Living life with steps of faith

I'm pretty sure our President meant "C'est la vie" when he tweeted "Despite the negative press covfefe."  See, it would read, "Despite the negative press  Such is life."

I was just reading the "Likings and Loves for the Sub-Human" chapter of C.S. Lewis' "The Four Loves" and was struck by his definition of what patriotism is and is not.  Lewis explains patriotism as caring for your home country despite of its weaknesses.  He warns that when patriotism becomes based upon the value or worth of your home in comparison to that of others it becomes diseased. It isn't because your home is "good" that you are patriotic, but it is because it is your home. This was really insightful for me, as I've struggled with the whole concept of patriotism since 9/11.  In fact I think many have struggled with this idea, because it has become so closely linked with "righteousness."  But what is righteous about the war in Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Iraq? And this is where Lewis' words really spoke to me and have made me reconsider my own generations' response to war.  He writes: Where the sentiment of patrioti...

Sometimes a person can be oversensitive as a result of legitimate past hurt, but that doesn't mean their sensitivity is accurate. What do you think of this statement? Sometimes I wonder if one of the consequences of systemic injustice against a group of people who share a feature in common is that some individuals within such a group become ultra-sensitive which heightens the injustice. I've seen this in fellow women clergy. Where comments and events not at all related to their experience all of a sudden become related to their experience. I've seen this in peers who are of a minority race. Someone's kindness is discredited even though the person is genuinely kind to stranger and friend alike. I've seen this in people who have faced injustices in the criminal justice system. A police officer pulls him over for speeding and he thinks all cops are out to get him, even though the speed trap was set up before anyone knew he'd be driving down that ...

I was just searching the Internet looking for a middle-eastern nativity scene for purchase.  In that search I came across a brief article about a human-sized "political" nativity scene that was vandalized at a church.  I thought this a bit strange, and realized that a Christian could be charged with vandalizing a Christian nativity scene, because they considered it sacrilegious, but if a Muslim stole an image of Muhammad, because they found it offensive, it might be considered practicing religious freedom. In our society, to some degree certain religious beliefs and commitments are idolized, whereas others are scrutinized - and not with the same measure.  In this fictional scenario, the media and protestors would be up in arms advocating for the Muslim who rightfully was defending Mohammad, and would also be up in arms in opposition to the Christian who was defending Jesus.  At the same time, in other parts of our country, the Muslim would not even have a chance t...

For over a year now, God has been speaking to me about the topic of homosexuality.  I am now waiting anxiously for a book on "Gay Theology" to arrive in the mail.  This morning I read the 5th chapter of 1 Corinthians which addresses a sexual immorality "that does not occur even among pagans" and that is of a Christian man having intercourse with his father's wife. Yesterday I had a conversation with a co-worker about homosexuality.  She asked me about the passage in the Old Testament that is dismissed by people because it is "just an Old Testament law and we don't follow those anyways."  I believe she was referring to Leviticus 18:22. SACRIFICIAL LAW SYSTEM I find it a bit amusing when people choose to discredit this verse.  Yes, there are different types of laws in the Old Testament and many Christians choose to no longer follow those laws.  For example, Christians believe they are released from the priestly laws of the sacrificial system be...

“If the entire Israelite community sins by violating one of the LORD’s commands, but the people don’t realize it, they are still guilty.” – Leviticus 4:13  Before I went to seminary, I had never heard of corporate sin, or at least I had never heard it named that way before.   Of course, I was aware of pollution, racism, and the like, but I had thought of these social issues as individual problems – a bunch of individuals acting sinfully, not as a community sinning in one accord.   Then I was challenged to read an Emilie M. Townes book on womanism.   Womanism is the feminism of African-Americans who carry the weight of both gender and racial injustice.   And I was amazed and convicted by what I read.   I learned that there are both systems we establish and support and cultural rhythms that we practice as a community that are sinful.   I learned that when we concede to a cultural habit or system that perpetuates a sin, we are corporately sinning.  ...

Fatherhood. This is a word with much power. When we hear the word a variety of emotions and images come to mind, how they are shaped are dependent upon our personal experiences with our own father. In the church, there is a wide range of attitudes toward the title “Father” and its use in the church. There are movements that encourage men “to be men” and other movements that strive for gender equality and sensitivity in addressing God as Father. I suspect that there is a profound reason for God choosing to reveal Himself as “Father.” Perhaps God knew just how much this role would need to be redeemed. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2004 Current Population Survey Report “Household Relationship and Living Arrangements of Children Under 18 Years, by Age, Sex, Race, Hispanic Origin,” 23.6 million children (that is basically 1 in 3 children) in the U.S. are “orphaned” by absent biological fathers. The absence of a father makes it 5 times more likely that a child will grow up in ...

I think it is interesting that only a little over 1/3 of women surveyed think abortions are morally acceptable, while about 70% of all people surveyed think divorce is acceptable. Why are the conservatives spending so much time fighting against homosexuality - shouldn't they be saying something about divorce?

29 Minutes for 29 Miners: Unplug to Remember Lives Lost Type: Causes - Rally Date: Thursday, April 29, 2010 Time: 7:00pm - 7:30pm Location: Everywhere and Anywhere Description At the end of every plug and light switch, thousands of hard workers are toiling away in the dark in order to keep our lights on. On April 29th remember the cherished lives of the 29 people who died in the April 5th Upper Big Branch mine disaster by powering down from 7 to 7:29 pm EST. Unplug electronics, switch off your lights, or turn off your cell phone. Let's honor those who provide the fuel for over half of our electricity! Please help me to promote this event by adding a similar post to your blog and encouraging others to do the same! Just one blog post - pretty simple! In January I went on an immersion study trip to eastern Kentucky in the Appalachian Mountains. The team that I joined was made up of seminary students from across the country. We wanted to do something in response to the recent mine d...

Imagine this: Israel's two arch-enemies worshipping God alongside Israel! Imagine this: The wholeness of God's people being illustrated by Israel and Israel's oppressors! Imagine this: God using the same language to identify Egypt and Assyria that God uses to identify His chosen people Israel! Check out this passage, and see the amazing long-term reconciling plan of God: "On that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of the Sun." Note: language of Canaan is a language that worships God. "On that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the center of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt; when they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior, and will defend and deliver them. The LORD will make himself known to t...

Recently I became aware of how significantly the absence of fathers in today's culture is impacting society. It is incredible how we can examine nearly any social problem today and find a place where the absence of fathers has had a negative impact on the area of social concern. As a result of this recent raised awareness, I'm going to be intentional about posting on the topic of fatherlessness and fatherhood on this blog. To start, I'd like to direct your attention to a recent blog post by Roland Warren of the National Fatherhood Initiative: http://thefatherfactor.blogspot.com/2009/11/crime-of-fatherlessness.html

Throughout the New Testament, the slave-master relationship is used in an allegorical manner to point to the relationship between the disciple and God. In our present Western circumstances, we dismiss slavery as something that is not honoring to God. Another Scriptural allegory that is used to represent the relationship between Christ and the church is the groom-bride relationship. While all Christians recognize this allegory in Scripture, some give it greater influence and priority over other allegories. More specifically, in today's modern debate over homosexuality, it seems as though this allegory is revered in more conservative circles. I wonder how we as believers can use this allegory in an argument against homosexuality, while at the same time read allegories about slavery and still argue against slavery? This seems like an inconsistent interpretation of Scripture. What are we to do with this? Are we willing to admit that we think slavery is right? Do we explain away thi...

Tonight in class we discussed the role of music in social justice movements in Nicaragua, South Korea, and South Africa. While the South Korea presentation was somewhat uplifting, I was overwhelmed by my place of privilege and the negative role of the United States government in supporting some of these negative regimes. There is a part of me that wants to throw off all of my privilege, but I recognize that it is not something that I can escape, rather it is something of which I must be aware. Listening to the stories and histories also reminds me of how vulnerable my privilege is and how while in one moment I want to throw it off in another I am fearful of what it would mean to involuntarily lose it! I suspect that it is this feeling of fear of being left completely involuntarily vulnerable to another that causes so many people to cling so tightly to their privilege to the detriment of others. This is where I believe our faith in God must enter into our understanding of human relation...

Check out this article aboout the propositions on state ballots this election: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/october/20.31.html

As I am reading various texts for my New Testament class, I am reminded both of God's instruction to the Hebrews to regularly forgive debt and the Israelites recognition of calamity as a message requesting repentance. I wonder how the Hebrew Word of God speaks to our contemporary situation. I also wonder how the words of Jesus spoken to people living in a possibly similar time of economic crisis and empire rule speak to us today. For one, I wonder why we are taking out more loans in order to "cure" our economic ill. Is there a way that we could make a move of debt forgiveness? What would happen, if, the President or Congress announced that every single debt held within the U.S. is forgiven and that all the books need to be cleared and new books created? I recognize that there are a lot of challenges to this proposal, specifically because our money has become electronic. But, is there some way that this principal of forgiveness could be applied to our current situatio...

“The Master needs them.” I never knew or understood the power of those words until the day I started my present internship. “The White House would like to…” “Master” – what power in that word, a power that seems to be missing from my life. “Boss.” So? “Minister” Yeah, well we all are. “King” There is only one. I’m not the type of person who is impressed by a title. The President of the United States, a movie star, Martin Luther King, Jr…. the list goes on and on, but they are all still human beings with strengths and weaknesses, loves and failings, jobs, hobbies, family, friends, and a variety of roles. Earlier today, as I sat in the Capitol, I thought, “If President Bush came up and said ‘hi!’ I think I would greet him just as I would greet anyone.” And then I am challenged to meditate only on a few verses of Scripture and to limit myself to just a few. And I read those words “The Master needs them.” How Powerful! Capital “M.” “The” definitive “Master.” Yet it is because...

"Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets." - Amos 3:7 "He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth-- the LORD God Almighty is his name." - Amos 4:13 (NIV)

When it comes to life there are some things that are a matter of opinion and others that are a matter of fact. In order for something to be fact, it does not necessarily require that it is testable, but rather that it is something that could potentially be qualified as true or untrue. For example, I could say "I like the color orange." Now if I like something or don't like something is a matter of my opinion, but the statement "I like the color orange" could be either a true or an untrue statement. In this case, it is not a true statement, I do not like the color orange, thus it is a false fact. My opinion is if I like something, the fact is whether my statement is true or not. When we begin to discuss matters of faith, we have the potential of confusing fact and opinion. This potential is heightened when we are trying to show respect or understanding in regard to the beliefs of others. Take for example the question of God's existence . Now, some would like...

Liberalism is as conservative as conservatism and I am disappointed. I listen to classmates speak about their own belief and worldview systems and hear the undertoned assumption of the "rightness" to what they say. It is okay for liberal Christians to give political sermons that condemn the war in Iraq, but there is something wrong about the conservative Christians who support the war. (?) Both dichotomous groups have a methodology of reason by which they come to their own conclusions about knowledge and truth, and see these methods and epistemologies as superior to those who do not hold the same system of thought. It is as if the divide between liberals and conservatives falls down on political issues and "right" thinking, but I always thought the difference was over one's understanding of truth or Truth. (Some might say that the difference is whether one was able to hear and honestly consider another's thoughts, beliefs, and reasonings.) Some conservati...

Okay, I will probably refrain from many political comments regarding our upcoming presidential election, but I have one brief thought: Although it is fun to watch the excitement and discussions surrounding Clinton and Obama, I sort of would like to see a different democratic candidate make it on the ballot. I am not one to champion following the crowd, and I feel as though the quantity of free media coverage given to these two candidates has interfered with the political process. It does not seem right for one of these candidates to be the democratic nomination for the presidency, when their names have been lifted to a place in which they have become a "family name" as a result of media attention rather than personal resume and character. I am not saying that either of these candidates are unqualified for the presidency, rather that I am disappointed with the manner that our culture has lifted them up leaving little room for the other candidates to receive popular attentio...