Killer Tornado Tears Through Joplin, Missouri

Posted: May 23, 2011 in Uncategorized
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My brother, Rod Carson, lives in Joplin and is a Chiropractor there. He called me last night as the tornado was tearing through Joplin. His house was safely out of the deadly pathway and no one was injured. His office, however, is another story.

The officials discouraged people entering the devastation zone immediately following the tornado, but my brother and his office administrator ventured to their office at morning light. Here is the picture he sent me this morning.

My brother's office in Joplin, Missouri

The End of the World Rescheduled

Posted: May 21, 2011 in Uncategorized
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It’s happened again. The end of the world has been postponed, rescheduled, rained out, or miscalculated. I woke up this morning, May 21, and the world still was. I really didn’t expect otherwise.

Predicting the end of the world is not new; it seems to take place at periodic intervals by various religious movements, popular culture and soothsayers of various stripes. Big time-table events like the turning of a millennium, tend to ratchet up the fever. It happened in the year 1000 AD, and people were on the roof tops dressed in white waiting for their ride.

Truth be told the expectation and disappointment is found on the pages of the New Testament. The earliest Christian writings have plenteous references to the immanent throwing of the switch. For them Jesus played a significant role. The one who was raised from the dead would also serve as the emcee of the big event. What happened, though, was that it didn’t come as they thought. Individual Christians had their personal ends through death before the corporate end of the world happened. And then they had to start making sense of either an indefinite postponement or a different scheme altogether.

The later letters in the New Testament have explanations for this delay with encouragement to not lose hope. And others, like John’s Gospel, finally say in one way or another that the judgment has already come when you encounter Jesus – new worlds have been born and the kingdom has already come. The scholars call this “realized eschatology.” It’s the end game that’s already happened and we live as new creatures because of it.

So you see, this isn’t a new phenomenon. Lots of people throughout history have slept through fitful nights of dire predictions only to awaken to a sun rising like always. And they say, “I guess they were wrong.” And they were. Failed predictions tend to damage the credibility of the predictor.

I don’t expect such an ending in my lifetime, or ever, really. We can, of course, destroy the planet all by ourselves. But that’s not the same as a divine mega-event that transforms the whole picture in a flash. I rather live with the hope that God is already here, pulsing through everything that is, and that the future brings the unfolding of the life of God in the universe. For me, everyday is the end and beginning, and every death and birth the same. God has created and is creating and Christ has come and is present in the mystery of God.

That’s really quite enough for me.

Israel, Palestinians and Peace

Posted: May 20, 2011 in Uncategorized
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We have been shackled to the past in our policies relating to the Middle East. In addition to the presence of an arms industry that wants to sell lots and lots of military hardware to certain partners in the region, there are other challenges. We must redefine our relationship to both Israel and its neighbors.

Security must be present for all, but so must a reasonable quality of life. This means balancing the needs of both Israel and Palestinians. And once we show a balanced policy in the region we will remove yet another persistent cause of rage in the Arab street. The radicalized mosques and madrases will have one less reason to wage jihad; in their mind, a righteous struggle against those who oppress their brothers.

Good first step: disestablish all the entitled lobbyists who insist on only one way to go about this. We have many friends in the Middle East. It is in our interest and the interest of the entire region to find a a just peace for all the players. We cannot line up exclusively  with one side, especially if that side is seen not only to seek security, but exploit the dis-empowered.

Christian Arabs are fleeing the region for good reason; in the mind of their attackers they are associated with the West. It is a mistaken assumption. But until we change our posture that won’t change. In fact, until we change our posture most things won’t change.

Polarization, Politics and Polemics

Posted: May 18, 2011 in Uncategorized
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He, a known quantity, honored by his own, dares to take a run for office in these United States.

But he, as a shock to his own kind, says something moderate, unscripted, out of step with the party line, near the center where most true things ride atop the golden mean.

Therefore he, loyalty now in question, is vilified by his own, who ask if he can really be trusted after all.

And he, tossed in a deep pit with others like him, those who think thoughts that are not pasted on the wall of the far extreme, must be suspect.

He should know that moderation is a questionable attribute, just a short step from them.

He should know that balancing all the arguments, both pros and cons, is a sign of weakness.

He will beg for mercy, forgiveness, from those who will line his war chest, sing his praises to the masses. Go ahead, grovel. Take it back. He really didn’t think those original thoughts after all. Those words were impulsive, the fruit of poor judgment.

He and he and he surf the polarized madness that is our homeland, surf the big curl crashing on the  shore, as the real answers to the real questions sit quietly waiting to be noticed, waiting not for a he at all, but much more.

The Game of Chess and the Game of Life

Posted: May 17, 2011 in Uncategorized
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So my daughter and I have discovered online chess. It’s not that we will no longer play face-to-face; we will. But this is a nice way of playing and interacting when are absent one from the other. The difference between this and emailing, texting, IMing is that we are, well, in a game. But a game is different online than hunkering over the same board, watching chess pieces bite the dust.

I like both forms – face-to-face and online – for some of the same reasons, but different ones, too.

There is the game – its essentials, tactics, and interplay – and that is present in both venues. But the online version (the one we play) allows for extended time. We can start a game today, let the partner know we will be out of town for a day, and resume when we return. Or continue in the hotel room that night. Somehow you know the game is still on, even when you’re not at the board. That’s  a nice feeling, to know that the game is still on.

And that’s something of what I experience with everyone I know and cherish, that the game is still on, even if we’re not interacting at the moment, or for days, and with some people even longer periods of time. Then there is reunion and we make a move or two. The game is on and has been.

Of course, that’s God. The unending game, whether we’re consciously playing or not.

Check.

Oops. I’ve got to go. I’d better keep my head in the game.

Destined and Not

Posted: May 11, 2011 in Uncategorized
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Much just is

and much we make

from given fragments

and junk create

Holistic Salvation

Posted: May 9, 2011 in Uncategorized
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So a few of our church friends just returned from El Salvador and spending time with the ENLACE ministry in that place. They’ve witnessed true partnership between churches, community and a faith-based helping organization. The scope contains everything from sustainable agriculture to faith development. And an issue arises about salvation.

In many evangelical circles, in Latin America and elsewhere, that term, salvation, is defined very narrowly. For many it is solely a matter of the individual soul that knows itself saved from a life without God. And grace is the movement of God to get  it there. Some ontological (being) change has occurred at one moment of time, the dividing line of before and after.

Acts of kindness, compassion and justice-making are, in this understanding, fruits of  the sanctified life, what you do as a result of being saved. They are not God’s primary agenda but rather hang like good fruit on a healthy tree. Seeking justice and other things like it would not be a part of the official and authorized plan of salvation. Those kinds of pursuits would just comprise what the spiritually enlightened soul does, evidence that the real mission of God, the salvation of the individual soul, has been accomplished.

Others have defined that word, salvation, in ways more consonant with the ancient Biblical witness itself. In beginning of the 20th century it was called the social gospel movement. People like Walter Rauschenbusch described the Gospel in much broader ways that included the Christian’s action in the world as part and parcel of the theater of God’s sacred history. He and others like him were roundly reviled by evangelicals who accused them of seeking some salvation through works.

In the Hebrew scriptures it is clear that God is always saving somebody from something. People are saved from suffering, death, enemies and injustice. God is the one taking people out of bondage and ushering them into a new land. In the ministry, teaching and healing of Jesus it is the same. People are saved from the death-dealing forces of life, including illness, dark spirits and the blindness of a life without God. Ever so often he says something like, “Salvation has come to this house.” But it’s usually after they’ve seen the light about some ethical issue, like bilking the poor for their own benefit. Later, in the Pauline letters, we find that a relationship with God, intertwined with just relations in the community of faith, creates peace in the soul and the world. It’s both, not just one.

Hope has many beginning points, and any one point may lead to any of the others. Different strands of the new emergent Christian movement are discovering this new faithful activism along with other ancient practices. Everything matters and God is everywhere.

So back to the word, salvation. In Latin America and North America and everywhere it’s time to redefine it. Put most simply, God is the creator of all and cares about all. God cares that our spirits are in harmony with the Spirit of the universe. God cares that people suffer and we can do something about it. God cares about the planet. God cares about now, this life, and is the author of then, whatever comes next. God cares about the physically blind and spiritually blind. God cares about a pure soul and pure water. God intends the peace that passes understanding and peace between the nations. God cares about our baptisms and the flooding that washes away hope. God cares about everything because everything is what God created and is creating still.

Therefore, God saves everything. We’re going to call it Holistic Salvation. And we will interpret the parts according to the whole and not the other way around.

On Seeing What’s There

Posted: May 7, 2011 in Uncategorized
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On this, as in so many things, William Blake has said it first and best:

To see a world in a grain of sand

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand

And eternity in an hour.

(Auguries of Innocence, 1-4)

I have to remind myself …

Posted: May 6, 2011 in Uncategorized
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that truth endures, even when covered, even when twisted

that integrity is hard, and staying the course in the face of opposition is even harder

that you must not sigh about the evil intention in yourself, but face it, as you would a person

that you must stare evil in the eye, and not turn away, even when you suffer for it

that all the regret in the world is useless without learning the lessons shown only by failures

that the world is kept sane by the courage of a few people who dare tell the truth to a mistaken majority

that hatred consumes the hater, not the hated

that revenge creates more of the same

that remaining true to one’s vision of life does not always lead to prosperity, but it does lead to peace

that the seed of every human collapse, failure, and tragedy is the lack of love

that attachment to things brings suffering, and that suffering is willing to harm the neighbor

that the easy way is often not the best way

that our view of God is always, every time, less than the reality of God

that the past is not really past, nor the future out of reach, but all really present

that everything is one, and we are one with it

that the world unfolds one atom at a time, in a trillion ways

that kindness is the form of love that transforms the fever of despair

that we are limited most by the limits of our minds and imagination

that compassion cares without harming the other by offering the wrong thing

that there is always more unseen than seen, unknown than known, and undone than done

that every breath is a gift, every step a mystery, and every moment a sacrament

that we have it wrong more than we have it right

that our journey is short, though it seems long

that we can’t control the universe

that today’s worry is sufficient unto the day

that every stranger has a mother

and we are all born of the same womb

Ding Dong the Witch is Dead

Posted: May 1, 2011 in Uncategorized
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When Dorothy’s house fell on the witch in the Wizard of Oz, it was an immediate cause for rejoicing. The munchkins twirled in a rousing song, “Ding, Dong the Witch is dead …” Finally, finally the evil one got what she deserved. The spoils, the ruby red slippers, passed on to the house rider, Dorothy. Before you know it, however, the unintended consequence appeared – another witch, the sister of the first and twice as bad, fueled as she was with rage.

The house of the CIA has now fallen on Osama Bin Laden. Ding, Dong. Crowds of American munchkins are gathering, chanting, singing because the wicked witch is dead. It feels good because the architect of 9/11 has received his due. The elusive one who evaded the justice so many desired for him finally meets a day of reckoning. But what has really happened?

A question: Do you imagine yourself safer now that Bin Laden has been eliminated, safer than when he was still alive? If so, think again. Vengeance feels good at first, but look further down the line. The end game is not nearly so comforting.

Bin Laden’s death is largely symbolic. The terrorist networks are decentralized with diverse and scattered cells. They will persist in their efforts, and only carefully coordinated intelligence and police type work that disrupts these networks will make a difference. But what now? Here is the paradox:

As long as Bin Laden was living and on the run, he was contained and his power diminished. Now that he is dead, he will become a martyr among those who need yet another concrete rationale for their cause. And we have provided exactly that. The enlisting of whole new generations of terrorists is now insured.They are the post-Bin Laden generation, ever so technologically equipped and savvy, with a martyr for their banner.

Right now, as the pictures of America-wide celebrations are broadcast across the world, into every Arab street, we are insuring a resurgence of intense activity against the United States. As our chant, “Justice is finally done,” streams out in the media world, they are plotting, even now, how their justice for this American gloating will be accomplished.

It feels good when the house falls on the wicked witch. But the story is far from over. We are not safer now than before Bin Laden’s life was snuffed out. We are less so. Because the witch’s sister is on the way, and she is pissed.

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