Unprovoked, Unqualified, and Undeserved Love

On November 17, 2007 I had an experience that has caused me to think extensively about what it means to truly love someone in a Christ-like manner. I’ve had mixed reactions to this story from various people, which have caused me to have responsive feelings as diverse as rage and joy, hope and despair.

Long story short, on that particular Friday night, I met a couple strangers in Toccoa. They appeared to have a genuine need: it was cold out, they were not properly dressed for the weather, and they didn’t have a ride to their home a few miles from where we were. I had the ability to meet their need: I had no obligations, and I had a vehicle that could take them home quickly. And so, I decided to offer these two strangers some hospitality by giving them a ride. As it turns out, they took advantage of my hospitality. They took my wallet, my cell phone, my keys, and left me alone on a back road in Toccoa. They violated me as a person by rejecting my friendship. They chose to dehumanize me and devalue me rather than accept love from a stranger.

As I mentioned earlier, I have had mixed feedback to my actions. Some have ridiculed me for helping a pair of strangers, while others have suggested showing more caution when dealing with them. Some have responded in anger toward the young men who took advantage of me, hoping that they get their “just recompenses.” Although I can relate to some of the feelings these responses have been bourn out of, many of them have saddened me. Ultimately, the mixed nature of this feedback, especially from fellow Christians I might add, has caused me to take up a defensive posture toward my actions. All in all, I feel the need to defend myself and my actions toward a pair of strangers that night.

An element of essential back-story to the events of November the 17^th is that for the last year or so, beginning spring of my junior year of college, I’ve been thinking extensively about what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Although I‘d certainly considered the subject before, these thoughts were reawakened by a reading assignment in History of Theology. Dr. Shelton had us read a small portion of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship in our discussion of Neo-Orthodoxy. Bonhoeffer is famously quoted as saying, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

The cost of discipleship in America seems to me to be downplayed. It is certainly not a message you would hear from the lips of Joel Olsteem and other preachers of the popular prosperity gospel (I hesitate to call it “good news;” it certainly does not appear to me to be the good news of the Kingdom of God). But over and over again Jesus and his disciples seem to reaffirm how much God requires from those who choose to follow him. Indeed, it seems to be nothing less than total commitment and total surrender. All three writers of the synoptic gospels use similar language saying that anyone who wishes to follow Jesus must take up his cross (Mat 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23). Matthew and Luke expound to say that those who do not take up their cross, are not worthy of even being associated with Jesus (Mat 10:38, Luke 14:27).

Part of the cost of discipleship includes a willingness to suffer persecution, ridicule, and the cross. It means learning to obey all that Christ commanded (Mat 28:19, 20). Part of my reflection with reference to the events of November 17^th has been the teachings of Christ concerning love for strangers and enemies.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is representative of the teachings of Christ concerning who our neighbor is and our obligation to him. Jesus clearly teaches that it is the people we despise the most who are our neighbors, the ones we are to love as we love ourselves. According to Jesus’ teaching, when we become his followers, we no longer have strangers or enemies! Everyone has become our neighbor. Jesus later exclaims that when we show kindness strangers, we show kindness to our Lord and savior, Jesus himself. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reaffirms these ideas when he tells us to love our enemies in the same way we love our neighbor (Mat 5:38-48). In verse 48 he seems to go so far as to make love for enemies a criterion for perfection.

By Jesus logic, helping two neighbors in need of a ride is nothing special but the obligation that he gives all who wish to follow him. It is notable that Jesus does not seem to condone caution in this love at all. Instead, he seems to promote careless and reckless love, a love that might cost us a slap in the cheek, the clothes off our back, or an extra mile of labor for a cruel enemy. He doesn’t suggest that we size up the situation to see if we might get hurt. He tells us to love and leaves it at that. In fact, he suggests on several occasions that we WILL be hurt and harmed for doing good (Mat 10:23, Luke 21:12, John 15:20). Paul both confirms this with his life, and with his teachings when he says, “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim 3:12).

Jesus demonstrates this unprovoked, unqualified and undeserved love for enemies in his own life. Are we not all enemies of God? Yet perfect Jesus made peace with the world through his blood sacrifice on Calvary. Surely there was no one as undeserving of love as us, and no one more perfect in love than he, and yet he chose to love us who hated him, and at such great cost.

When we help people who have needs, it is inevitable that we will be taken advantage of, robbed of time and possessions, hurt, and persecuted. If fear of these things keeps us from doing good deeds, then we are sinning. But many Christians have exhorted caution in doing good. Caution born out of the wisdom and prompting of the Holy Spirit is one thing, but caution born out of fear is a lack of love born of a selfish desire for self-preservation. May fear of harm, loss, or disappointment never be a reason why we fail to love those around us! And when we are harmed, may we remember the words of our Lord, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Mat 5: 10-12).

I share the conclusion of the events of November 17^th not to brag, but to demonstrate God’s faithfulness when we step out in faith to perform good works in his name, especially at the expense of caution and in spite of our fear. After filing a police report and finally making it back to campus, I called Pastor Paul Dordal, who has become a mentor of sorts to me. I told him about the incident, and asked his opinion about the situation. We concluded our conversation by praying that (1) I’d have the opportunity to show kindness to a stranger soon, (2) that I’d have the opportunity to forgive my assailants in person, and that (3) God would use the situation to draw those two young men to himself. I began praying for these three things daily as I continued to process through things in my mind.

On November 25^th as I was driving back down to Toccoa after spending Thanksgiving with my family and friends in Aliquippa, PA. About an hour or so into the 10 hour drive, I passed a hitchhiker on I-79, right before it splits with I-70. I stopped, found out where the man was heading, and offered him a ride. He rode with me for six hours down to North Carolina. One of my only regrets from the last two guys I had picked up was that I had not shared with them the gospel directly, but had kept my kindness limited to good deeds. I’d resolved that the next person I picked up would hear the loving gospel of Jesus Christ. I shared with Thoman this story of my mugging, as well as about a Jesus who loves him. We talked on and off about religion and life for the whole six hours. We had a good time, and I continue to pray that God blesses him and protects him. I myself was blessed by the experience. Pastor Paul and I had prayed that I’d be given the opportunity to help out a stranger before I became bitter and jaded toward them, and God gave me the opportunity with Thoman.

Two days later I was working at Pizza Hut, delivering pizza to South Alexander Street in Toccoa. I still had not yet replaced my stolen cell phone, and so I was apprehensive about working without it and getting lost. South Alexander was not a familiar street to me, and sure enough, I got lost on the way. Unable to call for directions, I stopped and asked a woman to give me directions. She told me where it was, and I proceeded to the house. There was no parking immediately near where I needed to drop off the pizza, so I was forced to walk a ways down the street to the house. On the way back to my car after delivering the pizza, I noticed a young man who appeared familiar to me. It was the young man who had mugged and robbed me only ten days earlier. I hopped in my car, drove up to him, rolled down my window and forgave him there in the street. I told him that I was a follower of Jesus and that I forgave him. It seemed that the only words I could articulate were, “I forgive you.” The young man was dumbstruck and shocked in his demeanor. He said nothing to me, but stared at me silently with jaw dropped.

Driving away, I praised God and thanked him for answering that second prayer, that I’d have the chance to forgive those young men in person. Now I share this story with people who ask so that they can join me in praying for those young men and that they would one day come to repentance. They are in need of Jesus, and I pray that the Holy Spirit continues to come into conflict with their actions and convict them of their sin. I may never see them again, but God can use the transpiring events of their lives to draw them slowly to himself.

And sometimes I wonder at the eternal cost of my occasional passivity and inaction. God may use the events of November 17^th to snatch two young men from the jaws of sin and death. Had I not been willing to love two strangers, they may have never been shown kindness by a Christian. As it stands now, they have seen the kindness of a disciple of Christ, and they now have more people praying for them than they may have ever had in their lives.

As I reflect on God and his ability to take a seemingly awful situation and turn it for his good, I am reminded that this is the story of God in history. The entire Bible is the story of God taking a situation that was intended for evil, and turning it for good. These are the words of Joseph to his brothers who had beaten him and sold him into slavery, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” The very cross, the center of our faith, is the quintessential example of God working good out of an evil situation. It is what just what he does.

Mixed Thoughts on the DREAM act

The internet is an interesting thing. It is a tool that has great potential for good, and astounding potential for evil. American freedom of speech is an interesting thing too. I think I said in a previous post on here that under American democracy, which claims to be representing the American people in its legislation, every citizen has a right and responsibility to speak out when that government promotes legislation that he/she opposes. The internet is a forum by which individuals can voice their dissent.

Here are some concerns I have with recent legislation. The DREAM act was recently shot down by congress by a close 52-44 vote, a mere 8 votes away from the 60 needed for it pass. (You can read about this and the DREAM act itself here http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/20816.html) The bill has been advertised by many as a bill promoting amnesty to young immigrants. It would provide immigrants who graduate high school to gain citizenship in one of two ways: 1)through completing two years of college and 2) through serving in the US military. The bill, if passed, could hypothetically provide US citizenship for around 1,000,000 currently illegal immigrants. We're talking about a lot of people being affected by this bill.

The Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan immigration think tank, has estimated the Dream Act would allow about 279,000 currently undocumented residents to attend college or join the military. About 715,000 illegal immigrants between the ages of 5 and 17 who are now in the country would become eligible, according to the research group. ~ The Chicago Tribune

Now, here is where this post gets sketchy. I'm about to share some of my opinions on this matter. Let me preface them by suggesting that this is a highly complex issue. I am also not a US immigrant, and I am coming from y own particular background. I am in complete support of a bill that promotes amnesty. If it were up to me, I would promote unconditional amnesty. God clearly commands that we are to treat the alien with respect, dignity and love. He constantly reminds the Israelites to be kind to aliens because they were aliens in Egypt. I think this ethic continues into the New Testament. When a legislation makes it easier for aliens to enter a country illegally, there is not a problem with immigration, there is a problem with legislation. I agree that immigration policy needs reformation. I do not think, however, that the DREAM act is the great giver of freedom that it claims to be.

The US is in the midst of wars in the Middle East that have our resources and military personnel stretched. In the midst of this, US secretary of defense Robert gates just recently announced a 2.63 Billion dollar military expansion project. The plan is to add an additional 74,000 individuals to the US military by 2010. Where will these recruits come from? Some argue that they will come by increasing incentives for those already in the military. The sad reality is, however, that the military already targets poor minority men. There is no doubt in my mind that his practice will continue. If the DREAM act had been passed, approximately 1,000,000 would have been eligible for CONDITIONAL US citizenship through military service. Many of these immigrents would have been forced to serve in the US military's unjust wars in order to gain citizenship. Many of them would have died serving a country which they were not even citizens of. Sound familiar? Thats because we did this to blacks during the civil war and the revolutionary war...

The shame in all of this is that those immigrants heading to college have been denied citizenship as well. If the DREAM act had been reworked in order to allow unconditional citizenship, I would be in full support. Granting citizenship through college is better than no citizenship at all. Granting citizenship only after military service is modern slavery and demonstrates our hatred toward immigrants.

Musings on Art, Stasis, Determinism and Hope

I've been reading Taking it to the Streets by Dr. Corbitt of Eastern University. The book is an inspiring introduction to arts-based community-development, a subject I've become recently fascinated in for several reasons. Just by way of background, I grew up as an art lover. I remember early childhood gifts of paint brushes and paint; I remember time passed over homemade easels and rolls of butcher paper. Throughout high-school I took as many art classes as I could. For parts of my Sophomore and Junior years I dreamed of studying at art school in the visual arts. Unfortunately, where I grew up there were no real examples of faith-integrated arts programs, or art-based evangelism. I had a hard time reconciling my love for drawing/painting and my desire to share the gospel to the unreached. I saw the two concepts in a false dichotomy, art or evangelism.

Stasis is stagnation. Stasis is things remaining as they are, unchanged. When something is static, it is cemented, fixed in stone. Stasis, in its essence, is a lack of change. When we see the world around us as static, we perceive the world as incapable of change. Seeing the world as static is a hopeless, cynical and desperate (full of despair) way of looking at life. It is also blatantly anti-Christian and anti-hope. Seeing people, churches and communities as static is seeing them as hopeless. We say it all the time in Aliquippa: the Christian faith is not compatible with hopeless people, hopeless churches, or hopeless communities.

I've often expressed to Joel and others that I have hard time believing in determinism of all kinds. In fact, I would go so far as to argue that determinism is evil and wrong. What do I mean by determinism? Determinism is the belief that our actions, lives, feelings, etc. are all somehow determined by something. We live in a society that embraces many forms of determinism. Anthropologists suggest our actions are governed by cultural determinism. Scientists suggest that our thoughts, moods and impulses are governed by biological determinism. Psychologists suggest that our thoughts and actions are governed by chemical determinism. Sociologists believe our reactions are governed by social influences, upbringing and demographics. Reformed theologians suggest our fates are theologically determined (predestination). I am not arguing that these different areas (biological makeup, chemicals, upbringing, etc.) do not have any effect on the way we think and act. What I am suggesting, however, is that when we limit these things to determinism, we are essentially believing in stasis. Determinism inevitably leads to a belief in stasis, a belief that things are determined and fixed. Determinism and stasis stand in direct opposition to hope. When we see the world as static, we see the world as beyond the hope of transformation.

My Life as Delivery Boy

Well, here I am back in Toccoa for my senior, yep SENIOR year of college. The semester is officially on its way as the second week of the semester approaches its midpoint. My classes this semester turned out to be easier than those most recent, and so I've decided to try and work this semester. I applied at Wal-Mart, decided not to follow up, and ended up getting hired as pizza delivery man at Pizza Hut. I've only worked three days, but so far I love it. I make decent money with tips, and I get to drive around listening to music. Aside from that, I've met some interesting people on deliveries and at work.

One of the hardest things about attending school for me the last three years has been the lack of real human interaction. Over the course of my years here at Toccoa, I probably spent on average an hour a week off campus. Its nice to be interacting with people off campus on a regular basis. It helps me keep things in perspective and gosh I'm going to learn a lot.

Take my co-worker Billy (not his real name) for example. Billy is 26-28 years old, a Georgia native, grew up right around here. He's been working at Pizza Hut for a couple weeks now, so next to me he is the newest employee. He is a fellow delivery man. My first day at work he was asking me where I was from and over the course of the conversation I revealed that I am senior at Toccoa, originally from New York. The conversation began as small talk but then Andy asked whether Toccoa Falls College was Christian college. I quickly responded that it was, but not everyone there is a Christian. It was as if I needed to defend the fact that I went there by explaining that not EVERYONE there is a Christian. It was a distancing, defensive response, and I recognized immediately how uncomfortable I felt with him and my other coworkers knowing that I am a believer. I'm a very analytical person, and even to this moment I am not sure whether I was worried about revealing my faith, or just worried about revealing my faith so soon. I think I envisioned my coworkers learning about my faith, but gradually and over time. But this was not the case. The conversation didn't really go to much further that first night, we were both engaged with different tasks and so things were left essentially at that.

After analyzing things a bit more afterward, I realized my need to repent. My faith is a part of my life, a big part of my life, and people like Billy are the people I want to live among, serve and build relationships with. I prayed over the next day or so that I would have the opportunity to expound a bit more, and to be more honest with my beliefs. That prayer was answered today. Billy brought up matters of faith tonight at work and was very open with his beliefs and convictions. He revealed to me that he was baptized as a Pentecostal, had a bizzare, far out (his words), experience that sort of freaked him out and scared him from the church. Since then he goes to church occasionally but not really regularly. He confessed that he doesn't really think that God has one name or that God is exclusively Christian. He mentioned that perhaps sincere Buddhists go to heaven as well. It was an interesting conversation and I felt really comfortable with him. I felt like my role tonight was more as listener, so I didn't give my convictions about things, though I hope to sometime in the near future. I want to make sure I have the right to share my beliefs. Anyway, all that to say...I'm excited about this process, and I admitedly have a lot to learn.

People in this world are seeking something. Billy's story is evidence of that. Why was I so shocked to here someone interested in matters of faith? Billy said something very interesting to me tonight about the church. Since working in Aliquippa, I've had a lot of time to think about the institutional church, and in diologeing with Pastor Joel, Pastor Jim, and Pastor Paul about the subject, I've had a lot of time to think about how distant it has become from society. Tonight Billy told me that he doesn't get church. He doesn't understand it and he doesn't really like it. Some of the things there bother him, make him feel uncomfortable, and seem extra to him. Tonight as we were discussing this he said something profound...he said, "I think this is the church right here, Billy and Dean talking, that is the church." How amazing that this seemingly naive redneck Toccoan who told me tonight it took him ten years to get his GED (I'm being deliberate with this description to prove a point) understands the church better than most "Christians" do! Jesus said wherever two or more are gathered in his name, there he is also, there is the church...This guy GOT it. Anyway, all that to say, I'm excited to begin forming relationships like this. I'll be posting more about work in the coming weeks I am sure. Some might be lighter than this, I've got some great stories about deliveries...

YouTube

Here it is folks. This is the video that my 5th and 6th grade class made this summer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOK_nnZzBY4

Summer 2007

I did not blog this entire summer. I'm now paying the consequences for it. How do you explain an entire summer without being reductionistic or interminable? Thats the dilemna I am facing at present, and my proposed solution is the following eclectic summary of the summer's events in Aliquippa. This is certainly not a holistic picture of my summer, but it is an attempt to cover those things most formitive, or at least of initial significance after this summer. In many ways processing the summer's events.

Now that I am done qualifying...

Responsibility
This summer I was the Assistant Program Coordinator for Aliquippa Impact's summer day camp program. I was the immediate staff supervisor to six full time staff members and six interns throughout the course of this summer. I was also, at times, responsible for the safety and order of day camp (45+ kids grades 1-6). Without going into detail, this was more responsibility than I have ever had in my life. I've never been in a real leadership position before. I liked it, but it was a huge challenge for me. Leadership is taxing. Just the mental burden of having so much responsibility can be a monstrous mental strain. I often found myself mentally asphixiated.

Teaching
Aliquippa Impact exists to help serve at risk youth and their families in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. One of the ways in which A.I. goes about this is by attempting to supplement the local school district with additional educational opportunities. Aliquippa Impact primarily focuses on acedemic areas in which the school district has been unable to pour money into, namely, arts and cultural literacy. This summer I tought the fifth and sixth grade class during the A.I.'s summer day camp program. Again, the thrust of this summer program was cultural literacy. Each week of camp focused on a specific region of the world. My job was to teach about these specific regions, as well as about some of the various countries and cultures located therein. It was a challenge to creativly educate students without turning summer camp into summer school. THere were times that I feel like I succeeded, and there were certainly times which I failed.

Perhaps the week that I will remember the most was the week that we focused on the continent of Africa. Even the most ethnocentric American is aware of some of the complex and tragic issues surrounding the continent of Africa including genocide, HIV/AIDS, malaria, starvation, etc. Even though many of our kids are from less than desirable economic situations, the students in my class really latched on to the idea of suffering in Africa. It was amazing to see our kids filled with compassion, frustration and anger at the world's problems. They wrote letters to Representative Jason Altmire expressing their concern. They talked about and interacted with complex issues. As a class project we made a video to raise awareness about genocide in Africa. I hope to have it up on YouTube soon, when I do a link will be posted.

Without going to much longer, I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a teacher. I loved researching these issues and teaching them in a way that 10 and 11 year old children could understand them. Making things fun was a huge challenge, but all in all, I think the kids really learned this summer. One thing is for certain. I love teaching and I want to continue when I can. Starting in fall 2008 I'll be co-directing an after school program with A.I. focusing on Global Education. I'm sure I'll be posting more on that as research continues.

Center for Leader Multiplication
The CLM is a new non-profit emerging in Aliquippa Pennsylvania. You can read more about it at the CLM website www.leadermultiplication.org. Starting June 1, 2008 I will be working as a CLM associate in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. Each CLM associate is responsible to plant an organic, self-replicating church in Aliquippa over the course of their tenure with the organization. I will be working in conjunction with Aliquippa Impact starting art-based community programs while working as a church planter with CLM. I'll be writing about this a lot more as time progresses as well. One of the first things I will be working on is art-based street presence. I'll be defining that in a subsequent blog.

The Holy Spirit
The most misunderstood, and mentally challenging aspect of Christianity might just be the work of the Holy Spirit. Over the course of my time with Aliquippa Impact I've had the great opportunity to dialogue with people about the work of the Holy Spirit. While this is certainly not something I have reached total understanding of, I have become certain of two thing: (1) The Holy Spirit empowers Christians to live everyday and (2) the Holy Spirit manifests in the believer in supernatural and sometimes miraculous ways for the sake of the gospel.

"The age of youth was created for heroic service and not for pleasure."

This quote hangs in the living room of our staff house on 829 Franklin Avenue, Aliquippa, PA. Although it has been there all summer, it hasn't always held significant meaning for me. As the summer began, five weeks ago for me, I was excited to be here in Aliquippa doing something familiar. Working with the summer day camp (which currently constitutes Aliquippa Impact, Inc.'s main ministry) last summer was a joy and a challenge. Despite the summer's vast challenges, on the whole I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was a pleasure to be with the kids most of the time. It was in the anticipation of this joy that I was looking forward to City Camp 07.

Well this summer has been different. I'm working a similar position with a bit more responsibility. Staff has changed, but everyone is totally reliable and competent. There are a lot more kids involved in the program this summer, and that has definitely added to the challenge of day camp.

Challenge. Challenge is probably the best way to describe this summer. Last summer was a challenge for me, but somehow I think if this summer had been just like last summer, it would not have been a challenge for me. It would have been to predictable, to comfortable. Prior to this summer I never knew what it felt like to be tired, exhausted and hopeless. It seems like challenges are at every turn, like there is always something else to remember or to do. It seems like there is never enough time to get everything done, let alone sleep and rest. I'm wiped out most of the time.

But somehow, there is no other place I would rather be. This is the most fulfilling thing I have ever done with my time and life. But, I hate it most of the time. It doesn't make sense at all, but somehow through this hardship there is joy, peace and contentment. But those things are not feelings. Somehow my feelings are the exact opposite of what we often think of as joy and peace and contentment.

Somehow this is what is meant by heroic service. There is no feeling of pleasure associated with it. Granted, sometimes my feelings do seem to be pleasure when I am working at day camp, but those feelings come and go just as quickly. This summer, most of the time my feelings are quite the opposite of pleasure. But, I know I am still serving, and I know somehow God is still using what I am trying to do. Most of the time God is using me even when I don't want to be at day camp. Its as if just by being present at day camp God is using me. Some days I feel like all I can do is show up, I don't have the energy to do anything else.

Is what I am doing heroic service? I don't think so. I don't think we are really doing anything spectacular here. But God is working through us, and in spite of us. And I'm more content here than I have ever been even though I am more tired and more miserable some days than I have ever been...

As I browse the Facebook's of my friends from high school I am reminded of how rare this idea is. Its easy to see that many of the kids who sat with me in class are pursuing pleasure. They may even find it sometimes. But those feelings are so fleeting. Feelings come and go so rapidly that I know there must be more to life than them. Somehow true peace and joy are choices that go beyond our temporal feelings. Somehow heroic service IS what we were made for.

Faith and Service

My junior year of college is over. I made the drive home from Georgia yesterday and arrived at the house that I grew up in around 8:15pm, after leaving at 4:00am. The lengthy drive allowed for some good time to reflect and anticipate the coming summer. Today, as I walked through the forest behind my house, the forest where I played as a child, I pondered my upbringing. Walking those familiar paths, smelling those familiar smells, has a way of making a person reflect.

I was raised, and was privileged to be raised, by Christian parents in a loving, safe environment. Faith came easy to me. I had a loving church gamily, positive Christian role models and a knack for learning. In our blessed American home, freedom of religion and economic affluence (at least compared to the rest of the world) seemed to come hand in hand. All in all, my faith cost me nothing, and I saw no problems with this fact. My limited experiences with service—a pair of short-term, two-week trips to Central America—were positive, and perhaps formative experiences, but they did little in effecting life change in me or those of whom I was allegedly serving.

It wasn’t really until last summer at the age of 20, that I realized the cost of Christian discipleship. In Aliquippa I found myself needed, challenged and overwhelmingly in-over-my-head. Here there were children deprived of safety, education and ultimately childhood itself. Here were people without hope, economic stability, or a future. Here, for the first time in my life, I was confronted with the holistic and tragic effects of sin on human life. It was from this I was spared and saved as a child, and by the grace of God alone.

In addition to this realization, I found that as I stepped out in the faith and Christian service that Christ calls us to, something profound began to happen inside of me. The faith that I’d claimed as a child became real to me, as it manifested itself in action and service. I’d believed what the Bible taught, for sure, but it meant nothing to me until it was acted on. Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” I’d believed in the call, but it was not until Aliquippa that I began to die.

Christians and Government

Today in my History of Theology class a discussion concerning the separation of church and state came up, in the context of an introduction to dominion theology. It was an incredibly interesting discussion, and the subject has been on my mind for most of the day. I found myself disagreeing with my prof and about half the class. Overall I would guess our class was 50/50 on the issue, half thinking that Christians in the government can effect morality via the governing authority, the other half rejecting that notion.

To me, the notion of affecting a nation's morality via the ruling authorities is a proposterous idea. This "top-down" mentality doesn't work with morality any better than it does with economics! (The trickle-down theory just doesn't work practically!) The movements that have had lasting effects on our country's politics and morality have been bottom-up, grass-roots movements. Look at the temperance movement, the women's suffrage movement, and the civil rights movement...In each case, it was the little people making the change.

When I pointed out in class that the Jesus and his disciples, and the early church for that matter, were grass-roots, I had a classmate try to tell me that the incarnation was a "top-down" approach. Maybe what he meant by this was that Christ came down to the nothingness of humanity from his place as God, but I don't think that is what this classmate meant. Christ did make himself nothing, and his example is the PERFECT example of effective change from the bottom up!

Jesus of Nazareth had every opportunity to set himself up as the emperor of the world. The Jews of his day, including many of his followers, were expecting the messiah to come and start an earthly kingdom, a "top-down" kingdom that would change the world. They were looking for political liberation and self-determination. But that is not what Jesus had in mind. Instead he turned the tables, and flipped things upside down. How did he start a movement? With an eclectic group of uneducated peasants from a captive nation! And what was his method for changing the world? Dying. Christ and his gospel are the antithesis of a "top-down" approach.

It was a great day when Constantine made Christianity legal in the Roman Empire. I imagine many Christians were joyful and thankful that they could serve God openly at last. The centuries of persecution were finally over. That peace was a great thing. But, didn't the church thrive under such persecution? Look at the book of Acts... What about today? Isn't the church thriving in China and other places hostile to the gospel? Is the church thriving in our present day Constantinian empire (the USA)?

I am not sure that I have fully resolved this next idea in my head, but it seems to make sense to me. The ability for Christians to live and worship freely is a great thing, and not something to be taken for granted. It has not always been this way, and will not, most likely, continue to be this way. But, at the same time, persecution is good for the church. It forces the church to rely on God, it weeds out the nominal, and it is a powerful witness to the world. Maybe tranquility for the church is nice for this world, but maybe it is not beneficial for our spiritual condition. Do not trials develop perseverance, character, and hope?

Apostate churches are not born out of persecution, but are born out of the church growing comfortable. I think there is plenty of evidence for this with the Israelites in the old testament. The entire narrative of the Old Testament seems to be the Israelites sinning and doing evil in the eyes of the Lord, being taken captive (much like persecution), and then repenting and serving God again before the cycle begins again.

So what does this mean practically? I'm not sure... Should we pray for persecution? Maybe... at the very least we need to be careful not to take our comfort and prosperity (read laziness and obesity) for granted. Days of comfort often end abruptly.

When its Hard to be a Pacifist

Its days like today that it is not fun to be a pacifist. I received an email yesterday and this is what it said:

"On Thursday, May 3rd at 10:25 AM a young soldier from Franklin County will be coming home.

Ryen was killed serving our country overseas and will be arriving at the Toccoa Airport on Thursday. The college is asking our students who can gather on Big A to support his family and show the community our support for one who was willing to sacrifice his life for his country."

When push comes to shove, I believe Ryen died for nothing. I believe that Ryen's life had value, but he was a soldier commanded to fight in an unjust war and the loss of his life for the "defense of this country" is meaningless. But that makes me sound as heartless as a war-hawk...Ryen's death is a tragedy, as is the loss of all human life. I don't know why it happened and I wish that it hadn't. His death was as senseless as those that have died in Darfur, or the shootings earlier this year in Aliquippa. Death, wherever it happens is a tragedy. My honest condolences go out to Ryen's family. It is the individual lives affected by war that make it so tragic. It is not nations that feel the pain of these losses, but fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers. It is the weak--children, poor, and marginalized--that suffer the most.

There must be a better way to peace.

"Sure as a hammer finds a nail, death is the only way to peace" ~Derek Webb

It is Christians dying for others--socially, emotionally and yes physically-- that can bring the world peace. Jesus inaugurated the kingdom through his death, and we are called to follow suite. Only through radically associating, and relating to the hurting can we effect peace in this war torn and restless world.

It is not guaranteed to be successful, but a human history of war has never brought peace: the "war to end all wars" (WW1) led to the "war to make the world safe for democracy" (WW2) which has led to more war, and a world hostile to human life (including democracy!). When will we learn?

“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” ~George Santayana

For all of Hilary's quirks, at least she is consistent...

I like to draw. I am concerned with politics. So I've decided to dabble in the art of political cartooning.

A Liberal in the Dirty South

Back home (Central New York) I am not considered to be politically left or right by most people. Back home, I can be a moderate. An increasingly frustrating thing for me lately has been the constant label of 'liberal.' Often it is said tongue in cheek, often it is merely implied. What frustrates me about this is not the association with the left, so much as the things that I talk about that give others the impression that I am liberal minded. Two issues come to mind that, by merely bringing them up label me as politically left down here in Northeast Georgia (especially at a conservative Bible college!).

The first is the urban poor in America. When did caring for the poor, something emphatically stressed in both the Old and New Testaments, become an exclusively liberal idea? Didn't Jesus, prophet to some, teacher to others, God to Christians, stress the need to feed the hungry and clothe the naked? Am I wrong in thinking that this is NOT an exclusively liberal idea?

The next issue I recognize as a more complicated one, but is not, in my opinion, one that should determine whether one lies on the political spectrum. War. I am a pacifist. In the minds of a majority of people down here, I am a pacifist, I am therefore a liberal. I am outspoken in my disgust for the Iraq war. It is not a just use of force, by any standards. Even proponents of 'just war theory' have to acknowledge the problems with our Iraq conflict. Plenty of conservatives (politically) doubt the justice of our current conflict.

Generally speaking, I consider myself to be a political moderate. I am not big government. I am not big business. I am not militaristic. I believe in the value of education and infrastructure. I think we should try and create a government that fosters social equality for all races and ethnicities. My views on the poor and war should not label me 'left' or 'right'. Why does this frustrate me so much?

Far to often people use these labels as defense mechinisms so that they do not have to engage in a real discussion. If someone is a 'liberal' or 'conservative' and you fall in an oppositional camp, you don't have to take them seriously. That seems to me to be the only explanation. A lot of people don't want to think about these issues critically so they label those with conflicting views to be members of an oppositional camp in order to make illegitimate their position and prohibit dialogue.

One more thing that frustrates me. Political conservatism does not imply or necessitate religious conservatism, and visa-versa. One can be politically left and religiously right. I have had few come out and say it, but I have had some imply that because I care about issues seemingly left politically, I am somehow a religious liberal as well.



I don't normally get this angry when I post, and much of this is inarticulate and not well thought out. Just some thoughts on my mind this morning.

Anabaptists, Pentecostals, and Homophobia

I never finished The Politics of Jesus, though it is definitely on my list of books to read. I am an expert at returning books late to the library and unfortunately The Politics of Jesus was well overdue so I needed to return it. In its place, I checked out A contemporary Anabaptist Theology as well as Artists, Citizens, Philosophers: seeking the peace of the city, an Anabaptist Theology of Culture. I'm further along in this second book and I am finding it quite fascinating. I'll post more comments on it hopefully as I get further along.

In addition to familiarizing myself with the Anabaptists, I watched the riveting and controversial documentary Jesus Camp this week. For those of you unfamiliar with the film, it is a documentary about an extremely charismatic pentecostal children's camp in North Dakota. Critics of the camp argue that they are manipulative and forcefully indoctrinate their children with right wing conservative propaganda. Although I think most critics are a touch harsh, I must admit that their were parts of the film that made me feel uncomfortable, namely when a group of children prayed over a cardboard cutout of George W. Granted, however, I am not the biggest Bush fan anyway. Regardless of my opinion about this particular pentecostal church, I find myself having to remind myself that this particular church does not represent a majority of Pentecostals, and it certainly doesn't represent all evangelicals.

In an ironic bit of Jesus Camp Ted Haggard is captured preaching against homosexuality and mentioning that "sin will find you out." Obviously this film was shot and released before the current scandal hit the media...I was listening to Tony Campolo's thoughts on the whole issue when I heard him mention Haggard's meth addiction. I didn't remember hearing about it before, and as Tony pointed out how ridiculous it is that evangelicals (as a majority) are not outraged about his use of meth, I found myself agreeing. Why are we so homophobic? Why are we not as equally outraged by Ted Haggard's addiction to an elicit substance as we are his homosexual actions? As I talked to one of my professors about this, it was brought to my attention that our difference in opinion on this subject is most likely due to our beliefs on sin. As a result of this conversation, I now have a lot more questions about sin. Is there an hierarchy of sins? Are some sins worse than others? Why have evangelicals (in general) picked homosexuality and abortion as their "worst" sins while neglecting the atrocities of war and injustice to the poor (this last one which is mentioned biblically far more than these others)?

The Politics of Jesus pt.1

I've been reading through The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder, and I must say, it has been quite thought provoking. For anyone interested in a good, serious diologue with pacifism, this is probably the best biblical approach to it that I have read (granted my reading on the subject is certainly not exhaustive).
If there was ever a man who could have waged a just war, it was Jesus of Nazareth. If there was ever a man who had just cause for war, it too was Jesus of Nazareth. If there was ever a man who had the authority to wage a just war, again, it was Jesus of Nazareth. Finally, if there was ever a man who had the power and military following to win a just war, it was Jesus of Nazareth.
Yet, as easy as it would have been for Christ to usher in his kingdom through armed conflict, he chose to die instead. Why is it then that we as Christians today fail to see our own death as a serious possibility for ushering in God's kingdom? Why do we argue for 'just war' when our savior so seemingly set the precedent for our socio-political action in his death? Yoder puts it like this, "Jesus' rebuke to the unseeing pair on the road to Emmaus was not that they had been looking for a kingdom and should not have been. Their fault is that, just like Peter at Caesarea Philippi, they were failing to see that the suffering of the Messiah is the inauguration of the kingdom."

'Leaving Babylon'

I almost forgot to explain my cheesy, semi-cliche blogger title, 'Leaving Babylon.' Babylon in the old and new testaments of scripture was a symbol of sin, injustice and despair. That having been said, the idea of leaving Babylon is probably self explanatory. As Christians, our earthly home is still Babylon, but we are no longer citizens of Babylon. We are aliens, strangers and outcasts in this land. While we may not be able to physically leave the city of Babylon, not at least without dying, we can leave behind Babylon's way of thinking, acting and injustice. By exchanging war for peace, hatred for love, injustice for justice, and cynicism for hope, I believe we can leave Babylon.

My new blog

Well, after sojourning from the blogging world for a while, I've decided to return. I feel like this might be a little different than my last one, so consider this first post the 'apologia' for my new writings.
First off, let me clarify what this blog is not. This is not personal journal or window into my everyday life. I question the motivation of people who publish their lives on the internet for the entire world to see. There are some things that should remain private.
This is not a place for me to complain and breed cynicism. I do not think that there is a place for cynicism within the Christian world view. Cynicism is despair, and we have exchanged despair for hope.
This is not a place for me to criticize the church, government or individuals. I may say critical things, but I will try not to without a viable, or biblical alternative. Jim Wallis points out that it is easy to protest, but alternatives are better.
This blog is a place where I will attempt to think publicly about various issues that effect my everyday life. For this reason, it will be a personal journal of sorts. People who know me know that I am interested in politics, so I will probably write on politics from time to time. I also plan on writing about new things I am learning and reading that I think could be a benefit to others. I hope that things that I write inspire discussion, but most importantly thought. Finally, this goes without saying but, I am not an expert or a scholar so please be gracious.