Jesus Christ, which is to show love in the face of discrimination,” Stolhandske said.

He added: “Exactly at the time of our enemy’s most difficult moment, exactly at the time when we can destroy them, that’s when we must show love.”

Stolhandske qualified that statement, saying the Kleins are his enemy only when it comes to gay rights. Otherwise, he said, the Kleins are his brother and sister in Christ.

“We don’t want to see the destruction of the Klein family or their children,” Stolhandske said. “We don’t want to see the destruction of Christians. We don’t want to see people suffering. What we want to see is the destruction of a system which systematically discriminates against LGBT people.”'

Source

Wow. It seems that for some people, following Jesus is more than just lip service and looking good on Sundays. It's the real deal.

What do you think?

---

Read more:
http://www.katu.com
http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com

See also what would jesus bake? (previous post on this blog)

[sometimes a man's just gotta wear a dress]

Watch the new music video for the song "The Light" by Hollysiz, and you'll know what I mean by the title....







Video link

[doing small things with extraordinary love, article by John Swinton]

In "Doing Small Things with Extraordinary Love: Congregational Care of People Experiencing Mental Health Problems", John Swinton begins with:

The mental health industry is a big and complex beast. Amid the high-tech, neurological, genetic and pharmaceutical landscape it is easy for religious communities to feel nervous and disempowered. "What could we possibly have to offer that might bring healing in the midst of such prohibitively high-tech approaches to mental health care?"

Jean Vanier, founder of L'Arche, provides us with a rather unusual answer: "The church is not called to do extraordinary things; it is called to do ordinary things with extraordinary love." In response to the complexities of the experience of mental health problems, the church's vocation is not to become a community of psychiatrists. Rather, it is called to become a community of disciples who strive to embody and reveal God's extraordinary love.

Read the rest of this excellent article.

Subsection titles:
Understanding mental health problems
The problem of stigma
The ministry of small things: What would Jesus do?
Re-thinking hospitality: Moving from host to guest

Note: Swinton also has a book out called Dementia: Living in the Memories of God which looks excellent! However, my sister got a copy and says it's a "detailed, clinical book," which means that if you are looking for something to help you and your loved one, it might not be the ideal choice.

[prodigal sons: voices from the inside]

This is a blog written by people who are imprisoned, sharing their stories and experiences in prison, with themes of grace, redemption, etc.

Check out the Prodigal Sons blog.

jesus and heaven's wall

You may have seen this picture shared on social media and thought, pretty cool! So did I. 

But did you know there's more to the story?

First, let's recap with a copy of the image text:

Saint Peter and the Angel Gabriel had a problem. Peter was sorting people at the Pearly Gates letting some in and keeping others out, but Gabriel was finding more people in heaven than Peter was letting in. They were befuddled. Gabriel told Peter to keep working and he'd get to the bottom of this. A few hours later he came back and told Peter not to worry; he'd figured it out. "It's Jesus. He's pulling people in over the wall."

(text from picture above)

Now here's the rest of the story:

After talking to Peter, Gabriel went off to his cloud to think. You see, he hadn't told Peter the whole story. He had seen more than he mentioned, more than he wanted to see -- no, even more than he wanted to believe. It was shocking, in fact, and he wasn't sure his heart would hold out.

He had been taking a shortcut to ask another angel about the discrepancy in numbers when ahead in the distance, he noticed a flurry of movement along the wall. Moving closer, he had seen someone using a sledge hammer to make a hole in the wall, a hole through which people were peering.

He had rushed over to put a stop to it, but before he was close enough for the offender to notice him, he realized that it was Jesus himself wielding the sledge hammer. He had pulled back, watching with disbelief, mesmerized by the sight: Jesus breaking the wall and then waving people inwards, saying, "Come in, sisters and brothers, come in," embracing those who were entering.

Gabriel had finally been able to tear himself from the unbelievable sight. Leaving the scene, he took extra time on his way back in order to think of a reasonable story to tell Peter.

I'll tell him that Jesus was pulling people over the wall, Gabriel had finally concluded. Peter shouldn't see that as a problem. After all, Jesus would know who's allowed in and who wasn't, and Peter would be happy that with Jesus' help, the line at the main gate would be shorter. So that's what he told him.

But now, back at his cloud, Gabriel really didn't know what to think, 'cuz Jesus was definitely not checking anyone's ID. He pinched himself in case he was dreaming, and then slapped himself just to be sure. No, I'm really awake and this is really happening, he said to himself. Jesus is actually letting all those people in. I can't even go ask God the Father about this; He and Jesus are so tight that He surely must already know about it.

This is more than I can bear, he sighed. In all my years here I have been so careful to uphold the rules and follow procedure, and now heaven's going to hell in a hand basket....

The rest of the story:
 "jesus and heaven's wall" written by rob g.
Original image shared by friends on FB. Probably from thegodarticle.

[woven]

the ferguson in my own eye

After taking great pride in telling other countries how to be and when to shape up, and actively moving in to help them in this regard, the U.S. is getting some of its own medicine back. It's sounding like a case of having pointed out the speck in someone else's eye and then they turn around and say, 'hey, what about the speck in your eye?!'

Egypt is urging the U.S. to "show restraint against protesters" in Ferguson, MO. Kinda ironic, considering that U.S. President Obama made similar comments to Egypt in 2013 when its government cracked down on protesters.

A government minister from Iran referred to the crisis in Ferguson as a sign of "the phenomenon of racism" in the west.

And China also had something to say. (source)

Here's an imaginary response from my own government:

And in case you thought Canada was a better place... it might be for black people but what if you are aboriginal?

We have our own sordid history to deal with, and our own batch of systemic racism....

come to me, all you who are weary and burdened...

(Read about what inspired this cartoon).

if anyone stumbles...

Young people leaving the church. Young people being kicked out of church, or kicked out of their homes by their religious parents. Because they're gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or whatever, and by whatever, I mean whatever - sexual orientation or otherwise.

I'm tired of it happening, and it makes me sad and mad. Where did we lose Jesus?

---

If anyone causes one of these little ones — those who believe in me — to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Matthew 18:6 NIV

[forsaken]

I don't generally get super-angry and riled up when I read about rebels in some other country killing school children, or large corporations avoiding labour laws and increasing profits by moving their operations to other countries. It's wrong, and something should be done about it. But I don't get super-angry, because "that's what you expect from rebels" and "that's what you expect corporations to be doing". (Perhaps my non-anger is a problem, but we'll leave that for another post).

But once in a while I read an article which makes me really angry, because I expect more of those who are doing wrong. 

Case in point:

A recent Rolling Stone article gives this disturbing finding from a recent study:

Highly religious parents are significantly more likely than their less-religious counterparts to reject their children for being gay – a finding that social-service workers believe goes a long way toward explaining why LGBT people make up roughly five percent of the youth population overall, but an estimated 40 percent of the homeless-youth population.

So much for "the least of these."

Read it for yourself if you want something to be angry about.

The next two cartoons were inspired by reading this article...

---

Believe Out Loud also has a shorter article about a recent video/audio recording which received broad exposure on the internet, of a set of Christian parents rejecting their gay son.

[making friends among the taliban, by jonathan larson]

Making friends with the Taliban?? You gotta be kidding me!

Yet that is what this book is about: a Christian peacemaker spending decades in Afghanistan and, in the process becoming friends with the Taliban.

"[C]hildhood friend Jonathan Larson retraces Dan’s work in Afghanistan over almost four decades. During the successive power struggles among royal regimes, the Red Army, warlords, the Taliban, and the American-led coalition, Dan inspired small Afghan communities to seek a sweeter destiny for themselves. Using a cascade of interviews and eyewitness accounts, this moving narrative of Dan’s life and friendships in Afghanistan offers us all a model for authentic living wherever we are." (from the book site)

My first knowledge of the book came from reading a review at the Raven Foundation, and that was enough to show me my own prejudice towards the Taliban, of whom I only knew what the western media told me. I have now read the sample chapter, and am hoping to get hold of the book to read the entire story.

One quote: 'His Afghan friends claimed, “In the greatest commandments of our scripture–to practice humility; to be generous to widows, the orphans, and the poor; and to be selfless and persevering in the search for justice and peace–Dantri was more Muslim than we Muslims.”'

Book site (includes trailer, sample chapter, study guide and more).
Review with mimetic focus (at Raven Foundation).

Making Friends among the Taliban: A Peacemaker's Journey in Afghanistan
Jonathan Larson
(Herald Press, 2012)

blessed are the peacemakers

This cartoon was inspired by one of my sons posting on FB a saying that starts with "Bombing for peace is like... " and ends with a rude but true phrase. And then, well, my brain took over and came up with this cartoon.

What do you think?

As an alternative, I had considered altering the great commission from Matthew 28:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and bombing for peace wherever you go.

[letters from apartheid street by michael mcray]

Letters from Apartheid Street: A Christian Peacemaker in Occupied Palestine chronicles the three months which Michael McRay spent with Christian Peacemaker Teams in the West Bank.

Here's one brief snippet:

"As they approached the end of the Old City, one of the soldiers in the back turned and quickly pointed the barrel of his weapon into an elderly man’s shop.  The store owner sat out in front, his head just beneath the level of the gun’s barrel.  He simply looked up at the soldiers passing his shop, bowed his head, lifted up his hand, palm upwards, and said, “Ahlan wasahlan (you are most welcome).”  His response so caught me off guard I laughed out loud.  Here was an Israeli soldier, a member of the military occupying this Palestinian man’s land, who walked the streets of Hebron to protect the Jewish settlers who were illegally taking more and more land from this man and his people.  In short, there walked his enemy.

And this Muslim man extended his hand in humble invitation.  Resistance." (source)




Read McRay's story of darkness cannot drive out darkness.

Richard Beck's review at the Christian Scholars Conference, focusing on the temptations to hate, to heroism, and to despair that he feels any passionate and activist Christian would face.

Author's website: michaelmcray.com

how to tell if an Amish person...

A light-hearted look at how one might be able to tell that an Amish person is gay or lesbian. Inspired by a book cover which features a real photo similar to the drawing in the upper right.

And yes, there are websites for LGBT people who are Amish (example).

[fighting stereotypes about aboriginal people]

KC Adams, a Winnipeg artist, has created a series of photographs to fight against stereotypes about aboriginal people.

The series consists of paired photographs, one with a slur with question marks, the second giving the person's name and some words describing them.

What do you think?

Five more photographs and background information on the series:

Artist's website.

[buffalo shout, salmon cry]

Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry: Conversations on Creation, Land Justice, and Life Together is the title of a provocative new book published by Herald Press.

"How can North Americans come to terms with the lamentable clash between indigenous and settler cultures, spiritualities, and attitudes toward creation? Showcasing a variety of voices both traditional and Christian, native and non-native "Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry" offers up alternative histories, radical theologies, and poetic, life-giving memories that can unsettle our souls and work toward reconciliation.

This book is intended for all who are interested in healing historical wounds of racism, stolen land, and cultural exploitation. Essays on land use, creation, history, and faith appear among poems and reflections by people across ethnic and religious divides. The writers do not always agree in fact, some are bound to raise readers' defenses. But they represent the hard truths that we must hear before reconciliation can come."

(from Mennonite Church of Canada Resource website)

More info on this book, including links to reviews and to two podcasts by the Editor.

[tim's place - a gift to the world]

Video link

This is a "feel good" story about Tim Harris, a young man with Down Syndrome, who had big dreams and they came true. Quite amazing. But there's two other things that are worth mentioning:

The personal touch that comes from Tim hugging almost everyone who comes in the door. 

How different from the fast food restaurants that we frequent! And perhaps also different from "the peace" at church where many only shake hands and some do not even look into the other's eyes.

Secondly, in the video, Tim says, "I do not let my disability crush the dreams. People with disabilities, they can do anything they set their minds to. We're special. We are a gift to the world."

We do not often think of those who are different from us, and especially those who are at the margins, as a gift to the world. They are also a gift to the church, making it a richer place, yet how often do we think about this? And how broad and deep are we willing to see the gift as being?

http://timsplaceabq.com/

peace in palestine

It's strange how ideas and beliefs can slip in almost unnoticed.

An excerpt from the prayers at a Sunday morning church service:

We especially today pray for the Middle East, for the people of Israel and the Gaza Strip that a permanent ceasefire may be accomplished, that the people of Gaza will accept the existence of Israel as the rest of the Arab world has, so that Hamas will stop firing rockets into Israel forcing the Israelis to retaliate with their much stronger military. We pray to you, Lord, for all the innocent people killed or wounded on both sides and for the great despair of all people everywhere in refugee camps.

At communion I am told:

The blood of Christ shed for you.

And I wonder, was it also shed for the Palestinians?

At the end of the service we hear:

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

And I wonder, what kind of peace and at what cost?

[a muslim movement that says, we are all Christians]

Here's some remarkable news from Iraq.

Militants who are part of the "Islamic State" have begun marking a red Arabic "N" on the homes of Christians, N standing for Nazarene, to identify them as enemies who need to convert.

In response, a group of American Christians working in Iraq with the Preemptive Love Coalition began tagging photos with "#WeAreN." That's interesting, but not remarkable.

What's remarkable is that shortly thereafter, Muslims and other minorities realized that "if one group is marked, we are all marked" and began marking themselves with the "N" to say "We are Iraqi. We are Christians." In other words, while not changing their religious beliefs, they proclaimed their solidarity with their Christian brothers and sisters who were being persecuted.

Is that kind of like the good Samaritan being the one who helped the man who had been robbed, after the priest and the Levite walked on by?


Read the whole story of "Behind #WeAreN: 'If One Group is Marked, We're All Marked'.

[glad to hear from us... whenever]

God is glad to hear from us, wherever and whenever. Jeff Chu tells this story:

On my flight home after meeting with Bryan, I try to find a word to describe what he is seeking from God. I'm reminded of an anecdote Lupe shared: "Let's say there's a woman and she's a prostitute. At night, she falls into bed exhausted. As she goes to sleep, she cries, 'God, help me!' She wants to be helped. But then she gets up the next morning, she prays, she gets ready for work, and she goes to turn tricks. At the end of her day, she says again, 'God, help me!' What is that? Is that a woman who loves God and is crying out? Is that a woman who God is not going to reach out to until she stops sinning?"

In a soft maternal voice she answered her own question. "After years of listening to people's stories, I tend to think God knows she's trapped. He loves her," she said. "He's glad to hear from her. Whenever."

Lupe then questioned the premise of her question. So which woman is it--the desperate one who is truly seeking God's aid, or the forsaken one who needs to turn to face God before He'll face her? Maybe it's not one or the other. Maybe it's both. Maybe God will meet a prostitute--or a gay man or anyone--wherever he or she is, just as Jesus met the adulterous Samaritan woman at the well before she stopped sinning.

From Does Jesus Really Love Me? A Gay Christian's Pilgrimage in Search of God in America by Jeff Chu, page 125.  http://doesjesusreallyloveme.com/

excommunicated

Are there similar grounds for excommunicating you?

cruci-fix

Having problems with too many undesirable people coming to your church?

Here's a great solution:

If you haven't heard, there's been some controversy over "anti-homeless spikes" appearing in various places -- outside a record store in London England, in an apartment entry in Montreal, and more. While supposedly intended to stop loitering or to reduce anti-social behaviour, they result in reducing the places where homeless people can find "shelter" at night.

After some outcry, including the mayor of Montreal insisting they be removed as that is not the image he wants for Montreal, most spikes were removed. The bigger question, asked by Matthew Pearce of Montreal's Old Brewery Mission, is: what is really going to be done for the homeless? Do we just want to look like we're not mean to the homeless, or are we going to do something positive and effective?

But seriously, what I'm asking here is: in what ways are the behaviours and attitudes of Christians functioning like the spikes? Functioning in such a way that when people see a building with a cross on it, they feel unwelcome, unwanted, judged and rejected?

[wwjb?]

what would jesus bake? and who would jesus bake for?

Forcing a Christian to bake a cake for a gay wedding is like forcing an African-American to bake a cake for the KKK.

Richard Land, Evangelical Pastor

I’d rather go to jail than make a cake for a gay wedding.

Jack Phillips, Christian Baker

If someone compels you to bake a cake for them, bake them two cakes.

Jesus, servant to all

Matthew 5:38-42, paraphrased for our time and culture.

p.s.
And you'd better make sure they are good cakes too!

rob g

---

On a related note, Tony Campolo tells this story about throwing a birthday party for a prostitute:

Read Tony's story about the birthday party for a prostitute.

If video is not embedded, click here to watch it on YouTube.

why god doesn't go to church

Instead, God is in the thin places, the liminal places, the margins, the bars and bath houses, the back alleys, the streets of the city....



p.s. thanks c.r. for leaving room for god.

the love family

Oncle and Auntie and Silas

God loves everyone and when people hate Him, He loves them still. He sings the love song to us and we love him always.  Jesus is powerful. 

By Silas Brandle,

May 31, 2014

the true story of the prodigal son

There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

I am the son who went and asked his father for his share of the estate.

He gave it to me without hesitation, which surprised me.

It surprised me because I had never heard of a son ask for his share of the estate. Even more, when I asked some of my peers in the neighbourhood what would happen if a son asked for his share, they were horrified at the idea. They couldn't imagine a son ever asking his father for his share.

“That would be like wishing him to be dead,” they said. “No one would do that, and even if someone did, his father would beat him for it.”

So I was surprised when he gave me my share.

But I was also not surprised.

eleven

Trigger warning: topic of suicide

[lgbt rights around the world]

The Guardian has just posted a survey of lgbt rights around the world, focusing on five areas:

1. Is sex between consenting lgbt adults legal?
2. Are lgbt people protected against discrimination in the workplace?
3. Do lgbt people have the right to marry?
4. Are same-sex couples eligible to apply for adoption?
5. Does the country’s legal system consider hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity to be an aggravating circumstance?

These are rights which those of us who are straight never have to think about. But for many lgbt people around the world, these rights are often limited or non-existent. (I'm pleased that Canada, the country I live in, allows for all five of these).

Take a global tour yourself, using the interactive charts to see the current state of lgbt rights, at the Guardian's website.

[the hug poem, by bradley hathaway]

Thanks to Wes for pointing this video out to me.

nietzsche at heaven's door

Philosopher Guiseppe Fornari, writing in A God Torn to Pieces: The Nietzsche Case, makes this rather shocking claim:

“In the end [Nietzsche] was much closer to Christ than many who would claim to be Christians.”


As Adam Ericksen explains in his review of Fornari's book,

Who was the Christ that Nietzsche rejected and that many Christians do not know? It’s the Christ who says from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Nietzsche rejected Christ because he couldn’t believe in a God who offers this universal forgiveness. And the truth is that many who claim to be Christians can’t believe in that God either.

In fact, while many Christians demonize Nietzsche with their words, they actually agree with him with their actions.

Ouch.

---

Read the rest of Adam's comments here.

Note: I have not read Fornari's book yet, nor can I confirm whether or not Nietzsche is in heaven.

However, I do believe that God knows us all by name, and so the man we often refer to as "Nietzsche" is a human being named Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, who is loved by God.  And I believe that God is bigger than us and our ideas (and statements) about Him, and bigger than our ideas about whom we will see in heaven when we get there....

streaking

Russell D. Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said in an interview (source):

"There's always a pragmatic streak in evangelicalism that negotiates away orthodoxy for cultural acceptance."


My observation:

"There's often a dogmatic streak in evangelicalism that negotiates away mercy for self righteousness."


What do you think?

[city of god: faith in the streets, by sara miles]

city of god: faith in the streets is another fascinating book by sara miles. The book is about her experiences around Ash Wednesday, the people in her neighbourhood and church, and taking the ashes to the people in the streets.

A very good read. Not many sections which are highly quotable, other than this one where Sara quotes someone else:

As the Orthodox theologian Demetrios Constantelos points out, in a commentary upending many assumptions about evangelism: "It is the Spirit which moves where it wills, whose presence and operation is everywhere and all-encompassing. The Spirit of God may not be where one would like to see it and it may be where one refuses to see it.  Thus it is impossible to define the boundaries of God's people."

(p. 138)

Here's the official description from Amazon:

Paradise is a garden...but heaven is a city.
From the acclaimed author of Take This Bread and Jesus Freak comes a powerful new account of venturing beyond the borders of religion into the unpredictable territory of faith.

On Ash Wednesday, 2012, Sara Miles and her friends left their church buildings and carried ashes to the buzzing city streets: the crowded dollar stores, beauty shops, hospital waiting rooms, street corners and fast-food joints of her neighborhood. They marked the foreheads of neighbors and strangers, sharing blessings with waitresses and drunks, believers and doubters alike.

CITY OF GOD narrates the events of the day in vivid detail, exploring the profound implications of touching strangers with a reminder of common mortality. As the story unfolds, Sara Miles also reflects on life in her city over the last two decades, where the people of God suffer and rejoice, building community amid the grit and beauty of this urban landscape.

CITY OF GOD is a beautifully written personal narrative, rich in complex, real-life characters, and full of the "wild, funny, joyful, raucous, reverent" moments of struggle and faith that have made Miles one of the most enthralling Christian writers of our time.

our hearts are with you

jesus senyonjo

That priest is the retired Rev. Disani Christopher Senyonjo, a former Anglican Bishop in Uganda.

His "makeshift church in the Ugandan capital of Kampala has attracted many gays who are familiar with his sympathetic views in a country where anti-gay religious fervor has encouraged public anger and violence against homosexuals."

The AP reported,
"They said I should condemn the homosexuals," he said, referring to Anglican leaders in Uganda. "I can't do that, because I was called to serve all people, including the marginalized. But they say I am inhibited until I recant. I am still a member of the Anglican church."

(source)

The religious leaders in Jesus' day wanted Him to reject sinners, avoid lepers, ignore Samaritans, denounce women caught in adultery, and more... yet He stood with the least of these. Why is this so difficult to do for those who claim to follow Jesus?

How will you trigger the Jesus sensors today?


Background info:
In December 2013, the Uganda government passed the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which criminalizes same-sex relations and provides for penalties including life imprisonment. This bill was supported by many religious leaders in Uganda and some in other parts of the world.

beloved

[walking with our sisters: exhibit]

"Over 800+ native women and girls in Canada have been reported missing or have been murdered in the last 20 years. Many vanished without a trace with inadequate inquiry into their disappearance or murders paid by the media, the general public, politicians and even law enforcement. This is a travesty of justice.

Walking With Our Sisters is by all accounts a massive commemorative art installation comprised of 1,726+ pairs of moccasin vamps (tops) created and donated by hundreds of caring and concerned individuals to draw attention to this injustice. The large collaborative art piece will be made available to the public through selected galleries and locations."

For more information:
walkingwithoursisters.ca

primitive religion

And as time has passed, it seems that many of us have not gotten past primitive religion....

There are exceptions, of course, going both ways -- some even more primitive, and some more Christ-like.


You may have heard about the recent death of Fred Phelps, the pastor of Westboro Baptist Church, a church known for picketing at the funerals of gay people and soldiers, a church infamous for its "god hates fags" website.

As the news came out, there was a whole range of reactions, from those who proposed picketing his funeral in a similar manner to what his church had done, to others who hoped that Fred would finally understand God's grace.

My heart was most touched by what his granddaughter Megan Phelps-Roper, who left WBC a few years ago, tweeted:

An eye for an eye does leave the whole world blind.

Hatred for enemies leaves the whole world broken, no matter how we try to disguise it with "I love them but I don't love their sin".

Megan understands that Jesus has his arms wide open to all of us. Love and grace and mercy abound for everyone.

who would jesus stone?

.... and we all know forever is a very long time.

Jesus stoning people? Rather an outrageous idea, don'tcha think?

What inspired this sick cartoon commentary on Jesus and the effects of playing Xbox, was the message which a church in New York City put on its sign this month (March, 2014), a message which is not funny in the slightest:

Jesus would stone homos, the sign says. It then quotes four verses and concludes with, "Stoning is still the law."

Would Jesus really stone gay and lesbian people? Let's use their four verses of choice to consider the answer:

Here's a breakdown of the verses, each with a summary and a comment by me:

Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus speaks about not abolishing the law but fulfilling it.

Jesus did not get rid of the Old Testament law about stoning... (fairly clear) but came to fulfill it (the meaning of this is up for discussion). Doesn't support their premise.

Leviticus 20:13

Putting to death men who have sex with men.

Fairly clear verse, but doesn't tell us what Jesus would do, especially considering that Jesus broke other Old Testament rules, like working on the Sabbath, associating with sinners, etc.

Deuteronomy 17:5-7

About stoning people who do evil things and worshiped the stars, sun and moon.

Strange choice of verse, as it does not mention same-sex relations, and there are other verses about stoning which could have been included. Again, does not tell us if Jesus would stone people who do evil things.

John 8:1-11

Ironically, this is the passage about the teachers of the law and the Pharisees bringing the woman caught in adultery to Jesus... and you might know the rest of the story (if not, read it here).

Perhaps they included this passage because Jesus did not object to stoning, but said that whoever is without sin should throw the first stone, thus supposedly legitimizing stoning and suggesting that he (being sinless) could have stoned her?

And that's what makes this choice of verse so ironic, because the Jesus who the pastor of ATLAH claims "would stone homos", the Jesus who is without sin, did not stone the woman! Claims like those made by ATLAH are projections of their own hatred and bias, in religious disguise and with false Biblical justification.

The idea of Jesus stoning anyone is simply inconsistent with his life. And if I have to choose between verses and the life of Jesus, I'll take the life of Jesus anytime.

[shared meals as the message of jesus]

By simply sitting at table with those widely regarded as morally contemptible, Jesus earned the scorn of the Pharisees and other strict observers of Jewish custom. By sharing meals with those considered by the religiously righteous to be outcasts and sinners, Jesus challenged "the central ordering principle of the Jewish social world." As Geza Vermes puts it, Jesus "took his stand among the pariahs of the world, those despised by the respectable. Sinners were his table-companions and the ostracized tax collectors and prostitutes were his friends." The meals Jesus shared with the outcasts were not, therefore, simply the occasion for the delivery of his message. They were the message. They served as "prophetic signs" meant to manifest the meaning of Jesus' ministry. They involved what Borg speaks of as a "radical relativizing of cultural distinctions."

Violence Unveiled: Humanity at the Crossroads, Gil Bailie, p. 213

This is the Jesus I want to follow.


Violence Unveiled is a fascinating book about myth, gospel, culture, mimetic theory and much more. I will be rereading it, and perhaps quoting more from it later. From a writing perspective, what I especially appreciate about it is that when Bailie refers to other literature, philosophers, and so on - which he does often, he provides quotes and context so that a reader like me is not at a loss.

lent

[progress of human rights in canada]

It's easy to see the shortcomings of others, and to ignore one's own failings.

This is noticeable, for example, in the American focus on commemorating the Nazi holocaust while ignoring its own holocaust.

This is noticeable in my life as I thought that Canada - my country - has been doing okay while our neighbour to the south has been pretty messed up. And then on the weekend, I came across the Canadian Human Rights Commission website and read through our own history.... which is pretty horrible.

For a sobering starting point, read this summary of what things were like in Canada in the early 1900's.

While the CHRC site also covers the negative aspects in our history, the highlights which I summarize here show how many of the human rights we take for granted in Canada have become a reality only semi-recently.

1918: Women received the right to voted federally (Caucasian women only)
1922: Married Women's Property Act (married women are allowed to own property)
1929: Women are legally considered persons.

giving up chocolate for lent

Giving up chocolate for Lent is hard if you are a chocolate lover. Other people choose to give up eating meat, or Facebook, or an activity of some sort or other. The idea is to remove something which distracts us from God and from preparing for Easter.

What about the deeper things which are often so much a part of us that we hardly are conscious of their existence? Or those things we are aware of and should give up, yet have no idea how?


Check out the top 100 things people are giving up for Lent.

new "welcome" statues to reflect canada's history

Canada opens its arms wide
Gov't Sees New Role for Our Country as Asylum for the Oppressed

The Canadian government announced today that it will be actively opening its doors to those in other countries who are experiencing discrimination, and expediting their entry into Canada. Officials at Immigration Canada say that the plans had been discussed for some time, and were finalized earlier this week.

"It's time that Canada, a pioneer in human rights, sets an example for the world by embracing those who are unwelcome in their countries of origin, and who are in many cases oppressed. We are not just talking about those seeking political asylum, but also and specifically about men and women from sexual minorities whose lives are in danger," said Prime Minister Harper. He emphasized that rather than just talk, this initiative provides real support and help to individuals and families.

Along with getting the word out worldwide about our welcome and the new immigration procedures, the government plans to erect large statues at key points along each of our borders. The statues will face towards the border, with their arms open to the world, and will feature key Canadians.

Welcome Statues

As Canada is already a diverse country, the proposed welcome statues will be the most visible part of this new initiative for most Canadians.

According to sources, the concept is to show the diversity of Canada while also connecting to real Canadians and to key points in our history. Final decisions have not been made, but some of the people said to be on the shortlist include Viola Desmond, Lily Shinde, Louis Riel and k.d. lang.

Viola Desmond, a black Canadian living in Halifax, was arrested in November of 1946 for sitting in the whites-only section of a theatre. She was subsequently charged and convicted of tax evasion (as the whites-only section cost more, she had not paid the additional sales tax!) This took place nine years before the more well-known bus incident with Rosa Parks in the U.S.. Ms. Desmond was posthumously pardoned in 2010.

arizona

As anti-discrimination  legislation is slowing making its way across the U.S., the backlash often takes the form of claiming that such things infringe on one's religious freedom.

Several cases have gotten into the news: a wedding photographer who was sued after refusing to take photos at a same-sex wedding, a Christian baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple, and Christian bed and breakfast owners who did not want a gay couple staying at their B&B and ended up in court.

So there are demands for exceptions to the non-discrimination laws, so that a person of faith is not obliged to do things against their conscience and faith.

I get this, sort of.

jesus vermin

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did to me.’

 (Matt 25:40 NIV/robg)

---

Background, from Reuters:

Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh on Tuesday (Feb. 18, 2014) called homosexuals "vermin" and said his government would tackle them in the same way it fights malaria-causing mosquitoes.

The latest comments from Jammeh, who last year branded gays a threat to humanity, coincide with a renewed crackdown on same-sex relationships in Africa, where homosexuality is taboo and illegal in 37 countries.

In recent months, Nigeria has outlawed same-sex relationships and Uganda has voted for life imprisonment for some homosexual acts.

"We will fight these vermins called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes, if not more aggressively," Jammeh said in a speech on state television to mark the 49th anniversary of Gambia's independence from Britain.

....

Can you imagine Jesus saying such things? Or treating another person like that?

I can't. Not for one moment.

f bomb

As our priest said in the sermon this past Sunday, quoting C.S. Lewis:

Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.

but for the grace...

 

"There but for the grace of God go I...." How often have you heard someone say this, when seeing or hearing of someone less fortunate, someone in trouble, someone who's messed up their life?

What does it mean? It means that I could easily be there where they are, except for God's grace which has kept me out of that situation.

And what follows from this, is the unspoken conclusion: God's grace hasn't been there to keep them out of the situation.

Does this mean that His grace is selective -- it chooses some and not others? He gives grace to some and leaves others in the dirt? That He might be everywhere, but doesn't always take a supply of grace along? Spelled out like that, what do you think? Is this what you believe?

How about this idea instead:

[hold on to the center]

Miroslav Volf, speaking about I Peter, says it sums up "the New Testament teaching about how a marginalized group of Christians ought to be situated in the world"

Here's an excerpt from the part where he talks about the sectarian character of the church:

Often people think in terms of sect, or church, of someone who's really close to the power or to the margins of the power.

...

What I found interesting in 1 Peter is how it cuts across -- how it completely muddles these distinctions. I think it muddles these around the central commitment to Jesus Christ.

And so it's not that I orient myself over and against the social groups by drawing boundaries, but rather, I am oriented around the center and boundaries fall as they might, as they will.
And the difference ends up being much softer then, as I don't have to shore up the boundaries to be distinct; I can hold on to the center and it guarantees sufficiently my distinctness.

Wouldn't that make a big difference? Wouldn't that help us move away from the dominant view of the church and Christians as being against rather than being for something?

View the entire 8 minute video: Honor Everyone, which includes discussion of differences, being on the margins, honoring everyone, and clashes between religions and between the sacreds, etc.

See also Adam Ericksen's article about being secure in oneself rather than one's identity being found in hostility toward the other.