A (stolen) Open Letter to Glenn Beck

So, it's infrequent that I get so heated about an issue that I want to scream aloud. however, this is one such issue. A few weeks back, Glenn Beck (Fox news personality) announced that christians should be skeptical of the terms "social justice" and "economic justice" and that these were code words for communism and nazism. He encouraged christians to leave churches that preach these messages. I have had much trouble formulating an intelligent response to him... so I stole one. This is from my friend, Suzannah's blog and says just what it needs to. (Here's the article regarding what Beck first said... I hope you're heated too)

Also, here's a CNN write up regarding Jim Wallis' (of Sojourners) response to Beck.

dear mr. beck,

have you ever read the bible? from cover to cover, scripture reveals the overwhelming concern of God for the poor, oppressed, marginalized, hungry, and vulnerable. warnings aimed at the wealthy and those who benefit from exploitation also feature prominently.

jesus himself couldn't be clearer: he said that the legitimacy of our faith will be judged by how we treat those whom he called the "least of these." he began his public ministry preaching from a well-known messianic passage in isaiah and claimed that his coming fulfilled it:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-20).

any gospel that is not good news to the poor and oppressed is not the christian gospel. if you are not hearing that message from the pulpit and seeing it lived out among your congregation, perhaps it is you who should look for another church.

justice isn't about communism, nazism, or class warfare. pretending that we deserve every luxury and privilege that we enjoy, and that everyone who doesn't have those things is lazy or otherwise undeserving does not make it so.

our systems, society, communities, and culture are as broken as the sinful individuals who form them, and social and economic justice are about righting wrongs, identifying persistent inequalities, and working for change. charity alone is not the biblical mandate in the face of injustice.

i don't expect all people or chrisitians to agree on solutions or the roles that individuals, churches, and government should have, but can't we all agree that working for justice is a good thing?

while we're at it, can't we also agree that the nazis were known not so much for their concern for justice for the oppressed than they were for persecution, mass murder, and genocide?

mmkay. glad we could clear that up.

love,

suzannah

"Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.


For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.


'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'


"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.


You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.


Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?


"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?


Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?


Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.


Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.


"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.


The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.


Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
(Isaiah 58:1-12)

Thoughts inspired by Byron "Buster" Bluth

So, for those of you who don't know, I go to church with many folks who work in the entertainment business. When I moved to southern California, I, first of all, had no idea that Pasadena was really just another part of LA, and two, that I would become build close relationships with many people in this industry (or "the" industry as it's referred to out here). Tony Hale is one such person. He and I are far from bff but go to church regularly and know each other by name and face/chat from time to time about superficial things. Tony is best known for his role as Buster Bluth on the sadly canceled show Arrested Development. The Tony that I know, however, is an elder at my church and quite active in the church life. Recently, he spoke at Fuller to an audience of wide-eyed, Buster loving students about his faith and career. There are many thoughts that I could share with you regarding this event but what stuck with me was one of the most simple but profound thoughts.

"You must practice the discipline of contentment where you're at. If you don't practice where you're at, you'll never get it where you're going." This was said specifically about the entertainment industry but can easily be applied to all such circumstances. "Once I get cast, I'll be content", "if only my pilate would get picked up...", "Once I get that job...", "Once I'm married..." and countless other situations that we seek contentment in. It's critical, especially in this industry but in life in general, to learn what it means to be content where you are. The future you desire will never fill the holes you feel. This can only be filled with the contentment provided by the Lord's presence in your life in the here and now.

Sorry, this is sort of rambling but it's finals week here and so my brain is mostly shot. You can see Tony in an upcoming role in the independent flick Happythankyoumoreplease.

Big Day...

A Washington, DC high school (Coolidge High School) just appointed a woman to be the head coach of their football team. On Friday, Natalie Randolph will be announced as the first female to head a boys varsity football team in the country.

For those of you who don't know, before working as an athletic trainer at Madeira, I spent most of my college years working in men's athletics (high school boys football and lacrosse, College basketball, pro soccer). I have a pretty good understanding of what its like to be a fly-on-the-wall in the "Old Boy's Club". Football is an especially unfriendly sport to the presence of women. I know female athletic trainers who have been left outside in the hall on trips to the Washington Redskins facilities. As of a few years ago (i don't know the current #), there was only ONE female athletic trainer in the NFL. She is an assistant working for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I don't post this to advocate for a women's lib movement and the break down of all gender walls in all circumstances. There are professional situations where I prefer a woman, as opposed to a man (mostly medical ones). I do, however believe that there are situations where women are just as capable, if not more (depending on the woman) to take on the same roles. I believe that Title IX provided women (like myself) with the opportunity to play sports through college. But I recognize that Title IX has done damage to men's athletic programs across the country (Thanks, football budgets). Therefore, for me, this issue is not Black & White.

Here's the whole WaPo article: Here

Check out the film A Hero For Daisy to find out more about Title IX and Women's Rowing

Also, this makes me think of the 30 Rock episode when Liz flashes back to her high school glory days as a football kicker.

Smile

Yeah... I hate those days too. Well, actually, I love them. When I get up in the morning and I expect everything to be as it was and in its right place and somehow God's plan steps in the way and I end up in Narnia. Sometimes I look around and think "What the crap... Narnia, again?!" but then I relax and just wander till I see the lamp post.

PS- Read A Horse and His Boy, that book changed my life.

Door of Hope

So, this quarter I finally got myself in gear and got involved at a transitional housing community in Pasadena called Door of Hope which I have to say, is providing me with some amazing, life-changing interactions. Door of Hope provides free housing, food, counseling, and life skills training for 8 (two parent) families. Families are given a year to transition through their program and eventually find permanent affordable housing and become financially and emotionally stable. Please check out the website for more details or ways you can support Door of Hope. And now onto the stories...

-I have been helping my friend Kimberly (who works at DoH) schedule people to donate dinner for each night of the week. We have a major influx of volunteers as as result of the Disney "Give-a-Day, Get-a-Day" program. So basically I respond to e-mails of people interested in volunteering and schedule them for a date to bring dinner for our families and then they get a free ticket to Disneyland. This has been quite overwhelming and in one day Kimberly got 400 e-mails. Currently, the calendar is booked solid with a different person providing dinner each night of the week until May 1. Communicating and scheduling volunteers that have a very clear incentive to volunteer has been a great learning experience for me. On the one hand, sometimes people cancel at the last minute and think that the only result will be that they don't get their disney ticket... this makes me sad for humanity. But then, I e-mail a list of "on call" meal donors and frequently will have 4-5 people willing to cook dinner for 30 people the next day... this helps me to remember that there is still good in this world.

I will continue to share stories of my experiences at Door of Hope but to avoid this post being too long, it will have to wait for another time. Please check out the Door of Hope website to learn more.

PS-- I got into the John Exegesis class I was on the waiting list for. I'm super excited about it. Just in case anyone cares.

Remember when I went to school...

So, several folks have asked about my classes this quarter and I realized that I completely forgot to update you all on that aspect of my life. So, here's a quick summary. I'd be happy to elaborate on an individual basis via facebook or e-mail if you'd like.

-Exegetical Method and Practice

This is the class where I learn how to use the Greek that I spent all of the fall quarter learning. We basically look at a specific text and consider the following in order to pull out every little thing from the passage.

-Historical and literary context

-Author and recipient

-Changes made to the manuscripts over the years

-language and use of tenses and specific terms

-Anything else that seems pertinent.

The purpose of exegesis (Ex-Eh-Jesus) is to make conclusions about the text from all of these elements that are hopefully useful in teaching and preaching. It's been pretty fun to look at some familiar texts, look at the original language and discern the purpose behind what's being written.

-The Life of Jesus

This might be my favorite course this quarter. We're looking at the elements of Jesus' life from a historical perspective, jewish perspective and current perspective. What do we know and understand about who Jesus was and what he said/did? How does this fit into the fact that he was a Jewish man living in Palestine in the first century? It's been pretty fun to get into some old Jewish texts that Jesus and his followers would have been familiar with. Here's an example of what I'm talking about:

Jesus healing a man on the sabbath and getting criticized by the Jewish leaders at the time.

The questions at hand is:

-What is lawful to do on the Sabbath?

-What constitutes work?

-Can one heal on the sabbath?

-What does the Jewish law say?

-Are the temple leaders breaking the sabbath by sacrificing on the sabbath, because this would technically be work for them?

-The conclusion is that Jesus taught that they two greatest commandments are to Love God and love neighbor. If the law comes before mercy, it breaks these commandments.

Reading that might interest you:

-The Meaning of Jesus, Two Visions by Marcus Borg & N.T. Wright

-Familiar Stranger, An Introduction to Jesus of Nazareth by Michael J. McClymond

-The Historical Jesus: 5 Views by James K. Belby

Homelessness/Congregations and Community Partnership

I heart this class. We've been studying the issue of homelessness in america since the early '80's when it first became a public issue. Looking at the responses to homelessness over the years, what's worked and what has not worked. How the attitude of the average american has changed over time. Much of what we're reading are governmental grants and programs to help end homelessness. Discussing how the response to homelessness MUST take into account other elements than simply the lack of housing. Substance abuse and mental illness being two of the biggest. This class requires that we have contact hours with homeless in our community so this was the kick in the butt that I needed to get over to a transitional housing community in my neighborhood called Door of Hope. (more to come on Door of Hope at another time, because it is slowly changing my life... watch out).

Readings:

-Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community’s Assets by John P. Kretzmann

-Walking with the Poor by Bryant Myers (Suzannah... This might be a book for you!)

Please let me know if you're interested in more about these classes, I'd be happy to tell you more.

Tell me, am I right to think...

that there could be nothing better...

... than if this curling team's uniform had a matching sweater.

Enough said.

(NOTE: This posting can also be sung to the tune of chorus of The Postal Service's song, Nothing Better)