The rain falls on the just and the unjust

Posted: April 9, 2013 in Uncategorized
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This week we heard of the suicide of the son of Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback church in southern California. The megachurch pastor has perhaps the greatest visibility among the new evangelicals of the past decade. His son was in his upper twenties and had struggled with depression for a long time. What anguish. Who can name the sorrow?

This has found its way to the news, of course, because of Warren’s notoriety. Somewhere else this week another young man whose name we do not know took his life. The only difference was the public profile of his parents. He was not in the public eye. Perhaps his father worked at the bakery, his mother carried mail for the post office. His life ended but without a news flash. A few gathered in the funeral home to give condolences.

I thought the same this week with the murder of a young women in the diplomatic corps, Anne Smedinghoff, serving in Afghanistan. She was twenty five. She had chosen to place herself in a high-risk vocation in a high-risk place. Her idealism took her there. And it went badly. What anguish for her parents. But we hear nothing of another twenty five year old who was murdered on the same day in one of our American cities. She was walking to a bus stop, or out of a crack house, or through the park, or sitting in her living room. We don’t know her name because her life was not on display, public, much to take note of.

For every public mention of a tragedy there are hundreds of un-public ones just like it. They are no less tragic, gut-wrenching for family, filled with remorse that there are no do-overs.

So on this day, or for that matter any day that I hear of a tragedy, a public shame, a catastrophe that hits the news, I will lift up the sparks for that situation and those people. But I will, at the same time, lift up parallel prayers for the nameless, the ones off the public radar screen, the just and unjust upon whom the rain has fallen in torrents.

I know you’ve been curious, Anna.

Posted: April 8, 2013 in Uncategorized
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I know, Anna, that you are curious. You’ve heard about my book-in-process (for the past two years) and want to know more. Thanks for your curiosity. Speaking of curiosity, I believe it is a deeply embedded human capacity that leads us to that beyond ourselves, whether in the realm of science or the spirit or both. Three cheers for that which sometimes kills the cat, which it occasionally does.

As you know by now, it is entitled The Square Root of God: Mathematical Metaphors and Spiritual Tangents. Even before it’s been published a group has invited me to make a presentation on it at their conference. Good luck to me, or better put, Lord have mercy on me.

I know you have just bitten off enough for a taste. Let me give you an appetizer, something to stimulate your appetite for more. It is a portion of Billy Collins’ poem, Questions About Angels:

Of all the questions you might want to ask
about angels, the only one you ever hear
is how many can dance on the head of a pin …
It is designed to make us think in millions,
billions, to make us run out of numbers
and collapse into infinity

Resistance to the Good

Posted: April 1, 2013 in Uncategorized
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The response of people to Pope Francis remaking the papal office has by and large been very positive. Even the non-religious weigh in with sympathetic commentary. But the response of traditionalists has not been so favorable. Why?

Francis started breaking the mold by his choice of simple vestments and the place where he was to live, which was not in the apostolic palace but rather the simple Vatican apartments. Soon after he was washing the feet of youth in detention on Maundy Thursday, youth including women and a Muslim. This was instead of the traditional washing of the feet of twelve priests in St. Peters.

Most of the world embraced this expression of faith that more closely reflected that of St. Francis of Assisi, his namesake, or, yes, Jesus himself. That has not, however, been the universal response.

Traditionalists have been much more at home with the ways of his predecessor, Benedict, who returned to much of the tradition and pomp of earlier days. Too much attention to the poor translated into a shift away from bases of centralized power. Too much recognition of people of other faiths, like Muslims, looked like creeping relativism. Those who longed for a return to the good old pre-Vatican II trappings of the papacy became disappointed. But Francis, it would seem, doesn’t much care about that.

The fact is that the person the Cardinals chose in the conclave has conducted his life and ministry this way all along. As an archbishop in Argentina he did the same. Francis has simply brought this simpler and less grandiose view to his new office. By a stroke of grace it is exactly what the church needs. But that is resisted.

Are we surprised? Actually not. History is littered with parallels. We find many examples of pious and faithful souls who were elevated to positions of ecclesial leadership only to frustrate those they serve. The people were often inspired and led to a new-found commitment to the Christian way. But the keepers of the institution most usually found such a model of ministry a difficulty, an encumbrance. It usually stood in the way of perpetuating their own agenda of power. When the top leader did not collude with them then he or she became the problem.

I have, in a much more limited way, experienced that in my years of being a pastor. Institutions have a funny way of projecting their expectations upon an individual they hope will not only represent them but mirror their values. Doing what Jesus would do is seen as beside the point. The most driving question becomes, “Does he look like us, reflect our values?” A few times in my ministry I have had people call into question such things as concern for the poor, living simply, and avoiding unnecessary luxury and social niceties for just this reason. When they felt that the prevailing values of their group were not sufficiently lauded then they engaged in a kind of moral inversion: doing good was defined as bad. And that response was, ultimately, to protect their treasured but fragile way of life, Jesus being quite beside the point.

I think all this is at play with Francis and his detractors. Their numbers are relatively small, but noisy. My prayer for him, and any other leader who strives to do the right thing in the face of opposition by those who are less concerned for virtue and more concerned for a continued way of life is this:

Eternal God, who knows the falling of each sparrow, who led our Lord who had nowhere to lay his head:

Give to those who serve you in spirit and truth the courage to follow the voice of conviction, to not be led into temptation by the crowd or the trappings of prestige or power. Fill them with a humble spirit that transforms those around them. When they feel alone, provide them with companions who reassure them of their best intuitions. And lead the hard-hearted into repentance so that with the hearts of children they might turn toward your reign with gladness and joy. Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray, Amen.

When the Ideological trumps the Optimal

Posted: March 28, 2013 in Uncategorized
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With the Affordable Health Care Act health insurance is being extended to the uncovered American public in two primary ways.  And the cost is levied in two ways as well.

The first is through employers; employees are covered through group health plans provided by employers. They bear the expense, except that there are incentives that flow to them from the federal level. The way that the insurance is provided is not through a centralized system, such as in Great Britain or Sweden, but rather through health insurance exchanges. These are competitive private sector networks from which people select their plans. The insurance companies lobbied hard for this and succeeded. It is a private sector solution.

The second is through the extension of government subsidized insurance like Medicaid. This will cover the unemployed, poor and disabled. In Missouri the expansion of Medicaid would cover another 300,000 people and add some 20,000 jobs to staff it. It is paid for with taxes, federal taxes.

Though extending Medicaid through state structures is far more efficient and keeps management control with the states, our Missouri House just blocked the attempt to add that funding for the coming year. It would have amounted to 900,000 and would be paid for by the federal government to the state.

Opposition stated that the state should not position itself in such a way that in coming years, if federal money dries up, the state would be left holding the bag. In addition, running up the federal deficit is not good policy either. Those are interesting arguments. In fact, they are familiar arguments. I have just finished reading the recent biography of FDR by H.W. Brands entitled, Traitor to his Class (Doubleday, 2008). The arguments against the establishment of unemployment insurance and social security ran exactly the same way. By today, however, social security is seen as an important part of our security fabric, right along with Medicare. At the time and much like the Affordable Health Care Act today, it was hotly disputed and barely came into law.

The second reason the Missouri House did not vote to extend Medicaid benefits to uninsured Missourians was much more ideological. They may not have been able to block the Affordable Care Act but they can attempt to block it from happening on the state level. The thing is, this is coming to the state one way or another. Ideological resistance may play well politically (I’ll do everything in my power to block this socialized Obamacare…), but reality is that Missourians can choose to determine the form this takes on the state level or not. It is much more efficient and effective to utilize our existing structures and extend them with federal money and more Missouri jobs than to make room for a free-standing federal program to do the same thing.

As we have discovered, however, practicality and efficiency have much less to do with this than political ideology. We are losing a great opportunity, not only to do the best with the situation in which we find ourselves, but to make sure that the most people possible get the health care they need. Other strategies have not succeeded to date. If they had the solutions they propose would already be in place. Our strategy up unto the present has been to ignore the problem and let the poor keep showing up in emergency rooms – the most expensive and inefficient way to deliver care.

What the Missouri House has demonstrated for all the world to see is the vast capacity of human beings to do the wrong thing for supposedly the right reasons. It’s a travesty and embarrassment.

God in the Box: The Short-Short Video

Posted: March 24, 2013 in Uncategorized
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God BoxOn March 21 the community of Columbia, Missouri gathered to witness the premier of the documentary, God in the Box. Director Nathan Lang was in attendance for Q&A. And as a great surprise we trucked out our own short-short version created with our own God Box. In the weeks preceding our event we had been videoing people around the city. Director and editor Caitlin DeSpain put together this charming video. I’m struck by its honesty and the way universal questions are posed. How would you answer the question, “What does God mean to you?” Watch the documentary here for yourself:

The Moment of Truth

Posted: March 24, 2013 in Uncategorized
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This weekend a number of us who had participated in mission trips to Ecuador over the years gathered for a reunion. The impetus for our gathering was the death of friend Victor Vaca, who passed only a couple of years after his wife and our friend, Violet. We gathered to remember them and what we we shared together. All of that reminded me of a story out of Victor’s life.

Victor was a native Ecuadorian married to a true Minnesotan. They served for decades together among the poorest of Ecuador’s people. But early on they were appointed by our Division of Overseas Ministry to Paraguay. This was in the 1970s in a particularly volatile time. A right wing military government was in power, much like in Chile, and the death squads were rampant. Victor and Violet had the opportunity to get out but they decided to stay – for the sake of those they served.

In the midst of that political environment anyone who worked for and with the poor – to advocate for their rights and better conditions, challenging the oppressive system that kept the powerful in power – were seen as seditionists. The last thing that fascists want is the poor to be empowered enough to speak and organize. And so those working with the poor automatically became targets of the military government.

One night there was a knock at the door. They knew it come anytime and it finally did. They hauled Victor away and while Violet was guarded they ransacked the house. She was informed that if she wanted to see her husband again she would keep her mouth shut. But Violet called the head of DOM at the time, Bill Nottingham, and before you know it, he traveled to Paraguay to attempt to secure Victor’s release. Mostly he wanted the government officials to know that people knew Victor was detained. Many were simply disappearing during that time so that step was crucial.

In detention and interrogation they attempted to intimidate Victor with many accusations and threats. But he held firm through the entire ordeal. Eventually his release was secured, but no one really knew until it finally happened.

The moment of truth for Victor and Violet was their decision to stay, not leave. They could have done so and no one would have blamed them, not at all. And with that decision unknown consequences came, though they knew the risks.

Perhaps you and I have not or will not face that kind of dramatic decision that requires that kind of courage. But each one will make fundamental decisions and decisive turns in the road. These decisions will require courage, grace, forgiveness, and trust. The gauntlet through Jerusalem was precarious, as Jesus knew. And such are the passages we make, day by day and year by year. Faith, hope and love go a long way. In the end our moment of truth calls for a decision, one for which we are rarely prepared until it arrives. God bless you as you stare it down during its next visit.

Surplus

Posted: March 19, 2013 in Uncategorized
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It’s not often that a city, school, family, or church has a surplus. Maybe it came as the result of a windfall. Or maybe just careful management. But there it is – extra. At first there is a sigh of relief: “Could be the opposite!” And it could have been. But soon the tune changes.”Well, what to do with it?” And a line begins to form. The line holds a spectrum of values and ideas, not all bad. But competition ensues. Who carts off the spoils of  war?

This has been the recent story of Columbia, Missouri. Many admirable causes have been suggested. I have not heard a bad one yet. Some more important than others, but not especially bad.

What is lacking, however, are urgent need and investment in the future.

If I were writing the checks I would fund an initiative to address homelessness in Columbia. Not solve it, but begin to address it. Secondly I would start the Columbia Incubator Project. This would be a center that would resource the best and brightest initiatives and creative thinking for the future. The answer is out there and we have to reach toward it. Why not provide an environment and incentives to do so? On many levels. May the most creative and brilliant win.

Urgent present need and future possibility. Surplus. Making a difference.

Francis

Posted: March 14, 2013 in Uncategorized
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It’s not just the name, but a cluster of things. Of course, taking a papal name from St. Francis of Assisi can mean plenty, symbolically speaking. Basing your spiritual leadership on the humble friar who embraced poverty and harmony with all creation is a great start. But add to that the fact that this new pope is from Argentina and a Jesuit to boot and you’ve got something. Here is one who assumed a simplicity and pastoral role with the people, especially those on the lower tier of the social ladder. I like that fact that the chair of St. Peter will be occupied by one who rides the bus and knows less of the curia than political insiders might like.

What this may reflect is a whole new visage of spiritual leadership. It won’t be that easy, of course, what with scandals to the left and right and the difficulty of leading a giant and tradition-bound institution. Nevertheless, I am glad.

Don’t go expecting some new progressive theology flowing out of the Vatican because I don’t believe we will see that. Women will not be ordained as priests and doctrines will be reinforced rather than loosened. In the same way that John Paul II was very conservative and very pastoral I imagine we will encounter Francis as more of a people’s pope. And that will be embraced joyfully. It could spell another ecumenical moment for the universal church.

So let us pray for our brother Francis. Let him aspire to his name. And we with him.

Goodenough for Me

Posted: March 9, 2013 in Uncategorized
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Goodenough: not lacking a space between the two words good and enough, but rather a proper name, Ursula Goodenough. She is one of the world’s finest cell biologists and teaches at Washington University in St. Louis. One of her passions is the intersection between religion and science, hence her past presidency of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science.

I’ve just finished her power-packed volume, The Sacred Depths of Nature (Oxford University Press, 1998). A self described “religious naturalist” she finds the universe – its origin and beautiful complexity – brimming with enough sacred presence to tease out songs of praise, awe and wonder. The universe is finely tuned for life, its building blocks for biological unfolding cemented into the foundation of all that is.

Her descriptions and, yes, testimony, will thrill those who want a faith that makes sense alongside the insights of modern science. They may be less gratifying for those holding classical theistic formulations. But the hymn of praise she sings before the intricate function of every enzyme and protein of every cell is worth learning. From the evolution of all species to the emergence of consciousness she speaks with conviction and elegance.

I think of her as a scientific Emerson, a cell biology transcendentalist. In her own words:

“The religious naturalist is provisioned with tales of natural emergence that are, to my mind, far more magical than traditional miracles. Emergence is inherent in everything that is alive, allowing our yearning for supernatural miracles to be subsumed by our joy in the countless miracles that surround us.”(30)

 

The Straight Scoop

Posted: March 8, 2013 in Uncategorized
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coffee cup and laptopI ate my eggs and potatoes with a glad and generous heart. The waitress kept coming by and topping off the coffee. They even had WiFi, a bit unusual for a small town cafe where the sight of laptops was on the rare side. It’s the kind of cafe that still has the individual stools up at the counter across from the grill. Some people prefer to sit there even when tables are available. One gentleman did for sure.

If someone is a bit hard of hearing they occasionally speak a bit louder, not knowing that their stage whisper can rattle the windows. Add some emotional agitation to that and you might as well give them a megaphone: Now hear this! That’s how it was for the older gentleman in the brown work shirt with the twin front pockets.

“Did you hear why Rand Paul was filibustering?” It really wasn’t a question. “Because Obama wants to use drones to assassinate American citizens, right here at home!” Everyone within ear shot, which would be everyone within a square mile, paused and looked up. “Yep, it came right from the Attorney General. The government will just kill its own citizens as it sees fit. They are just dumping our constitution. Just like that!”

In a setting like this the waitress behind the counter assumes a kind of facilitator role, before anyone else chimes in, if they do. “Really?” she said. “Now where did you hear that?”

“Well right on the news,” he said with confidence. And with that everyone around went back to buttering their toast.

“Right on the news” is an interesting phrase. It’s especially of concern today because it matters a great deal what “news” program one happens to be following. It may not be “news” at all but rather commentary, extended op-ed speech draped in news-like surroundings. That is one of the challenges of today – discerning truth from fiction in a multi-source environment.

For instance, I actually listened to the statement of the Attorney General as regards the use of drones. His statement was exactly opposite that of the loud man at the counter. The fact that any statement may be twisted and manipulated by a “news” program for its own political purposes is familiar to us now. In addition, any citizen may listen to that “news,” turn it another 90 degrees, repackage it with absolute authority, and spew it to Liza Mae at the coffee bar. It might be patently untrue, but that doesn’t stop anybody. The lie has assumed legitimacy. Say it often enough and it becomes “true.” And that’s how politics roll today.

I didn’t comment from across the room. To tell the truth I might not have even if I were sitting on one of the revolving round seats at the counter beside him. Some things ring as untrue even to the uninformed. I suppose that’s why the collective group around him just changed the subject to the weather. That’s one of the endearing things about a small town. They know that opinions come and go but the sun always comes up.

While they are talking I check out the hearings for Brennan as new CIA chief on CNN. The waitress comes by again and checks on my coffee. “Top that off, honey?”

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