The monologue of the Religious Right is over and a new conversation has begun! Join the God's Politics dialogue with Jim Wallis and friends Brian McLaren, Amy Sullivan, Diana Butler Bass, Tony Campolo, Obery Hendricks, Noel Castellanos, Robert Franklin, Shane Claiborne, and others.
Election.Former Republicans campaign as Democrats Call it the year of the former Republican. At a time of widely expected Republican losses in both chambers of Congress, a new breed of politician has emerged: former Republicans challenging Republican incumbents. A G.O.P. Leader and Star Struggles for Traction There is no better snapshot of the brutal political climate facing many Republicans in these final days than this: Senator Rick Santorum, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, stubbornly behind in the polls, warning with anger and growing frustration that voters should not must not, for their own good reject him for his Democratic opponent, Bob Casey, the state treasurer. In Ohio, Democrats Show a Religious Side to Voters Ohio, where a groundswell of conservative Christian support helped push President Bush to re-election two years ago, has become the leading edge of national Democratic efforts to win over religious voters, including evangelicals. Virginia's race: a bellwether gets down and dirty Senator George Allen of Virginia released a compilation of sex scenes from novels by his Democratic opponent, James Webb. And thus a Senate race that was already something of a carnival moved closer to becoming a travesty. The move followed blog rumors last week of something explosive in Allen's divorce files -- which the senator has declined to open -- and questions about whether either candidate, or both, used slurs to describe blacks.
As election nears, a flood of nastiness Nasty, misleading ads have been around for decades, and it's impossible to prove empirically that the 2006 campaign tops them all, but the wave of over-the-top claims has caught the attention of both casual observers and professionals. Republicans' Double Negatives (By E. J. Dionne Jr., The Washington Post) Whatever else it will be remembered for, this year's campaign will mark the moment when Republican leaders who govern in the name of conservatism turned definitively away from hope and waged one of the most trivial and ugly campaigns in our country's history.
Bush Says 'America Loses' Under Democrats President Bush said terrorists will win if Democrats win and impose their policies on Iraq, as he and Vice President Cheney escalated their rhetoric Monday in an effort to turn out Republican voters in next week's midterm elections. Bush: Just say no to Democrats Using the backdrop of the Iraq war to launch some of his toughest campaign attacks this political season, President Bush on Monday accused Democrats of being more concerned with pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq than with winning the war.
Global warming.British try to nudge U.S. on climate policy Left unchecked, global warming could drive the world economy into a depression similar to the devastating downturn of the 1930s, the British government said Monday in a report that appeared designed to influence politics in the United States. UK wants climate deal by 2008 The government is urgently pushing ahead on the issue because the existing Kyoto protocol runs out in 2012, and there is no binding agreement to extend it. Downing Street is seeking the outline of a package with the G8 industrial nations and five leading developing countries by next year, or 2008 at the latest. Brown seizes day to become minister for global warming Gordon Brown seized the initiative yesterday over the Stern report on climate change by presenting himself in the role of a future leader with the mission of saving the world from a global catastrophe.
Iraq.U.S. Envoy Arrives in Iraq as Tough Options Loom President Bushs national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley, arrived in Baghdad on Monday on an unannounced trip to discuss how to pull the country back from the brink. Resistance to deadlines for Iraq is weakening Growing numbers of American military officers have begun to privately question a key tenet of U.S. strategy in Iraq that setting a hard deadline for troop reductions would strengthen the insurgency and undermine efforts to create a stable state. Time to cut and run Lt. Gen. William E. Odom (Ret.), senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and professor at Yale University, Los Angeles Times) The United States upset the regional balance in the Middle East when it invaded Iraq. Restoring it requires bold initiatives, but "cutting and running" must precede them all. Only a complete withdrawal of all U.S. troops within six months and with no preconditions can break the paralysis that now enfeebles our diplomacy.
Pakistan.Attack on School That Killed 80 Aimed at Al-Qaeda A missile strike that killed close to 80 people at an Islamic school in Pakistan early Monday was launched because of U.S. intelligence reports that senior al-Qaeda figures were hiding there, Pakistani intelligence officials said. The strike generated angry protests by religious and tribal leaders, who accused the government of doing Washington's bidding at the cost of Pakistani lives. Tribal fury at madrasa deaths Helicopters fired missiles into a madrasa, or religious school, in Bajaur tribal region just before dawn, flattening the building and widely scattering debris and body parts. angry local villagers said the casualties were not terrorists but innocent children and religious seminarians.hildren and seminaries among 80 dead in Pakistan, say villagers.
Darfur.Khartoum seen as losing control of war in Darfur Three years after it tried to quell a rebellion in its western Darfur region, Sudan's government is losing control of the war, its army increasingly demoralized and reluctant to fight on. Millennium Development Goals. U.N. envoys draw up 'can do' list - Five years after the world's leaders pledged to meet a well-defined and ambitious set of "Millennium Development Goals," the effort is making so little progress that in some areas conditions are getting worse. To achieve maximum benefits from limited resources, two dozen U.N. ambassadors this weekend prioritized their goals to focus on those that are within reach and will have the largest social impact.
Faith and Politics.The Disillusionment of a Young White House Evangelical But though Tempting Faith (Free Press) is a story about the Bush presidency, it is even more a story about Mr. Kuo. As much as it is a story about politics, it is also a story about faith.
'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' Do I fear being poor, in spirit or otherwise, and prefer to be rich in brains, money, or influence? Is my desire for poverty of spirit congruent with my lifestyle? Do I use the word of God to rationalize my lifestyle, or am I willing to have God's word criticize it? Do I cling to my own ideas, opinions, and judgments sometimes to the point of idolatry?
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others."
I promise to limit the number of times I link to my boyfriend (or myself) on this blog, but since he's a writer, a fellow journalist, and an astute political observer, it's going to happen from time to time. My apologies in advance.
With that over with, I'd like to direct your attention to this observation by Noam Scheiber, of The New Republic. A paragraph at the end of a New York Times story today caught his attention with this quote: "There's going to be a moderate party for Joe Blow, and whether that party is the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, that's the battle we're seeing," Mr. Yelton [a lifelong North Carolina Democrat who recently switched parties] said. "I expect to see Hillary Clinton quoting Scripture before it's over with."
As Scheiber points out, Clinton does quote scripture. She goes to church, too. And she's a devoted member - with Sam Brownback - of a Senate Bible study group.
The fact that most Americans, whether liberal or conservative, "know" that these things can't possibly be true is a problem I've long thought was undervalued by those who assess Senator Clinton's presidential chances. Americans believe she is liberal and faithless. So when Clinton speaks as her true self, as a politically moderate woman of faith, one of two things happen: People either don't hear her because they can't process contradictory information, or they think she's faking it, positioning herself for a White House run.
If Clinton was just an unknown Senate candidate who was appearing on the political stage this fall, her moderate politics and sensible approach to cultural issues would make her a perfect Democratic candidate. But she isn't. And, frankly, if Hillary Clinton wasn't Hillary Clinton, she wouldn't be the presumptive Democratic nominee either.
Election. Unregulated groups wield millions to sway voters Unions, corporations and wealthy individuals have pumped nearly $300 million this year into unregulated political groups, funding dozens of aggressive and sometimes shadowy campaigns independent of party machines.
In Key House Races, Democrats Run to the Right- "In their push to win back control of the House, Democrats have turned to conservative and moderate candidates who fit the profiles of their districts more closely than the profile of the national party. Moderate Republicans Feeling Like Endangered Species Facing the loss of fellow moderates in the Nov. 7 elections, Republican centrists in the House and Senate are faulting Congressional and party leaders for pursuing a strategy dominated by conservative themes. Leading moderates say Republicans concentrated on social wedge issues like same-sex marriage while pressing national security almost to the exclusion of popular wage and health policies that could have helped endangered Republicans in the Northeast and the Midwest.
This Time, Ballot Issues Could Rally Liberal Base In 2004, Republicans in Ohio and elsewhere tended to benefit from ballot initiatives. Measures to ban same-sex marriage, for example, passed easily. In the process, some election analysts said, the measures revved the conservative base to help Republican candidates from President Bush on down. In 2006, Democrats are hoping to prove that ballot politics can work in the other direction. Measures to increase the minimum wage are before voters in six states.
GOP at a loss? Karl Rove has an 11th-hour plan to win As the midterm campaign enters the homestretch, the GOP congressional juggernaut that has dominated national politics for more than a decade may be over. Polls show Democrats extending their leads in pivotal races across the country. But the man largely responsible for the Republicans' glory days and arguably still the most powerful political operative in the United States is far from discouraged. Midterm Vote May Define Rove's Legacy Even within Rove's own party, expectations are widespread that the Nov. 7 elections will mark a repudiation for the base-rallying, contrast-drawing brand of politics with which he and Bush have been so closely aligned. But it is a mark of the particular place Rove holds in the Washington psyche that even the most exuberant Democrats are wondering why he seems so confident.
Foreign policy. Rices Counselor Gives Advice Others May Not Want to Hear- For the last 18 months, Philip D. Zelikow has churned out confidential memorandums and proposals for his boss and close friend, Condoleezza Rice, that often depart sharply from the Bush administrations current line.
Iraq. Tipping Point for War's Supporters? October 2006 may be remembered as the month that the U.S. experience in Iraq hit a tipping point, when the violence flared and shook both the military command in Iraq and the political establishment back in Washington. U.S. Is Said to Fail in Tracking Arms for IraqisThe American military has not properly tracked hundreds of thousands of weapons intended for Iraqi security forces and has failed to provide spare parts, maintenance personnel or even repair manuals for most of the weapons given to the Iraqis,
Arms sales. Russia Led Arms Sales to Developing World in '05 Russia surpassed the United States in 2005 as the leader in weapons deals with the developing world, and its new agreements included selling $700 million in surface-to-air missiles to Iran and eight new aerial refueling tankers to China, according to a new Congressional study. Those weapons deals were part of the highly competitive global arms bazaar in the developing world that grew to $30.2 billion in 2005, up from $26.4 billion in 2004. It is a market that the United States has regularly dominated.
Mountaintop removal. Taking On a Coal Mining Practice as a Matter of FaithThe Mennonite Central Committee Appalachia and other Appalachian Christians are trying to halt the controversial coal mining practice known as mountaintop removal.
Global warming. Budgets Falling in Race to Fight Global Warming research into energy technologies by both government and industry has not been rising, but rather falling. In the United States, annual federal spending for all energy research and development not just the research aimed at climate-friendly technologies is less than half what it was a quarter-century ago.
Forced child labor. Africas World of Forced Labor, in a 6-Year-Olds EyesThe International Labor Organization, a United Nations agency, estimates that 1.2 million are sold into servitude every year in an illicit trade that generates as much as $10 billion annually. Studies show they are most vulnerable in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Africas children, the worlds poorest, account for roughly one-sixth of the trade, according to the labor organization. Data is notoriously scarce, but it suggests victimization of African children on a huge scale.
Op-Ed. A Case for Strengthening Marriage (By Leah Ward Sear, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia.) For the f
irst time in history, less than half of U.S. households are headed by married couples. And on Sept. 29, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data showing that almost 36 percent of all births are the result of unmarried childbearing, the highest percentage ever recorded. In family law, as in the rest of American society, there is an intensifying debate about how we should respond to this kind of news.
The Psalms defy our notions of profane and sacred, proving that everything we feel, witness, do unto others, and have done to us is acceptable subject matter for conversing with the Divine. They invite us to bring every part of ourselves into our houses of worship. If we omit expressions of faith lost, of rage, of disdain, and of the desire for revenge, we leave parts of ourselves at the door.
The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
Opposition to the war in Vietnam from inside the military was unprecedented in American history. Chronicled by David Cortright in Soldiers in Revolt, the GI movement played an important part in bringing that war to an end. Now a new movement among soldiers may be starting.
Nearly 500 active-duty service people have signed a message to members of Congress. An Appeal for Redress says: “As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home.”
Two of the initiators of the Appeal are Navy Seaman Jonathan Hutto, who served on a ship off the coast of Iraq, and Marine Sgt. Liam Madden, who served in the Anbar province of Iraq. Madden told The Washington Post: “I don’t think any more Iraqis or Americans should die because of the U.S. occupation.” The goal is to have 2,000 signers of the Appeal by Martin Luther King Day to deliver to Congress. “I think that’s easily attainable,” Madden told the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, “There’s a seed of dissent in the military against this policy, and a core of people who are acting.”
When the soldiers are ready to come home, the war is on the way to being over.
Duane Shank is Senior Policy Advisor at Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
This administration, struggling for some justification for a war that is generally acknowledged as a disaster, has claimed that we’re in this war in order to spread democracy. The president points to the election of a parliament and the choosing of a prime minister as evidence that this war has had at least a modicum of success in achieving that end. But it is just this claim that I want to challenge.
First of all, a democracy is a society in which people are free to make those decisions that determine their own destiny. Any honest appraisal of what is going on in Iraq would lead to the conclusion that this is not the case today. The most recent study indicates that more than 80% of Iraqi people want our troops to go home - but our leaders in Washington ignore the will of the Iraqi people. Their destiny is not in the hands of the people of that devastated country.
A second characteristic of a democracy is that it is a society wherein the government has made it safe to be in the minority. Rule by the vote of the majority is not enough. In Iraq the majority of voters have chosen to create a government that is an Islamic Republic that embraces Shia law. The consequences are disturbing! There is no doubt that in removing Saddam Hussein a dictator was driven from power, but ironically women had more freedom under his rule than they are achieving in this new so-called democracy. The parliament that the majority of voters have put in place is showing signs of increasing the oppression of women. This minority group will not be safe!
Another minority group that is no longer secure is Christians. During the rule of the tyrannical Hussein, strange as this might seem, they were protected both in practicing and in spreading their religion. While Christians still can have worship services, Shia law prevents them from evangelizing - a privilege they previously enjoyed.
A recent United Nations report stated that religious minorities in Iraq have become regular victims of persecution and harassment. Christian women are said to have had acid thrown in their faces. Some have been killed for wearing jeans or not wearing the veil. As many as 60,000 Christians, and perhaps more, have fled the country. The 1.4 million Christians in Iraq have been whittled down to about 700,000. So much for democracy.
In light of these observations, what do we say to the families who lost their loved ones, thinking that those deaths were for the sake of spreading democracy? And what do we say to the mother of the last soldier to die in a war that is, for most observers, an obvious mistake? Isn’t it time for Red Letter Christians to demand some answers to these questions?
P.S. In response to those who wanted the source of my claim in last month’s blog that a survey of several prominent evangelical leaders showed that they overwhelmingly supported the torture of prisoners - that source was Randall Balmer, a professor at Columbia University.
The latest news on immigration, the election, Iraq, Afghanistan, same-sex legal rights, homeless in L.A., oil profits the conscience of our country and selected op-eds.
Immigration. Bush signs fence bill, pushes back Legislation authorizing 700 miles of fencing along the southern U.S. border was signed into law by President Bush in a ceremony that underscored Republican divisions over immigration policy and left unanswered whether the entire barrier would be built. Immigration galvanizes Latino voters Republicans made immigration a central issue for 2006, calling for tough enforcement and a 700-mile border fence. But that stance, meant to rouse the party's conservatives, may backfire. Mexico fury at fence extension Relations between the US and Mexico today took a turn for the worse after George Bush signed legislation for a 700-mile border fence to counter illegal immigration into the US. The move was universally condemned by Mexican leaders.
Election. 2 presidents go stumping for their parties President Bush and his Oval Office predecessor, Bill Clinton, campaigned for congressional candidates across the nation's Rust Belt, probing for issues that could spell the difference in determining control of the House and the Senate in the hotly contested midterm election. Problems with machines, ballots trouble officials - Eleven days before voters go to the polls, problems from delayed absentee ballots to names being chopped off on voting machines are hampering elections officials. The Year Of Playing Dirtier On the brink of what could be a power-shifting election, it is kitchen-sink time: Desperate candidates are throwing everything. While negative campaigning is a tradition in American politics, this year's version in many races has an eccentric shade, filled with allegations of moral bankruptcy and sexual perversion. Democrats Fear Disillusionment in Black Voters - Despite a generally buoyant Democratic Party nationally, there are worries among Democratic strategists in some states that blacks may not turn up at the polls in big enough numbers because of disillusionment over past shenanigans.
Iraq. U.S. Deaths In Iraq Near Peak Months - Unrelenting daily attacks in Baghdad and the western province of Anbar have made October the deadliest month of the Iraq for U.S. troops in combat since the all-out American offensi
ves on Fallujah in April and November of 2004, Rumsfeld Tells Iraq Critics to 'Back Off' - With his chorus of critics expanding deeper into Republican ranks, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told detractors yesterday to pull back as U.S. and Iraqi officials grapple with the uncertainties of laying out Iraqs course. "You ought to just back off, take a look at it, relax, understand that it's complicated, it's difficult," Rumsfeld said, Democrats Are Divided on a Solution for IraqDemocratic leaders and candidates are virtually unanimous in opposing the presidents conduct of the war, and most advocate American disengagement either quickly or slowly. But most are not calling for an immediate withdrawal of American forces or offering a vision of what postwar Iraq should look like. A deadly month for U.S. forces - "Elsewhere, gunmen attacked Iraqi security forces north of the capital in Baqubah and outlying villages in what appeared to be coordinated strikes against police. At least 34 police officers were killed and 10 wounded in a series of attacks and ambushes. As many as 50 officers are missing,"
Afghanistan. Nato confirms Afghan raid deaths Nato has confirmed that at least 12 civilians were killed in an air strike targeting Taleban militants in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday. Reports suggest at least 40 civilians died when a nomad camp was hit in Kandahar province's Panjwayi district. Nato forces kill 'up to 85' civilians in Afghan attack Nato forces in Afghanistan have killed scores of civilians in a single operation, bombing them in their own homes as they celebrated the end of Ramadan. Afghans say NATO strike killed dozens of civilians Dozens of civilians were killed in a NATO military strike against suspected Taliban militants, Afghan officials. The civilian deaths--estimated by Afghan officials to be between 30 and 85, including many women and children--are among the highest in any foreign military action here since the fall of the Taliban.
Same-sex legal rights. Religious Conservatives Cheer Ruling on Gays as Wake-Up Call - conservative religious leaders predicted that the court's 4 to 3 ruling, would boost turnout of social conservatives in the midterm elections, particularly in the eight states that have constitutional amendments against same-sex marriage on the Nov. 7 ballot. GOP seizes on N.J. ruling to rally religious conservatives President Bush and Republican Party activists yesterday seized on the New Jersey Supreme Court's ruling in favor of equal rights for same-sex couples as motivation for religious conservatives to vote for their c
andidates G.O.P. Moves Fast to Reignite Issue of Gay MarriageThe divisive debate over gay marriage, which played a prominent role in 2004 campaigns but this year largely faded from view, erupted anew as President Bush and Republicans across the country tried to use a court ruling in New Jersey to rally dispirited conservatives to the polls. Marriage by any other name (Chicago Tribune)- The court found that the equal protection clause of the state constitution provides broader rights than those now provided by law, but didn't upend the law's definition of marriage. As legal hairsplitting goes, the decision in New Jersey was pretty deft.
Homeless in L.A. Down and out in Skid Row Police and hospitals are dumping released offenders and patients on some of the worst streets of Los Angeles The recording looks like a typical police crime scene video. Ambulances and police cars pull over on a street in downtown Los Angeles. Patients are wheeled around on stretchers. But this is no normal crime, and no normal crime scene investigation. The patients aren't being loaded into the ambulances. They are being unloaded.
Oil profits. Exxon Mobil earnings hit $10.5 billion Cashing in on higher prices and production, oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. surprised Wall Street on Thursday with $10.5 billion in third-quarter profit, putting it on pace to smash earnings records for the full year.
Church and election. Clergy warned on partisan preaching In the face of increased federal scrutiny of politics in the pulpit, religious denominations are warning clergy against overtly partisan preaching. Leader urges fellow Christians to keep voting for their values - Conservative Christians may be down, but theyre far from out on Election Day, valuesvoter guru David Barton said yesterday. "This is a really, really important election," Barton said during a speech at Potters House Church of God on the West Side. "Take your Sunday school class to vote, and youve got to start breaking fingers if they dont," he said.
The conscience of a country. Tutu--the conscience of South Africa In a nation where critics of government and of powerful people are often dismissed as disloyal, racist or misled, Tutu is a remarkable voice--a witty and kindly critic no one can dismiss or ignore.
Op-Eds.
Does the Code Still Work? (By Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post) The Republican Party built its "solid South" in part with an appeal to racism against African Americans and other minorities. Election results in Tennessee and Virginia will give us a benchmark, to use George W
. Bush's new favorite word, of how much the South has changed.
In Michigan, a Sale the GOP Can't Close (By E. J. Dionne Jr., The Washington Post) The problem for the GOP is that while voters in better-off states seem to be voting on Iraq and other issues, those thinking most about the economy live in lagging industrial states such as Michigan and Ohio, and they are blaming President Bush and national policies for their troubles.
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.
Imagine a world where the representatives of the greatest military power on earth are humbled by an unarmed healer from the backwaters of Galilee. If you can imagine this kind of world, you possess...an imagination ready to discern the reign of heaven.
Tuesday evening at the Twin Cities' Bethel University, students, along with many others, gathered for a forum on how faith should relate to politics in our time. I was joined by Greg Boyd, a young pastor and theologian who leads the Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul and whose courageous new book, The Myth of a Christian Nation, has created controversy and landed him on the front page of The New York Times. We both agreed that fidelity to Jesus Christ comes before politics and found that we shared a deep appreciation of John Howard Yoder's classic book, The Politics of Jesus.
Greg shared his cynicism about politics in general and his dislike of how some on the Religious Right have made politics a divisive issue in churches. He recently wrote an op-ed piece in the Minneapolis StarTribune titled “My church has been hijacked by politics.” But he doesn't want to see the same thing on the Left either, and I agreed. Together we had a very good dialogue about both the opportunities and dangers of political engagement for Christians. The names we lifted up of those who had done it right included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., William Wilberforce, Mahatma Gandhi, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. You can listen to the event here.
But this was one of those nights when the speakers and messages were less important than the crowd who came to hear. Not only was every seat taken in Benson Great Hall, 200 more chairs had to be put up on the stage, and every place to sit or stand was filled by young evangelicals eager to discuss how they should engage the world. Numerous faculty members said they couldn’t remember a bigger event in Bethel’s history, and it was certainly a dramatic demonstration of how things are changing in the evangelical world - especially among the new generation. Almost every week now, I find the same thing happening at Christian colleges across the nation.
CNN was there to capture the event and afterward spoke to a roundtable of young evangelical students. The program is scheduled to run this evening on Anderson Cooper 360 at 10 p.m. ET. For me it was a day filled with hope and the possibility of a new faith-inspired generation that might truly shake up politics - just the way people of faith and conscience are supposed to.
Jim Wallis talks to Minnesota Public Radio about a new generation of evangelical progressives, how the Left-Right debate is failing to resolve our deepest crises, and why we need a new "prophetic politics."
In a series of exclusive podcasts, Moby has shared the ways in which his faith and ideology affect his lifestyle, art, and activism. In this third and final segment, the unique pop star offers his thoughts on music – where he sees his own going, why it excites him, and what he believes it can convey.
John Potter is executive scheduler at Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
the latest news on Iraq, the election, same-sex legal rights, the IRS and churches, Africa, charter schools, Salvadoran death squads, the "U2charist," and select op-eds
Iraq. Bush Is Reassuring on Iraq But Says He's 'Not Satisfied' – “President Bush declared that the United States is winning the war in Iraq despite the deadliest month for U.S. troops in a year, but he added that he is not satisfied with the situation and vowed to press Iraqi leaders to do more to stabilize their country on their own.” Conceding Missteps, Bush Urges Patience on Iraq – “Facing public dismay over the war in Iraq, President Bush somberly acknowledged the broad scope of American setbacks and missteps there.” Maliki Denies Assertion He Agreed to Timelines – “Iraqi premier lashes out at the U.S., saying his popularly elected government will not bend to American-backed benchmarks.” Iraq’s Leader Jabs at Timetables – “Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki put himself at odds with the American government that backs him, distancing himself from the American notion of a timetable for stabilizing Iraq.”
Iraq and election. Bush Focuses on Iraq as G.O.P. Tries to Change Subject - - “With a shift in tone and the suggestion of flexibility on tactics in Iraq, President Bush gambled that he could rescue Republican candidates who are having a hard time defending the war and an even harder time running away from it.” War Now Works Against GOP - “Just three months ago, Republican strategists believed that doubts about Iraq could be contained -- or even turned into an electoral advantage -- if the battle was framed as a vital front in the war against terrorism. … But the issue is not playing out that way. In both parties, a consensus now exists -- buttressed by polls -- that disaffection with a war grown costly and difficult to manage is the gravest threat to continued Republican rule.” War Effect Chills the Hearts of Republican Middle America – “the November 7 mid-term elections will test the ability of the Bush administration to drive its supporters to the polls amid the energy-sapping news emerging daily from the Middle East. The challenge is plain in Ohio, the ultimate swing state which George Bush took in 2004 to secure his second term by just 118,601 votes.” Giving cover as election nears – “Mixing contrition with defiant optimism, President Bush s
ought to dispel questions from anxious voters and Republican candidates about the GOP's wartime leadership in Iraq.”
Election. A right kind of Democrat – “He is pro-business and antiabortion. He is an evangelical Christian and an avid hunter. But, unexpectedly, Heath Shuler is a Democrat, and he is running for Congress in North Carolina. Shuler is part of a phalanx of unusually conservative Democratic candidates who may deliver crucial victories over GOP incumbents and help their party win control of the House.” Democrat chameleons target bible belt – “Democrats are vying for the 'values voter' to take back the House - Disillusion with the war in Iraq, and disgust with the ethics of the party in power only partially explain why the Democrats may be poised to take back the House in November. A more fundamental shift is colouring the dynamic of a dozen key races, where reconstructed Democrats are reconnecting with Christian voters.” A hard year to be an Ohio Republican – “Any other year, Rep. Deborah Pryce would have wrapped up her race for re-election months ago. … But this year, with Mr. Bush sliding into disastrous levels in the polls and Republicans in Ohio imploding amid corruption charges and unpopular policies, she is struggling against a boilerplate Democratic candidate…” GOP has warnings about shift - “Seeking to boost turnout and sway voters, Republicans are issuing dire warnings about a Democratic victory that would make Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi the speaker of the House and put key Democrats in charge of committees with power to raise taxes, launch investigations and impeach the president.”
Same-sex legal rights. New Jersey Court Backs Full Rights for Gay Couples - “New Jersey’s highest court ruled that gay couples are entitled to the same legal rights and financial benefits as heterosexual couples, but ordered the Legislature to decide whether their unions must be called marriage or could be known by another name.” Justices rule for gays in N.J. case – “In a ruling that could make New Jersey the second state to legalize same-sex marriage, the state Supreme Court said that gay couples have the same right to the benefits of marriage as heterosexual couples.” New Jersey’s Justices Agree on All but the ‘M’ Word – “All seven justices were in vehement agreement that gay and lesbian unions must be guaranteed all of the rights and benefits that come with heterosexual marriages. … But the vocabulary, the majority continued, must be committed to politics. “If the age-old definition of marriage is to be discarded,” Justice Albin wrote in the decision, “such change must come from the crucible of the democratic process.”
IRS and churches.Watchdog Group Accuses Churches of Political Action – “A nonprofit group has filed a complaint asking the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the role that two churches may have played in the re-election campaign of Kansas's attorney general.”
Global Fund in Africa.Global Fund's fight against diseases stumbles in Africa – “As the fund's board prepares to elect a new executive director of the organization next week in Guatemala, a report issued yesterday said the Global Fund needs much better oversight of programs on the ground and must find ways to help countries make the initiatives work.”
Charter schools. Ohio justices tilt to charter schools – “The state's network of publicly funded, privately operated charter schools is constitutional, a sharply split Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.”
Death squad arrest. Immigration officials arrest former Salvadoran army officer – “Gonzalo Guevara Cerritos, convicted of the 1989 death squad murders of six Jesuit priests, is arrested in L.A. as a human rights violator. Federal authorities said a tip from the public put them on Guevara Cerritos' trail.”
The next war? World Briefings: Jihad targets Ethiopia in Horn of Africa – “Somali Islamists have begun recruiting thousands of young fighters to wage a "jihad" against Ethiopia, officials said yesterday amid fears of imminent all-out war across the lawless Horn of Africa nation.”
U2charist. Rocking the church: Episcopal ‘U2-charist' uses songs in service – “When Anglican Archbishop Thomas Cranmer compiled the Book of Common Prayer during the 16th century, he wanted to make the prayers accessible, so he wrote in English, not Latin, and made sure it was distributed to every church. About 450 years later, there is another attempt to make prayers more accessible — by an Irish bard who wears wrap-around shades instead of a clerical collar. It may not qualify as a mini-Reformation, but a Communion service driven by the music of singer Bono and his U2 bandmates is catching on at Episcopal churches across the country.”
Op-Ed. Why Democrats are losing the culture war (Amy Sullivan, USA Today) – “Most voters worry about escalating challenges to family stability and the losing battle to instill good values in their children instead of the materialism and coarseness peddled by popular culture. They fear that our society has developed a casualness about life, especially as science has made it easier to manipulate and create beings. Banning gay marriage and outlawing abortion don't directly address those anxieties. But proposals like these at least acknowledge that the concerns exist and are valid. So while Republicans offer the wrong prescriptions, they get the diagnosis right. And they win because most of the time, Democrats wo
n't admit that anything is wrong. In politics, as in most areas of life, something always beats nothing.”
I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
I just wanted to let our readers know that I'm involved in a week-long debate over at The New Republic with Joe Loconte, formerly of the Heritage Foundation and now with the Ethics and Public Policy Center. (Scroll down to read's Joe entry first, since he gets the debate started and I respond. We'll continue the discussion on Thursday and Friday.)
The debate was prompted by David Kuo's book and the question of whether President Bush's administration has been good for religious conservatives. I'm in the weird position of being between both conservatives and liberals, many of whom argue that the Bush White House has been all about catering to religious conservatives (obviously, one side thinks this is as it should be and the other thinks it is very bad).
I was at Bethel University in the Twin Cities on Tuesday. Known as a conservative evangelical school in Minnesota, and in the heartland of the American mid-west, Bethel has been long regarded as a safe and secure place for conservative Republican politics - and even as fertile ground for recruiting by the Religious Right. And in the last two elections, most Bethel students certainly would have voted for George W. Bush.
But the wind is changing at Bethel, and among a new generation of evangelical students across the country. Yesterday was a dramatic demonstration of that change, one that will be most significant for both faith and politics in America.
I started my day at Bethel by speaking in chapel and asking a new generation to "clear up the confusion" in this nation about what it means to follow Jesus. I asked them if they wanted to be true evangelicals, defined by the root meaning of the word "evangel," which literally means "good news." The word was first used by Jesus in his opening statement in Nazareth, recorded in Luke chapter 4, where he defined his own mission by saying, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news ("the evangel") to the poor...” I told the young evangelical audience that any gospel that wasn't good news to the poor simply wasn't the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It was clear from the response in chapel that a new generation of evangelical Christians want to be, like Jesus, good news to the poor. And because of that their agenda is now much broader and deeper than just the two things the Religious Right continues to talk about as the only "moral values" issues - abortion and gay marriage. The Bethel students, like me, still believe that the sanctity of life and healthy family values are indeed important issues. In fact, they are too important to be turned into political wedge issues to get votes at election time. We need a deeper moral discussion of both those questions than we find occurring in the political arena today, but there are clearly no longer just two moral values issues for this evangelical generation. They care deeply about poverty, global warming, sex trafficking, human rights, genocide in Darfur, and the ethics of war in Iraq. And they are eager for an agenda that will call forth their best gifts, energies, and the commitment of their lives.
This generation won't accept the narrowing of Scripture to only two hot-button social issues and have found those 2,000 verses in the Bible that speak of God's concern for the poor and vulnerable. For them, environmental concern is "creation care." And they want a "consistent ethic of life" that addresses all the places where human life and dignity is threatened—not just one.
That doesn't mean that their votes, which conservative Republicans have taken for granted, will now automatically go to liberal Democrats. Instead, they are eager to challenge the selective moralities of both left and right, and respond to a moral agenda for politics that will hold both sides accountable. In the future, any candidate (from either party) that speaks the moral language of politics and lifts up the issues of social justice that the Bible talks so much about could attract the attention of this new generation.
The chapel was packed; every seat in the house was taken. I told them that faith is for the "big stuff," that politics was failing to solve our deepest crises, and that it was a time for faith-inspired movements to change both politics and history as we have done many times before, invoking the abolition of slavery campaign and the civil rights movement, among others. When the students rose to their feet at the end it didn't just feel like a standing ovation, but rather an altar call, with students standing to say that they want their faith and their lives
to make a difference in our world.
Appeal for Redress. War critics try to mobilize troops against the war – “Anti-war groups are trying to rally active troops to speak out against the war in Iraq ... a political tactic they hope will sway voters Nov. 7. A small group of active-duty members opposed to the war created a Web site last month intended to collect thousands of signatures of other service members.” Grass-Roots Group of Troops Petitions Congress for Pullout From Iraq – “More than 100 U.S. service members have signed a rare appeal urging Congress to support the "prompt withdrawal" of all American troops and bases from Iraq, organizers said yesterday.”
Iraq. More U.S. Troops May Be Iraq-Bound – “The top American commander in Iraq said Tuesday that he may call for more troops to be sent to Baghdad, possibly by increasing the overall U.S. presence in Iraq, as rising bloodshed pushes Iraqi and American deaths to some of their highest levels of the war.” General Weighs 2nd Troop Shift to Calm Baghdad – “In a news conference held after a week of largely bad news from Iraq, Gen. George W. Casey Jr. and Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad sought to reassure an increasingly restive American public that the war was still winnable. … General Casey predicted that Iraqi troops would be able to take over the main burden of the war in 12 to 18 months, allowing American troops to move to a support role.” Iraqi Realities Undermine the Pentagon's Predictions – “But that laudable goal seems far removed from the violence-plagued streets of Iraq’s capital, where American forces have taken the lead in trying to protect the city and American soldiers substantially outnumber Iraqi ones.”
Politics. Rural vote is key to Democrats' Senate gains – “Capturing a Senate majority is within the Democrats' reach, but the party is facing potentially decisive resistance from rural voters in three critical Republican-leaning states,” The GOP Leans on A Proven Strategy – “Beset by discouraging polls and division within ideological ranks, the White House is accelerating efforts to woo back disaffected conservatives and energize the Republican base in a reprise of a strategy that succeeded in the last two campaign cycles. … The message that Bush and othe
rs are sending to alienated supporters is that, no matter how upset they have been about various policies or political missteps over the past couple of years, life would be far worse under the Democrats.” FEATURE-War on poverty slips from US election agenda – “Hurricane Katrina exposed an underclass of poor Americans to the rest of the world, but poverty has slipped off the agenda in the runup to midterm congressional elections next month.”
Faith and Politics. Republican base loses faith - “With the Congressional election less than two weeks away, recent surveys show signs of a shift among religious voters that could give Democrats a boost. … it appears that Democratic candidates' efforts to articulate their faith and values - and tie them to a broader range of issues - are also resonating with voters.” U.S. Muslims mostly Democrats – “America's Muslim voters are a young, highly educated and prosperous voting bloc that will overwhelmingly back Democrats in November, according to a survey released yesterday by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.”
Tennessee. All eyes on South's big race – “History could be in the making. If he wins, Mr. Ford would be the first African-American from the South to take a Senate seat since Reconstruction … As a Democrat comfortable talking about his faith, Ford could show Democrats of all colors how it's done. A Ford victory could also provide the final seat the Democrats need to win control of the Senate, in a quest that seemed nearly impossible just a few months ago.” A Contentious Campaign in a Battleground State - “Tennessee is one of the four remaining Senate battlegrounds, along with Virginia, Missouri and Rhode Island, that operatives in both parties believe are most likely to determine whether Republicans maintain control of the Senate in January. But this race is in a different category because of Ford's profile.”
Voting rights. Report Warns of Potential Voting Problems in 10 States - “Two weeks before the midterm elections, at least 10 states, including Maryland, remain ripe for voting problems, … The report by Electionline.org says those states, and possibly others, could encounter trouble on Election Day because they have a combustible mix of fledgling voting-machine technology, confusion over voting procedures or recent litigation over election rules -- and close races.” Suit calls Ohio's voter ID law a mess, asks court to void it – “A union and a group that helped hundreds of homeless people register to vote say Ohio's new voter-identification law created a confusing mess that will lead to an unfair Nov. 7 election. The two groups -- the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless in Cleveland and the Columbus-based Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1199 -- asked a federal judge to strike down the rules,”
O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the orphan, and they say, "The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive." Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
I'm impressed. A week after Sojourners/Call to Renewal got an impressive spectrum of religious leaders to unite as Evangelicals for Darfur (it's not often that Jim Wallis and the Christian Coalition find common cause), the ONE Campaign has links to its new "ONE Vote" TV spot on both RNC and DNC Web sites, which will also be broadcast on MTV and Fox networks. It is truly refreshing to see all sides of the political spectrum support causes such as ending genocide, global AIDS, and poverty. But of course, the real proof comes after election day, when the parties have a chance to prove just how dedicated they are to these causes.
Ryan Beiler is the Web Editor for Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
What if some of us began a constructive national dialogue, post-political in the sense that it occurs on a level higher and deeper than the mid-range of partisan maneuvering, geared toward a rather simple but grand project: to articulate a national mission statement for the United States. This statement would tell us – and the world – what we’re about. It would serve as a rudder to guide us, and perhaps as a sail to energize us, and perhaps as a keel to stabilize us as well. It would help us make wise decisions, and to admit when we’ve made unwise ones. It would – perhaps this is too optimistic? – give us something above and beyond partisan politics to guide us, a common values fulcrum upon which to leverage our national debates, a shared vision and dream to which all parties and people could be called.
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” had a nice ring in the Declaration of Independence, but frankly, it has a bit of an individualistic and self-centered ring today. Consider, for example, what it would mean, for example, if our nation were more dedicated to the pursuit of peace and justice than to the pursuit of personal happiness, or to a sustainable life for all creatures instead of simply unlimited prosperity for ourselves.
Perhaps a project like this could invite the participation of every family, every elementary and secondary school child, every university, every church, synagogue, and mosque, every community organization, every state. Perhaps, if we made it a five-to-ten year project, the process could be even more important than the final product.
Perhaps there could be websites where people proposed and crafted elements of the mission statement, and grass-roots gatherings in coffee shops and community centers where various proposals were evaluated. Perhaps at the right time, maybe in 2010 or 2012, such a mission statement could be incorporated in some way alongside the essential documents of our nation.
It’s wonderful to have a history to give us a sense of heritage. It’s essential to have laws and institutions to give us stability. But sometimes I think that our nation, like any adolescent, now needs something more: a sense of mission that is clearly and consciously considered, articulated, debated, affirmed, and celebrated – to give us a noble future. Perhaps, in terms of Native American culture, it is time for our national vision quest, or in Christian or Jewish terms, it is time for our confirmation or bar or bat mitzvah – time for our spiritual coming of age.
Perhaps our current national struggles will, like the struggle of South Africa, bring us to a moment of new possibility and new beginning in the not-too-distant future. That is my hope, even if it sounds naive.
Brian McLaren (brianmclaren.net) is an author, speaker and board member of Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
Election. Independent Voters Favor Democrats by 2 to 1 in Poll – “Two weeks before the midterm elections, Republicans are losing the battle for independent voters, who now strongly favor Democrats on Iraq and other major issues facing the country and overwhelmingly prefer to see them take over the House in November.” Latino and black voters reassessing ties to GOP – “A major effort to draw Latinos and blacks into the Republican Party, a central element of the GOP plan to build a long-lasting majority, is in danger of collapse amid anger over the immigration debate and claims that Republican leaders have not delivered on promises to direct more money to church-based social services.”
Iran. Iran tests second batch of centrifuges – “Iran has launched a second batch of centrifuges at its pilot nuclear-fuel plant amid efforts by the US and its Western allies to finalise UN sanctions against country for its nuclear stand.” U.N. Official Says Iran Is Testing New Enrichment Device – “The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said the new uranium enrichment equipment could double Iran's capacity.” IAEA Head: Iran Close To Enriching Uranium - “Mohamed ElBaradei, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that Iranian technicians had pieced together a second line, or cascade, of 164 centrifuges and are days away from using the cascade to enrich uranium.”
Sudan. War in Sudan? Not Where the Oil Wealth Flows – “While one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises continues some 600 miles away in Darfur, across Khartoum bridges are being built, office towers are popping up, supermarkets are opening and flatbed trucks hauling plasma TV’s fight their way through thickening traffic. Despite the image of Sudan as a land of cracked earth and starving people, the economy is booming, with little help from the West.”
Free press. Press Freedom Erodes in U.S., Report Says – “Some poor countries, such as Mauritania and Haiti, improved their record in a global press freedom index this year, while France, the United States and Japan slipped further down the scale of 168 countries rated, the group Reporters Without Borders said yesterday.”
Generation Y. Generation Y gets involved - “Shaped by 9/11, millennials are socially conscious, if not radical - Alex Wells switched shampoos over animal testing. She won't buy clothes produced by child labor. She yells at those who don't recycle. She spent a month in India this summer teaching English to preschoolers. Last year in high school, she helped organize a protest over genocide in the Sudan that raised $13,000 for Darfur relief.”
Arms sales. Support UN arms treaty, say Nobel laureates – “More than a dozen Nobel peace prize laureates have joined forces to call on governments around the world to support a landmark international treaty to stop irresponsible arms exports.”
Voting rights. Supreme Court Allows Arizona to Use New Voter-ID Procedure – “The Supreme Court ruled unanimously late Friday that Arizona could put its new voter-identification rules into effect for the Nov. 7 election while challenges to those rules proceed in the lower federal courts. … The Supreme Court opinion made clear that it was not ruling on the merits of the case, in which the plaintiffs contend that Proposition 200, adopted by Arizona voters in 2004, places an unconstitutional burden on members of minorities and others who do not have ready access to the forms of identification required to register and to vote.” Rush for voting machines, training before midterm elections – “In the continued fracas over electronic voting, election administrators across the country are heading toward the midterm elections still not sure whether they have enough of the newfangled machines that caused an uproar in 2004.”
Op-Eds.
Rising Radical Center (E.J. Dionne, Washington Post) – “President Bush's six-year effort to create an enduring Republican majority based on a right-leaning coalition is on the verge of collapse. The way he tried to create it could have the unintended consequence of opening the way for an alternative majority. This incipient Democratic alliance, while tilting slightly leftward, would plant its foundations firmly in the middle of the road, because its success depends on overwhelming support from moderate voters.”
Enjoy, Senator, it'll get worse(Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune) – “Memo to Sen. Barack Obama: That giant swooshing sound that you hear is the roar of a media wave, urgently pushing you to run for president. Don't let it go to your head. What the media giveth, we can take away and usually we do, shortly after the candidate announces.”
Editorials.
Sideshow to genocide – (Boston Globe) – “WHILE IT has dominated headlines in Sudan, the expulsio
n of Jan Pronk, the United Nations' special envoy there, is really just a sideshow. He would have been leaving his post at the end of the year in any case. The great moral and geopolitical challenge for the UN and its member states is to muster the political will to stop the genocide in Darfur.”
Trying to Contain the Iraq Disaster (New York Times) – “No matter what President Bush says, the question is not whether America can win in Iraq. The only question is whether the United States can extricate itself without leaving behind an unending civil war that will spread more chaos and suffering throughout the Middle East, while spawning terrorism across the globe. … Today we want to describe a strategy for containing the disaster in Iraq as much as humanly possible. It is hardly a recipe for triumph. … At this point, all plans to avoid disaster involve the equivalent of a Hail Mary pass.”
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, "Grant me justice against my opponent.' For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, "Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.' " And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Inside of sacred space you are indestructible, even though you feel quite vulnerable and unsure of yourself in many ways. Inside of sacred space you can love America and critique America at the same time. Inside of sacred space you can weep for the bigger evil of which both sides are victims. Inside of sacred space you can imagine an alternative universe because you have now been there yourself. Inside of sacred space you can - if you can dare imagine it - hear God.
If you ever visit Johannesburg, you should set aside a half day to visit the Apartheid Museum. You’ll need a few hours to experience the museum and then a few more to process what you’ve experienced, either alone or with some friends. As you enter the museum, you pass beneath a stark, simple, yet unforgettable sign, bold capital letters against the subdued red brick of the building: APARTHEID in white, MUSEUM in black.
As you leave the museum, you are struck by another visual metaphor: six concrete pillars, each inscribed with a word. These are the pillars of the new, post-apartheid South Africa: freedom, responsibility, democracy, respect, reconciliation, and diversity.
I believe the U.S. is passing through an era with some similarity to the last apartheid years in South Africa. It is a difficult era, full of tension, full of possibility too. It began, I suppose, with our decision not to remain isolated, but to enter World War II. The dropping of the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki marked the era indelibly, in ways we have hardly begun to grasp. In the 1950’s, the McCarthy trials helped define the era, and the era’s particular angst intensified in the 1960’s with the Civil Rights movement, the women’s movement, the anti-war movement, and the ecology movement. For over three decades, the era was defined largely by the struggles of the Cold War, and then more recently, the internal “culture wars” and the external “war on terrorism.” What links all of these disparate phenomena is what linked blacks, whites, and colored in South Africa as apartheid came to an end: the struggle to forge a new national identity.
Think of the questions that we have grappled with over these last fifty years: Will we be a nation of equality for all races, and for women as well as men? Will we be a nation of isolation or engagement? In engagement, will we be a nation of war, using unprecedented technologies of violence for our national interest, or do we aspire to be a nation of peace working for the common good? Will we be an industrial nation that extracts riches at our environment’s expense, or an ecological nation that works harmoniously in and with the environment as its caretakers? How will we relate to other cultures and nations in the world? Will we be dominated by them, or will we seek to dominate them—or is there some other path? Will be seek to be an empire, or is there some other path for a superpower? Will we be characterized by virtue and civility or by decadence and conflict? Will we be the world’s smarmiest pornographers, the world’s hypocritical moral police, or an imperfect but improving moral example among the world’s nations? What kind of nation do we want to be?
All these questions, I believe, surface this one simmering, profound question of national identity for the United States. If we can see them thematically as elements in one ongoing struggle, the struggle to define our national ethos and global role, perhaps we can find both a missing sense of coherence in our times – and a unifying goal toward which we can move together. We are, after all, a rather young nation, perhaps we could even say an adolescent nation. Perhaps identity crises are to be expected for a nation our age.
Naming our struggle in this way can help us be less distracted, fragmented, and confused by the crisis de jour, a phenomenon furthered by our broadcast news media that need to give us another frightening reason to keep watching or listening until the next commercial break. Our political parties also play into this rush from crisis to crisis, as each tries to spin and gain advantage in a game that never seems to end, and nobody seems to win. Deep down, we know that many if not most of these crises are simply bumps in the road, and we also know that f
ar more important issues are hardly acknowledged because they are too big, deep, and complex to become a crisis de jour between commercial breaks. Perhaps the articulation of our desired national identity and mission is more important than 90% of the so-called crises, but we just haven’t realized it yet.
As we broaden and deepen our dialogue about faith, justice, politics, and culture, I believe more and more of us should attend to this larger identity struggle. We need to listen to our prophets and poets, our pastors and sages, our educators and activists, so that some time in the future, we will know what our pillars are … and so the values they represent will be inscribed, not just on stone, but in our hearts and minds, our families and communities.
Brian McLaren (brianmclaren.net) is an author, speaker and board member of Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
Politics.The battlefield widens for House GOP seats – “A growing number of GOP incumbents in seats once considered "safe"… are struggling this month against a powerful current of discontent with the nation's direction, the performance of Congress and President Bush, and the war in Iraq.” Three states could swing Senate control – “Two weeks before election day, odds are increasing that the Senate could turn on the results of close contests in Tennessee, Virginia and Missouri, three states along the border between the solidly Republican Deep South and Democratic terrain in the Northeast and industrial Midwest.” Democrats Strengthen Chances For Senate - “Democrats in the past two weeks have significantly improved their chances of taking control of the Senate, according to polls and independent analysts.”
Obama Says He'll Consider A 2008 Bid for The Presidency – “Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) opened the door to a 2008 presidential campaign yesterday, saying he has begun to weigh a possible candidacy and will make a decision after the November elections.” Audacity of a hopeful – “In a decided and unequivocal shift, Sen. Obama said Sunday he is seriously considering a run for the White House in 2008, affirming the stunningly rapid trajectory of a political career that saw him in the Illinois legislature just two years ago.”
Faith and Politics.Are the Faithful Losing Faith? – “Two weeks till midterms, the NEWSWEEK poll shows Republicans in danger of losing a big chunk of their base. And a growing consensus for a bread-and-butter Democratic agenda.” Helping Democrats Bridge the 'God Gap' – “At a meeting of the House Democrats' Faith Working Group, a perplexed congressman turned to his colleagues for pastoral guidance. How could he counter a local preacher who argued that all of Jesus's moral teachings were about the world to come, not the here and now?” Conservatism doesn't need God - “The GOP has become the party of religion, and Democrats have been scrambling to play catch-up. The truth, though, is that piety doesn't belong in politics.”
Tort
ure.The rules of religions against torture – “There are certain acts that a follower of Jesus simply cannot accept. Here is one: A Christian cannot justify the torture of a human being."
Iraq.At White House Meeting, No Big Changes on Iraq - President Bush met with his top advisers and military commanders on Iraq in a White House session that, senior officials said, weighed options for forging a way forward amid the surging violence but did not contemplate any major shifts in strategy.” U.S. to Hand Iraq a New Timetable on Security Role– “The Bush administration is drafting a timetable for the Iraqi government to address sectarian divisions and assume a larger role in securing the country,” US 'arrogant and stupid' in Iraq – “A senior US state department official tells al-Jazeera TV the US has shown "arrogance and stupidity" in Iraq.” To Stand or Fall in Baghdad: Capital Is Key to Mission - “After three years of trying to thwart a potent insurgency and tamp down the deadly violence in Iraq, the American military is playing its last hand: the Baghdad security plan.”
North Korea.N. Korea threat lies in nuclear sales – “U.S. intelligence officials and weapons proliferation experts say they are concerned that North Korea could add plutonium to the extensive inventory of arms components and technologies it already has sold to such nations as Syria, Pakistan and Libya.” 2 GOP senators urge direct nuclear talks – “Two Republican senators on Sunday called for direct talks with North Korea aimed at easing a nuclear standoff.”
Darfur.UN envoy is told to leave Sudan – “ The UN's envoy to Sudan, Jan Pronk, has been recalled to New York for consultations following Khartoum's demand that he leave within three days.” Khartoum Expels U.N. Envoy Who Has Been Outspoken on Darfur Atrocities – “Sudan’sgovernment on Sunday ordered the chief United Nations envoy to leave, saying he was an enemy of the country and its armed forces.” Grim New Turn May Harden Darfur Conflict – “For the first time in more than two years, rebels fighting the government for more autonomy are making brazen, direct and successful attacks on soldiers
, and are declaring that all previous cease-fires are no longer in effect.”
Op-Ed.Welfare Reform Isn't Working – “But although work requirements were the centerpiece of the 1996 statute, its chief declared goal, as revealed by its preamble, was to reverse the decades-long decline in the nuclear family. If judged by this objective, welfare reform has been an abysmal failure. Domestic disorder continues to roil the lives of poor women.”
The word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgements, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear. ... Just as, when I called, they would not hear, so, when they called, I would not hear, says the Lord of hosts, and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and a pleasant land was made desolate.
The peace witness along with the nonviolent struggle for justice is not some optional accessory in Christian living. It has to do with living out in frail human response an intimation of what Jesus lived out in going to his death for our salvation.
Last year, a group of us put together something we called “Worship in the Spirit of Justice.” We planned five weeks of outdoor public worship in Washington, D.C., to bring attention to the suffering in Darfur. We believe that worship is closely connected with protest: when we praise God as the One who loves the poor, oppressed, and forgotten, we are implicitly protesting people and structures that oppress, exclude, and forget. Worship in this way radicalizes all of us. It forms us as people who join God in God’s care for our world.
We chose five “prophetic locations.” The first week, we met at the Lincoln Memorial, recalling our history of racism and slavery – and realizing that, as the film Hotel Rwanda said so painfully and powerfully, the way the rest of the world neglects the deaths of millions in Africa must be attributed in part at least to racism. In succeeding weeks, we met in front of the Capitol building, calling Congress to action; we gathered across from the National Press Club, urging the news media to keep Darfur on the front page until our nation used its influence more effectively for the dying in Darfur; we met across from the Sudan Embassy, where we prayed for that nation’s rulers to change their ways; and finally, we met in front of the White House, where hundreds of us knelt in prayer for our nation’s leaders to take action.
Now, over a year later, a group of evangelical leaders have spoken out on behalf of Darfur. In a sign that more and more evangelical leaders are unwilling to be held hostage to a single political party or a too-limited moral agenda, a wide array of leaders have come together saying that for us, Darfur will be a front-page issue, a true moral issue, and we won’t forget the good our leaders do for Darfur – or fail to do – as we move forward.
It’s important to remember (as a recent Time magazine cover story and a recent CNN series made clear) that Darfur isn’t the only scene of tragedy in Africa. The Congo continues to be a nightmare of violence and chaos. And while Africa gets a bit more of the attention it deserves, we can’t forget the terrible suffering in Latin America (where I recently walked the streets of some of the worst slums in the world), in so many parts of Asia, and even in our own nation – whether we’re speaking of the Katrina-stricken Gulf Coast or the urban and rural poor who are neighbors to all of us.
I’m encouraged to see more and more Christian leaders in the U.S. not only caring about these places, but also visiting them – not just to bring aid or “do mission,” but equally important, perhaps more important, to listen and learn, to meet people, to build relationships so the poor become our neighbors, our friends indeed. (For example, consider the beautiful and historic work of Amahoro-africa.com in bringing emerging Christian leaders from the U.S. together with their counterparts across East Africa.)
On December 10, thousands of churches will join together to “worship in the Spirit of justice.” Across our nation, they will praise God as the God of justice, the God who cares for the oppressed, the God who doesn’t play favorites, the God to whom a starving and frightened Muslim child in the Sudan is as precious as a Christian child in an affluent U.S. Sunday school. They will pray for Darfur, for the leaders of Sudan, for racism and genocide to be exposed and rejected, for rescue and reconciliation to be pursued. They will
pray for our President and Congress not to let politics so preoccupy them that they forget justice and compassion.
I hope you’ll invite your church to practice “worship in the Spirit of justice” on December 10, and I hope that kind of worship becomes habitual for more and more of us, week after week, day by day.
The United States is continuing its efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons potential, and to punish North Korea for developing and testing weapons. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is currently in Asia, pressing the South Korean and Chinese governments to support sanctions against North Korea. President Ahmadinejad of Iran, meanwhile, insists that Iran maintains the right to nuclear technology, and refuses to accept U.N. Security Council actions. There is a growing crisis in the proliferation of nuclear weapons – today’s Christian Science Monitor quotes Mohammed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency: "Another 20 to 30 states" could one day "have the capacity to develop nuclear weapons in a very short span of time."
Also in the news this morning is an announcement by the U.S. government that it is initiating a “Complex 2030” program to develop and deploy 2,200 new nuclear weapons. The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability calls it “a bizarrely inappropriate Dr. Strangelove-esque plan to revitalize the United States’ nuclear weapons production capability in order to manufacture the new Reliable Replacement Warhead, which will potentially drive a new nuclear weapons arms race.” The plan includes repairing and replacing production facilities in several states.
I don’t believe any country should possess nuclear weapons. But the attempt to restrict the development of nuclear weapons by other countries, while continuing to upgrade and modernize our own, is simply hypocrisy. The foundation of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty was an agreement by the nuclear powers to reduce and eventually eliminate their nuclear stockpiles in return for other countries agreeing not to acquire them. None of the nuclear powers has upheld their side of the deal. If the U.S. and other nuclear weapons states are serious about preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, they must take the necessary steps toward eliminating their own nuclear arsenals. Hypocrisy doesn’t make good foreign policy.
At an International AIDS Conference in Toronto last August, there were demonstrations supporting men and women who choose to be sex workers, transgenders, and cross dressers. The sexual rights and choices of all people were upheld as sacred—except for one. Anyone who mentioned abstinence was publicly denounced and personally jeered.
So how did the choice to abstain from the leading cause of HIV infections get such a terrible name?
Some of abstinence’s detractors associate it with American foreign policy, currently a very unpopular topic in most international circles. By requiring that one third of HIV/AIDS funds be dedicated to abstinence-based prevention, the U.S. is viewed as pushing a conservative religious agenda upon the peoples of the world. Stephen Lewis, U.N. Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, charges the U.S. with “neocolonialism,” harkening back to a century-old tension between the “puritanical” American missionary view of sex and the perspective of many Africans that sex is simply natural.
And tensions do exist within Africa over the appropriate response to a crisis that has decimated many sub-Saharan countries. While leaders such as Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni have initiated measures to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS with the now famous A-B-C (abstain, be faithful, or use a condom) approach, others have lived in denial or even opposition to efforts to stop the spread of the virus. South African President Thabo Mbeki has obstructed HIV/AIDS education and treatment in his country—where more than 5 million people are HIV infected—and railed against those who he says characterize Africans as sexually promiscuous.
Sex is viewed differently in wealthy Western countries where it is often recreational, consensual, and not primarily intended for procreation. In poor African countries, sex is more often about survival. With a high infant mortality rate, women know that they must give birth to many children in order to raise a few.
And in poor countries where women have few rights, sex is also commoditized, not just as prostitution but also as what is called “survival sex.” Young women learn that in order to eat or pay their school fees, they must befriend an older man. Some such arrangements are made by their own relatives without their knowledge or consent.
So when Americans teach abstinence in that context, it must be a different message than the one used for teenagers in this country, where society and the law protect that choice and an unwanted pregnancy remains a strong deterrent.
In fact, many of the organizations promoting abstinence are not as inflexible as they are portrayed. Their programs often incorporate condoms (not paid for by government funds) and an understanding that only some will embrace the abstinence message. And many who teach abstinence are really teaching about the rights of young women to say no, sometimes a counter-cultural message.
This year's UNAIDS report documents a delay of first sexual activity in several countries from an average age alarmingly near puberty to one that is closer to a reasonable age of consent. Those who teach abstinence believe the statistics support their message.
Those who criticize abstinence education admit that there is no perfect alternative. “Safe sex” is an oxymoron in countries where as much as one quarter of the population is infected and doesn’t know it, and where condoms are also viewed with suspicion because they stop pregnancies. And women are rarely in a strong enough position to negotiate the use of condoms if they fear their partner—even their husband—is already infected.
But bickering over the best way to help those dealing with HIV/AIDS is not helping anyone. Some of the disagreements are over semantics. Some are o
ver policy.
Some grows out of deep frustration that there is no cure and no obvious way to stop the pandemic that continues to destroy so many lives.
Sincere Christians are on both sides of the debate, but common faith and a shared desire to help those in need offers a way forward. It is time to stop the jeering and stereotyping as well as the moralizing and denigrating and start talking about how we can truly work together to stop the disease that has already claimed nearly 3 million souls this year alone.
Dale Hanson Bourke is author of The Skeptic’s Guide to the Global AIDS Crisis (Authentic, 2006).
Iraq. U.S. rethinks its strategy to cut Iraqi violence – “The top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq acknowledged that a much-touted security crackdown by American and Iraqi forces has failed to reduce violence in the capital and called the results "disheartening." Major Change Expected In Strategy for Iraq War –“The growing doubts among GOP lawmakers about the administration's Iraq strategy, coupled with the prospect of Democratic wins in next month's midterm elections, will soon force the Bush administration to abandon its open-ended commitment to the war,” Bush Faces a Battery of Ugly Choices on War – “President Bush can order a rearrangement of U.S. forces inside Iraq, or he can reassess the strategy itself.” U.S. Says Violence in Baghdad Rises, Foiling Campaign– “The American military's new security plan for Baghdad has failed to reduce the violence and a new approach is needed, said Gen. William Caldwell, a spokesman.” GOP solidarity on the war is cracking - Public anxiety over the Iraq war, already reflected in polls and demands from some Democrats to withdraw U.S. troops, is now prompting calls for change from some unlikely quarters: Republican congressional candidates.
North Korea. Rice Presses S. Korea to Pursue Full Sanctions – “Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressed the South Korean government to fully implement U.N.-authorized sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear test, but she encountered reluctance among officials in Seoul,” China May Press North Koreans – “China is prepared to step up pressure on North Korea in coming weeks by reducing oil shipments, among other measures, if the country refuses to return to negotiations or conducts more nuclear tests,”
US Nuclear weapons. U.S. Plan for New Nuclear Weapons Advances – “The United States took another step yesterday toward building a new stockpile of up to 2,200 deployed nuclear weapons that would last well into the 21st century, announcing the start of a multiyear process to repair and replace facilities where they would be developed and
assembled…”
United Nations.Break called in voting on Security Council seat – “After three days and 35 rounds of voting, Guatemala and Venezuela agreed Thursday to a timeout until next week in their deadlocked contest for a U.N. Security Council seat. Latin American and Caribbean diplomats hope to come up with a compromise candidate.” Britain to defy US over UN resolution on arms trade – “The UK is next week expected to push through the United Nations a resolution to open the way for a landmark arms trade treaty, in spite of opposition from the US, Russia and China.
Politics. Republican Woes Lead to Feuding by Conservatives – “Tax-cutters are calling evangelicals bullies. Christian conservatives say Republicans in Congress have let them down. Hawks say President Bush is bungling the war in Iraq. And many conservatives blame Representative Mark Foley’s sexual messages to teenage pages. With polls showing Republican control of Congress in jeopardy, conservative leaders are pointing fingers at one other in an increasingly testy circle of blame for potential Republican losses this fall.” GOP Aims to Scare Up Big Voter Turnout – “With top Republican strategists now privately predicting substantial House losses, President Bush and top GOP officials plan to spend the final days of the 2006 campaign attempting to rally partisans and limit conservative defections with dire warnings about the consequences of a Democratic Congress.”
Op-Ed. Faith-based politics is reason to worry (Ellen Goodman, Boston Globe) - “I thought there was more reason to be hopeful than nervous about the idea of funding more social programs for the poor under spiritual roofs. I remembered a time when our most prominent religious leader was not Pat Robertson or James Dobson but Martin Luther King Jr. Had we forgotten how many religious groups cared more about good works than good election results? … Before long it became clear that the faith-based initiatives were based on only one kind of faith. And it became clear that the faithful was political.”
“SEARCHING FOR JACOB” (A program note from CBS). “It hardly seems possible, but the genocide in Darfur is taking a turn for the worse. The government in Sudan has launched a new offensive, maybe trying to finish what it started three years ago. More than 300,000 people are dead; more than two million are refugees in the Sahara. While looking for a way to explain what’s happening in Darfur, “60 Minutes” came upon on the story of a boy named Jacob, whose name was on schoolbooks found in the ashes of his home. The books ended up at a US museum – and motivated Scott Pelley to try and find their owner, a boy swept up in the 21st century’s first genocide. The remarkable story will be shown on this week’s “60 MINUTES” (Sunday, Oct. 22, 7PM ET/PT on CBS).”
Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who contrive mischief by statute? They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death. But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
Peace is a never-ending process, the work of many decisions by many people in many countries. It is an attitude, a way of life, a way of solving problems and resolving conflicts. It cannot be forced on the smallest nation or enforced by the largest. It cannot ignore our differences or overlook our common interests. It requires us to work and live together.
- Oscar Arias Sanchez, Excerpted from his 1987 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.
Evangelicals and Darfur. Evangelicals Broaden Moral Agenda –“Yesterday, two dozen prominent evangelicals issued a joint appeal for President Bush to take the lead in sending a multinational, U.N.-backed peacekeeping force into the Darfur region of Sudan.” Evangelicals lobby Bush on Sudan crisis – “Liberal and conservative evangelicals set aside their political differences Wednesday to urge that President Bush do more to end the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan.” Evangelicals urge Darfur action - “Twenty-four liberal and conservative evangelical leaders representing at least 50 million Americans called on President Bush yesterday to "stop the genocide" in Darfur, saying he is the only world leader in a position to do so.”
Iraq. One-Day Iraq Toll Is Highest for U.S. In Many Months – “A roadside bombing and other attacks killed 10 American troops across Iraq on Tuesday, the U.S. military reported Wednesday, making it the deadliest day of combat for U.S. forces in 10 months.” Bush says Tet comparison may be valid – “President Bush said Wednesday that it was possible that the surge in violence in Iraq was comparable to the Vietnam War's Tet offensive, which is considered a turning point in that conflict.” 'Dramatic change of direction' coming for Iraq – “The escalating violence raking Baghdad and other Iraqi cities is pushing that nation's leaders, neighboring Arab countries and U.S. advisers to consider a dramatic change of direction in the conduct of the war. … The options cited most frequently in Washington include the partition of Iraq into three ethnic- or faith-based regions, and a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops, … Another scenario is being discussed -- and taken seriously in Iraq -- by many of Iraq's leading political players, under which the U.S.-trained army would overthrow struggling Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and replace him with a strongman who would restore order while Washington looks the other way.”
Politics. Moderates in Kansas Decide They're Not in GOP Anymore – “In a state that voted nearly 2 to 1 for President Bush in 2004, nine former Republicans will be on the November ballot as Democrats. Among them is Mark Parkinson, a former chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, who changed parties to run for lieutenant governor.” Conservative voters likely to stay home – “The Republican Party can stave off defeat with a strong turnout on Nov. 7, party leaders are telling the faithful -- but they are finding it tough to sell that message to some disillusioned conservative voters.” Tables Turned for the G.O.P. Over Iraq Issue – “With three weeks until Election Day, Republican candidates are barely mentioning Iraq on the campaign trail and in their television advertisements.”
The Environment. Evangelicals ally with Democrats on the environment – “Democratic strategists are joining forces with conservative evangelicals to promote a faith-based campaign on global warming, in an improbable alliance that could boost Democratic hopes of taking control of Congress. Religious leaders hope the campaign sends a message to the GOP.”
Iran. Iran warns UN sanctions for nuclear program would end chance for compromise – “Iran warned yesterday that a likely UN Security Council resolution imposing sanctions against Tehran would wreck any possibility for a compromise to resolve the standoff over the country's disputed nuclear program.”
Japan. Japan Assures Rice That It Has No Nuclear Intentions – “Japan assured Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday that it had no intention of pursuing a nuclear weapons program, despite’s North Korea’s detonation of a nuclear device and suggestions by some political leaders here that the Japanese should discuss whether the nation should acquire nuclear arms.”
If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.
Community is first and foremost a gift of the Holy Spirit, not built upon mutual compatibility, shared affection, or common interests but upon having received the same divine breath, having been given a heart set aflame by the same divine fire, and having been embraced by the same divine love.
Perhaps you noticed it when you opened your newspaper this morning. Today an unprecedented collection of 24 evangelical Christian leaders launched Evangelicals for Darfur – an urgent campaign to bring an end to the genocide in Darfur, the Western region of Sudan where horrific violence occurs every day. Up to 400,000 people have already been killed, 2.5 million have been displaced, countless numbers of women have been raped, and it could get even worse very quickly.
In numerous conversations over the last few weeks, several evangelical Christian leaders have discovered a profound unity on the crisis in Darfur. Believing this is a time and an issue which transcends other political differences, a number of us began talking about how we could respond to this enormous moral challenge. Those conversations have led us, in partnership with the Save Darfur Coalition, to create Evangelicals for Darfur, an effort that brings together the voices of evangelical Christians to call for an end to the incredible suffering in Darfur.
A broad and diverse group of evangelical leaders is now acting together. We do not all agree on other issues, but we are united in the conviction that our faith compels us to do everything we possibly can to bring an end to the horror in Darfur. In crucial matters of life and death, there is no left or right, there is only right and wrong.
Today, full-page ads ran in USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and a host of other national and regional newspapers calling on President Bush to use every resource and diplomatic tool available to him to get a U.N. peacekeeping force on the ground in Darfur. These ads are only the beginning of what we believe could be a tipping point in the world’s response to this horrible crisis.
When I spoke to my friend Richard Land - a key Southern Baptist leader - about this effort, he said, “Jim, if people see evangelical leaders like you and me speaking together on this issue, it could light a fire in America and give the president the power to do what he would really like to do.” We are acting on our faith, calling on President Bush to act on his faith and lead the effort to put a substantial peacekeeping force on the ground in Darfur - nothing else will save the people.
I am deeply encouraged by the broad spectrum of Christians and other people of faith that are speaking out on Darfur, and I hope that you are, too. I truly believe this is one of those moments in our lives when what God requires of us couldn't be clearer. Like the Good Samaritan, we simply cannot pass by our suffering brothers and sisters on the side of the road. I urge you to join us now at http://www.evangelicalsfordarfur.org/ . At http://www.evangelicalsfordarfur.org/, you can view the ads that ran in today’s papers, learn more about the genocide in Darfur, add your voice to this urgent message, and learn how you and your church can get involved in calling for an end to the suffering.
A final note – we are calling this effort Evangelicals for Darfur not to exclude any other denominations or faith groups, but to recognize the special impact evangelical Christians – from across the political spectrum – can have on this crisis.
I am excited to be joining with you, your family, and your church in this important effort. Together we can help mak
e a life-saving difference for our brothers and sisters in Darfur.
“Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” —Luke 10:36-37
the latest news on Sudan-Chad border violence, Bush's space policy, detainees and torture, election politics, Iraq, the U.N., North Korea, and Sri Lanka
Election politics. Elections May Leave Bush An Early Lame Duck "Around Washington, key figures in both parties have been trying to figure out what a Democratic victory would mean. Bush has been meeting privately with Cabinet secretaries in recent weeks to map out an agenda for his final two years in office. The White House says it is not making contingency plans for a Democratic win, but Bush advisers are bracing for what they privately recognize is the increasing likelihood. And Democratic leaders have been conferring about what they would do should voters return them to power."
Iraq.Iraq Removes Leaders of Special Police "The two generals had led Iraq’s special police commandos and its public order brigade, both widely criticized as being heavily infiltrated by Shiite militias. Their removal comes at a crucial time for Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, who has come under intense American pressure to purge Iraq’s security forces of the militias and death squads that operate within their ranks.
Star Wars.Bush Sets Defense As Space Priority "President Bush has signed a new National Space Policy that rejects future arms-control agreements that might limit U.S. flexibility in space and asserts a right to deny access to space to anyone 'hostile to U.S. interests.'"
Detainees.Bush Signs Tough Rules on Detainees "Bush said the new interrogation provisions would allow the CIA to restart a program of tough questioning of terrorist suspects that ground to a halt more than a year ago as Congress debated legislation banning the use of torture and questions about whether rough treatment of detainees would subject operatives to prosecution for war crimes." Battles brewing on torture, detainees "The law bans U.S. agents from inflicting severe physical or mental pain and using torture during interrogations. But it gives the White House wide latitude to define what constitutes torture and 'cruel treatment' under the Geneva Conventions, and it effectively grants legal amnesty to White House officials who authorized harsh techniques in the past..."
United Nations.In UN political drama, it's all about the U.S. "In the war of Hugo Chávez versus George W. Bush, Venezuela versus the United States, and anti- Americanism versus American leadership, the latest battle is ... a draw."
North Korea.Rice calls for calm over Korea crisis "The U.S. secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, said today the United States had no desire to escalate the crisis over North Korea's nuclear test, but vowed to protect Washington's Japanese allies." U.S. stands firm over N.K. sanctions "Ms. Rice's hastily arranged trip to Japan, South Korea, China and Russia is aimed at rallying support to implement sanctions
fully in line with the UN resolution passed last week."
Sudan/Chad. Sudanese Soldiers Flee War "Interviews with these soldiers provided a rare glimpse into the hidden world of Sudan’s secretive military, showing a corps of men who are poorly armed, unenthusiastic about their mission and more than willing to surrender rather than stand and fight." In pictures: Janjaweed in Chad " A fresh wave of cross-border attacks by the Sudanese Arab militia has seen 10 villages attacked and some 3,000 displaced."
You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your God in heaven.
American preachers have a task more difficult, perhaps, than those faced by us under South Africa's apartheid, or Christians under Communism. We had obvious evils to engage; you have to unwrap your culture from years of red, white and blue myth. You have to expose, and confront, the great disconnect between the kindness, compassion and caring of most American people, and the ruthless way American power is experienced, directly and indirectly, by the poor of the earth. You have to help good people see how they have let their institutions do their sinning for them. This is not easy among people who really believe that their country does nothing but good, but it is necessary, not only for their future, but for us all.
- Peter Storey, former president of the Methodist Church of South Africa
Last Sunday’s New York Times reminded me that fundamentalism is, indeed, dangerous. What story underscored this point? Something about religion in the upcoming elections? Religious violence in the Middle East?
No, what caught my attention was the New York Times Book Review. Only two religion books made last week’s list: Sam Harris’ Letter to a Christian Nation and Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion. Both Harris and Dawkins attack Christianity, arguing that all religion is bad (not just that bad religion is bad) and that faith is a significant source of evil.
While Dawkins revives a scientific argument against the existence of God, Harris takes a slightly different tact. He argues that all forms of Christianity are intellectually, morally, and politically suspect—with “extremism” being the worst offender. He writes that, “Christians have abused, oppressed, enslaved, insulted, tormented, tortured, and killed people in the name of God for centuries.” Accordingly, the best thing that could happen for civilization is the eradication of religion.
Many people are alarmed about the dangers of extremist religion, especially of the Religious Right—afraid of dogmatism, inquisitions, theocracy, and violence. I worry about crusades, pogroms, and terrorism as much as the next person. But I confess to a different worry: the effects of religious fundamentalism on religion.
Harris and Dawkins go to the heart of my concern. When bad religion becomes the primary way people define faith, the opposite result will not necessarily be good religion—the backlash is often no religion.
Modern atheism was birthed in the late seventeenth century. After a century of religious warfare following the Protestant Reformation, many Europeans opted out of faith. Instead of finding peace in God, they found peace by concluding that no God existed. The option proved comforting, and, for next century, European Christianity struggled to regain both intellectual credibility and popular support.
In the late nineteenth century, during America’s fundamentalist/modernist controversy, agnostic Robert Ingersoll made a career attacking Christianity. Ingersoll’s skepticism fuelled the rise of popular secularism, thus leading to a general decline of church membership in the early twentieth century.
History reveals that bad religion often results in no religion. That books like Harris’ and Dawkins’ should gain traction at this time should come as no surprise. Religious fundamentalism leads those of tender conscience, doubters, and freethinkers to view all people of faith as crazy extremists. Harris, for example, implies that the difference between suicide bombers and religious progressives is merely one of degree.
Thus, the beauty of faith—its compassion, mercy, and love—is obscured in a haze of extremism. In this chaotic age, the potential exists that a weary public will turn not to God’s goodness as a way through our problems but will turn away from God altogether. The bestseller status of both Harris and Dawkins should worry moderate and liberal Christians. The Religious Right has succeeded in resurrecting Christianity’s main intellectual competitor: atheism.
I have nothing against secularism or questioning faith, and I agree with Harris and Dawkins that Christians have done many horrendous things. Despite the fact that some Christians practice Christianity badly, I remain a Christian. Not a “crazy extremist” one, but one that tries to imitate Jesus and follow his teachings—and one who believes those teachings can create a more peaceable world. The greatest danger of religious fundamentalism, with its narrow intellectual and political vision, is not to American society, but to Christianity itself.
<
p>Diana Butler Bass (www.dianabutlerbass.com) is an independent scholar and author. Her new book is Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith, from Harper San Francisco.
the latest news on disarming paramilitaries in Colombia, Christians in Iraq, reducing violence in Israel and Palestine, U.S. election politics, the United Nations Security Council elections, Darfur, detainee politics, and op-ed commentary on the faith-based furor over David Kuo's new book.
Iraq. Iraq’s Christians Flee as Extremist Threat Worsens "Over the past three and a half years, Christians have been subjected to a steady stream of church bombings, assassinations, kidnappings and threatening letters slipped under their doors."
Election politics. Senate quest a historic push "In the Democratic push to take back the Senate, a candidate who was once thought to be the longest of long shots has emerged as a critical factor in the math required to flip six Republican seats from red to blue."
Mideast. Hamas spokesman questions if violence is Palestinian 'disease' "Ghazi Hamad, a senior figure in Hamas and spokesman for the Hamas-led government ... criticized Palestinian militant groups fighting Israel, saying they were not doing the cause of Palestinian independence any good by launching attacks at moments when it appeared progress was being made."
United Nations. Deadlock in Latin America UN race "After 10 rounds of voting neither of the leading nations, Guatemala and Venezuela, emerged as the victor in the election for the temporary seat."
Darfur. Darfur's Agony A special multimedia presentation by Lydia Polgreen illustrates the precarious situation of those fleeing the violence in Darfur.
Detainees.U.S. Faces Obstacles To Freeing Detainees"European governments, which have been equally vocal in assailing Guantanamo as a human rights liability, have also balked at accepting prisoner transfers."
Colombia. In Colombia, a Dubious Disarmament "In communities hit hard by paramilitary violence ... victims are incredulous about the government's lofty claims. Once fearful that speaking out could get them killed, they are increasingly organized and assertive. And they are sharply criticizing a process that they say is tilted more toward whitewashing crimes than punishing perpetrators."
Op-ed. A Faith-Based Battle for Voters by E.J. Dionne "I hope Kuo's book promotes serious discussions in religious study groups around the country about whether the evangelicals' alliance with political conservatism has actually made the world, well, more godly from their own point of view. What are evangelicals actually getting out of this partnership? Are they mostly being used by a coalition that, when the deals are cut, cares far more about protecting the interests of its wealthy and corporate supporters than its churchgoing foot soldiers?"
My longer, point-by-point response to attacks made by critics of the Kuo book can be read here, at FaithfulDemocrats.com. It should give you a good sense of the best bits of the book. But I'd also encourage you to read the book yourself. The scandalous political bits have been picked up all over the news by now, but this is not just a "tell-all" book. It's also a thoughtful, moving, and brutally honest exploration of what happens to faith when it comes in contact with politics.
That's the real meaning behind the title Tempting Faith. Yes, it's what the Bush administration tried to do in order to win more religious votes for 2004. But it's also what happens to any child of God who enters the world of Caesar. The challenge is how you deal with the seductions and temptations of power.
For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.
There are some who still find the cross a stumbling block, and others consider it foolishness, but I am more convinced than ever before that it is the power of God unto individual and social salvation. ... The suffering and agonizing moments through which I have passed over the past few years have also drawn me closer to God. More than ever before I am convinced of the reality of a personal God.
To say there are few surprises in David Kuo's new book, Tempting Faith, is not to suggest that it is uninteresting or to be skipped. On the contrary, the book provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how political priorities get made and carried out in the Bush White House.
It's just that, as much respect as I have for people like Jim and David who believed in the promise of the faith-based initiative at the beginning, I have always thought of it as I have the invasion of Iraq: Not necessarily a bad idea, but given what we knew of Bush and his advisors, there was no reason to think it would turn out well.
The initiative was useful, after all, only inasmuch as it promoted the image of Bush as a devout man of faith who had rescued religious groups from the discrimination they had suffered at the hands of government (and probably liberal, it was implied) bureaucrats. Indeed, there were a few instances of grantmakers stupidly refusing to consider an application because the organization had a "religious" word like "Jewish" in its title. But those were few and far between, and easily fixed with an authoritative "Cut it out!" memo. Or an executive order. Take your pick.
Once it came down to the hard work of actually putting the government's money where Bush's mouth was, however, well, there was always something else higher up the priority list. Like the elimination of the estate tax, for example. The most significant piece of Bush's faith-based initiative--tax credits for charitable giving--was pushed aside early on to make way for the repeal of the estate tax. Compassion in action can wait; we've got some rich donors to reward!
In some ways, it's easy to excuse the Bushies--it was sinfully easy for them to get away with their bait-and-switch. The truly conservative religious types, Kuo makes clear throughout the book, were never really that interested in fighting poverty to begin with. When Ralph Reed tried to start The Samaritan Fund in the 1990s, he was only able to raise $500,000 of his $10 million goal. Poverty just doesn't get the blood racing like abortion or gay marriage. In addition, one group targeted by the faith-based initiative--suburban moms who are keen on compassionate conservatism--only needed to hear Bush's rhetoric on the subject, not check his record. And religious minorities, perhaps the most important constituency for the program, were courted through a series of regional conferences and meetings that held out the promise of funds. Unless they each checked with each other, it seemed like somebody was getting money, even if it wasn't them.
My very favorite line in the book is uttered by an aide in the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives on the morning after Bush has finally been told that his grand $8 billion a year initiative was really more like a $30 million cardboard cut-out. "We've got to make it look like we're doing something," the staffer told the various faith-based staffers at the agencies. "Stop whatever you are working on and focus on making it look like we're doing something."
Focus on making it look like we're doing something. Because you wouldn't want to actually do something. No, not when you can get political credit for looking like you're doing something instead.
After the Holocaust, the world said, NEVER AGAIN! But then came Cambodia. Then came Rwanda. And now - Darfur, Sudan. Murder, rape, torture, destruction of villages, wells, and land - it's an old, cruel story being repeated again ... and again. Uncounted dead in Darfur - between 180,000 and 400,000. Over two million displaced, baking in refugee camps without adequate food, water, shelter, emergency medical care, basic security.
If it weren’t for the work of journalists and news professionals, we couldn’t care about these atrocities because we wouldn’t know about them. Thank God for journalists and news professionals. But please God – send us more, and better, because there’s so much more to be done!
It's terrible enough that the Janjaweed militia are carrying out systematic genocide against the people of Darfur. It's even worse that Sudanese government defends itself while its soldiers aid and abet the Janjaweed. They slaughtered thousands in Southern Sudan and got away with it; why not do it again in the west?
Then I added …
But what have our news media been covering in recent months while thousands in Darfur died? Michael Jackson. Tom Cruise. The Runaway Bride. Trials of the rich and famous. Petty bickering between polarized and paralyzed political parties and their religious mascots. More Michael Jackson. Fluff and stuff that too often simply doesn't make a sliver of difference.
Except in ratings.
And ratings mean money. Is that what journalism has become? Just another fast way to make a buck?
Some of us remember terms like "the fourth estate" and "muckraking" - and times when journalism was about making a difference in the world, telling the truth, exposing lies, exposing hypocrisy, seeking justice. We remember when journalists brought down lying presidents, uncovered dirty tricks, confronted corrupt regimes. That almost sounds like a joke now.
Karl Marx said that religion was the opiate of the masses, and too often, there has been too much truth to his diagnosis. But has mass media assumed religion’s pharmaceutical role? Could journalists and news professionals, fixated on ratings-friendly triviality, actually be today’s virtual drug dealers, doling out the greatest tranquilizer ever invented to put public opinion into a deep, passive, mindless sleep?
To fixate on Michael Jackson week after week after week as if it were a major news story shows questionable judgment if not questionable intelligence. But to ignore genocide in Darfur as if it were not a major news story - that shows something far worse.
But we can't give up on news professionals - because lives depend on them. If they let their conscience guide them instead of ratings, then the truth will be shown about Darfur. And if the truth about Darfur is shown to enough people, enough times, politicians will feel a new wind blow.
…When the journalists wake up, the public will wake up. When the public wakes up, the politicians will wake up and spur our government to action we can be proud of.
In recent days, CNN has been showing a powerful feature called “The Killing Fields: Africa’s Misery, the World’s Shame,” telling the story of atrocities occurring in the Congo (one of the worst humanitarian crises since the Holocaust), Darfur (whose situation is still horrible - beyond precarious, and needing urgent international action), and surrounding regions.
Anderson Cooper, Sanjay Gupta, and Jeff Koinange des
erve a long and heartfelt standing ovation for this heroic and needed work of ethical reporting. They show how journalism can serve, not simply ratings and dollars, but humanity. Thank you, Anderson, Sanjay, and Jeff. May God bless you and help you keep up this kind of good work. And may God help us all respond to the many miseries among two-thirds of the world’s people, whose stories, voices, and cries must be heard. They may not be celebrities, but each one is precious to God, and their stories matter, just as it matters how we listen and respond.
Brian McLaren (brianmclaren.net) is an author and board chair for Sojourners/Call to Renewal. His most recent book is The Secret Message of Jesus (W Publishing, 2006), and his next book will be Jesus and the Suicide Machine (W Publishing, 2007).
David Kuo is the author of a new book called Tempting Faith and was interviewed last night on 60 Minutes. Kuo could be a big problem for the Bush Administration, because he asserts that the famous White House “Faith-based Initiative” fell far short of its bold promises, was a cover-up for very bad domestic policies on poverty, and was cynically politicized to serve partisan Republican purposes. Kuo was a Special Assistant to the President and the number two official at the White House Office on faith-based initiatives from 2001-2003.
It’s strong stuff. Kuo says he was “dazzled” by George W. Bush and his idea of “compassionate conservatism,” but that Bush never followed through with his promises. The actual funding fell far, far short—about one percent—of the 8 billion dollars the President personally pledged for his faith-based initiative, while effective domestic programs for low-income families were slashed to pay for tax cuts mostly favoring the rich. Bush talked a lot about his faith-based program, but never fought for it, according to Kuo. He believes the President’s stated campaign vision for faith-based initiatives “was one of the most important political addresses given in the last generation," but he says the failure to deliver on those promises came before 9/11. In the end, Bush delivered only “a whisper” of the promise, and let the "compassion agenda" languish.
Not only was only a fraction of the money promised ever appropriated and disbursed, but it also tended to favor organizations friendly to the White House political agenda, claims Kuo. Personally, I have also been told of extremely pro-administration, pro-Republican, and anti-Democratic political rhetoric at meetings of the faith-based initiative grantees. Kuo further alleges that former White House political affairs director Ken Mehlman used the office to mobilize religious voters in 20 targeted races - nineteen of which were won by Republicans. Kuo says the outreach was directed both at conservative evangelicals and at traditional Democratic allies in racial/ethnic communities that are highly sensitive to religious messages and Republican wedge issues. Kuo charges that this was the exploitation of religion for political ends in which “good and well meaning people are manipulated,” and that “God and politics were fused together.”
Is anybody surprised that a White house ruled by the likes of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney would engage in manipulation of religion—or anything else? I recall the reflections of the first head of the faith-based program office, John Dilulio, who left after six months, and later cited the disconnects between the White House's faith-based office and the domestic policy advisors, referring to them as “Mayberry Machiavellians.” Kuo describes the cynical character of the faith-based program, where White House officials would regularly “roll their eyes” privately about religious leaders, and refer to them with disdain, even as “nuts” while, at the same time, praising them as public allies and reaching out to their constituencies for votes. Kuo writes, “National Christian leaders received hugs and smiles in person and then were dismissed behind their backs and described as ‘ridiculous,’ ‘out of control,’ and just plain ‘goofy.’” “You name the important Christian leaders, and I have heard them mocked, by serious people in serious places,” said Kuo on 60 Minutes.
For full disclosure, I should say that I've known David Kuo for years. We met at a retreat and began a conversation which
has lasted ever since. He was, and is indeed, a conservative evangelical Christian, as he said on 60 Minutes, and was quite unhappy with the many contradictions and hypocrisies of liberalism. I had to agree with much of his critique. But he also genuinely cared about the poor and that was our point of connection. David Kuo was one of those genuine “compassionate conservatives” which many liberals don’t believe really exist, but truly do. Yet he eventually came to realize that there weren’t many compassionate conservatives in the White House, which preferred to use the religious community for their own political purposes.
When asked if he believed the White House will now come after him, Kuo replied, “Of course they will, I can hear the attacks, ‘Oh, he’s really a liberal, or maybe that brain tumor really messed up his head.” (Kuo survived a bout with brain cancer while serving in the White House). But, he says, “I have this burden on my heart that the name of God is being destroyed in the name of politics … I felt like I had to write this.”
I am interested to see how much Kuo talks about Bush in his book - whether he ever was really a compassionate conservative himself or not, or whether he was either distracted or overruled by other conservative agendas. David and I had lunch just before he left the White House, and he told me of his plans to resign. “I believe the president really has a heart for the poor,” he told me, “but I don’t think it matters.” It was a stunning statement, clearly suggesting that other priorities ruled at the White House. “So," he told me, "I am going to leave before he breaks my heart." Now Kuo is the Beliefnet editor that hosts this blog (another full disclosure).
The White House Office on Faith Based and Community Initiatives (its full title) hired some of the best people around. Its first and second directors, John Dilulio and Jim Towey are people I greatly respect and consider friends, along with David Kuo. Dilulio realized quickly what the White House priorities were and got out, while Towey stayed too long in my opinion. In the beginning, I supported the initiative too and met with President Bush and other religious leaders on several occasions to discuss it. I believed, and still do, in a level playing field for faith-based organizations who ought to be eligible for public funding if they obey federal law and guidelines, and not use social service funding for explicitly religious purposes. "Fund results, not religion" as Dilulio used to say. But I said to President Bush early on that partnerships with faith-based organizations should never become a substitute for sound domestic policies aimed at serious poverty reduction. And that’s exactly what happened. Then political manipulation of religion only compounded the crime of political neglect of the poor.
Read Tempting Faith - by a real compassionate conservative - and weep for the loss of what could have been, then beware of those who would manipulate genuine faith for partisan political purposes.
the latest news on faith-based manipulation, North Korea, the Mideast, Iraq policy, violence in Sri Lanka, the United Nations security council elections, and election politics in Pennsylvania
Faith-based Initiatives. Allegations by former White House official David Kuo include, among other things the shocking claim that Bush aides 'mocked evangelicals.' "A new book by a former U.S. official says President Bush's top political advisers privately ridiculed evangelical leaders, while publicly embracing them." A 60 Minutes interview adds fuel to the fire.
North Korea.Analysis of Air Particles Confirms N. Korea Test "U.S. intelligence confirmed today that North Korea conducted a nuclear test on Oct. 9, saying that 'radioactive debris' was detected in air samples from a relatively small atomic blast. ... There was no immediate official explanation for the relatively small size of the nuclear blast, which was many times smaller than the explosions from the atomic bombs dropped on Japan at the end of World War II."
Mideast.Gaza arms buildup brings Israeli raids: "The lessons of the war between Israel and Hizbullah this summer have led the Israeli establishment to some new conclusions: Waiting while a neighbor arms itself is out; preemptive attacks may be the new norm."
Iraq.Top U.S. inquiry to call for Iraq policy change "U.S. policy in Iraq is not working and George Bush should consider radical changes, according to a top-level panel backed by the president. With the White House coming under increasing pressure over the carnage in Iraq, the recommendations from the bipartisan 10-member panel, led by former secretary of state James Baker, could provide political cover for Mr. Bush, should he decide to change course." Panel to Seek Change on Iraq "Two options under consideration would represent reversals of U.S. policy: withdrawing American troops in phases, and bringing neighboring Iran and Syria into a joint effort to stop the fighting."
Sri Lanka.Scores Are Killed in Attack on Sri Lankan Convoy "Ninety-nine people were killed in Sri Lanka today when a suicide bomber rammed a truck into a convoy of buses carrying naval personnel, according to a government statement. ... The attack took place as foreign envoys were arriving in Sri Lanka to discuss the prospects for a lasting peace. It was the latest flare-up in the island nation, where the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have fought for independence from the ethnic Sinhalese majority for more than 20 years."
United Nations.Guatemala Leads Venezuela in U.N. Vote "Guatemala topped Venezuela in the first four rounds of voting Monday for a U.N. Security Council seat, but it failed to get the nec
essary two-thirds majority to win a two-year term on the powerful United Nations body. ... Guatemala has the support of Colombia, apparently most of Central America, Europe and other countries. Some diplomats had expressed concern that Washington's support might actually hurt its bid by turning the contest into a U.S. vs. Chavez battle. Venezuela has served four times on the Security Council. Guatemala, emerging from years of brutal U.S.-backed dictatorship, has never had a seat but is a leading contributor of troops to U.N. peacekeeping missions."
Politics.GOP on a Mission to Save Santorum "It is a four-alarm fire for conservatives, who are bringing water buckets from all corners of the political world. Across Pennsylvania, pastors are preparing to stuff voter guides into their Sunday bulletins. ... If 2006 turns into the electoral romp for Democrats that many analysts now are predicting, a loss by Santorum would be a signifier of the end of that Republican revolution."
Ryan Beiler is Web Editor for Sojourners and is filling for Duane Shank as today's news compiler.
But you rise up against my people as an enemy; you strip the robe from the peaceful, from those who pass by trustingly with no thought of war. The women of my people you drive out from their pleasant houses; from their young children you take away my glory for ever. Arise and go; for this is no place to rest, because of uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction.
The story goes that a North American missionary went out one day to preach in a barrio of a Brazilian city. Taking John 3:16 as his text, he stood on the corner proclaiming the love of God for all people. A crowd gathered. One man in the crowd interrupted the missionary, 'You are wrong, Señor, God doesn’t love us.’ But the preacher was adamant. ‘Oh, yes. God does love you. God gives all good things, including the Christ, for you.’ The Brazilian, waving his arms at the squalor surrounding him, replied angrily, ‘Then somebody has been messing with the love of God!’ If God gave the earth for all people to share and enjoy, someone has been ‘messing’ with God’s plans.
When I first went out on the book tour for God’s Politics, I often got asked the standard media question, “Why did you write this book?” I answered, “Because the Right gets it wrong and the Left doesn’t get it!” It worked. Now reporters tell me it’s “the book that changed the conversation.” The new essay in the paperback edition of God’s Politics talks about all the ways the conversation has changed.
But now that God’s Politics is out in paperback and the publisher has me on another book tour, there is a new question I’m getting asked—both by the media and by people who come out to the events and talk to me at the book signing tables. The new question is, “What gives you the most satisfaction about the success of God’s Politics?” Or, “What makes you feel best about having written this book?” I’ve thought a lot about this and here are the top ten things that give me the most encouragement from the impact that God’s Politics has had.
Young people are streaming out to the God’s Politics events and, invariably, one of them says to me, “I came to faith because of this book; what’s next?” I now realize how much the church’s lack of commitment to social justice has been an obstacle to faith, and am thrilled by so many young people now coming to faith—it must be the evangelical in me.
Parents tell me they are giving the book to their children—some of whom have lost their faith, or are seeking to make the connections between personal faith and social justice.
Many pastors tell me their church is studying God’s Politics, and that it is bringing together people from all sides of the political spectrum. (To help them do that, we’ve now published a new companion study volume designed for small groups called Living God’s Politics.)
Young evangelical pastors and students tell me they are searching for “new options” beyond the Religious Right and Secular Left. And the hold of just one political party (the GOP) on the religious community has dropped significantly even since the 2004 elections. Why? Because more and more Christians are demonstrating their concern for more than just two “moral values” issues.
Jon Stewart was interested in what Jesus' words would mean to politics, and his millions of fans now know that Jesus' top priorities might not have been a capital gains tax cut or the occupation of Iraq.
Many progressive and Democratic political leaders are coming out of the closet with their faith, and opening up to faith communities and the role of faith in movements for social change; and Sen. Barack Obama is speaking so clearly about faith and Sen. John Edwards so passionately about poverty.
There are Republicans now who want to take back their party from the Religious right, and are voting against cutting effective programs for low-income families.
The American people can now hear Katie Couric, Tim Russert, and many of their media colleagues fairly profiling the diverse views of faith leaders across the spectrum, and
not just from the Relgious Right.
The bestseller tables and shelves at the book stores across America don’t only feature Ann Coulter, Bill O’Reily, and Sean Hannity anymore; now they display progressive religious voices too. I was especially pleased that two books on progressive faith (God's Politics and Jimmy Carter’s Our Endangered Values) both made The New York Times best-seller list for four months each during the same year!
The release of God’s Politics simply revealed what was already there—a large and growing constituency of faith-inspired people who had felt unrepresented by a small group of narrow, vitriolic, and partisan religious voices. That they feel their voice is now being heard is one of the greatest satisfactions for me. The best thing I hear after God's Politics events from so many people is, "I don't feel alone anymore." As I say at almost every stop, “The monologue of the Religious Right is finally over, and a new dialogue has just begun.” Now all our voices are changing the conversation. Amen.
the latest news on the Nobel Peace Prize, faith and politics, election politics, poverty, North Korea, Darfur, Iran, conscience and war, Iraq, and tithing
Nobel Peace Prize. Nobel for anti-poverty pioneers - “Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank have been awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Mr Yunus, an economist, founded the bank, which is one of the pioneers of micro-credit lending schemes for the poor in Bangladesh.” Pioneering economist wins Nobel – “Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank today emerged as the surprise winners of the prestigious Nobel peace prize for their pioneering work in lending to the poor.” The egalitarian economist – “Angered by the plight of the rural poor in his native Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus combined financial acumen with the pursuit of equality,”
Faith and politics. Book: Bush Aides Called Evangelicals 'Nuts' – “A new book by a former White House official says that President Bush's top political advisors privately ridiculed evangelical supporters as "nuts" and "goofy" while embracing them in public and using their votes to help win elections. The former official also writes that the White House office of faith-based initiatives, which Bush promoted as a nonpolitical effort to support religious social-service organizations, was told to host pre-election events designed to mobilize religious voters who would most likely favor Republican candidates.”
Politics. Warner Won't Make 2008 Run For President - “Former Virginia governor Mark R. Warner unexpectedly announced Thursday that he will not seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2008, citing the personal toll a run for the White House would have on his family.” Ex-governor won't take presidential plunge – “Warner, a centrist, had been one of the most aggressive early campaigners among the large group of Democrats pursuing possible presidential bids. He had already lined up considerable financial support, made 67 trips to 28 states and hired a large number of advisers with national campaign experience.” Warner Leaves Centrist Void – “Former Virginia governor Mark R. Warner's decision to bow out of the 2008 Democratic presidential race yesterday left the remaining candidates scrambling to fill the ideological and electoral void left by the candidate long considered a leading alternative to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid.”
Politics and poverty. Advocate is urging candidates not to forget about the poor – “One of the state's biggest advocates for the homeless has a message for lawmakers bent on producing nasty campaign commercials: Don't forget about those living in poverty. "Occasionally you get the campaigns talking about real issues. But lately all they seem to want to talk about is scandal and mudslinging, and nobody is talking about the real issues impacting poverty," said Bill Faith, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio.”
North Korea.U.N. Near Agreement on N. Korea Sanctions - “The U.N. Security Council moved closer Thursday night to agreement on a resolution that would impose an arms embargo and broad financial sanctions on North Korea in response to its claimed nuclear test,” Military action out of sanctions plan – “A new U.S. draft of a UN Security Council resolution circulated Thursday night would authorize only non-military sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program and require a new resolution for any further action, a key demand of China.”
Darfur. Research Group Advocates Targeted Sanctions Against Sudan - “Tough sanctions should be imposed on Sudan to force its government to allow a major U.N. peacekeeping mission into the troubled region of Darfur, a leading research organization recommended in a report issued yesterday. The International Crisis Group noted that international diplomatic efforts had failed to persuade Sudan to disarm the Janjaweed militia and that a new approach was necessary to prevent more bloodshed.”
Iran. Iran Defies Call to Drop Nuclear Plans – “The Iranian leadership is vowing to continue to defy an international demand to stop nuclear activities while refusing to condemn North Korea for its reported test of a small nuclear device. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a speech on Tuesday that Iran would continue its uranium enrichment program,”
Conscience and war. A Soldier Hoped to Do Good, but Was Changed by War – “Sgt. Ricky Clousing, 24, will serve three months in prison for going AWOL after pleading guilty. … Sgt. Ricky Clousing went to war in Iraq because, he said, he believed he would simultaneously be serving his nation and serving God. … “My experiences in Iraq forced me to re-evaluate my beliefs and my ethics,” Sergeant Clousing said, sitting stiff-backed in the witness chair. “I ultimately felt I could not serve.” The case against Sergeant Clousing, a born-again Christian from Washington State, is a small one in a war that has produced sensational courts-martial.”
Iraq. British army chief: Iraq policy `naive' – “Britain's new army commander said British troops in Iraq a
re making the situation worse and must leave the country soon, and he called Prime Minister Tony Blair's policies "naive," according to an interview published Thursday.” Army chief defends Iraq comments - “The head of the British army has defended his comments that UK troops "exacerbate" security problems in Iraq and should withdraw "sometime soon".” Army chief denies rift with PM – “The head of the British army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, today repeated his call for UK troops to withdraw from Iraq soon but denied reports of a rift between him and the prime minister on Britain's Iraq strategy.”
Religion. Church tithing continues to ebb – “Church members continue to give less of their income to churches despite increases in membership, according to a study … Church members gave 2.56 percent of their income in 2004, down from 3.11 percent in 1968,”
Op-Ed. Counting The Iraqi Dead (By Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post)- "Not credible" was President Bush's quick verdict on the new study, published this week in the British medical journal the Lancet, calculating that more than 650,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the U.S. invasion and its ensuing chaos. It is understandable that the president would be quick to dismiss such an explosive claim, but the rest of us should take the time to look a bit more closely. … If the study's findings are flawed, then its critics should demonstrate how and why. But no one should dismiss these shocking numbers without fully examining them. No one should want to.”
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour." And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
Globalization, for all its risks, also offers exceptional and promising opportunities, precisely with a view to enabling humanity to become a single family, built on the values of justice, equity, and solidarity. For this to happen, a complete change of perspective will be needed: it is no longer the well-being of any one political, racial, or cultural community that must prevail, but rather the good of humanity as a whole. The pursuit of the common good of a single political community cannot be in conflict with the common good of humanity.
Last week, we began a conversation with pop music superstar Moby about the ways in which his faith and ideology affect his lifestyle, art, and activism. In this week's segment, Moby grapples with navigating the world of celebrity while retaining one's beliefs, simple living, and what “Christianity” means for him.
John Potter is executive scheduler at Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
A group of American and Iraqi medical researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health released a new study on civilian casualties in Iraq Wednesday morning. Their conclusion? 600,000 more civilians have died as a result of violence since the U.S. invasion than would have died if there had been no invasion, an estimate based on interviews with nearly 2,000 families in 47 neighborhoods across the country. The survey shows the range could be from 425,000 to 800,000, but they believe 600,000 is the best estimate. The causes of death include gunshots, car bombs and other explosives, and air strikes. U.S. and other coalition forces were responsible, the study says, for 31% of the deaths – 200,000 people. And the violence of the insurgency and civil war sparked by the invasion caused the rest. The study, “Mortality after the 2003 invasion of Iraq,” was published in a British medical journal, The Lancet.
According to The New York Times, “The study uses a method similar to that employed in estimates of casualty figures in other conflict areas like Darfur and Congo,” and noted that “Statistics experts in the United States who were able to review the study said the methods used by the interviewers looked legitimate.” The Washington Post quoted an official of Human Rights Watch, who said “We have no reason to question the findings or the accuracy…”
After a speech last December, when answering a question about how many Iraqis had been killed, President Bush replied, “I would say 30,000, more or less.” This study shows that it may well be 20 times that number. The latest Pentagon numbers show 2,749 American troops have died, and more than 20,000 are wounded and maimed. This unnecessary war is a tragedy for American and Iraqi families and a moral outrage before God.
From now on, any political debate on Iraq must start here and be disciplined by these facts. Not by politics, not by arguments, not by visions of democracy in the Middle East, but by the deaths caused to so many of God’s children. Any politician speaking about the war should be asked how they intend to stop the violence and blood-letting that has overwhelmed that country. As Bob Dylan famously asked a long time ago – “how many deaths will it take till he knows, that too many people have died?” That question must be in the mind of every single voter this fall and those not speaking about the war must now be forced to. Every candidate running for the U.S. Senate or Congress should be asked how they feel about the loss of all these lives and how they intend to stop it.
The latest news on Bush's foreign policy, Iraq casualties, Darfur, Iran, North Korea, Gaza, the economy, voting rights, treason, immigration, Sen. Barack Obama, and the Manhattan plane crash
Foreign policy. Bush Stands Firm on Policies – “Despite setbacks on North Korea and Iraq, President Bush vowed yesterday to stick with his policies on both crises, praising Chinese condemnation of North Korea's apparent nuclear test and citing progress in helping the fledgling Iraqi government stand on its own.” Bush Open to Change in Tactics – “President Bush opened the door to possible changes in his approach to the Iraq war, declaring that "we'll change tactics when we need to change tactics," amid pressure from Republicans about the unrelenting violence and the shortcomings of the government in Baghdad.” Army says troop levels in Iraq may hold through 2010 – “The Army is making provisions to keep at least 140,000 troops in Iraq through 2010, senior Pentagon officials said yesterday, in a stark signal that top commanders see little prospect of reducing American force levels soon and are bracing for more violence.
Iraq. Bush assails report on Iraqi dead – “President Bush and Iraqi officials on Wednesday strove to discredit a new study suggesting that more than 600,000 Iraqis have died from violence during the war in Iraq.” One in 40 'killed since invasion' – “US and UK reject finding that Iraqi death toll has topped 650,000. Within hours of its release, George Bush had dismissed the figures. "I don't consider it a credible report," he told reporters at the White House. "Neither does General Casey [the top US officer in Iraq], neither do Iraqi officials." The Foreign Office also cast doubt on the findings,” Baghdad violence hits new high – “The number of sectarian killings each month in Baghdad has more than tripled since February, and the violence has not slowed despite a major offensive in the capital. Death squads killed 1,450 people in September, up from 450 in February, according to U.S. military statistics. In the first 10 days of October, death squads have killed about 770 Iraqis.”
Darfur. UN humanitarian chief calls on Arab, Asian nations to pressure Sudan to accept peacekeeping force – “The UN humanitarian chief called yesterday for Arab countries as well as China, India, Pakistan, and Malaysia to pressure Sudan to accept a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur, s
aying a global effort was needed to end what he branded the “nightmare" there.” Tough Darfur sanctions urged - “A "weak and divided" international response on sending UN peacekeepers to Darfur is playing into the hands of the Sudanese government, a report says. The International Crisis Group says diplomacy has "failed" and targeted sanctions are now needed to prevent the humanitarian situation from worsening.”
Iran. Nations agree to sanction Iran on nuclear program – “The five permanent members of the UN Security Council agreed yesterday to start working on UN sanctions against Iran next week but failed to bridge differences on how harsh the penalties should be,”
North Korea.North Korea Warns of More Nuclear Tests - “North Korea said Wednesday that it would consider sanctions a “declaration of a war” and vowed to carry out further nuclear tests if the United States maintained a “hostile attitude.”
Gaza. Gaza sliding into civil war - “Years of rivalry between the Islamic Hamas movement, which now dominates the government, and the more secular Fatah, which was ousted from power in January elections, is spilling over into a struggle for power.”
Economy. U.S. Deficit Is Smallest in Four Years – “ President Bush got some welcome news as the federal deficit for the last fiscal year shrank to $247.7 billion, the smallest in four years, because of a nearly 12% jump in tax revenue. Bush said the numbers were more evidence that the economy was booming thanks to tax cuts that he wanted to see extended.”
Voting rights. States Are Growing More Lenient in Allowing Felons to Vote – “Legislatures in 16 states have loosened voting restrictions on felons over the last decade, according to a new report, a trend hailed by some rights advocates as a step toward democratic principles and fairness, especially for black Americans.”
Treason. American in Qaeda Tapes Accused of Treason – “The Justice Department on Wednesday charged an American with treason for the first time in more than a half-century, accusing a former Southern California man of giving “aid and comfort” to Al Qaeda by appearing in a series of highly publicized videotapes urging violence against the United States.”
Immigration. America's Population Set to Top 300 Million - “Clicking upward at a rate of one person every 11 seconds, the U.S. population will officially surpass 300 million in the next week or so. The milestone is a reminder that the United States remains a remarkable demographic specimen, 230 years old (since the Declaration of Inde
pendence) and still in a growth spurt.”
New book. Obama's new book laments `empathy deficit' in U.S. – “A new memoir by Illinois' junior senator, Barack Obama, sets out a lofty political vision that is sure to further speculation that he is contemplating a bid for the White House. "The Audacity of Hope" offers readers--and voters across the nation--an upbeat view of the country's potential and a political biography that concentrates on the senator's core values while providing a broad sense of how he would handle the great issues of the moment.”
Manhattan plane crash. Manhattan Plane Crash Kills Yankee Pitcher – “A single-engine plane carrying the Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle smashed into a 42-story building on the Upper East Side yesterday, killing Mr. Lidle and his flight instructor,” Lidle Had Passion for Flying, and for Speaking His Mind – “Flying was a recent passion of the Yankees pitcher, who knew the risks of his hobby but seemed not to worry.”
Op-Ed. Will Voters Pull the Trigger? (By David S. Broder, The Washington Post) – “What is driving public opinion is an overall impression that those in office -- meaning mainly Republicans -- have let things slide out of control and need to be relieved.”
Have nothing to do with stupid and senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth.
This four-part Boston Globe series on faith and foreign aid is required reading this week. And it's especially troubling for those of us who have tried to convince our friends on the progressive side not to freak out about the president's faith-based initiatives. Like David Kuo, I have argued--and continue to believe--that the real story behind the faith-based intiative is how little money has been dispersed.
That continues to be the case in the realm of domestic social services. Spending for all social services--whether through faith-based or secular providers--is way down, and the faith-based initiative has been used largely as a political tool to attract support from religious communities.
But on the foreign policy side, as the Globe's reporters document, the administration has pressured grant-makers to favor Christian organizations over Jewish and Muslim ones; they have done away with requirements to inform aid recipients that they do not have to attend religious services in exchange for treatment; and they have encouraged religious organizations to mix proselytization with aid work.
You don't have to be a die-hard secularist to be disturbed by this. Melissa Rogers, a devout Baptist and one of the smartest experts on church-state law, explains why this all matters. Read her analysis.
I confess: Over the last 10 days, I did not pay much attention to the Amish school shooting. As the mother of an 8-year old girl, I find school violence stories too painful to follow.
Despite attempts to avoid this particular news, the stories of the Amish practice of forgiveness eventually captivated me. Their practice of forgiveness unfolded in four public acts over the course of a week. First, some elders visited Marie Roberts, the wife of the murderer, to offer forgiveness. Then, the families of the slain girls invited the widow to their own children’s funerals. Next, they requested that all relief monies intended for Amish families be shared with Roberts and her children. And, finally, in an astonishing act of reconciliation, more than 30 members of the Amish community attended the funeral of the killer.
As my husband and I talked about the spiritual power of these actions, I commented in an offhanded way, “It is an amazing witness to the peace tradition.” He looked at me and said passionately, “Witness? I don’t think so. This went well past witnessing. They weren’t witnessing to anything. They were actively making peace.”
He was right. Their actions not only witness that the Christian God is a God of forgiveness, but they actively created the conditions in which forgiveness could happen. In the most straightforward way, they embarked on imitating Christ: “Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.” In acting as Christ, they did not speculate on forgiveness. They forgave. And forgiveness is, as Christianity teaches, the prerequisite to peace. We forgive because God forgave us; in forgiving, we participate in God’s dream of reconciliation and shalom.
Then an odd thought occurred to me: What if the Amish were in charge of the war on terror? What if, on the evening of Sept. 12, 2001, we had gone to Osama bin Laden’s house (metaphorically, of course, since we didn’t know where he lived!) and offered him forgiveness? What if we had invited the families of the hijackers to the funerals of the victims of 9/11? What if a portion of The September 11th Fund had been dedicated to relieving poverty in a Muslim country? What if we dignified the burial of their dead by our respectful grief?
What if, instead of seeking vengeance, we had stood together in human pain, looking honestly at the shared sin and sadness we suffered? What if we had tried to make peace?
So, here’s my modest proposal. We’re five years too late for an Amish response to 9/11. But maybe we should ask them to take over the Department of Homeland Security. After all, actively practicing forgiveness and making peace are the only real alternatives to perpetual fear and a multi-generational global religious war.
I can’t imagine any other path to true security. And nobody else can figure out what to do to end this insane war. Why not try the Christian practice of forgiveness? If it worked in Lancaster, maybe it will work in Baghdad, too.
Diana Butler Bass is an independent scholar and author. Her latest book, Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith,is published by Harper San Francisco.
Editor's note: Buck O'Neil, who died Friday, was the star first baseman and manager of the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro baseball leagues, the first African-American coach in the major leagues, and a major voice in remembering and recounting the era of black baseball.
Buck O’Neil, at age 94, has passed into the eternal presence of God: the God he believed in, the God he loved, the God he worshipped, and the God he honored by the quality and character of his life – not least his loving acceptance of others, of their inherent dignity as God’s children. His death came in Kansas City, Missouri, where he lived, and where his greatest achievement stands – the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
Buck had been hospitalized for several weeks. He died of complications from congestive heart failure and recently diagnosed bone marrow cancer.
Last spring a special committee chaired by former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent elected 16 individuals from the Negro Leagues, but Buck was not one of them, and his exclusion was shocking to his legion of admirers across America. Buck met this stunning news with incredible grace, for his surprise and disappointment must have been great.
When it became known that Buck was out of the Hall of Fame, I reacted, as did many, with astonishment and disgust. I then did three things:
First, I wrote an op-ed on the committee’s unfathomable folly for several newspapers around the country. Next, I called Congressman Richard Neal of Massachusetts to ask if he would introduce a Sense of Congress Resolution calling for Buck’s election to the Hall of Fame. He said he would. Finally, I contacted Andrew Card, then chief of staff to President George W. Bush, to ask if he would lend his support to having the president award Buck the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His response was gracious and encouraging.
In the passing of Buck I lost a special friend, one of the most extraordinary individuals I ever knew. I place him among a small number of people whose lives intersected significantly with mine – Robert F. Kennedy, Malcolm Muggeridge, George Plimpton, Eugene McCarthy, and Charles E. Goodell.
When Buck’s death became known, I received several telephone calls and e-mails of condolences on “my loss.” I responded by saying that it wasn’t “my loss,” but the loss of every person ever exposed to Buck’s magical and transcendent presence – for he had about him an aura few humans ever achieve.
Buck may not have made Baseball's Hall of Fame. But make no mistake: He's already in a place of far greater importance, one that greatly transcends the realm of sports – the Human Hall of Fame.
George Mitrovich is president of two leading American public forums, The City Club of San Diego and The Denver Forum. He also chairs The Great Fenway Park Writers Series for the Boston Red Sox.
The latest news on Iraqi civilian casualties, Jimmy Carter on North Korea, Iran, Darfur, exporting the faith, religious tax-exemptions, partisan politics, and homelessness.
Iraq. Study Puts War's Iraqi Death Tally at More Than 600,000 – “More than 600,000 Iraqis have died violently since the U.S.-led invasion, according to a new estimate that is far higher than any other to date.” Study Says Iraq Killings Skyrocketed After Invasion – “The surveyors said they found a steady increase in mortality since the invasion, with a steeper rise in the last year that appears to reflect a worsening of violence as reported by the U.S. military, the news media and civilian groups.” 655,000 Iraqis killed since 2003 – “Of the deaths, 31% were ascribed to the US-led forces. Most deaths were from gunshot wounds (56%), with a further 13% from car bomb injuries and 14% the result of other explosions.” Iraqi Dead May Total 600,000, Study Says - “The figure breaks down to about 15,000 violent deaths a month, a number that is quadruple the one for July given by Iraqi government hospitals and the morgue in Baghdad and published last month in a United Nations report in Iraq.”
North Korea. North Korea test stirs fear of arms race – “US officials and arms control specialists warned yesterday that North Korea's test of a small nuclear device could ignite an arms race in the region and bring about the demise of the landmark global treaty designed nearly four decades ago to halt the spread of nuclear weapons.” Pyongyang's atomic `security blanket' - “Although other diplomats and analysts argue that Kim Jong Il's goal is diplomatic leverage with the United States and Japan over sanctions and trade … these analysts said it was instead a sense of deep insecurity that influenced Kim's decision to defy international warnings this week and declare that the North had tested a nuclear weapon.” Rice Asserts U.S. Plans No Attack on North Korea - “Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that the United States did not intend to invade or attack North Korea, but she warned the North’s leaders
that they now risked sanctions “unlike anything that they have faced before.” US pressure 'would mean war' – “North Korea will view US pressure to rein in its nuclear programme as "a declaration of war", the isolated communist regime said today in its first official statement since announcing it had carried out a nuclear test.”
Iran. Iran doesn't criticize North Korea, vows to continue its own nuclear program –“Iran took a tough line on its nuclear program yesterday, blaming Washington for North Korea's reported test blast and vowing to keep developing its own suspect atomic program.” Iran Unfazed by Outrage Over North Korea's Test - “Iranian officials made clear Tuesday that international outrage at North Korea's declared test of a nuclear bomb would not deter them from moving ahead with their own nuclear program. Indeed, the North Korean test comes as a relief to Iran because it takes the focus off its program.”
Darfur. Large clashes reported between rebel and government forces in north Darfur – “Intense fighting has erupted in the northern part of Darfur with hundreds of rebels and Sudanese government troops wounded or captured in clashes this week near the border with Chad … The Sudanese Air Force is bombing villages in rebel-controlled areas north of the regional capital of El Fasher, the international groups said. The number of civilian casualties is not known, Nigeria Leader Warns Africa About Strife in Darfur – “President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria warned Tuesday of a possible genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan , as escalating attacks on aid workers further hindered access to an estimated 2.5 million refugees in need.” Khartoum struggles to defeat new alliance – “The current fighting, which has prompted thousands of people to flee south, is spread across vast swaths of semi-desert land in the northern strip of Darfur…”
Exporting the faith. Part 4. Healing the body to reach the soul – “Pressure from medical missionaries helped focus the Bush administration on AIDS in Africa and on genocide in Sudan. It is also one of the forces behind President Bush’s faith-based initiative — his effort to give religiously inspired groups more federal funds to provide services such as healthcare, education, and food to people in the Third World.” A piece of Hollywood is converted into a call to Christianity – “The Jesus Film" has enjoyed unparalleled success i
n the years since. Propelled by missionaries who have made it a central part of their conversion efforts, the film has become the most-watched movie of all time,” GLOBE EDITORIAL: Is foreign aid Christian? - "Foreign aid from the United States should be used for humanitarian purposes and to advance the foreign policy goals of the nation. But as the Globe reported this week in an eye-opening series, the Bush administration is shortchanging both objectives by channeling much of its aid money through Christian groups.”
Politics. Democrats Aim at the Red – “From disenchantment over the Iraq war to the sex scandal surrounding former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), a national tide may be gathering behind Democrats. … Election day will decide whether discontent over the nation's direction overrides entrenched GOP advantages, especially among rural voters, in these culturally conservative states.” Democrats veer to the right in fight for House – “It's happening across the South and Midwest, as Democratic congressional candidates from Illinois to Georgia are casting aside liberal loyalties to compete in conservative districts where they hope to gain the 15 seats needed for Democrats to take control of the House.” In Ohio, 'Values' Issue Fades – “As the Republican candidate for governor, Blackwell has been counting on values voters to do for him this year what they did for the party in 2004. But the culture wars are being eclipsed as a voting issue by economic worries and Republican scandals that have altered the political dynamic here in striking ways.”
Homelessness. Far From Big City, Hidden Toll of Homelessness – “As the Bush administration promotes a widely praised multibillion-dollar effort to end chronic homelessness in cities like Washington and San Francisco, a growing outcry is rising from rural areas that worsening problems far away from urban centers are being overlooked.Rural homelessness has always taken a back seat to the more glaring problems in cities.”
Commentary. Solving the Korean Stalemate, One Step at a Time – (Jimmy Carter, New York Times.) “What must be avoided is to leave a beleaguered nuclear nation convinced that it is permanently excluded from the international community, its existence threatened, its people suffering horrible deprivation and its hard-liners in total control of military and political policy.”
Let's Restart the Political Discussion – (Tamar Jacoby, Los Angeles Times) “A Republican appeals to a Democratic friend to end the polarizing gridlock between the two parties. - As a Democrat and a Republican, we used to disagree all the time. Americans hold strong opinions and argue them vigorously, and this is all to the good; it's how we decide what we think and how to move ahead. But in recent years, healthy differences of opinion have been giving way to unhealthy polarization — unnecessary, overly emotional or unbridgeable disagreement that's deadlocking our politics and making it impossible to reach the kind of consensus we need to solve the problems before us.”
I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.... Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
One reason why we Christians argue so much about which hymn to sing, which liturgy to follow, which way to worship is that the commandments teach us to believe that bad liturgy eventually leads to bad ethics. You begin by singing some sappy, sentimental hymn, then you pray some pointless prayer, and the next thing you know you have murdered your best friend.
The other night a retired general appeared on CNN describing how to “win” in Iraq. Quoting analyst Andrew Krepinevich, he called for the “oil stain strategy”: Don’t spread our troops out thinly over a large region, but rather concentrate and dominate strongly in one or two places (Baghdad being one of them), thus letting security through domination spread across the surface of the nation like an oil stain on water.
The phrase “oil stain strategy” is almost poetic in its many layers of ironic meaning, which I will let you ponder for yourself.
The choices we face in Iraq are not easy. It seems to me that we have a moral responsibility not to let the nation that we unintentionally destabilized sink into complete civil war and unchecked violence, but I am certain I don’t have the expertise to advise anyone – especially a retired general - on exactly how to fulfill that moral responsibility without causing even greater damage. Such are the complex choices we find ourselves facing after rushing to war.
The retired general’s strategy reminded me of a penetrating insight by Latin American theologian Leonardo Boff:
Humanity encompasses differences such as gender, races, cultures, opinions, ways of relating to nature and religions.
How did Western culture, that is so dominating, behave in the face of so many differences? The answer is, in an atrocious manner. Westerners have great difficulty in living with differences. With very few exceptions the Western strategy was the following: whenever in contact with Africans, Asians, indigenous populations, non-whites, make use of force. The strategy was to dominate them, assimilate them, so that they would become similar to Westerners. Otherwise the strategy was to destroy them. Rarely was an alliance forged with the different so that humanity could progress together in this great adventure that is called life. (Global Civilization: Challenges to Society and Christianity, Oakville, Connecticut: Equinox, 2003, 2005, p. 54.)
Boff, as a Brazilian, is well placed to reflect on the “oil stain strategy” of the conquistadores of the 16th century across his continent: “In one single century, 50 million people were killed, or died as a consequence of the violence….”
I wonder to what degree the “oil stain strategy” is simply the latest expression of what Boff describes as the dominating manner of Western culture. However the situation in Iraq is ultimately resolved, I wonder if now is the time for us to reflect deeply on domination as an acceptable future strategy for Western culture in its encounter with difference.
As a committed follower of Jesus, I am struck by how different the “oil stain strategy” is from the strategy of Jesus – a strategy of incarnation, communication, service, suffering, invitation, acceptance, reconciliation, and love. If we were to give it a name, we could perhaps call it “The Seed-Sowing Strategy,” because it envisions the liberation and transformation of the world not by forceful domination but by sowing the seed of the message of God’s kingdom. I believe the time has come for people in the United States – and especially professed people of faith - to decide which strategy they have more confidence in: Oil-Stain or Seed-Sowing.
Brian McLaren (brianmclaren.net) is an author and board chair for Sojourners/Call to Renewal. His most recent book is The Secret Message of Jesus (W Publishing, 2006), and his next book will be Jesus and the Suicide Machine (W Publishing, 2007).
I've wanted to write you a letter for a long, long time, but until now, it just hasn't seemed like the right time. I waited all last week to hear what you would have to say about the scandal surrounding Rep. Mark Foley (R-Florida); the revelation that he was having sexually explicit conversations with underage pages, and that the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives knew about this for many months (maybe even years) and did nothing.
You see, I'm an evangelical Christian and an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene. As you know, we share a common Nazarene heritage that introduced both of us to a relationship with Jesus Christ, nurtured us in the development of our faith, and educated us through their colleges.
When I was growing up, you were one of the respected leaders in our church, even though you held no "official position." You wrote books about how to raise healthy children and sought, through your books, to help couples who were struggling with not only raising their children, but also maintaining their marriages in a culture and economy that creates more pressures on families every day. Your message was one of positive suggestions and tips for parents, and encouragement that with some focused effort, and God's help, families could swim upstream and provide the kind of safety and nurturing necessary for health and stability - for all members of the family. At least that's the way I remember the message as a kid.
But somewhere along the way, I fear you have lost your way. Your message of hope has turned into a message of partisan politics. Instead of words of encouragement, your words seem to continually blame someone else for the problems of the world.
I just read your words that were posted on your Web site on Friday about the Foley scandal, and I must say I was very disappointed, but not surprised. While, thankfully, you did condemn the acts of Rep. Foley, you spent the majority of your time attacking "the liberal media," the Democratic party, and gay people - who, according to your thinking, are the real problem in America.
Unfortunately, I don't think your statement rings true for millions of evangelical Christians, who believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus and the plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures ... inerrantly revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation (Church of the Nazarene Manual). Your statement comes across as the same kind of partisan rhetoric that you claim to be fighting. More hubris than humility. More politics than principle.
The problem in American politics is that our leaders have succumbed to a lust for power and domination that is characteristic of the world. Rather than just condemn the acts of a sick congressman, I had hoped you would criticize an entire political system that is held by the vise grip of this lust for power.
This country is hungry for religious leaders who live by the principles lived out by our savior Jesus Christ. Hundreds of thousands of Nazarenes and millions of evangelical Christians are yearning to be identified by our love and acts of compassion. We want to be led by leaders who stand for principles, no matter what the cost may be politically.
The country and the world desperately need to hear "good news," which was the true message of Jesus and is the root meaning of the word "evangelical." Unfortunately, Dr. Dobson, I don't hear much "good news" coming from your lips these days.
I'm not just disappointed in the way you responded to the Foley scandal this past week. For if the definition of evangelical is "good news," I'm afraid you may not be very evangelical anymore for the vast majority of people in this country.
Sincerely,
Rev. Jeff Carr Ordained Minister, Church of the Nazarene
Jeff Carr is C
hief Operations Officer for Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
North Korea’s nuclear test is a major blow to the international nonproliferation regime, the first time a country has withdrawn from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and tested nuclear weapons.
This is a disaster that did not have to happen. It represents a colossal failure of U.S. foreign policy. When the Bush administration came into office, North Korea had only one or two bombs. It had agreed in 1994 to freeze its existing nuclear program and accept enhanced International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. When that agreement unraveled, the Clinton administration came close to negotiating a better deal in its final months in office. The Bush administration refused to carry on the negotiations and instead labeled Pyongyang part of the “axis of evil.”
Bush started a war against Iraq, which did not have the bomb, but allowed North Korea, which had a known nuclear program, to continue developing its capabilities. Bush’s aggressive war policy sent a clear message to North Korea: Don’t wait to get the bomb if you want to avoid Saddam Hussein’s fate. Pyongyang took that message and now has an estimated 10 nuclear weapons and is part of the nuclear club.
The Bush White House has refused to negotiate with North Korea, instead hiding behind the six-party talks and relying on China to pressure the North. This will never work. Pyongyang’s primary concern is the United States. We have maintained economic and diplomatic sanctions and military pressures against North Korea for more than 50 years.
The U.S. must take the lead in attempting to persuade North Korea to give up the bomb. We have all the cards diplomatically. North Korea has said repeatedly in the past, and reiterated again this week, that it would be willing to give up its nuclear program in exchange for a U.S. agreement to normalize economic and diplomatic relations and end military pressures. Let’s take them up on that offer.
Washington must also practice what it preaches. Washington’s "do as I say, not as I do" approach to nonproliferation is not credible and is widely criticized as hypocritical. It is like preaching temperance from a bar stool. The nonproliferation treaty was conceived as a grand bargain in which the acknowledged nuclear weapons states agreed under Article VI to disarm, in exchange for a pledge from all other countries not to develop such weapons. Ultimately the success of nonproliferation requires universality. As we pressure North Korea to give up the bomb, we must be prepared to do the same ourselves.
David Cortright is a board member of Sojourners/Call to Renewal. He is research fellow at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame and president of the Fourth Freedom Forum.
The latest news on the North Korea nuclear test, political polling, the Foley scandal, Darfur, the new U.N. secretary general, faith-based foreign aid, wage stagnation, and Billy Graham.
North Korea nuclear test. World Condemns North Korea – “International condemnation poured down on North Korea for its announced nuclear test, as scientists tried to determine whether the underground blast was a successful nuclear explosion and diplomats conferred on how to contain the rogue regime.”U.S. Urges Sanctions on North Korea – “The White House pushed for aggressive new sanctions on North Korea, including measures to limit trade in military and luxury items,” The Next Step Depends on U.S. and China – “For almost two decades, the United States and China have tried different approaches to dissuade North Korea from acquiring nuclear weapons — all of which appear to have failed with Pyongyang's announcement Monday that it had exploded a nuclear device.” Test puts pressure on Japan's pacifism – “The last time North Korea tested a powerful new weapon -- in 1998, when it fired a ballistic missile over the largest Japanese island -- Japan reacted by beefing up its military and swinging politically to the right. Now, the North's apparent test of an atomic weapon could push Japan even further down the same conservative path.”
Blast May Be Only a Partial Success, Experts Say – “The North Korean test appears to have been a nuclear detonation but was fairly small by traditional standards, and possibly a failure or a partial success.” Even if Device Was Flawed, Test Crossed a Threshold – “Shock waves emanating from North Korea on Monday probably came from the explosion of a nuclear device, but one that did not achieve its full potential because of a failure or a design flaw, U.S. intelligence officials and weapons experts said.”
For U.S., a Strategic Jolt After North Korea's Test - - “North Korea may be a starving, friendless, authoritarian nation of 23 million people, but its apparently successful explosion of a small nuclear device in the mountains above the town of Kilju on Monday represents a defiant bid for survival and respect. For Washington and its allies, it illuminates a failure of nearly two decades of atomic diplomacy.” Bush's 'Axis of Evil' Comes Back to Haunt United States – “Nearly five years after President Bush introduced the concept of an "axis of evil" comprising Iraq, Iran and North Korea, the administration has reached a crisis point with each nation: North Korea has claimed it conducted its first nuclear test, Iran refuses to halt its uranium-enrichment program,”
Politics. Poll Shows Strong Shift Of Support to Democrats – “Democrats have regained a commanding position going into the final weeks of the midterm-election campaigns, with support eroding for Republicans on Iraq, ethics and presidential leadership, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.” Polls grow gloomier for GOP – “Three independent polls released Monday demonstrated the political damage that congressional Republicans and particularly House Speaker Dennis Hastert have suffered since a GOP congressman's sexually explicit electronic messages to underage pages were disclosed late last month.” GOP Officials Brace for Loss Of Seven to 30 House Seats – “Republican campaign officials said yesterday that they expect to lose at least seven House seats and as many as 30 in the Nov. 7 midterm elections, as a result of sustained violence in Iraq and the page scandal involving former GOP representative Mark Foey.”
Congressional scandal. Foley Probe to Focus on Who Knew, When – “Witnesses will begin testimony behind closed doors this week in the sex scandal that has sent shudders through the Republican-controlled Congress and potentially though the upcoming elections… Also Monday, it became clear that the Foley scandal was sparking political concerns at the highest levels of the White House, with strategist Karl Rove conceding in a private briefing that the matter "complicates things" for some Republican candidates who have been linked to the scandal.” Poll Shows Foley Case Is Hurting Congress's Image - “Americans say that Republican Congressional leaders put their political interests ahead of protecting the safety of teenage pages, and that House leaders knew of Mark Foley’s sexually charged messages to pages well before he was forced to quit Congress, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.”
Dafur. UN official: Khartoum knew of Darfur militia raid – “The Sudanese government almost certainly had prior knowledge of militia attacks in Buram, south Darfur, in which several hundred people may have died, Louise Arbour, the UN human rights commissioner, said yesterday. The attacks, described in a 15-page report as "massive in scale and carried out over a few days", started in late August.”
United Nations. Secur
ity Council Approves South Korean as U.N. Chief – “The Security Council on Monday officially nominated Ban Ki-moon, the foreign minister of South Korea, to become the next secretary general of the United Nations, essentially assuring him the post.”
Exporting faith. Together, but worlds apart - “Christian groups are running health care, education, and disaster relief in many Muslim nations, and USAID has awarded about $53 million from 2001-05 to fund projects by Christians in Pakistan, Indonesia, and Afghanistan alone. But the war in Iraq and the detention of Muslims at Guantanamo Bay have greatly angered Muslims.”
Wages. Workers do more, but wages fall short – “Massachusetts workers are producing more than ever, and doing it more efficiently, but their earnings have barely budged since the end of the Dukakis administration, a Northeastern University study concludes.”
Faith and Politics. Romney's 2008 Bid Faces Issue of Faith – “Tall and urbane, Mitt Romney has a prime political pedigree, an unblemished personal life and the cool confidence of a CEO. He is a conservative Republican who won easy election in a fiercely liberal state — then streamlined Massachusetts' government and enacted the country's most sweeping healthcare overhaul. … But Romney faces a potential obstacle that has not confronted a presidential hopeful for almost 50 years. As a devout Mormon — and a onetime bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — Romney adheres to a faith that makes many Americans uncomfortable.”
Black churches always at center of politics – “When a group of Columbus ministers complained to the Internal Revenue Service that two central Ohio evangelical megachurches were engaged in unlawful political activity, the pastors of those churches countered with a simple question: What's the difference between what we're doing and what black churches across America have done for decades?”
Commentary. A glimpse of grace - “The swift blur of tragedy that struck the Amish community last week should provide a moment of clarity for the rest of us. For a change, what we saw was religion in its best light.”
Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who are on Mount Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their husbands, ‘Bring something to drink!’ The Lord God has sworn by his holiness: The time is surely coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fish-hooks. Through breaches in the wall you shall leave, each one straight ahead; and you shall be flung out into Harmon, says the Lord.
Too often the price exacted by society for security and respectability is that the Christian movement in its formal expression must be on the side of the strong against the weak. This is a matter of tremendous significance, for it reveals to what extent a religion that was born of a people acquainted with persecution and suffering has become the cornerstone of a civilization and of nations whose very position in modern life has too often been secured by a ruthless use of power applied to weak and defenseless people.
Good triumphing over evil, David beating Goliath, Yoda and the rebels defeating the Empire and, as Dr. Martin Luther King used to say, “The arc of history bend[ing] toward justice.”
Of course, I am talking about the Detroit Tigers victory over the New York Yankees in the American League playoffs. With no malice intended toward my many good friends in NYC, I am from Detroit, and I know the battle between rich and poor, powerful and powerless, top and bottom when I see it.
Detroit hasn’t been to the baseball playoffs since 1987, had 12 straight losing seasons, and 119 losses (an American League record) just three years ago. On the other hand, the Yankees are the best team money can buy, with the league-leading payroll at 200 million dollars per year, and have won more championships than Rome conquered countries. One commentator said that rooting for the Yankees was like rooting for the house in blackjack.
NOBODY picked Detroit to win, especially after folding at the end of the season and being forced to settle for the “wildcard” instead of a division championship. And I must confess, I didn’t pick my home team either and virtually counted them out after the dismal season ending. But I should listen to more of my own sermons on hope—“hope is believing in spite of the evidence and watching the evidence change!”
Well, the evidence changed Saturday night because of tremendous Detroit pitching, out-hitting the most potent offensive machine in baseball, a very savvy veteran manager named Jim Leyland, and lots and lots of heart. In the battle of Detroit heart vs. George Steinbrenner’s wallet (the Yankee millionaire owner), the passion beat the money.
At one point, the game commentator said that Detroit is a city that everyone loves to beat up, and its own residents have an inferiority complex wider than the Detroit River that separates the city from Windsor, Canada. Nobody ever has anything good to say about Detroit. From the continued bad news on its economy, a crime rate that holds the city hostage to fear, and severe racial polarization, Detroit doesn’t make any of the lists of best places to live.
But a 41-year-old pitcher named Rogers defied those who thought he was washed up in one game, and a young kid named Bonderman pitched like a veteran All-Star in the final match-up to shut down the Bronx Bombers and shock the baseball world. And every underdog in the world took heart. Go Tigers!
I recently came across this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, from his sermon on 2 Corinthians 12:9:
"Christianity stands or falls with its revolutionary protest against violence, arbitrariness and pride of power and with its plea for the weak. Christians are doing too little to make these points clear rather than too much. Christendom adjusts itself far too easily to the worship of power. Christians should give more offense, shock the world far more, than they are doing now. Christians should take a stronger stand in favor of the weak rather than considering first the possible right of the strong."
These words struck me all the more because I just returned from a five-week, seven-country speaking tour of Latin America. This follows tours of Europe, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand earlier this year - twenty countries in all.
In each country, I heard Christian leaders - Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Traditional Protestants, and Roman Catholics - express amazement and dismay at the relative silence of the church in the USA. They see us, by and large, as a prime example of Bonhoeffer's lament about Christendom "adjusting itself far too easily to the worship of power." We are giving offense, but sadly, the wrong kind. For example, they hear frequent defenses by Christians in the USA - not of the weak and poor, but of the strong and powerful. About torture and violence, about "pride of power," they hear too little protest from too few of us. They know we are against terrorism, but they don't know if we are against American empire and domination.
I tried to tell our fellow Christians in Latin America that many of us are speaking out against these things, but I had to admit that doing so feels like an exercise in going against the current, not only in the culture at large, but in the Christian community as well.
The degree to which Christianity in the USA has capitulated to a neo-Constantinian compromise with empire is disturbing to our Christian brothers and sisters around the world ... and it should be to all of us in the church in the USA. Perhaps these powerful words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer will catch fire among more and more of us in the US, and perhaps we will see afresh that we can not, indeed, serve two masters - whether those masters are Greed and God, Caesar and Christ, or the Sword and Spear of violence and the Basin and Towel of service.
Brian is posting letters to Christians in America from their counterparts in Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. You'll find them on his site, brianmclaren.net.
The latest news on the North Korean nuclear test, Darfur, religion and law, congressional scandal, evangelicals and Rep. Foley, women in politics, Iraq, faith-based foreign aid, and more.
North Korea nuclear test. N. Korea Reports 1st Nuclear Arms Test – “North Korea said Sunday night that it had set off its first nuclear test, becoming the eighth country in history, and arguably the most unstable and most dangerous, to proclaim that it has joined the club of nuclear weapons states.” N Korea claims nuclear test - “The controlled explosion, carried out at Hwaderi, near the north-eastern city of Kilju, sent shockwaves across the world and escalated tensions in north-east Asia.” Nuclear trial a test for UN – “The United Nations security council will almost certainly go into emergency session to discuss a resolution imposing severe sanctions against North Korea,” Outcry at N Korea 'nuclear test' - “Japan and South Korea also condemned the test and even Pyongyang's closest ally China expressed its "resolute opposition", calling the move "brazen". N Korea test a blow to diplomacy – “North Korea's nuclear test has thrown efforts to restrain it into further confusion, presenting particular problems for not just the United States but China as well.”
Darfur. Arab League offers soldiers for Darfur – “Arab countries have launched a new effort to push Sudan toward a compromise over UN peacekeepers for Darfur, offering to dispatch a force of Arab and Muslim troops to the troubled region,” Darfur campaign cuts Sudan money - “A campaign in the United States to put pressure on Sudan over its policies in Darfur received a boost this week when California passed laws limiting business links with Sudan's government.” Sudan Divestment Effort Gains Momentum at State Level – “House members are scattering to their home states this week with inconclusive results on the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of western Sudan, but momentum is growing at the state level for governments to divest public funds from companies, mostly foreign-based, doing business with Khartoum.”
Religion and law. Where Faith Abides, Employees Have Few Rights – “Legislators and regulators are not the only people in government who have drafted special rules for religious organizations. Judges, too, have carved out or preserved safe havens that
shield religious employers of all faiths from most employee lawsuits, from laws protecting pensions and providing unemployment benefits, and from laws that give employees the right to form unions to negotiate with their employers.” Secular Laws Cede to Religious Exemptions – “In recent years, many politicians and commentators have cited what they consider a nationwide “war on religion” that exposes religious organizations to hostility and discrimination. But such organizations — from mainline Presbyterian and Methodist churches to mosques to synagogues to Hindu temples — enjoy an abundance of exemptions from regulations and taxes.”
Politics - Congressional scandal. In House Races, More G.O.P. Seats Are Seen at Risk - “At least five more Republican Congressional seats are now in serious contention, analysts said Friday, an unwelcome development for Republicans as they begin to confront a political environment further darkened for them by the Congressional page scandal.” GOP Struggles to Shift Focus From Scandal – “More than a week after Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) resigned from the House over his messages to teenage boys who had served as congressional pages, other Republicans are struggling to get off the defensive and back onto the campaign themes they hoped would help preserve their House and Senate majorities after the midterm elections Nov. 7.”
Politics. A Balancing Act in the Upper South - “Across the upper South, from the Ozark hills to the Virginia Beach suburbs, Democratic candidates in House and Senate races are betting that they can overcome the unpopularity of their party affiliation by shrewdly combining biography, personal style and artful positioning on divisive social issues.” A Political Opportunity for Women – “this year may prove to be a major breakthrough for women in Congress … Sabato's Crystal Ball, a Web page that provides analysis of House and Senate races around the country, is predicting that 2006 could be the best year for women in 14 years.”
Faith and politics. Evangelicals Blame Foley, Not Republican Party - “Most of the evangelical Christians interviewed said that so far they saw Mr. Foley’s behavior as a matter of personal morality, not institutional dysfunction. All said the question of broader responsibility had quickly devolved into a storm of partisan charges and countercharges. And all insisted the episode would have little impact on their intentions to vote.”Enough was enough – “Conservative Christians, the vast majority of whom are Republicans, offer multiple reasons for how the
y coalesced into a political powerhouse in Ohio and nationally during recent years.”
Iraq. U.S. Casualties in Iraq Rise Sharply – “The number of U.S troops wounded in Iraq has surged to its highest monthly level in nearly two years as American GIs fight block-by-block in Baghdad to try to check a spiral of sectarian violence … Last month, 776 U.S. troops were wounded in action in Iraq,”
Exporting faith-Boston Globe begins a series on faith-based groups and foreign aid. Part 1.Bush brings faith to foreign aid – “ President Bush has almost doubled the percentage of US foreign-aid dollars going to faith-based groups such as Food for the Hungry, according to a Globe survey of government data. And in seeking to help such groups obtain more contracts, Bush has systematically eliminated or weakened rules designed to enforce the separation of church and state.” Part 2. Religious right wields clout – “The pattern of outcry by religious conservatives, followed by accommodation by the administration, has been replicated on numerous occasions at USAID, from personnel decisions to choices of who runs humanitarian programs overseas. In the process, secular groups have seen an overall drop in funding.” CHART: USAID contracts with faith-based organizations – “A yearlong Globe survey identified 159 faith-based organizations that received more than $1.7 billion in USAID prime contracts, grants and agreements from fiscal 2001 to fiscal 2005.”
Op-Ed. 'Family Values' for All of Us - (By E. J. Dionne Jr., The Washington Post) - "Family values" is more than a political slogan to be pulled off the shelf at election time. Republicans and conservatives do not have a monopoly on the commitments behind the phrase. For too long liberals have reacted against the idea of family values because they wrongly accepted it as a conservatives-only slogan. And many liberals who lead thoroughly old-fashioned, child-centered, family-oriented lives have not been willing to integrate that fact into the way they talk about policy.”
Obituary. Buck O’Neil, Negro Leagues Pioneer, Is Dead at 94 – “Buck O’Neil, a star first baseman and manager in the Negro leagues and a pioneering scout and coach in the major leagues who devoted the final decade of his life to chronicling the lost world of black baseball, died Friday night in Kansas City, Mo. He was 94.”
As I travel around the country this fall, I see more and more evidence of how the political conversation among evangelicals is changing. Now there is new poll data to verify it. The Washington Post's piece this morning, “GOP's Hold on Evangelicals Weakening,” noted a poll released yesterday by the Pew Research Center that “found that 57 percent of white evangelicals are inclined to vote for Republican congressional candidates in the midterm elections, a 21-point drop in support among this critical part of the GOP base.” Issues like poverty, the environment, torture, and the war in Iraq are motivating this shift.
The change is especially noticeable at evangelical colleges where I frequently speak. Last week, I arrived in Minneapolis the same day as a front-page story appeared in The Minneapolis Star-Tribune: "New generation of evangelicals has new focus." The article said that at the Twin Cities’ Bethel University, “…a popular destination for evangelical Christians, a new debate about faith and politics is flourishing. Students are eager to talk about AIDS in Africa, poverty and pollution and far less likely to focus on gay marriage and abortion. They're hungry for dialogue and eager to find common political ground.”
It’s true. There is a new generation looking for an agenda worthy of their faith, energy, and commitment. Like the increasing number of evangelicals of all ages, these students are concerned about a broad range of moral values issues and are putting their faith into action. The Religious Right has been able to win when they have been able to maintain a monologue on the relationship between faith and politics and to control the social agenda. But their monologue is now over, a new dialogue has broken out, and the Religious Right has simply lost control of the political agenda. The changing conversation about what “moral values” issues are, and what biblical Christians should care about, is a good thing, both for the churches and for politics.
“For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.…" (2 Corinthians 2:15)
Being the “fragrance of Christ” is a tall order. But this scripture passage doesn’t seem to imply that we have a choice.
This should be good news to us. And to those around us. As Christians, God has entrusted us as ministers of a new covenant. Scripture states that we are the fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
But it’s easy enough to section off time for “being good” and smelling nice. The problem is that we can’t turn off our scent when we’re not in the mood. Or busy. Or our neighbor is annoying and we have things to do, dreams to pursue, projects to finish.
So the question becomes: What do we do when our lives get interrupted?
Consider the well-known story of the Good Samaritan: it wasn’t like the man didn’t have other things to do. He was on a business trip.
That is what has happened recently to Christian churches in Lebanon after hundreds of thousands of their neighbors were left homeless, seeking refuge from the Lebanon-Israel conflict that left their villages and homes in ruin. (Read this report on Lebanese Christians in Christianity Today.)
After almost two decades of civil war, the Lebanese were finally making progress. Resilient and hopeful - as they had learned to be - they managed to clean up the rubble and rebuild. Near Beirut this past summer, vacation homes were being built, businesses launched, and folks were heading to the beaches. Life was looking up.
But then, imagine that suddenly, thousands of desperate people are at your door with no other place to go. They’re tired and dirty and fearful. This wasn't a parable. This was reality.
“When the war started, at first we complained about our summer vacation," ... [Nabil Costa, head of Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development] admitted. "As things got more serious, we asked: 'How could this be happening when Lebanon was finally booming after years of civil war and Syrian domination?’"
From accounts of friends who live and minister near Beirut – and as this article testifies - hundreds of people huddled for safety in every nook and cranny of basements, bedrooms, and bathrooms of churches and houses. You can talk all you want about setting healthy boundaries (and that is important), but what do you do when someone has no other place to go?
Lebanese evangelical churches, especially, stepped up to the challenge. Despite their frustration with their American Christian brothers and sisters for what they saw as their sanctioning of a disproportionate military response from Israel, these churches opened their doors and embraced their neighbors: Shiites, Sunnis, Druze, and Christians alike.
In hindsight, those of us who are privy to their stories can rejoice that God used even the worst of circumstances for God's purposes.
But the other half of the story is that many others in that part of the world are unable to experience the real aroma of Christ because it has been tainted by America’s foreign policy.
This dilemma is especially true for evangelicals. Though there is a significant Christian population in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon, the majority of indigenous Christian Arabs are aligned with the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic traditions. Protestants, on the other hand, are commonly associated with Western ideals and can sometimes be suspect.
According to the Christianity Today article, “Lebanese evangelicals expressed concern that their very witness as Christians in the Middle East may be undermined by perceived Western, particularly American, evangelical support
of Israel and its military actions against Hezbollah and Hamas."
The article quoted one Christian leader as saying, "We evangelical Christians are working for peace and reconciliation in our land - also for understanding and tolerance. This war has shaken us to pieces. I was shocked to see some of our American brothers and sisters supporting Israel's disproportionate response."
"The father of one of our students, a 10-year-old Shiite girl, was shredded into pieces by a bomb that exploded at a mosque. How can I say to that girl that many evangelicals in the U.S. support what Israel is doing?”
For better or worse, we can’t turn our scent off.
Deanna Murshed, integrative marketing manager at Sojourners, is a graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School's faith and culture program. Read her previous reflections on the Lebanon-Israel conflict.
The latest news on faith and politics, congressional scandal, Darfur, Amish funerals, Lebanon, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, and select op-eds.
Faith and politics. GOP's Hold on Evangelicals Weakening- “In 2004, white evangelical or born-again Christians made up a quarter of the electorate, and 78 percent of them voted Republican, according to exit polls. But some pollsters believe that evangelical support for the GOP peaked two years ago and that what has been called the "God gap" in politics is shrinking.” Evangelicals Fear the Loss of Their Teenagers – “Despite their packed megachurches, their political clout and their increasing visibility on the national stage, evangelical Christian leaders are warning one another that their teenagers are abandoning the faith in droves.”
Pentecostal and Charismatic Groups Growing – “A survey of Pentecostal and charismatic Christians in 10 countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas shows they are gaining converts and are more politically engaged than experts had thought.” Pentecostals OK religion in politics – “A majority of Pentecostals and charismatic Christians think religion should find a place in politics, according to a poll released yesterday. In nine of the 10 countries surveyed, a majority of Pentecostals and charismatics, together called renewalists, said religious groups should not stay out of political matters,” The full report from the Pew Forum.
Congressional scandal. Inquiry To Look At House, Not Foley – “The House ethics committee launched a wide-ranging investigation into Congress's handling of information about a Florida lawmaker and teenage pages, as Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) vowed to keep his job, saying, "I haven't done anything wrong." House Republicans Move to Back Hastert – “Republicans are calculating that the smartest way to survive the Mark Foley sex scandal is to rally around House Speaker Hastert and hope that no new evidence surfaces before Election Day…” Hastert, a Political Survivor, Vows to Overcome Scandal – “…Hastert, who was installed as House speaker eight years ago through backroom maneuvering in a moment of crisis for his party, has no distinct power base in Congress, not much of a national reputation and, in an age of television politics, little polish in front of the camera. But Mr. Hastert has survived and survived to become the longest-serving Republican speaker.”
Darfur. Sudan Escalates Stand Against U.N. Mission for Darfur – “Sudan stepped up opposition to a U.N. peacekeeping mission for Darfur, warning that it would consider any country's pledge to supply police or troops to a U.N. force "a hostile act" and a "prelude to an invasion" of the Islamic country.” Sudan tries intimidation, US says, to bar peacekeeping force – “The United States demanded that the UN Security Council respond to Sudan's warning that any nation pledging UN troops for Darfur was committing a “hostile act" and a “prelude to an invasion." U.N. Troops Would Be Seen as 'Hostile,' Sudan Letter Warns – “Darfur is edging closer to catastrophe, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said, as the Sudanese government warned that countries sending troops for a U.N. peacekeeping force there would be committing "a hostile act." U.S. urges response to Sudan warning – “The United States demanded an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council over a letter in which Sudan's government said it would view any troop commitments to a future peacekeeping force in Darfur as a "hostile act" and a "prelude to an invasion,"
Amish schoolgirls funerals. An Old World Close to a New World Horror – “As is customary in Amish tradition, guests brought food, not flowers. A hymn was read in 16th-century German, but there was no singing. The dead were laid in simple pine coffins and dressed in homemade white dresses, symbolizing purity. Two sermons were given, both in Pennsylvania Dutch.” A Plain and Profound Farewell - “The train of wagons passed through town three times on the same grim errand. And still they were not done burying the girls.” Laid to rest – “As funerals begin, details emerge of girls’ schoolhouse bravery… Thirteen-year-old Marian Fisher implored Charles Carl Roberts IV to shoot her first, hoping the gunman would spare the younger girls.”
Lebanon. Israeli Bomblets Plague Lebanon - “Since the war between Israel and Hezbollah ended in August, nearly three people have been wounded or killed each day by cluster bombs Israel dropped in the waning days of the war, and officials now say it will take more than a year to clear the region of them.”
Iran. World Powers to Meet On Iran Sanctions – “Months of intense negotiations with Iran about its nuclear program have failed and the United States and its diplomatic partners will meet in London to discuss which punitive actions to include
in a new U.N. resolution,” World leaders to discuss Iran's nuclear program – “The United States, Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia will confer today in London to assess Iran's defiant refusal to suspend uranium enrichment. They are expected to refer the nuclear case to the UN Security Council for talks next week on possible sanctions,”
North Korea. U.S. Weighs Sanctions Against North Korea – “The Bush administration is developing an extensive list of possible new sanctions against North Korea in the event that it carries through with its threat to conduct a nuclear test…”
Afghanistan. NATO Takes Security Helm – “The North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Thursday took command of U.S. troops fighting insurgents in eastern Afghanistan, putting the Western alliance in charge of security across the country amid an increase in fighting.”
Iraq. Release of Iraq Report Sought –“The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee accused the Bush administration of suppressing a classified intelligence report that paints a "grim" picture of the situation in Iraq.”
Commentary.
Hastert must go (Chicago Tribune editorial) - “Dennis Hastert should resign as speaker of the House of Representatives. Not necessarily because he failed to act quickly when shown evidence suggesting that Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) was abusing his power with teenagers — not all the details are known, though the ones that are don't look good. No, the Illinois Republican should resign because he's an unimaginative politician and an uninspired legislator. Unfortunately, these days that just makes him a typical congressional Republican.”
How the Democrats Can Step Up (David Ignatius, Washington Post)- “It's too late for the Democrats to forge coherent positions on Iraq or tax policy before the November elections. But fortune has presented them with a mission that can be summed up in a simple sentence: They must be the party of accountability and reform.”
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
The real God is the one who can invert life from terror to boldness, from sorrow to joy.... The transformative power of God jeopardizes all of our gestures of equilibrium and our idolatrous images of God as the great stabilizer of the status quo.
Virginia Senator George Allen has been under fire since he publicly called an Asian American spectator at a campaign stop “macaca,” an apparent racial slur, then told the brown-skinned young man - an American-born citizen - “welcome to America.” While Virginia’s governor, Allen had also been denounced for hanging a confederate flag in his statehouse office. Since the “macaca” incident it has come to light that on numerous occasions Allen used the heinous “n” word to describe American citizens of African descent.
But the apparent racism of Allen should not be seen in a political vacuum. Historically, political conservatives like him have shown themselves much too willing to condone racism or to exploit it. In fact, racial demagoguery is heard from many conservative politicians and commentators, although they are seldom taken to task for this sin by their conservative colleagues. For instance, in his campaign for the presidency against Michael Dukakis, George H. W. Bush used the specter of paroled black rapist Willie Horton to appeal to whites’ deepest racial fears. In the 1990 North Carolina senatorial race, archconservative Republican senator Jesse Helms also used obviously racially charged campaign ads to defeat Harvey Gant, his African American opponent.
Bob Jones University, a right-wing stronghold that is a favorite stop for conservative candidates for political office, officially - and vociferously - endorsed racial segregation as an institutional policy until 2000. Yet presidential candidates Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush both made pilgrimages to Bob Jones’ campus. And Ronald Reagan opened his first campaign for the presidency of the United States in Philadelphia, Mississippi, the site of the grisly KKK murders of three civil rights workers in 1964, by proclaiming his support for “states’ rights,” a well-known euphemism for institutionally sanctioned white supremacy and racial violence.
Moreover, the conservative communications media are riddled with inflammatory racial rhetoric. Radio personality Rush Limbaugh once declared to his millions of listeners, “Let the unskilled jobs, let the kinds of jobs that take absolutely no knowledge whatsoever to do – let stupid and unskilled Mexicans do that work.” And in the midst of the suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina, conservative talk show host Bill O’Reilly claimed that, “Many, many, many of the poor in New Orleans” (whom he knew to be overwhelmingly black) were caught in the storm because “[t]hey were drug addicted. They weren’t going to get turned off from their source. They were thugs, whatever.”
In his 2001 book, The Death of the West, conservative political commentator Pat Buchanan argues that western civilization is on the decline. Among his reasons: “By 2050, only one-tenth of the world’s population will be of European descent.” Buchanan’s racist implication is clear: people of color are incapable of sustaining civilization without the domination of whites. Buchanan’s argument for drastically heightened immigration controls in his recent book, State of Emergency: The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America, is similarly racially tinged.
Like Limbaugh and O’Reilly, popular conservative media personality Ann Coulter makes no effort to disguise her attitude toward race. In her book, Treason, she actually uses the racially degrading term “Third World savages.” And Tony Perkins, president of the influential conservative lobbying group The Family Research Council, once bought a mailing list from former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke for $82,500.
Why does racist discourse permeate conservative politics? Consider this: a defining feature of political conservatism is its dedication to maintaining the wealth and power of those who historically have h
ad wealth and power. Thus, one reason for the racial antipathy exhibited by many conservatives is that social and economic inroads by those who had previously constituted a cheap and desperate labor pool presents a growing threat to the continued domination of average Americans by the wealthy and the powerful, those President Bush affectionately calls “the haves and the have-mores.” In addition, continued racial turmoil serves as a loud and convenient distraction from corporate exploitation of all rank-and-file Americans, regardless of race.
This does not mean that all political conservatives are racists or that all use racially inflammatory language. That simply is not true. Nor does it mean that racism in the political sphere is limited to conservative politicians. Racists can be found at all points of the political spectrum, from left to right. What it does mean, however, is that racism and racist political discourse seem to be endemic to political conservatism and constitute ongoing components of right-wing political discourse and strategy. To put it simply, racism and the willingness to exploit it for political gain characterizes the words and deeds of conservatives, especially the right-wing, more than any other political grouping.
Clearly, George Allen’s repugnant racial rhetoric must be rejected, but it must not be seen as an isolated case. Most importantly for Christians, it must be recognized that the lingering racism of conservative political discourse is a sin and a transgression against the love-based Gospel of Jesus that right-wing politicians claim to hold dear.
Dr. Obery M. Hendricks, Jr. is a professor at New York Theological Seminary and author of The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus' Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted.
Although pop music superstar Moby has sold more than 15 million records, had his 1999 smash Play listed as one of Rolling Stone magazine’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” and generally found worldwide success, he has never quite fit into the typical boxes of celebrity. For this former punk-rocker turned underground electronic music phenomenon, being up front about his ideals isn’t a problem – even when they're diametrically opposed to those typically seen from the rich and famous.
Moby’s album liner notes (which cover everything from the Religious Right to veganism to global warming), and his outspokenness in venues ranging from the Grammys, MTV, and panel discussions on faith and politics, are a handful of examples of his willingness to “talk the challenging talk.” Given his success (Go: The Very Best of Moby is set to release later this month on Mute Records), Moby’s willingness to also walk the walk – evident in his ongoing commitment to simple living and so-called “Robin Hood-style philanthropy” – presents a unique representation of seeking, while in the spotlight, to follow Jesus – whom Moby sees as “essentially a homeless anarchist.”
On a windy September afternoon in New York City, Moby talked with Sojourners about the ways in which his faith and ideology affect his lifestyle, art, and activism. Sitting on the roof of his Little Italy apartment, he grappled with being a “clueless Christian,” how his thoughts and work have changed throughout his career, and seeking God’s will – even while being scared of it. What follows is the first in a series of exclusive podcasts featuring Moby on various topics, the first of which centers around his faith journey.
John Potter is executive scheduler at Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
Part of my job is to read a variety of news sources each morning, and summarize the top stories in our Daily Digest. I’ll confess that there are times when the violence in our world – from Darfur to Iraq, Colombia to the Middle East – threatens me with numbness. Then, there comes a story that deeply affects me.
On Monday morning, the breaking news bulletins began to flash into my inbox of a shooting at an Amish schoolhouse near Paradise, PA, in the heart of Lancaster County. For me, that’s home – I grew up in the county, and for 25 years my parents lived ten miles from that school. My wife’s grandmother was Amish, and we both still have relatives in the area. As more details came in, the shock and grief grew. A heavily armed gunman, Charles Roberts, walked into a one-room country schoolhouse, ordered all the boys to leave, then tied up ten little girls and methodically shot them in the head before killing himself. News stories emerged of state troopers with their uniforms soaked in blood as they worked with medics trying to save lives. Five girls died, and five are still in hospitals in serious to critical condition.
Suddenly, the media discovered the Amish. A quiet, peaceful offshoot of the 16th century Anabaptist movement who have lived in Lancaster county since the early 1700s, living and farming for the last three centuries without the aid of modern technology. I know the countryside where this tragedy occurred. It’s rolling farmland, with not a power line in sight and farmers with teams of horses working the fields. If you ignore the car you’re driving on the back roads, it’s easy to imagine you’re in the 19th century.
I’ve been surprised at the news coverage. The reporters covering the story have understood and written about the Amish in a generally knowledgeable and respectful way. As I’ve read the news, and reflected on the events, two things struck me as having entered into the news cycle that we don’t often see. One is the power of faith and forgiveness, the other the strength of community. In their quiet way, the Amish families and neighbors of these girls showed a witness to the world that it doesn’t see very often.
The power of faith and forgiveness. A pastor who has been with the Roberts family – the gunman leaves behind a wife and three children – told a Lancaster newspaper of being in the family’s home when there was a knock on the door. It was an Amish neighbor coming on behalf of the community. He put his arms around Roberts’ father, and said “We will forgive you.” The pastor concluded: “God met us in that kitchen.”
Also reported was a statement the family of one of the girls gave to the press: “We don’t know or understand why this happened but we do believe God allowed this to happen. The rest of us, our lives will go on. We will try to work together to support and help the families directly involved, knowing that the innocent children likely need help in dealing with this tragedy of their friends, neighbors, and schoolmates.’’ The girl’s great-uncle added, “There is sadness for everybody involved, including the man responsible for this tragedy.’’
One of this morning’s headlines reads: “Amish families hurt, but find way to forgive.” It is a spirit that I don’t often see in the news. A spirit in complete keeping with Jesus: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” (Matthew 5:43-44) And a spirit that is now being sustained by Jesus: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. … Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:4, 7)
The strength of community. The Amish community is known for its self-relia
nce. They do not have property insurance, so a community-wide barn-raising is held to replace one downed by fire. They do not hold health or life insurance, relying rather on the community. The news reports this week have told of neighbors, friends and relatives coming to the homes of the families, bringing food and comfort. An AP story quoted a family counselor who was called to talk with the students who had run away: “There is a coming together. That’s how they deal with everything. They come together.” In a time of great grief, there is the strength of family and community.
It is a community that lives by the words of Paul to his churches: “Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it…” (1 Corinthians 12:26) This week, the Amish community is demonstrating to the world the truth of those verses.
What can we do in response to this tragedy?
Pray. For the families and community of the girls who were killed, for the family and friends of gunman, for healing to the girls who were critically wounded, for our society that it learn the ways of peace rather than violence.
Forgiveness.An Amish Community Grieves for Its Little Ones – “All day they trudged across the dusty farm fields here -- white-bearded Amish patriarchs, women in black dresses and white bonnets, strapping young men with cropped hair and tanned arms. They came, too, in their metal-wheeled black buggies, drawn by lathered horses that built clouds of gray dust on the gravel byways, somber but dutiful people on timeless missions of grief.” Amish face grief with forgiveness – “In just about any other community, a deadly school shooting would have brought demands from civic leaders for tighter gun laws and better security, and the victims' loved ones would have lashed out at the gunman's family or threatened to sue.”
Congressional scandal.Early Warning on Foley Cited by Former Aide – “A former Congressional aide said Wednesday that Speaker J. Dennis Hastert’s’s office knew about reports of “inappropriate behavior” by Representative far earlier than Mr. Hastert’s office has acknowledged.” Ex-Aide to Foley Cites '03 Warnings – “A longtime chief of staff to disgraced former representative Mark Foley (R-Fla.) approached House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's office three years ago, repeatedly imploring senior Republicans to help stop Foley's advances toward teenage male pages, the staff member said.” Onetime Loyal Aide Now Stands to Undermine GOP – “For 20 years, Kirk Fordham was a loyal staffer and strategist — rising from his early days as a Capitol Hill intern to the coveted post of chief of staff to a senior congressman. But Wednesday, amid a scandal that has rattled Capitol Hill and ended the political career of Fordham's longtime boss, former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), the 39-year-old aide emerged as a central player in a saga that could bring down the same House GOP leadership that he worked so tirelessly to serve.”
Iraq.Attacks in Baghdad Kill 13 U.S. Soldiers in 3 Days – “Thirteen U.S. soldiers have been killed in Baghdad since Monday, the American military reported, registering the highest three-day death toll for U.S. forces in the capital since the start of the war.” Military Hones a New Strategy on Insurgency – “The United States Army and Marines are finishing work on a new counterinsurgency doctrine that draws on the hard-learned lessons from Iraq and makes the welfare and prote
ction of civilians a bedrock element of military strategy.”
Mideast.Rice focuses on small steps to Mideast peace – “Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, expressed sympathy for the deepening suffering of Palestinians, but signaled that her efforts toward Mideast peace now focus on a handful of narrow issues.” Palestinian coalition talks fail as Rice arrives for visit – “Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, said yesterday that attempts to form a coalition government with the ruling Hamas movement had failed despite a mounting economic and security crisis.”
North Korea.U.S. Warns North Koreans About Nuclear-Weapon Test – “The Bush administration sent a direct message to North Korea on Wednesday, warning it not to set off a nuclear test, and later declared that the United States was “not going to live with” a nuclear-armed North Korea.”
Surveillance.Warrantless surveillance OK during appeal – “The Bush administration can continue its warrantless surveillance program while it appeals a judge's ruling that the program is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.”
Faith and politics.Dobson rally draws supporters, protesters – “A rally Tuesday in downtown St. Paul touting "traditional family values" drew thousands of attendees — and several hundred protesters.” Voters told to let morals be their guide – “Dobson was in Minnesota, one of three states targeted by his national group to mobilize "values voters," to urge support for candidates who take a hard line against terrorism, gay marriage and abortion.”
Too much politicking from the pulpit (Christian Science Monitor editorial) – “…the politics-pulpit link is growing stronger in this year's close and consequential election. Church leaders of differing ideological stripes are stepping up efforts to move more people from the pews to the polls and, by implication - and even by direct endorsement - to certain candidates.”
We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.
This marks intensified efforts internationally to 1) encourage President Bush to offer his personal leadership in support of sending a UN peacekeeping force into Sudan, 2) pressure the government in Khartoum to accept UN peacekeepers, and 3) move the United Nations and governments worldwide to level economic sanctions against the Khartoum government.
For Christians—with a mandate to “love our neighbor as ourself” (Luke 10:27)—there is no question about stepping in to assist and accompany the victims in Darfur. More than 400,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced. Many of the aid agencies working on the ground in Sudan have their roots in this Christian mandate.
But what about the “responsibility to protect” (as it’s described in the parlance of international law)? When, if ever, is it appropriate for states to take military action against another state for the purpose of protecting people at risk in that other state? And by what values do Christians determine appropriate actions to support and protect those who are threatened and killed?
Prevention of violence can include support from the international community through development assistance, support for local initiatives to advance good governance, human rights, mediation, and other efforts that open up space for dialogue and reconciliation through independent initiatives. Prevention of violence includes addressing the roots of a conflict, not just the symptoms. International support for prevention may also take the form of applying tough, targeted, and sometimes punitive, measures such as economic sanctions.
Reacting to a situation of deteriorating governance and increased violence is part of the "responsibility to protect" when a state, such as the government in Khartoum, is unable or unwilling to respond to situations of compelling human need—like widespread famine, genocide, or massive civilian displacement—and thus intervention measures by other members of the broader community of states may be required. These measures may include political, economic, or judicial measures, and in extreme cases—but only in extreme cases—they may also include military action.
If military intervention or strong economic sanctions are undertaken because the state is nonfunctioning or will not carry out its responsibility to protect or react, there must be a widespread commitment by the international community to help build a durable peace, promoting good governance, sustainable development, and restoration of dignity and livelihood for the victims.
For Christians, who are drawing on a tradition of violence prevention rooted in just war and pacifist theology, we can support and promote the actions that prevent violence and actions that rebuild and reconstruct the social order in the wake of violence.
However, we are required by faith to tread extremely cautiously in the area of reacting—especially militarily. While churches agree on the essential role of prevention with the aim of heading off a crisis before it becomes a large-scale conflict, they differ on the use of military force for human protection purposes.
When it comes to military intervention, we run up against another Christian mandate: “Love your en
emy and bless those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). This is accompanied by a large body of evidence indicating that adding violence to violence only leads to more violence and makes securing a long-term peace more difficult.
In the case of the U.S. waging a unilateral war on Iraq, many churches were clear in opposing the use of military force. It is an unjust war by all theological and ethical criteria. There was no legitimate humanitarian rationale for military action.
In the case of Darfur, churches are calling for more effective protection of vulnerable civilian populations—some support a strong U.N. peacekeeping force with a mandate to defend with violence if necessary.
While Christians should always preference nonviolent strategies over violence, when a nonviolent strategy is not available, we might support strategies that will produce measurable and immediate violence reduction, which then can create space for nonviolent initiatives.
These decisions are not easy. They are not one-size-fits-all. Every time a crisis on the scale of Darfur arises we must come together as a community of faith and wrestle together about what is right. We draw on the traditional formula for the formation of Christian conscience: Look to God and scripture, look to the traditions of the church, and look interiorally in prayerful reflection. From this process, take action. And ask for God’s mercy.
There are many ways for Christians to act on behalf of the people of Darfur. By some estimates, eighty percent of the children under five years old are suffering severe malnutrition and, because of the violence, aid agencies have access to only 20 percent of those in need. There is no room for inaction. The Sudan Catholic Bishops Conference calls for world-wide pressure on Khartoum to accept U.N. peacekeepers. The United States leads the U.N. Security Council and yet in November 2005 it passed the Sudan resolution which withdrew the threat of economic sanctions against Khartoum. Targeted sanctions against top Sudanese officials for violating peace efforts in Darfur must be reinstated—despite how they may affect international profits on arms dealing and oil revenues or whether it undermines the support for the U.S. war in Iraq.
As Christians, we “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). We wrestle with moral conscience and right action on the one hand while our other hand holds tight to a sister in Darfur who has been raped repeatedly—first by the Janjaweed, then by civilians or militia as she tried to flee the country, then again in the refugee camp and in a prison in Chad. She screams at night in her sleep.
Rose Marie Berger, a Sojourners associate editor, is a Catholic peace activist and poet.
Over the past four days, the storm over Rep. Mark Foley’s improper and salacious emails and predatory behavior toward teenage male Congressional pages has taken on tidal wave proportions. Foley resigned from Congress only hours after the initial stories on Friday, Saturday’s news was of alleged House leadership cover-ups, and by Sunday House Speaker Hastert had requested an FBI investigation of possible criminal behavior.
On Tuesday, October 3rd, the conservative Washington Times, in its lead editorial, wrote: “House Speaker Dennis Hastert must do the only right thing, and resign his speakership at once.” To their credit, some social conservatives like Richard Viguerie and Bay Buchanan have already spoken out on television shows with real moral passion on Foley’s behavior and the Republican leadership’s handling of the situation. It will be important to hear clearly from the leaders of the Religious Right on this scandal.
Already this year, three other Republican members of Congress have been indicted because of financial and political scandals. One is in prison. Others, from both parties, are under investigation. Congress refuses to resolve the scandal of pork barrel spending and the ability of special interest money to determine policy decisions.
And now this. Foley’s disgusting behavior is compounded by his hypocrisy in being the chair of the Congressional Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. I certainly believe his behavior should be fully investigated and prosecuted if warranted. And any of the House leadership who know of his activities and covered it up should in fact resign.
As a parent, I am outraged by this developing spectacle, but sadly, not surprised. We live in a culture that has lost its way. A poisonous culture in which sex and money permeate our news, television shows, movies, advertising, and almost the entire popular culture. And when you throw political power into the mix, this latest scandal shouldn’t be a shock. A Congress that has lost its moral bearings simply reflects a culture that has lost its moral underpinnings. And when a party has been in power too long, just staying in power becomes more important than truth-telling, which was unfortunately also true when Democrats controlled both houses of Congress. As conservative Richard Viguerie said in the Washington Times: "The Republicans have become what they beheld in this town when the Democrats were in control - presiders over a culture of corruption, only it far exceeds what they complained about with the Democrats and Speaker Jim Wright."
The immediate response of many Democrats has been to jump on the news for partisan gain. Many Republicans jump on scandals involving Democratic members of Congress for their partisan gain. But the roots of this crisis go far deeper than partisanship. As Diana Butler Bass wrote earlier this week: “…we know that sin is not the exclusive possession of any political party. The darkness that stalks us is neither Republican nor Democratic. It is part of the human condition…”
We need political leaders – of both parties – who believe in the importance of integrity, of humility, of honesty, and a commitment to the common good – and a willingness to challenge their own party’s desire for power at the expense of moral principle. And we need a pledge by all of us to make fundamental changes in our culture and support political leaders who will work for those changes.
The latest news on Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., Congressional leadership, North Korea, Darfur, Rep. Foley, the Amish school tragedy, the Mideast, Iraq, and Iran.
Vindicated by history. Activist Ousted From Vanderbilt Is Back, as a Teacher – “ … Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., 78, returned to teach at Vanderbilt this fall, 46 years after the university expelled him for his role in lunch-counter sit-ins that made Nashville a springboard for a generation of civil rights activists. The expulsion of Mr. Lawson, a Methodist divinity student who was one of the nation’s leading scholars of civil disobedience and Gandhian nonviolence, was quickly dubbed the Lawson affair, and tarnished Vanderbilt’s reputation for years.”
Darfur. Student activists rise again - this time for Darfur – “She sleeps less, goes out less, and has reduced her course load to work 30 to 40 hours a week organizing student campaigns. Her goal: to end the suffering in Darfur, Sudan, perhaps the world's worst humanitarian crisis. "If people are still dying, I need to keep working," says Bailey Cato, a University of Oklahoma senior and a regional coordinator for a student antigenocide coalition called STAND.”
Foley. Foley Was Sexually Abused as a Youth, His Lawyer Says – “In another day of revelations about former Representative Mark Foley, his lawyer said Tuesday that as a teenager, Mr. Foley had been molested by a clergyman and had “kept the shame to himself” until now. The lawyer also issued the congressman’s first public acknowledgment that he is gay.” Foley Lawyer Cites Alcohol, Childhood Abuse – “Disgraced former lawmaker Mark Foley's behavior was affected by alcoholism and childhood molestation but he "never attempted to have sexual contact with a minor," his attorney said in the first extensive defense of the Florida Republican's actions,”
House leadership. Pressure rises on House leadership over Foley scandal – “Despite efforts at damage control, the Republican leadership of the House remains under fire from its own conservative base for its handling of the sex scandal surrounding former Rep. Mark Foley (R) of Florida. Calls are continuing among social conservatives for the resignation of House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R) of Illinois and other members of the House GOP leadership,” Pressure builds on Hastert over Foley scandal – “Hastert, who has held together a fractured Republican caucus through one of the rockiest congressional sessions in memory, is now facing the most serious challenge to his leadership in nearly eight years as speaker, with a growing chorus of conservatives expressing outrage that he didn't act faster to address a scandal…” Under fire – “House Republican leaders faced intensifying pressure over their handling of a complaint about a GOP congressman's suggestive e-mails to an underage page, with some conservatives calling for Dennis Hastert to resign as speaker even as President Bush offered words of support for him.” Hastert Rejects Calls To Give Up Leadership – “Hastert rebuffed calls to resign his leadership role, which have come from conservatives and liberals alike, but public ruptures in the ranks of the House Republican leadership continued to surface in the wake of a page scandal.”
Political impact. Foley Case Shakes GOP – “The unfolding Capitol Hill sex scandal has upended the political world only five weeks before the midterm elections, escalating GOP worries that the party will lose control of one or both chambers of Congress.” Conservatives worry scandal will hit 'value voter' turnout – “Republican campaign strategists and conservatives fear former Rep. Mark Foley's sex scandal will depress turnout among the party's "value voter" base in November, further complicating Republican efforts to keep control of Congress.” Hastert image, party's moral stance at risk – “Republicans consolidated power in the George W. Bush era by building a foundation based largely on the pillars of moral clarity and accountability. Now comes what Al Gore might call an "inconvenient truth." The scandal over alleged sexually predatory behavior that triggered the resignation of Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) undermines those core GOP strengths.”
Amish schoolchildren. 'Innocence is gone' at Pa. Amish school – “From the countryside they came, wending through the corn and alfalfa on foot and by buggy, leaving behind fields and flocks to seek solace in one another's words and comfort in each other's arms.”
Mideast. Rice, in Mideast, Meets Skeptics - “Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, touring the Middle East in an attempt to build support for U.S. goals and allies, found herself on the defensive about the Bush administration's search for partnerships and its efforts for democratic reform. Meeting in Cairo with ministers of eight moderate Arab regimes, Rice was questioned on whether her desire to work with the countries masked an American desire to line up allies against the growing power of Iran.” Arabs Pressure Rice On U.S. Peace Efforts – “The Bush administration's effort to foster a bloc of moderate Arab states to stand against growing militancy in the Midd
le East has come up against a brick wall, with several close U.S. allies bluntly telling Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday that they do not want to be pitted against other Arab governments and movements, according to senior Arab officials. The solution, the allies told Rice, lies with stronger U.S. leadership in solving the Arab-Israeli conflict.”
Iraq. U.S. Fatalities in Iraq Rise Amid Crackdown – “Two months after a security crackdown began in the capital, U.S. military deaths appear to be rising, even as fatalities among Iraqi security forces have fallen, U.S. military sources and analysts said.” 8 G.I.'s Die in Baghdad, Most in a Day Since '05 – “The deadly day set back efforts by American and Iraqi troops to tame the sectarian violence that continues to besiege the capital. Since August, the military has made securing Baghdad a priority, pouring in additional troops and conducting neighborhood sweeps.”
Iran. Iran’s Proposal to End Nuclear Standoff Is Rejected by the West – “Iran has proposed that France organize and monitor the production of enriched uranium inside Iran, complicating negotiations over the fate of its nuclear program. The United States, France and Britain rejected the proposal.” UN diplomats say Iran talks apparently failed – “Iran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment has sabotaged talks meant to defuse the standoff over its nuclear program, opening the way for the UN Security Council to start considering sanctions next week, senior UN diplomats said.”
North Korea. North Korea Plans a Nuclear Test – “World leaders lashed out at North Korea's vow to test a nuclear bomb sometime "in the future," but offered no clear plan for dealing with aggravated tensions over the dictatorship's nuclear weapons ambitions.” N Korea threatens nuclear test - "The US extreme threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure compel the DPRK to conduct a nuclear test, an essential process for bolstering nuclear deterrent, as a self-defence measure in response," said a statement in English carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.” North Koreans Say They Plan a Nuclear Test – “North Korea did not say when it would try to test a weapon, and experts inside and outside the Bush administration said the announcement itself was a negotiating ploy, intended to force the White House into lifting economic sanctions and holding one-on-one talks with North Korea.”
My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
Do those on the Religious Right understand their duplicity?
For years they have argued against situational ethics. They have stood for absolutes and contended that those absolutes should never be compromised. With conviction they have declared, loud and clear, that the end never justifies the means. Now, with the war on terrorism on our hands, they support torture when interrogating suspects.
A prominent scholar recently polled a dozen top leaders of America’s Religious Right, who were unanimously in favor of using torture “given the situation at hand." When it suits them, it turns out, the end does indeed justify the means.
If they have changed their minds and are ready to refute the golden rule, then it is time for them to say plainly, “For the most part we agree with Jesus, but there are special circumstances when we must ignore His teachings.”
Of course, these leaders ought to recognize the implications of their decision to support what they might call “necessary evils” in special circumstances. For instance, can they still tell a teenage girl who is pregnant by rape or incest that abortion is always wrong?
I’m not ready to answer such questions, except to say that the Religious Right can’t have it both ways. They can’t say that righteousness must never be compromised, and then add “except in certain situations—like torturing our enemies in times of war.”
A couple weeks ago, I was having lunch with a neo-conservative Christian friend, a person with whom I disagree, yet whose faith and intellectual perspectives I respect. In our wide-ranging discussion, we wound up talking about the politics of sexuality, and he made the off-handed comment that students in mainline Protestant seminaries were “more likely” to engage in pre-martial sexual activity than those in evangelical seminaries—that sexual misconduct occurs more among liberals than conservatives.
“Sexual morality or immorality is NOT linked to either theology or politics,” I argued back. “Sexuality is part of human nature. Whether left or right, all Christians struggle to be faithful people and live out our commitments to chastity or monogamy. Human sexuality isn’t a liberal-conservative thing.”
He laughed, realizing, of course, that every Christian theologian from St. Paul and St. Augustine forward has pretty much said the same thing.
Making sexuality a political issue, as much of the Religious Right has done, distracts from a host of other issues, such as poverty, war, and environmental concerns. But it also obscures the fact that Christians agree (as my friend and I do) on many things regarding this intimate part of our lives. We agree that sexuality is a gift from God, that love and commitment are foundational to sexual expression, that marriage is the best vessel for human sexuality, and that authenticity, honesty, fidelity, and mutual regard form the basis of Christian sexual relationships. Sex is, theologically, an ultimate expression of self-giving and surrender, qualities that resemble those in Christian spirituality. As the medieval mystics taught, humanity sexuality is a metaphor for our relationship with God.
We also know, as the Christian tradition teaches, that all of this is hard. Sexuality is difficult because it is potentially holy and potentially sinful at the same time. In the midst of this powerful mystery, we are merely human. And none of these things—honesty, holiness, fidelity, or mutual regard—come easily to us. Thus, to politicize sexuality divides us at the very point at which we are united—our shared human nature and our shared quests to live in faith-filled grace.
Which, of course, brings us to the terrible revelations this past weekend about (now former) Congressman Mark Foley (R-Fla.), caught in an explicit email tryst with a teenage page.
In the last two days, I have heard people (in both the media and on the streets) politicize Mr. Foley’s misconduct, exalting in the lurid revelations about the hypocrisy of “Republican moralists.” Ah ha! God’s own political party is covering up sin in its midst! Elmer Gantry lives! Those who live by politicizing sexuality, die by sexual politics.
This is NOT a Christian response. If Christians are to be involved in political life, it needs to be a political life of pastoral compassion. Mr. Foley’s alleged activity and subsequent resignation will have lifelong consequences for some unnamed (thank goodness) teenage boy. As in the Roman Catholic Church sex scandal, the victims are the people who must relive the abuse every time a pundit makes political points by bringing up the whole sordid mess. Our prayers and sympathies go out to those hurt by sexual misconduct of all sorts. Our churches must do better ministering to the victims of disordered sexuality.
And then there’s Mr. Foley himself. Who knows what sad personal struggle exists between his private sexuality and his public crusade against sexual predators? I had never heard of this congressman before, but his story is nothing short of spiritual tragedy—allegedly acting out of one persona in private and another in public, violating and degrading his own humanity in the process, evidently victimized b
y his own hubris, power, and lust, consumed by several of the “big seven” deadly sins.
Christian political compassion extends, as it extended in Jesus’ own teaching and ministry, toward both victims and oppressors (theologian Miroslav Volf refers to this double action as “exclusion and embrace”), for each has to bear the cross of twisted humanity. Our hearts naturally extend to the innocent victim in the story, and in the case of Mr. Foley, we do well to remember with pastoral concern his young victims (as well as all victims of sexual abuse). Yet oppressors cry out for Christian compassion as well, even when they are members of Congress. In pastoral mercy, we do well to remember the counsel of Proverbs 24:17:
“Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble.”
God is, as scripture tells us, the author of all goodness. God never rejoices in sin, and we know that sin is not the exclusive possession of any political party. The darkness that stalks us is neither Republican nor Democratic. It is part of the human condition, that which makes us all cry out for compassion—and that compassion is an apt starting point for a Christian politics of grace, not partisan vindictiveness.
Diana Butler Bass is an independent scholar and author. Her latest book is Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith (Harper, September 2006).
Within hours of the Crocodile Hunter’s death on September 4, 2006, I started receiving sympathy emails from friends who knew that I was a big fan of Steve Irwin. They knew that I am one of those strange Irwinesque people who use words like habitat and riparian and substrate, who think rattlesnakes can be beautiful, who are intrigued by spiders, who find it as interesting (though in a different way) to watch a tortoise plodding along as to watch a football game, who can’t hear a bird singing or notice a leaf in the sunlight without needing to know its name – including its scientific name if possible. They think I’m a little strange, and they think Steve was a little weird, but they wanted to express their sympathy anyway. I have nice friends.
I confess, I’ve shed a few tears thinking about Steve’s stingray-induced death at 44, about his classy wife Terry and their beautiful kids Bindi and Rob; about what they’ll miss, and what we’ll all miss.
I know this might sound strange, but I think the man was a kind of missionary. He knew why he was put here on this planet; he knew his mission, and he knew it was more than a job. It was a vocation, a truly spiritual calling, an invitation and solemn duty to join in the care of God’s sacred creation.
What characterized Steve’s mission? Saving love – and especially for the creatures that are often misunderstood, despised and hated - crocs, sharks, snakes, spiders, and their kin.
Saving love, I’ve noticed, is at the heart of most good things in the world – musicians with a saving love for an almost forgotten genre of music, archeologists with a saving love for the artifacts of ancient civilizations, citizens with a saving love for their city, doctors with saving love for at-risk patients, teachers with saving love for at-risk students, social workers with saving love for at-risk families, pastors with saving love for at-risk sinners.
There seems to be a clue there, perhaps even a revelation, that saving love is in the heart of everything. Steve’s saving love was for wildlife, and based on the words of Jesus – about God’s care for sparrow and wildflower – in Steve’s consuming passion his heart was resonating with God’s own.
He had a zealot’s passion for saving wildlife, and he had a childlike freedom to let his passion show.Somehow, he managed to grow up without ever outgrowing the unabashed wonder and unedited enthusiasm that all of us probably had at one time.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Steve as missionary tonight (a re-run was on TV, and I couldn’t help but watch it, even though I’ve seen it about four or five times before). I was struck in a new way by how Steve took the high road, the positive road. He didn’t spend a lot of time attacking multinational corporations and the way they plunder the environment (as I do). You didn’t hear him fuming about clueless governments with whacked-out priorities (as I do), or ranting against complacent publics (ditto), or whining about what’s gone wrong with modern western culture (repeat ditto). Maybe in private he vented sometimes, but not in public.
Instead of damning the sinful ugliness of humans who lack s
aving love, he chose a different strategy, a better one, I think: he simply, consistently, passionately, and naively demonstrated saving love by praising the beauty of God’s creatures – confident that he could inspire that saving love in others if they could just see the beauty too. He called himself “a wildlife warrior,” but his only weapons were enthusiasm and love. I think all of us – whatever our mission – could learn a lot from him.(The previous point was understated, but you probably already noticed that.)
In our saving love for children (unborn and born), in our saving love for cities and farmland, in our saving love for justice and peace and the oppressed and the war-ravaged, we have to remember the irreplaceable value of celebrating their beauty with Irwinesque wide eyes and face-breaking smiles.
I don’t recall Steve speaking of God much. But every time he said, “Isn’t that a little beauty!” I think he was speaking for God, the One who notices and loves the smallest goodness of every created thing.The look on his face when he sat with an orangutan or swam with a green sea turtle or let a lizard perch on his finger – that look in itself was a sign and a wonder.Sure, some people think he was over the top, but with millions of other fans, I miss him, and with them, I’m inspired to live life a little – no, a lot - louder and freer because of him … playing my own unique part in the sacred mission of saving love.Rest in peace, Steve-o. Well done.
Brian McLaren is an author (brianmclaren.net), most recently of The Secret Message of Jesus, and leader in emergent (emergentvillage.com). He is also board chair for Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
Amish school shooting. Two more children die overnight from school shooting injuries – “A fifth child wounded in the shootings at an Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County died Tuesday in a Delaware hospital, state police said.” Execution-style slayings planned; boys unharmed - “A suicidal 32-year-old man barricaded himself inside an Amish schoolhouse Monday morning and killed three girls before turning the gun on himself”. At Least 3 Killed at Pa. Amish School – “A truck driver armed with three guns, two knives and 600 rounds of ammunition burst into a one-room schoolhouse in this Amish community, lined at least 11 girls against a blackboard and shot them "execution style," killing three before taking his life.”
Man kills 3 girls and self, wounds 8 at Amish school – “… horse-drawn buggies parked not far from giant TV satellite trucks, their dishes pointed at the stars. The sky above buzzed with the drone of news helicopters, replacing the roar of emergency medical choppers that had descended hours earlier.” Amish schools are rooted in the past – “Amish schools, like most aspects of Amish life, remain today as they have been for generations. … They have one room, one teacher, no electricity, and are not mandatory beyond the 8th grade.”
Congressional scandal- News. Hastert: E-mails should have raised `a red flag' – “House Speaker Dennis Hastert defended the Republican leadership's handling of a suggestive e-mail exchange between Rep. Mark Foley and an underage House page, conceding that the communication should have raised "a red flag" but arguing their options were limited because the boy's parents wanted to avoid publicity.” After Foley, New Fears For the GOP – “Republican strategists said that public revulsion over the sexually graphic online conversations between Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) and former House pages could compound the party's problems enough to tip the House to the Democrats in November -- and could jeopardize the party's hold on the Senate as well.” Pressure Grows for Republicans Over Foley Scandal – “Speaker J. Dennis Hastert faced intensifying questions on Monday about why Republicans had not reacted more assertively to Representative Mark Foley’s messages to a teenage page, as members of his party, fearing a political debacle, demanded a strong response.”
Editorials. Hypocrisy in a hypocritical town – (Chicago Tribune) “The sexually explicit communiques from former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley to former congressional pages are disgusting and infuriating.” Resign, Mr. Speaker (Washington Times) – “House Speaker Dennis Hastert must do the only right thing, and resign his speakership at once. Either he was grossly negligent for not taking the red flags fully into account and ordering a swift investigation, for not even remembering the order of events leading up to last week's revelations -- or he deliberately looked the other way in hopes that a brewing scandal would simply blow away.” The Foley Matter (New York Times) – “History suggests that once a political party achieves sweeping power, it will only be a matter of time before the power becomes the entire point. Policy, ideology, ethics all gradually fall away, replaced by a political machine that exists to win elections and dispense the goodies that come as a result. The only surprise in Washington now is that the Congressional Republicans managed to reach that point of decayed purpose so thoroughly, so fast.” When politicians get comfortable, danger lurks (Peter S. Canellos, Boston Globe) – “Carefully drawn districts and enormous campaign war chests are protecting countless members of Congress from the scrutiny that comes with a tough race. Yet that kind of testing may be precisely what they need, to remind them that they're politicians, and that they're not invulnerable.”
Iran. U.S. wins a united front on Iran – “The United States is confident that Russia and China will join it in pushing for U.N. sanctions against Iran if it does not agree to suspend enriching uranium this week, a senior U.S. official said yesterday.”
North Korea. N Korea 'to conduct nuclear test' - “North Korea is to conduct a nuclear test "in the future", the country's foreign ministry says in a statement. The move would "bolster" the country's self-defence in the face of US military hostility, official agency KCNA said.”
Iraq. Nine US soldiers killed in Baghdad – “The US military today announced that nine of its soldiers had died in Baghdad in the last three days, with the news coming as authorities said at least 13 people had been killed in new outbreaks of violence.”
United Nations. South Korean Poised to Succeed Annan – “South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon is one step away from being named the U.N.'s next secretary-general, after winning the support of all five permanent Security Council members in an informal poll.” Council Backs South Korean for U.N. Sec
retary General – “The foreign minister of South Korea is virtually assured of being selected as the next secretary general of the United Nations.”
Terrorism warning. Tenet Recalled Warning Rice – “Former CIA director George Tenet told the 9/11 Commission that he had warned of an imminent threat from al-Qaeda in a July 2001 meeting with Condoleezza Rice.” C.I.A. Chief Warned Rice on Al Qaeda – “A review of White House records has determined that George J. Tenet, then the director of central intelligence, did brief Condlleezza Rice and other top officials on July 10, 2001, about the looming threat from Al Qaeda.”
Housing. Across Nation, Housing Costs Rise as Burden – “The burden of housing costs in nearly every part of the country grew sharply from 2000 to 2005, according to new Census Bureau data being made public today. The numbers vividly illustrate the impact, often distributed unevenly, of the crushing combination of escalating real estate prices and largely stagnant incomes.”
Op-Ed. ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE: If and when Bush 'Iraqs' Iran – “A strategic thinker who called all the correct diplomatic and military plays preceding Operation Iraqi Freedom now sees diplomatic failure and air strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. The war on Iran, he says, started a year ago when the U.S. began conducting secret recon missions inside Iran.”
Quote of the Day
“There is no place more helpless than an Amish schoolhouse. They were defenseless.” A member of Bart Township (PA) Fire Police on the brutality of the schoolhouse shootings. (Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal)
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to the span of your life?
The sense of it may come with watching a flock of cedar waxwings eating wild grapes in the top of the woods on a November afternoon. Everything they do is leisurely. They pick the grapes with a curious deliberation, comb their feathers, converse in high windy whistles. Now and then one will fly out and back in a sort of dancing flight full of whimsical flutters and turns. They are like farmers loafing in their own fields on Sunday. Though they have no Sundays, their days are full of sabbaths. - Wendell Berry
I was setting out to write a post about a little-noticed agreement reached by congressional Republican negotiators last week. The arrangement removed a harmful legislative provision that would have allowed military chaplains to offer sectarian prayers at public ceremonies in exchange for striking down religious freedom guidelines developed in the wake of concerns that religious discrimination is taking place at military academies (particularly the Colorado Springs-based Air Force Academy).
But then I saw that Christopher Hitchens had already written a comprehensive essay about the deal on Slate, complete with historical background and everything. So I'll just commend to you Hitchens' essay, including with his observation that James Madison didn't even think it was necessary or appropriate to have military chaplains.
A brief note on a comment Hitchens makes at the end of his piece: "It may not be long now before we hear demands that Muslim chaplains be allowed to conduct separate (and perhaps sexually segregated) ceremonies in the ranks, and what I want to know is: What will our Christian, godly campaigners say then?"
One of the things that most bothers me about the positions many conservative Christians take on establishment issues is that they are informed by the arrogance of the majority. One of the brilliant aspects of the First Amendment is that it protects all religions, understanding that the majority today may be the minority tomorrow, and vice versa. The willingness to impose your religious practice and beliefs on others is usually accompanied by the certainty that you will never be forced to tolerate the same from another religious tradition.
Which is why I was so pleased to see this letter last year from an evangelical minister who changed his views on school-sponsored prayer after being stationed in Hawaii where most people are either Buddhist or Shinto. The pastor describes his extreme discomfort during a football game when the crowd was asked to stand for a Buddhist prayer, and the epiphany it caused him:
"We often advocate the practice of Judeo-Christian rituals in America's public schools by hiding behind the excuse that they are voluntary and any student who doesn't wish to participate can simply remained seated and silent. Oh that this were true. But if I, as a mature adult, would be so confounded and uncomfortable when faced with the decision of observing and standing on my own religious principals or run the risk of offending the majority crowd, I can only imagine what thoughts and confusion must run through the head of the typical child or teenager, for whom peer acceptance is one of the highest ideals."
I give this pastor credit for his bravery in admitting these views on the pages of WorldNetDaily. One hopes, however, that not everyone has to experience being a minority in order to understand the problem with imposing majority religion on everyone.
I meet a lot of very interesting people at book tables while signing their copies of God's Politics. Even in brief exchanges I learn about who is reading the book, what they really care about, and what gives them hope.
Recently, I met a woman who told me an amazing story. While I was inscribing her book she told me that her daughter was graduating from Harvard and how proud she was. Because I teach part-time at Harvard, I figured she was making that connection. I smiled and told her that she should indeed be proud of her daughter and that I thought Harvard was a great school.
But then she added, "I was a low-income mom at the time. And if I hadn't got food stamps and health care, I would have aborted that child. I would have aborted my daughter. And now she's graduating from Harvard. I want you to tell people that if they want to prevent abortions, they need to support low-income women like me." She looked me straight in the eyes and was very clear in what she had to say to me. She had a message and wanted me to share it. So I am.
Two new and potentially significant efforts have finally emerged in the Congress, aimed at practically and dramatically reducing the abortion rate in America. The measures proposed could make a real difference in changing the circumstances that make abortions more likely, rather than the usual political practice of using the issue as a litmus test--on both the right and the left - with nothing ever really happening to prevent more abortions.
At the request of the bill's sponsors, I made the following supportive statement:
“Sojourners/Call to Renewal applauds the recent introduction of two pieces of legislation in the House of Representatives aimed at dramatically reducing abortions in this country. We hope these two bills (the Abortion Reduction Act and the Pregnant Women Support Act) will help deepen the national conversation and lead to concrete action.”
Today's latest on Bush, Iraq, and Bob Woodward's new book, State of Denial - plus, congresssional scandal, faith and politics, the supreme court, Darfur, military spending, immigration, detainees, and Wal-Mart
Bush and Iraq. Washington Post runs the first two excerpts from Bob Woodward’s new book, “State of Denial,” and the White House responds.
Secret Reports Dispute White House Optimism – “On May 22, 2006, President Bush spoke in Chicago and gave a characteristically upbeat forecast … Two days later, the intelligence division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff circulated a secret intelligence assessment to the White House that contradicted the president's forecast.” Should He Stay? – “A second term traditionally leads to personnel changes. The question was whether one of them would involve Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld. Card had to approach the issue with delicacy. Iraq was the centerpiece of everything now, and the president was clearly predisposed not to do anything that would disrupt the war effort.”
White House Aides Take to Talk Shows to Dispute Book – “The White House intensified efforts to limit the political damage caused by a new book portraying the Bush administration as divided to the point of dysfunction over the war in Iraq, as top officials took to network talk shows to rebut the book's suggestion that President Bush has misled the nation about how dire the situation is there.”
Congressional scandal. FBI to Look at Foley's Actions – “As pressure mounted on Republicans over their handling of the scandal involving former Rep. Mark Foley, the FBI said that it had begun a preliminary inquiry to determine whether the disgraced Florida lawmaker had violated federal law by sending sexually explicit instant messages to at least one teenager who had served as a congressional page.” FBI to Examine Foley's E-Mails – “The FBI announced last night that it is looking into whether former representative Mark Foley (R-Fla.) broke federal law by sending inappropriate e-mails and instant messages to teenage House page.” FBI says Foley inquiry started – “House Speaker Dennis Hastert, responding to complaints about how Republicans have handled allegations of sexual misconduct by a GOP colleague, on Sunday called for a Justice Department investigation, and the FBI later said it had begun an inquiry.”
Supreme Court begins new term. Roberts Court May Be Defined in Second Term – “If Year 1 was the transition for the new Roberts court, Year 2 is likely to be the
test. The cases that the court has agreed to decide — 38 so far — offer few off-ramps, requiring instead that the justices proceed to rulings that will define the new court in both substance and style.” Justices to Hear Abortion, Integration Cases – “Abortion and race dominate the Supreme Court's agenda for the term that begins tomorrow, with the Bush administration and its conservative allies urging the justices to put limits on abortion rights and affirmative action.”
Darfur. Critical U.N. aide now lauds U.S., U.K. on Darfur – “A United Nations official who infuriated Washington by accusing the United States and Britain of "megaphone diplomacy" over Sudan changed tack, praising both countries for keeping the issue alive. Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown said ... he was convinced President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were "on the right side" in seeking to end what he called an outrage in Darfur.” Europe urges Sudan's president to help peacekeepers – “The head of the European Commission urged Sudan's president on Sunday to help the African Union keep peace in the troubled Darfur region and end the obstacles hampering the work of humanitarian groups there.” Private firms eye Darfur – “Private military companies protecting American diplomats, aid workers and local officials in Iraq and Afghanistan are making a pitch to take over U.N. peacekeeping missions in Darfur and other global hot spots where the United Nations is unable to stop the killing.”
Congressional wrapup – military spending, immigration, detainees.
Congress Approves $70 Billion For Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan – “Congress authorized an additional $70 billion in emergency funds to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through early next year … The new funding brings to $507 billion the total amount authorized by Congress for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as for extra security for military bases and embassies, since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.”
Border Barrier Approved – “The Senate approved and sent to President Bush a bill calling for construction of a 700-mile wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, voting overwhelmingly for a project that became the centerpiece of efforts to improve border security and stem illegal immigration.” Illegal - but Essential – “The presence in the United States of 12 million illegal immigrants is one of the most contentious issues of the era. But in the main economists contend that illegal immigrants contribute to consumer spending and, instead of replacing native workers, create jobs.”
News Analysis: Detainee Bill Boosts the GOP – “The complex bill, which swept through the House and Senate after backroom negotiations, not only gave Bush most of what he wanted in substance, it also provided Republicans with a rhetorical club to use against Democrats on terrorism.” Detainee Bill Shifts Power to President – “With the final passage of the detainee treatment bill, President Bush on Friday achieved a signal victory, shoring up with legislation his determined conduct of the campaign against terrorism in the face of challenges from critics and the courts.”
Faith and politics. Evangelical voter turnout in doubt – “Whether Republicans keep control of Congress may well hinge on the turnout of Christian conservatives who were so important to President Bush's victory in the 2004. But there are questions about just how energized those voters will be this time around,” Pastors Guiding Voters to GOP – “With a pivotal election five weeks away, leaders on the religious right have launched an all-out drive to get Christians from pew to voting booth. Their target: the nearly 30 million Americans who attend church at least once a week but did not vote in 2004.” Red Letter group looks to broaden moral issues – “Abortion and gay marriage are important issues, but they’re not the only concerns of many deeply religious American voters, according to faith-based organizations that want politicians to have a more robust discussion during election time. Calling themselves Red Letter Christians – because many Bibles print Jesus’ words in red ink – they are trying to energize evangelicals who think Christian political activism was hijacked…” Religious leaders use bully pulpit for change – “As the Nov. 7 elections approach, religious groups across the nation prepare to issue voters guides to churches detailing candidates and their positions.”
Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart to Add More Part-Timers and Wage Caps – “Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer, is pushing to create a cheaper, more flexible work force by capping wages, using more part-time workers and scheduling more workers on nights and weekends. … But some Wal-Mart workers say the changes are further reducing their already modest incomes and putting a serious strain on their child-rearing and personal lives.”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter. If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up."
There have been many, many others who have stood for the truth. They have been a minority, but together, the convictions of that minority and their commitment to obey God and stand for God's truth have made it possible for this moment of God's intervention - God's turning of the tide. Never underestimate the importance of ordinary people standing for the truth, because they also enable others to play their part.
- Peter Storey, former president of the Methodist Church of South Africa
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Opposition to the war in Vietnam from inside the military was unprecedented in American history. Chronicled by David Cortright in 
This administration, struggling for some justification for a war that is generally acknowledged as a disaster, has claimed that we’re in this war in order to spread democracy. The president points to the election of a parliament and the choosing of a prime minister as evidence that this war has had at least a modicum of success in achieving that end. But it is just this claim that I want to challenge.
Tuesday evening at the Twin Cities' Bethel University, students, along with many others, gathered for a forum on how faith should relate to politics in our time. I was joined by Greg Boyd, a young pastor and theologian who leads the Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul and whose courageous new book, The Myth of a Christian Nation, has created controversy and landed him on the front page of The New York Times. We both agreed that fidelity to Jesus Christ comes before politics and found that we shared a deep appreciation of John Howard Yoder's classic book, The Politics of Jesus.
What if some of us began a constructive national dialogue, post-political in the sense that it occurs on a level higher and deeper than the mid-range of partisan maneuvering, geared toward a rather simple but grand project: to articulate a national mission statement for the United States. This statement would tell us – and the world – what we’re about. It would serve as a rudder to guide us, and perhaps as a sail to energize us, and perhaps as a keel to stabilize us as well. It would help us make wise decisions, and to admit when we’ve made unwise ones. It would – perhaps this is too optimistic? – give us something above and beyond partisan politics to guide us, a common values fulcrum upon which to leverage our national debates, a shared vision and dream to which all parties and people could be called.
We chose five “prophetic locations.” The first week, we met at the Lincoln Memorial, recalling our history of racism and slavery – and realizing that, as the film Hotel Rwanda said so painfully and powerfully, the way the rest of the world neglects the deaths of millions in Africa must be attributed in part at least to racism. In succeeding weeks, we met in front of the Capitol building, calling Congress to action; we gathered across from the National Press Club, urging the news media to keep Darfur on the front page until our nation used its influence more effectively for the dying in Darfur; we met across from the Sudan Embassy, where we prayed for that nation’s rulers to change their ways; and finally, we met in front of the White House, where hundreds of us knelt in prayer for our nation’s leaders to take action.
Also in the news this morning is an announcement by the U.S. government that it is initiating a “Complex 2030” program to develop and deploy 2,200 new nuclear weapons. The 
At an International AIDS Conference in Toronto last August, there were demonstrations supporting men and women who choose to be sex workers, transgenders, and cross dressers. The sexual rights and choices of all people were upheld as sacred—except for one. Anyone who mentioned abstinence was publicly denounced and personally jeered. 
Last Sunday’s New York Times reminded me that fundamentalism is, indeed, dangerous. What story underscored this point? Something about religion in the upcoming elections? Religious violence in the Middle East?
To say there are few surprises in David Kuo's new book, Tempting Faith, is not to suggest that it is uninteresting or to be skipped. On the contrary, the book provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how political priorities get made and carried out in the Bush White House.
According to The New York Times, “The study uses a method similar to that employed in estimates of casualty figures in other conflict areas like Darfur and Congo,” and noted that “Statistics experts in the United States who were able to review the study said the methods used by the interviewers looked legitimate.” The Washington Post quoted an official of Human Rights Watch, who said “We have no reason to question the findings or the accuracy…” 
That continues to be the case in the realm of domestic social services. Spending for all social services--whether through faith-based or secular providers--is way down, and the faith-based initiative has been used largely as a political tool to attract support from religious communities.
As my husband and I talked about the spiritual power of these actions, I commented in an offhanded way, “It is an amazing witness to the peace tradition.” He looked at me and said passionately, “Witness? I don’t think so. This went well past witnessing. They weren’t witnessing to anything. They were actively making peace.”
North Korea’s nuclear test is a major blow to the international nonproliferation regime, the first time a country has withdrawn from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and tested nuclear weapons. 
“For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.…" (2 Corinthians 2:15)
Virginia Senator George Allen has been under fire since he publicly called an Asian American spectator at a campaign stop “macaca,” an apparent racial slur, then told the brown-skinned young man - an American-born citizen - “welcome to America.” While Virginia’s governor, Allen had also been denounced for hanging a confederate flag in his statehouse office. Since the “macaca” incident it has come to light that on numerous occasions Allen used the heinous “n” word to describe American citizens of African descent.
Thursday is “Fast for Darfur” day. Millions around the world will join the 
