The Protestants Have Stopped Protesting

Marriage Equality

2009-12-05T15:15:00.000-08:00

And then we made God in our own image.

2009-07-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

This comes out of an ongoing collection of observations and theories I have been working on regarding social theory and religion.

Humans seem to be incredibly concerned with relationship. We go to great lengths to build and maintain a complex relational network for ourselves of which there are differing types, degrees, and functions of relationships to other sentient beings. With this the construction and maintenance of a relational network is driven by the selfish (value neutral) understanding of necessity. In other words a person or being is orderly introduced into my relational network to serve a specific need I have. Now this seems very awful and self centered. It may not be awful but it is self centered. But since relationship is a two way street I am also fulfilling a specific need for the people that are fulfilling certain needs for me. With this relationship is give and take, but never is it give without a any take at all.

Relationship to a spouse or a close friend fulfills a relational need for intimacy - to be known on many different levels with many different shared experiences. The spouse or close friend also has their needs met in some way and this is their reason for maintaining the relationship. If there was never to be any benefit to having relationship with a specific individual why would one seek that relationship in the first place?

Relationships between coworkers fulfill a need to navigate a vocation more successfully. These coworkers might be close friends as well, but at the very least the relationship serves an isolated need within the workplace. Both persons then agree that a professional relationship is beneficial to the both of them while in the workplace.

A teacher student relationship might fulfill the need for knowledge for the student. For the teacher the relationship might bring purpose or meaning to their life in addition to a paycheck. If there was no knowledge to be gained for the student why would the student strike or maintain such a relationship with the teacher. In the same way if the student offered no feeling of purpose or meaning for the teacher and that teacher was also not receiving a paycheck or any other form of benefit why would that teacher care to teach that student?

Within my relational network I have all of these things. I even have relationships with bartenders, cashiers at the grocery store, and baristas at cafes. I may not know anything about them other than the service they provide for me, but I have found their service and the familiarity thereof to be beneficial. In the same way they might remember my name and nothing else about me, but they benefit by being relational to me within isolated moments of interaction because I, at the very least, contribute to their paychecks. If these individuals stopped being beneficial to my needs I would more than likely abandon all form of relational loyalty to them and find different bartenders, cashiers, or baristas that I did benefit from in some way.

Now this is not the most romantic of observations, but if we are honest we see evidence that from the most intimate relationships down to relationships we define as mere acquaintances it is a fundamental agreement of mutually fulfilled necessity that motivates the construction and maintenance of relationship and, in sum, relational networks.

But what happens when human relationships and/or relational networks are not sufficient to meet certain needs?

Some people get pets. Some people form imaginary friends. Some people have God.

Surely this is where the theist could make an argument for God. And in some ways I have already written most of the argument for them. Yes, of course, there are needs we have that sometimes cannot be sufficiently met by other people. This is because we all have a God shaped hole that only God can fill by having relationship with Him. Augustine says it well: "...our heart is restless until it finds rest in you [God]."

This is a real argument and in some ways, on the surface, seems plausible. Let us for a moment say that indeed we need relationship with God and our failed attempts to completely fulfill our needs within human relationships further proves our need for relationship with One who is all benevolent, all powerful, all knowing, all everything good. That sounds great to me for this God is conveniently very beneficial to me.

But here is the question: Why does God want to have relationship with us? Does he need to have relationship to people? If God needs anything then surely God is not God. What is the benefit for God to have relationship with me? If God is God then he receives no benefit from having relationship with me because he is not lacking anything. Therefore there is no mutuality and therefore no relationship.

It could be said that God does not need humans and yet desired to create us and desired for us to know Him. But then wouldn't God's desire imply a lack of something? One does not desire something that one does not want or need. Again, how could the God of the universe want, desire, or need anything if He is self sufficient and complete in perfection of everything?

All that said it is still possible that God exists and it is beneficial to us to know Him. But if God does not need anything from us because He is self sufficient then He can not be concerned or emotional as to whether or not we choose to know Him despite our supposed gain.

So if God is not concerned about whether or not we know Him or, for that matter, how we choose to know Him then we can choose to know Him in any way that we find most beneficial. With this we can operate on the idea that God is simply a Being to be used to fulfill our needs. Again this God is conveniently very beneficial to me.

This unlimited benefit also seems to be the understanding of all theists. In other words despite numerous different theologies of God, every differing theologian and the community he associates with conclude God to be ultimately beneficial. The kaleidoscope of differences of God and the creeds thereof might cause conflict or disagreement, but in the eye of the beholder, regardless of where he or she lands within the kaleidoscope, God is always beneficial. If God was not beneficial in any way then it would not be compelling to believe in God at all. Somehow millions of people in our world and millions more throughout history have found the opposite.

If this has any validity to it then we can make God into whatever we desire, need, or want God to be. It follows then that it is not God who creates us in His image, but rather we create God in ours.

To be continued.

The Ethics of Belief and Intellectual Honesty

2009-07-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

This should be a swift kick in the ass to us all regardless of how or what we believe.

" It is not only the leader of men, statesmen, philosopher, or poet, that owes this bounden duty to mankind. Every rustic who delivers in the village alehouse his slow, infrequent sentences, may help to kill or keep alive the fatal superstitions which clog his race. Every hard-worked wife of an artisan may transmit to her children beliefs which shall knit society together, or rend it in pieces. No simplicity of mind, no obscurity of station, can escape the universal duty of questioning all that we believe.

It is true that this duty is a hard one, and the doubt which comes out of it is often a very bitter thing. It leaves us bare and powerless where we thought that we were safe and strong. To know all about anything is to know how to deal with it under all circumstances. We feel much happier and more secure when we think we know precisely what to do, no matter what happens, then when we have lost our way and do not know where to turn. And if we have supposed ourselves to know all about anything, and to be capable of doing what is fit in regard to it, we naturally do not like to find that we are really ignorant and powerless, that we have to begin again at the beginning, and try to learn what the thing is and how it is to be dealt with--if indeed anything can be learnt about it. It is the sense of power attached to a sense of knowledge that makes men desirous of believing, and afraid of doubting.

This sense of power is the highest and best of pleasures when the belief on which it is founded is a true belief, and has been fairly earned by investigation. For then we may justly feel that it is common property, and hold good for others as well as for ourselves. Then we may be glad, not that I have learned secrets by which I am safer and stronger, but that we men have got mastery over more of the world; and we shall be strong, not for ourselves but in the name of Man and his strength. But if the belief has been accepted on insufficient evidence, the pleasure is a stolen one. Not only does it deceive ourselves by giving us a sense of power which we do not really possess, but it is sinful, because it is stolen in defiance of our duty to mankind. That duty is to guard ourselves from such beliefs as from pestilence, which may shortly master our own body and then spread to the rest of the town. What would be thought of one who, for the sake of a sweet fruit, should deliberately run the risk of delivering a plague upon his family and his neighbours?

And, as in other such cases, it is not the risk only which has to be considered; for a bad action is always bad at the time when it is done, no matter what happens afterwards. Every time we let ourselves believe for unworthy reasons, we weaken our powers of self-control, of doubting, of judicially and fairly weighing evidence. We all suffer severely enough from the maintenance and support of false beliefs and the fatally wrong actions which they lead to, and the evil born when one such belief is entertained is great and wide. But a greater and wider evil arises when the credulous character is maintained and supported, when a habit of believing for unworthy reasons is fostered and made permanent. If I steal money from any person, there may be no harm done from the mere transfer of possession; he may not feel the loss, or it may prevent him from using the money badly. But I cannot help doing this great wrong towards Man, that I make myself dishonest. What hurts society is not that it should lose its property, but that it should become a den of thieves, for then it must cease to be society. This is why we ought not to do evil, that good may come; for at any rate this great evil has come, that we have done evil and are made wicked thereby. In like manner, if I let myself believe anything on insufficient evidence, there may be no great harm done by the mere belief; it may be true after all, or I may never have occasion to exhibit it in outward acts. But I cannot help doing this great wrong towards Man, that I make myself credulous. The danger to society is not merely that it should believe wrong things, though that is great enough; but that it should become credulous, and lose the habit of testing things and inquiring into them; for then it must sink back into savagery.

The harm which is done by credulity in a man is not confined to the fostering of a credulous character in others, and consequent support of false beliefs. Habitual want of care about what I believe leads to habitual want of care in others about the truth of what is told to me. Men speak the truth of one another when each reveres the truth in his own mind and in the other's mind; but how shall my friend revere the truth in my mind when I myself am careless about it, when I believe things because I want to believe them, and because they are comforting and pleasant? Will he not learn to cry, "Peace," to me, when there is no peace? By such a course I shall surround myself with a thick atmosphere of falsehood and fraud, and in that I must live. It may matter little to me, in my cloud-castle of sweet illusions and darling lies; but it matters much to Man that I have made my neighbours ready to deceive. The credulous man is father to the liar and the cheat; he lives in the bosom of this his family, and it is no marvel if he should become even as they are. So closely are our duties knit together, that whoso shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

To sum up: it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.

If a man, holding a belief which he was taught in childhood or persuaded of afterwards, keeps down and pushes away any doubts which arise about it in his mind, purposely avoids the reading of books and the company of men that call into question or discuss it, and regards as impious those questions which cannot easily be asked without disturbing it--the life of that man is one long sin against mankind."

William Clifford, The Ethics of Belief (1877)

See http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/w_k_clifford/ethics_of_belief.html

God Has Breath

2009-06-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

“All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God might be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Jordan and Cheryl have been working tirelessly all day in their garden. It is only the seventeenth day of the second month of the year, but they know that a good harvest demands hard work on the front end of growing season. Jordan and Cheryl very much love each other. They met because their families lived in the same area and occasionally the whole of each family would visit the other. This was because Cheryl’s father raised sheep and Jordan’s father grew vegetables and fruit. Both families had an agreement to trade meat for vegetables and fruit. The families started meeting when both Jordan and Cheryl were very young. Jordan, a year older than Cheryl, always enjoyed playing with her during these gatherings. As they grew into young adults they realized that their fondness of one another was so great that they could not think of marrying anyone else. Their courtship was happily supported by the patriarchs of both families with the understanding that their economic agreement would only be strengthened by the flesh bond of their children. Jordan and Cheryl understood this too, but their feelings towards one another superseded the value of trade. They simply loved one another. After their marriage they were blessed with a son and a daughter. They named their son Jack after Jordan’s father and their daughter Jill after respected family member on Cheryl’s side. After the nuptials Cheryl moved onto the land belonging to Jordan’s family. Here they were given a plot to call their own. Jack is now four years old and Jill is just short of three. As their parents have been toiling in the garden Jack and Jill have been playing in the neighboring field belonging to Jordan’s brother.

As the sun begins to settle below the earth Jordan calls it quits for the day and joins his children to play as Cheryl heads into the house to prepare dinner. It starts to rain and Jordan thinks that he is indeed a very blessed man.

As they sit to a good meal the rain outside intensifies. The pour is greater than anything Jordan or Cheryl have ever experienced and they take their children to the window to watch in amazement. Jordan fears for his garden, his livelihood, and is frustrated that the rain is starting to flood his hard work. Still he understands that this is the way things are. Rain happens. Knowing these things are out of his control he decides to enjoy the great spectacle with his children.

Jack and Jill are getting tired and Cheryl prods them from the storm to their beds. She kisses them goodnight and tells them that they are beautiful children of God.

Exhausted from a long days work Jordan and Cheryl follow their children to bed knowing that they have much work to do in the morning due to the storm still falling outside.

As they sleep peacefully it rains violently.

Jordan and Cheryl are awoken by the sound of the door bursting open and almost before Jordan can leap from his rest water cascades over his feet. The torrential rain that solaced them to sleep still pounds the roof and he knows he must try to block the impeding rush of water before his house is completely flooded. Jack and Jill are both crying in the background, frightened by the sounds of chaos, and Jordan pleas with Cheryl to grab the children while he looks out the broken doorframe to assess the downfall that shows no sign of slowing.

As the water rises to his shins, Jordan realizes that he has a decision to make. He can stay and attempt to protect his house and his plot or he can seek higher ground with his beloved family in order to protect their lives. Jordan is a sensible man. There is only one reasonable choice.

With Jack on his back and Jill clung to Cheryl’s neck, man and wife, forsake their home and their land and trudge through the sheet of rain and, at this point, knee high swells.

As they splash onward Jordan thinks of his land. It was good land. It was fertile land. It was also land nestled in the plains of a great valley. The high ground is not only out of sight because of the rain drenching visibility, it is out of range because it is two days journey away.

Jordan hollers at Cheryl to grab anything floating in the water that they might be able to use incase the water rises too deep for them to walk – surely swimming while holding two children would only last so long. The water rises above Jordan’s waist. He is feeling weary.

Cheryl is scared, but doesn’t voice this. She thinks about their home and their lives. She is scared simply because she loved her life so much and the water that slops just below her bust line is threatening the idea that she will once again share a nice meal with her husband and two children. She thinks about death. She believes in God as her parents taught her to and silently, but desperately, pleas with God to spare her family so that they might have one more meal together. Even if only one more, she would be grateful. She would at least have the chance to cherish her children better and to love her husband more passionately. That is all she would want. This is what she prays for. The water rises above her breasts. She moves Jill to sit on her shoulders.

Jordan swings his son up to sit on his shoulders as well and then ties a tree branch he grabbed while Cheryl was deep in intercession around his chest using a leather lace from his clothing. He commands Cheryl to hold onto the branch so that they won’t lose each other in the water. He continues to march forward with the flood breaking at his sternum and at this point he is all but towing his family floating behind him. The rain continues.

An hour passes and Jordan can not tell how much ground they have gained granted there was no ground left measure by. His exhaustion tells him they must have made it farther than they really had. The water has reached his lips and his children and wife are almost entirely submerged, clinging to the branch. Jordan swims more than he walks. The rain continues.

Jordan frantically looks all around him for a place of sanctuary but he can not distinguish anything. He wonders if they are still heading towards the high ground or if they have gone in circles. He wonders if this is how he will die. He has thought about death before. His father would tell him stories of old of valiant men giving their lives on behalf of their family or their land. Jordan does not feel valiant. He only feels rising fear as the water is now above his head. He sinks until his feet hit ground and he leaps up to the surface. He frees himself from the branch that is more harm than help at this point, and continues to sink and leap all the while attempting to keep his son above the surface. He yells for Cheryl to do the same and each of them hold their children as high as they can into the ungodly night sky.

The waters current becomes strong as the wind whips. Jordan looks to his left where his wife and daughter were just minutes ago, but he no longer sees them. He calls for them, but only the sound of pounding rain responds. The water is much too deep at this point for Jordan to simply hold Jack above the surface. Jordan pleads with his son to hold onto his neck as tight as he can and he promises him that it will be okay as they struggle through the unknown searching for Cheryl, Jill, and safety. It continues to rain.

Days pass. Jordan, Cheryl, Jack, and Jill are all dead. Their lifeless bodies have been beaten by floating debris and broken against the rocks of the high ground that they weren’t able to reach in time. It continues to rain.

Some miles away Noah captains an ark that carries his family and seven pairs of every species of animal safely across the waters. God had given Noah the fore warning about the meteorological might that He would exercise. God had told Noah that the earth was so corrupt that He wanted to blot out all life except for Noah his family and a few animals. God said this was because Noah was a righteous man – the only one worth saving. He told Noah to build an ark and gave him instructions on how to do so. As Jordan and his family watched the great storm in amazement out the window of their humble home Noah was escorting giraffes, tigers, snakes, and all other species of animals along with his family onto the only rescue boat in the entire world. It continues to rain and Noah thinks that he is indeed a very blessed man.

why the protestants have stopped protesting

2009-06-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

"Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes the the aid of spiritual things, but more frequently than not struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God."

"Whoever wants to be a Christian should tear the eyes out of his reason."

"Reason should be destroyed in all Christians."

-Martin Luther

Certainly the father of Protestantism, who was very much concerned about faith, knew full well that reason and faith could not coexist. As I have found this to be true, at least in some cases, I will continue to choose reason over faith.

It's ok, slap your wife.

2009-05-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

By Mohammed Jamjoom
CNN
CNN) -- Husbands are allowed to slap their wives if they spend lavishly, a Saudi judge said recently during a seminar on domestic violence, Saudi media reported Sunday.

It is OK to slap Saudi women who spend too much, a judge has told an audience.

Arab News, a Saudi English-language daily newspaper based in Riyadh, reported that Judge Hamad Al-Razine said that "if a person gives SR 1,200 [$320] to his wife and she spends 900 riyals [$240] to purchase an abaya [the black cover that women in Saudi Arabia must wear] from a brand shop and if her husband slaps her on the face as a reaction to her action, she deserves that punishment."

Women in the audience immediately and loudly protested Al-Razine's statement, and were shocked to learn the remarks came from a judge, the newspaper reported.

Arab News reported that Al-Razine made his remark as he was attempting to explain why incidents of domestic violence had increased in Saudi Arabia. He said that women and men shared responsibility, but added that "nobody puts even a fraction of blame" on women, the newspaper said.

Al-Razine "also pointed out that women's indecent behavior and use of offensive words against their husbands were some of the reasons for domestic violence in the country," it added.

Domestic violence, which used to be a taboo subject in the conservative kingdom, has become a hot topic in recent years. Groups like the National Family Safety Program have campaigned to educate the public about the problem and help prevent domestic abuse.

Saudi women's rights activist Wajeha Al-Huwaider told CNN that Saudi women routinely face such attitudes.

"This is how men in Saudi Arabia see women," she said in a telephone interview from the Saudi city of Dahran. "It's not something they read in a book or learned from a friend. They've been raised to see women this way, that they're less than a person."

Al-Huwaider added that "I'm not surprised to see a judge or a religious man saying that - they've been raised in the same culture - a culture that tells them it's ok to raise your hand to a woman that this works."

Another Saudi judge, in the city of Onaiza, was the source of a separate recent controversy: he twice denied a request from the mother of an 8-year-old girl that the girl be granted a divorce from her 47-year-old husband.

Last month, after human-groups condemned the union, the girl was granted the divorce.

Racism

2009-04-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

thanks to http://nortonbooks.typepad.com/everydaysociology/ for posting this.

I'm not gay, I'm metrosexual. I'm not metrosexual, I am a man.

2009-04-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

The term Metrosexual was coined by British journalist Mark Simpson in the early nineties and was reserved to describe single straight men who were concerned with their own appearance and would consequently be highly fashionable and cultured. Today the term has a looser meaning and is applied to straight men who exercise any type of effeminate behavior.

There have been many times in my life when I was mistaken as gay. Out of fear of being perceived as such I would emphasize that I was not gay, but metrosexual. Metrosexuality is that nice little subcategory for us effeminate, heterosexual men to find safety and still cleave to our manhood. It is our way of saying, "Look I am still totally a dude, not a gay fag." The problem is that we are simply trying to imply that we aren't unmanly like homosexual men are perceived to be, and that the world of "manly" men can still let us play in Guyland.

Just recently I was telling a woman co worker how I couldn't wait to go home and take a bubble bath and apply a facial mask. She said, "Isn't that kind of gay? What does your fiance think of that? You are very metrosexual huh?" I simply said, "Yeah, I guess." What I wanted to tell her, however, was that there is nothing unmanly about bubble baths or peel off facial masks that make you feel awesome. But since our social construct defines these things as unmanly I had to resign to my little subcategory: Metrosexuality.

The way that masculinity has been socially constructed requires men to seek utter power, dominance, or control. Because men have never allowed women to fully participate on a level that could threaten their power, dominance, or control it is not women, but other men that they must compete with for hierarchical position. In order to do this men will label other men as womanlike in order to take away manhood and consequently power, dominance, or control. This is exactly what I am doing when I emphasize that I am not gay- I'm just a little metrosexual.

Perhaps If our social structure was egalitarian then I wouldn't be worried about being a little bit "girly". I wouldn't even care if people thought I was gay. In an egalitarian society I could be a man because I AM A MAN and not because I am not "girly". In an egalitarian society there would not be metrosexuals because heterosexual men who enjoy fashion instead of football, wine over PBR, shoegaze rock versus Nickelback would not need to create a subcategory for themselves that says, "Ya but at least I'm not a queen."

Feminism will make it possible, for the first time, for men to be free.

2009-04-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

Michael Kimmel is a pioneering Sociologist exploring the gender of men and the history of masculinity. I highly recommend watching this lecture, especially if you are a man.

militant complimentarianism and sociology

2009-04-06T23:22:00.001-07:00

From Mark Driscoll's blog on his Facebook profile.

March 29, 2009
"One of the tasks of New Calvinists is to winsomely, correctly, passionately, and effectively discover fresh ways to say old truths. Another task of New Calvinists is to follow in the example of faithful Bible preachers and teachers who have preceded us by handling the big issues of our day as they did in theirs.

This leads us to complementarianism. In our age of great gender confusion—from feminism to chauvinism—and homosexuality, the issue of God-designed, complementary gender roles is incredibly timely and vital for the well-being of God’s people.
Three Views on Gender Roles

There are three basic views prevailing today in the home and church:

* Egalitarian (Feministic): There is no innate distinction between the roles of men and women in the home or church. Women can be pastors and men can be stay-at-home dads so that their wives can pursue their careers.
* Complementarian (Moderate): Men and women are partners in every area of life and ministry together. Though equal, men and women have complementary and distinct gender roles so that men are to lovingly lead and head their homes like Jesus, and only men can be pastors in the church.
* Hierarchical (Chauvinistic): Women are not only commanded to follow male leadership, but are not given a voice with male leaders, as women are often chauvinistically kept under thumb as the polar opposite of egalitarian feminism.

An Undergirding Truth

The New Calvinists are committed to complementarianism in the home and church. In some ways, this is a very important undergirding fact that binds us together. Over a meal in Vancouver, B.C., some years ago, a friend and wonderful brother, Bruce Ware, who has worked tirelessly on this issue, commented that he believed that someone’s view of gender roles in fact reveals much of their theology, including their view of God, the Bible as God’s Word, and how the Bible is to be interpreted. His words were both insightful and helpful."

I belong to a church that is affiliated with Mars Hill in Seattle - a mega church founded by Mark Driscoll. I love the people I go to church with and consider them like family. They love me and allow me to be my little cynical self trusting I am pursuing Truth with the same fervor as them. Please note that my critique of Mark's view on gender roles has no bearing on anyone other than Mark.

That said, I first find it interesting how quickly he aligns his viewpoint of gender with that of God's - calling his so called complimentarian theology "God Designed". Easy for him to say because he is a man.

On his definition of Egalitarianism:
Mark jumps to point out the disregard for innate gender roles as though he means to say that gender roles are completely innate. Besides some biological differences the majority of scholars would disagree with comprehensive apriori gender roles. Social Science provides extensive research claiming that gender is a socially constructed thing. I am a man. I have a penis and testicles. But the way that I understand how to be a man in something that I have learned - it has been part of my socialization. Next Mark says that this wrong theology of men and women(Egalitarianism)means that if I felt led to stay home with the kids and my wife felt led to work I would not be a man nor a theologically correct Christian. It was similar theology that was once the leader in opposition to womens' rights stating that women could not vote nor seek education because their God ordained role was to be home while the man ran the show. We have, thankfully, repented of such idiocy, but not without resettling on new ways to keep women (even if they are better suited) from intruding on our homosocial man world. Also he aligns this view with feminism - the movement that fought for women to be able to vote and seek education among many other things. This comparison is a cheap way of using the term feminism. Not the first time Mark has used a term loosely and offensively.

Complimentarianism:
Not bad. Feels nice. He says men and women are equal. But no wait, then he says they actually aren't. Men get to do some jobs and women get to do other jobs. Those jobs compliment each other. But why can't a woman participate in what has been the exclusive world of men (business, politics, religion) while their husbands also work or take care of the house. What happens when man and wife have no children and both work AND the woman has a more prestigious job (socially speaking) than the man? Are they in sin, Mark?

Hierarchicalism:
Mark calls this chauvinistic. Mark needs a mirror.

Lastly...
"someone’s view of gender roles in fact reveals much of their theology, including their view of God, the Bible as God’s Word, and how the Bible is to be interpreted."

boys fix things, girls need things fixed.

2009-04-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

The socialization of gender roles is so funny and so dumb.

From I’m Glad I’m a Boy! I’m Glad I’m a Girl!, written by Whitney Darrow.
Source: http://contexts.org/socimages

Things we don't talk about at the dinner table

2009-04-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

This makes me mad.

The U.S. has some serious thinking to do when it comes to that democracy we’re supporting in Afghanistan. Almost eight years after we booted out the Taliban, the U.S. backed President, Hamid Karzai, has reportedly signed a law which critics say legalizes rape.

A new Afghan law makes it legal for men to rape their wives.

Human rights groups and some Afghan lawmakers say the law legalizes the rape of a wife by her husband by not allowing her to refuse sex, and prevents women from leaving the house without a man’s permission.

One legislator doesn’t even remember the parliament debating or voting on the law — but the law it is.

Karzai hasn’t commented on the law yet, but critics say he only signed this legislation for political purposes as a nod to Shia clerics in the country who control about 20 percent of the votes. Karzai is up for re-election in a few months. And they worry laws like these could erase any gains made for womens rights since the Taliban left power.

Meanwhile Secretary of State Hillary Clinton now says the U.S. is backing Afghan plans to hold talks with moderate Taliban members. Clinton says moderate factions of the Taliban should be offered “an honorable form of reconciliation and reintegration into a peaceful society if they are willing to abandon violence, break with al Qaeda and support the constitution.”

Presumably, they would also renounce raping their wives.

The question remains if there’s anyone “moderate” in those parts worth talking to when the official government can pass these kinds of laws.

-CNN

daily questions

2009-04-01T14:12:00.000-07:00

1. Do I believe in objective Truth - Yes

2. Do I believe in a God who created the Universe? - Yes

3. Do I believe that Jesus could be the Christ? - Yes

4. Do I believe that everything in the Bible is objective Truth? - No

5. Do I believe that praying to God is good? - Yes

6. Do I believe that other there may be truth to all religions? - Yes

7. Do I believe that Truth is fully knowable? - No

8. Do I believe that the things I believe today could be wrong? - Yes

9. Do I keep investigating? - Yes

Religion

2009-03-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks to David for sharing this poem with me.
John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887)

It was six men of Indostan

To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant

(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation

Might satisfy his mind

The First approached the Elephant,

And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,

At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant

Is very like a wall!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk,

Cried, "Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?

To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant

Is very like a spear!"

The Third approached the animal,

And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,

Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant

Is very like a snake!"

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,

And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like

Is mighty plain," quoth he;
" 'Tis clear enough the Elephant

Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,

Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;

Deny the fact who can
This marvel of an Elephant

Is very like a fan!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun

About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail

That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant

Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan

Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion

Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,

And all were in the wrong!

So oft in theologic wars,

The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance

Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant

Not one of them has seen!

Easter

2009-03-25T20:10:00.001-07:00

I just spent two hours searching the internet for data on Church spending for Easter. This includes aggressive ad campaigns, renting larger venues, buying a smoke machine, showing emotional video presentations, producing dramatic reenactments, etc. I didn't find much, but it is pretty safe to say that the sum figure is in the millions. A medium sized evangelical church will easily spend upwards of ten thousand dollars for Easter. Somehow we find it more important to pay to coax people to come to our services and hear the REAL Gospel instead of helping the single mother in our congregation, working three jobs just to feed her kids.

Easter is the ugliest day of the Christian calendar. For Christians it is like the Superbowl. What was meant to be a celebration of Jesus kicking Satan's ass has become nothing more than a day of Christian nut flexing. Sure they will say it is a great opportunity to share about God's grace, but what about today or any other day of the year?

And if they are going to advertise why do the ads have to suck so bad?

Journey to the Cross-An Easter Walk-through Event from Valley Adventist Church on Vimeo.

Cynicism

2009-03-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

There is something absolutely invigorating about pacing around a room with other twenty-somethings drinking wine by the bottles, clenching burning cigarettes between fingers, and battling to get a few words in to bitch about something, anything, that is seemingly of some intellectual importance. My favorite jawing sessions normally include banter about the government’s neglect of real poverty and atrocities plaguing our world – this being preached by the person standing in front of the entertainment center harboring the new high definition television. Yes, this is my generation. It loves its eight dollar bottles of merlot, its packs of Camel Lights and Orwell’s 1984 sitting strategically out on the coffee table next to an issue of the New York Times. It delights in its book cases that line the walls, filled with the works of great French Philosophers and impressive DVD collections of unknown indie films. Yes, this generation loves its art, almost as much as it loves its high and exclusive opinions about art. It also loves its religion, which just happens to be absolute faith that religious institutions and their faithful have completely missed the point. Ah yes, this is my generation. We are twenty-something, but we are brilliant and we have much to say. Many label us as crazy liberals, but we rightly label ourselves true intellectuals. We are quick with wit and quicker to vocally expose the flaws of systems around us. If the world could just fit into this little room we could fix everything with a one mighty discourse of how she is inexcusably ignorant. Yes, this is my generation and I am damn lucky to be a part of it.

Now I concede to the fact that we are not the first to taste such brilliance for history has had many great thinking individuals. But it seems that they were from a time when cynics were of the courageous minority, when their intentions were to voice uncharted conversations, and their cynical words were manifested by real action. And this is noble, is it not? To propose questions about the systems of this world in order that there might be a response of action and consequently real positive change. I praise them for their work (though I praise them most regularly by simply dropping their names in arguments). But unlike those who are now no more than names on books, there is little virtue in our soap boxing. It is either a slew of slander or a lofty call to action that comes from the big mouth of a man with small balls. Even for myself, I am one to bravely pick apart our systems – social, political, religious – with a great interrogation, but I admit, the action stops when the bottle of wine is empty and we, the participants of the bitchfest, are too exhausted to continue our babbling.

So what must be done? Is it possible to question and perhaps even protest while remaining proactive and positive. Because, see, I can’t stop being a cynic.

random things to be noted

2009-03-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

1. I am getting married in nine weeks.

2. The snow is melting

3. Dennis Miller, who I once thought was tolerable called Islamic Extremists monsters who need to be killed before they kill us. This I think is a fairly popular opinion and only proves how narrow and uneducated our nation is.

4. The International Criminal Court issued the warrant earlier Wednesday for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

5. I am strongly considering gearing my education towards a degree in sociology.

6. I have brainstormed more for my piece on manhood in our society, titled Balls. Stay tuned.

7. I saw David Bazan play this week. I sat at his feet with some beers. It was rad.

8. Michael Jackson is still white and is going on a full fledged tour.

Balls: Part 1

2009-02-25T23:32:00.000-08:00

Since I was eight I have been trying to grow a pair. When I was eight both my grandfathers took myself and all the other grandsons on a rustic camping trip. It was during this trip that I saw bush for the first time. And by “bush” I mean that I saw my older cousin naked and he had hair all around his penis and on his balls. He called it bush. After that I couldn’t wait to grow some bush. When I was nine I asked my parents to buy me deodorant. My friend who was a grade ahead of me wore deodorant and I thought it was super manly. In my Easter basket that year I got a tube of Speed Stick. I applied it to my bare arm pits three times a day. When I was eleven I routinely used my Dad’s razor to shave my peach fuzz. A friend told me that facial hair would grow in faster if you shaved regularly. It didn’t work. When I was twelve I started kissing girls. If you kissed a lot of girls you were a cool guy. I could go on an on about my attempts to obtain masculinity – including my decision five minutes ago to watch the manliest movie I own: Braveheart.

“I know you can fight.” says William’s father to young Wallace, “But it’s our wit that makes us men.” A great line. Too bad that’s horse shit. Whenever I’m around a tall ripped dude whose calloused hands are gripping a pint of beer I’m not thinking “too bad that guy has never finished a crossword puzzle. No, I’m thinking, “that guy is a bad ass.”

Here is the funny irony: I hate having pubic hair now, I haven’t worn deodorant in years, shaving sucks, and kissing a lot of girls didn’t make me grow balls – it simply made me a total dick.

But I still try so hard.

I was talking to a friend of mine the other night about this. We were discussing activities that make us feel especially manly. For him it was cutting wood. For me it is oiling my boots. But even in these times of illusion about our huge testicles we always felt that manhood was still just beyond reach.

We as guys are often told, “Grow some balls? How? What does it mean to “become” a man?

beer with the anointed one

2009-02-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

Because I am somewhat of a nerd when it comes to politics and I follow CNN like some dudes watch Sportscenter I found this to be quite amusing. I listened to Sean Hannity's show all summer long leading up to the elections. He is insane and makes for a good laugh. He is best known for his militant stance against Obama who he has called the anointed one and the messiah. Well it appears that the "Stop Obama Express" might take a quick break for a few pints with our new President. Three things to be noted:
1. Obama likes beer. Brewmasters around our nation need to get busy brewing up a delicious stout and call it the Obamanator.
2. Obama was serious when he said he would meet with our enemies.
3. If Hannity and Obama decided to play power hour*, who would win?

*Power Hour is a well known drinking game played by frat boys at state colleges. Power Hour is played by simply taking a shot of beer every minute for one hour. Power Hour is awesome.

we have a problem

2009-02-08T15:58:00.000-08:00

This was an article in the Inlander last week.

The Final Hours of Gary Hanson
Solving the mystery of a veteran’s death is a tour of the homeless world
Kevin Taylor
www.inlander.com

It looked right away like the guy was dead, but you can’t just jump to that conclusion. Especially not downtown near the freeway, where the most alcoholic of the city’s transient and homeless tend to congregate for some serious drinking.
It wasn’t quite 2 in the morning when a hospital worker on break was driving down Third Avenue and saw the man face down against the curb on a side street.

It was a bitter night, Jan. 17, 2008. Just about a week earlier, a homeless fellow had been found frozen to death when he passed out, uncovered, after a night of boozing with strangers underneath Interstate 90.

What if this guy was just passed out as well? Not checking, not caring, not stopping could mean death.

So, according to police reports, Dondi Brooks turned his pickup truck onto McClellan and stopped.

There was something about the way the guy was just laying there near the alley that looked wrong, looked bad. Still, Brooks rolled down his window and called out.

The man lay there, unmoving. His right cheek was on the pavement, his face aimed at Third. Again Brooks called over to the man. There was not a twitch, not a groan. Only the icy quiet.

Brooks dialed 911 on a cell phone as he got out of his truck and walked over to the man.

He bent down and touched him. The skin was cold. The man, with a small circle of blood by the top of his head, was beyond human touch. An autopsy later revealed the man’s neck was snapped.

For an instant, the cold wasn’t the only reason to shiver and Brooks straightened for a quick look around. There was nobody else in sight.

It was 1:44 a.m. It was 24 degrees, according to National Weather Service records, and Gary Hanson, dressed too lightly for this night, was the second homeless man to be found dead under the freeway in as many weeks, ushering in a 2008 that was marked by violence and death among Spokane’s most vulnerable poor.

“This year (2008) has been the worst I’ve ever seen as far as assaults. I’ve had four people stabbed — and one guy was hit in the forehead with a hatchet!” says Jack Lilienthal, a program manager at Goodwill Industries on Third, just a few blocks east of where Hanson’s body was found.

Previously, entire years would pass without his hearing of such an attack on the homeless people who come over to Goodwill for help finding jobs or housing, Lilienthal says.

“I think what we’re dealing with is more and more violent mentally ill folks out on street … and they’re homeless too,” he says, “It’s the perfect storm. You reduce funding so mental health care serves fewer people. The jail staff is frustrated. They just get somebody stabilized with meds and then that person is released. So then that person goes off their meds and in a month they are back in jail.

“It’s a horrible thing to watch,” Lilienthal says, adding that the greater the cuts to services, the bigger the gaps for people to fall through.

A year ago The Inlander took a peek at homeless issues in Spokane and found a crisis. People who had lived in tenement hotels downtown had been turned out during 2007 as the old buildings were targeted for gentrification in the bright economy.

The city’s lack of low-income housing was subsequently made visible last winter by an increased number of people sleeping under Interstate 90 downtown. Even when temperatures plunged and snow flew, they had nowhere else to go.

It was deadly. Nineteen homeless people died in 2008, according to tabulations at the House of Charity. Gary Hanson, who had long been a regular at the downtown men’s shelter, was the third to die in the first 17 days of the year.

His death has remained especially haunting, perhaps because he was so alone. Hanson was an orphan, we learned. His adoptive parents were dead, and he had no offspring. People liked him but we found no one who knew him closely.

And, having had his neck snapped, there was another question: Was he murdered?

The phone rang at Det. Mark Burbridge’s house at 2:20 that morning. He was at the scene by 2:57 and spent weeks puzzling over the death of Gary Hanson.

Burbridge found a small laceration on the crown of Hansen’s head that appeared to be the source of the pooled blood. Moving in closer, he found a small circle of blood on Hanson’s coat front and a drop on his left shoe.

Walking the alley and sidewalks for blocks in each direction, Burbridge found no other drops of blood or signs of struggle. He dispatched patrol officers and detectives to canvas homeless people camped in the vicinity to get their stories and check them for blood spatter.

A number of the homeless did show blood — blood determined to be from their own wounds, infections or parasites.

Nobody saw or heard anything, and few knew much about Hanson beyond seeing him around at House of Charity or his favorite drinking holes, Judi’s Place and the Mayfair.

“I know some things about him,” Burbridge said in one of several interviews last year. “He is 64 but he is not in good shape. For 64, he looks a lot older than he was. He led a hard life for a lot of years. He was a veteran. He was an orphan. He has no surviving family. I don’t know where he is from. I spoke with his sponsor from AA [Alcoholics Anonymous]. He had attended meetings in the past. He had been sober quite a while but a few months ago fell of the wagon."

Ed McCarron, director of House of Charity, also carries some facts about Hanson.

“Gary was really close to getting into transitional housing. He was No. 4 on the list or something, and he was always checking on it,” McCarron says.

“Gary was always respectful, quiet, he took care of himself. He was the kind of guy that he wasn’t much different whether he was drinking or not,” McCarron says. “I never knew him to be violent. The rumor that he was killed really stirred things up.”

Especially coming on the heels of the death of John Mace Beavan, 53, who froze to death Jan. 2, 2008. His death was followed on Jan. 7 by the murder of Jennifer Bergeron, 21, in a Vinegar Flats apartment. Homeless, Bergeron was on a “time out” at House of Charity and, with nowhere else to go, was hanging out at the bus plaza where she met a man who took her to his apartment and is accused of killing her.

“Those deaths really upset the community. No question there was tension,” McCarron recalls. “All of ‘08 was violent.”

The stabbings throughout the year — one fatal — and the hatchet attack were the result of a number of factors, he suspects. There simply were more people, many with mental illnesses or addictions, on the street. The House of Charity’s 108 beds have been full all year.

“We turn away about 100 people a month, summer or winter,” McCarron says. The large number of homeless made a target for groups of teenagers who harassed and robbed them.

But murder?

Dr. Sally Aiken’s autopsy of Gary Hanson revealed two things for Burbridge. There was the fact of the broken neck. And, that Hanson’s body position did not correspond to the fact of the broken neck, raising the likelihood of murder or that someone repositioned his body.

Hanson’s broken neck would have immediately rendered him quadriplegic, Burbridge says, “and he had scrapes inconsistent with that. There had to be a previous event.

“He had some blood on his hands. At the scene, his hands were at his side, palms up and elbows bent up. He had the kind of coat where the pockets are up high, and it looked like his hands just came out and lay to rest,” Burbridge says. “I pulled his pockets inside out that night and there was bright red fresh blood on the lining.

“It indicated to me there was a previous event shortly before the fall that produced quadriplegia and death,” he says. But did someone force Hanson down, or did he fall because of drunkenness?

There were signs Hanson had been inebriated, and Burbridge also heard reports about predatory teens, including one with a mohawk and a leather jacket.

Just by chance, “I saw a white male wearing a black leather jacket with a mohawk,” Burbridge wrote in a report Jan. 21. “On the back … was a skull patch which had blood smeared on the outside of it.”

This was one of several eyebrow-raising but dead-end leads Burbridge ran down.

Eventually, it was Little Brother that resolved Gary Hanson’s death. Burbridge scoured downtown for security cameras that might show Hanson. He also began reviewing ATM machine cameras after discovering Hanson kept a small savings account he accessed with a debit card. The debit card, and $14, were in the dead man’s wallet.

“I’ve got him on an ATM video a couple of hours before his death. He is extremely intoxicated,” the detective says. Hanson takes a full minute to find his wallet, then leaves without withdrawing any money.

A different camera catches him “swerving severely” down the sidewalk and, at one point, leaning heavily against a building. Hanson was alone and showed no apparent injuries.

“I talked to the [medical examiner] and elderly people fall and land on their head and neck and this break is not unheard of,” Burbridge says.

After consulting Dr. Aiken, exhausting leads and reviewing hours of tape, Burbridge concluded Gary Hanson had fallen once causing the lacerations atop his head and on his hands, gotten up only to fall again. This time he struck his head against the curb, breaking his neck.

On March 31, he closed the investigation, writing, “Your affiant is settling this case as a probable accidental death.”

There are fewer homeless sleeping under the freeway this winter, but that doesn’t mean progress.

House of Charity has been busting records during this severe winter, McCarron says, already opening its ground floor as a designated warming shelter 21 nights in the last 5 weeks. On the worst night there were 59 people.

“No matter what progress has been made (in 2008), more is needed,” says Steve Cervantes, director of Northeast Housing Solutions, a nonprofit involved with low-income housing projects. “It’s going to get worse. I had a landlord complain he had not received a rent check in time from a tenant for the first time in 15 years. The resident had lost his job. That’s sort of a sign of the times.”

“We are definitely seeing more working families struggling,” echoes Nadine Van Stone, director of St. Margaret’s Shelter.

“People are losing their jobs. … As rental prices increase, it’s becoming harder and harder to keep an apartment even with a subsidy.”

The recession has other effects, too. Cervantes says some low-income housing construction projects have been delayed because “investors aren’t investing.”

And, adds Goodwill’s Lilienthal, a good chunk of funding for homeless and low-income housing programs locally comes via two state revenue streams known as 2060 money and 2163 money, each drawing from real estate fees. It seemed pretty genius when the mechanisms were designed during the housing bubble.

But now, “Funding is way down this year and the coming year — 2010 — I don’t know what will happen then,” Lilienthal says.

Plus, he says he’s seeing people he’s not seen before. Families on the road with their children, fleeing lost jobs and foreclosures elsewhere, getting stranded in Spokane.

And people are still dying this month. Milbourn Samuels was hit by a van and killed as he crossed the street. Randall Jerred died with frostbite as one of his factors. And just as they did for Gary Hanson, House of Charity is organizing a memorial service.

Nothing, really, is different in a year.

“There is a shortage of low-income housing stock. We are making progress, [but] over the last couple years we lost 260 [units] and gained about 100 and have another 100 or 200 in works, but it will be a couple years before they become come available,” Cervantes says.

“We are trying to get back to par.”

Idealism Actualized

2009-01-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

One of my many faults is idealism. My problem is not the ideas themselves - those are all noble and shit; it is the lack of active application. I want to be a peacemaker in this broken world, but then I am prideful and defensive in conflict. I want to love those who aren't noticed, but then I fail to notice those who need to be loved. I want to lead people towards the Gospel, but then I fail being the Gospel to those closest to me.

In theory I am a good person.

Charter for Compassion

2008-12-30T16:38:00.001-08:00

Karen Armstrong is a strong voice in the exploration of religious peace in our world. This is a great lecture that is worth watching, reflecting upon, and conversing over.

The Incarnation of Anita Floyd

2008-12-24T12:40:00.000-08:00

Two years ago I was asked to write a Christmas piece for an online magazine. This is what I wrote. Merry Christmas.

The Incarnation of Anita Floyd

Trying to write something about Christmas makes me feel kind of cynical. Honestly what do I have to add to a holiday already saturated with tradition, stories, rhymes, hymns, marketing, and consumerism? Perhaps I should do the Christian thing and make a "Jesus is the reason for the season" type argument. I could condemn the outrageous sum of money that Americans spend during the month of December and with a righteous finger I could point to lofty theological tenets surrounding the doctrine of the incarnation. But I don't care to be the broken record. So maybe I will speak of family and friends, mistletoe, love, Love Actually, and the joy of finally getting that Red Ryder 200-shot Carbine Action Air Rifle. These, too, are all good, but I guess I just don't feel very passionate about them right now and I don't want to pretend to have something profound to say about them so screw it – I am going to tell you about Anita Floyd.

I never knew Anita Floyd. She was a beggar that I passed every morning on my way to the office. Anita would literally sit, all day long, on the same bench on Sixth Avenue between Alder and Washington in downtown Portland. Her classic line, delivered with an old, nasally voice, was "Spare some change?" and with this she would raise a little cup and smile with thin lips through a weathered face. Every time I walked by, I would either ignore her or simply tell her that I was sorry and that I didn't have and cash on me. It was an awkward exchange- at least for me it was. Some days I would even pretend that I was calling someone on my phone just to avoid acknowledging her all together. I thought that maybe if she noticed I was busy than she wouldn't ask me to spare some change. She still asked. I am a horrible person.

One morning, about a month ago, in the middle of a long, stressful work week, Anita lowered her cup as I approached, met my eyes with hers, smiled, and simply said "Good morning". I grinned and replied with the same and continued on my way. But as I moved down the wet sidewalk I felt different. There was something incredibly endearing about this beggar woman smiling and wishing me, with sincerity, a good morning. I actually thought about it a lot that day and I realized that, even though this woman was a simple beggar, she was probably the most consistent thing in my life for there was not a work day that went by that I didn't see her. After this I began to take notice. Anita would often have company with her on her bench: a homeless man, a businesswoman, a street security guard. All would be engaged with her in some sort of conversation. Many seemed to be venting about something and I noticed that Anita's body would be slightly turned
towards theirs', offering them her full attention. Her head would bob with empathy and with this I thought her to be a great listener. I started to think that maybe this woman was Jesus or something. At least she had she had a sort of softness that was compelling.

Two weeks ago, I decided I wanted to get Anita a Christmas present. I took my paycheck down to the bank with full intent of looping around to buy a coffee card at the Starbucks across from her bench. But, for the first time in my six months of working on Sixth Avenue, Anita was not there. Instead, flowers lay were she would have sat. Flowers,
cards, and notes all addressed to Anita Floyd. My beggar had died. I nearly cried. I was immediately regretful for never sitting down with her and telling her my story or perhaps listening to hers and I knew right then that I had taken her for granted – simply assuming that she would always be there. I looked at the flowers and all the cards and realized that this woman was obviously very special to a lot of people. I walked back to work, feeling somber and trying to figure out who this woman was.

This past Wednesday there was a memorial service held for Anita at her bench. I couldn't get away from work to attend and for this I am once again regretful. I read the sign on her bench days prior to the service and it stated that the local newspaper would be in attendance. I thought it strange that this woman's life was deemed worthy of a public memorial and media attention. Again I thought was that there must have been something truly wonderful about her. What sort of beggar, upon death, draws so many to bring flowers and cards in their memory? What sort of beggar causes businessmen to stop in the middle of a busy day to talk? Anita – Anita the beggar. And with this I am more convinced, in writing this now, that Anita was much more than a beggar. Anita was Jesus.

Anita Floyd is Christmas to me. For Christmas, this consumer lusted celebration of the incarnation of Christ, has once again become real to me thanks to Anita and her consistent panhandling grace. Furthermore she has taught me that the event that occurred two thousand some years ago is not an isolated one, but, rather, the incarnation of God is happening all around us everyday. And I fear that I miss it more often than not - that it is not only the Sunday school story of a baby in a manger that I know so well, but the beggar on Sixth Avenue. Therefore let us start looking, like wise men at the star, for laughter amongst children, wisdom in the elderly, and grace in the homeless for we may find that the Good News is guised in such. For me, Anita is proof that God is incredibly creative in the way he reveals himself to us. She is also evidence that the Kingdom of Heaven is radically different and that the "least of these" are truly "the greatest of these".

I wish that Anita would be at her bench tomorrow when I pass it on my way to work. I know that she would probably smile and say, "Merry Christmas".

For the Willamette Weekly's article on Anita please visit: http://www.giveguide.wweek.com/wwire/?p=6490

on the incarnation

2008-12-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius is one of my annual Christmas reads. Written in the late 4th century, Athanasius wasn't even 20 years old when he eloquently argued for the Christology that has formed many Christian doctrines surrounding the incarnate Christ - his life, death, and resurrection. I recommend this one.

From the intro written by C.S. Lewis:
"I believe that many who find that 'nothing happens' when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they work their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand."

nothing like 2 feet and a flask to bring em together

2008-12-18T23:46:00.000-08:00

Spokane set a new record the other day for most snowfall in a 24 hour period. When it finally stopped snowing we had over 2 feet in the downtown area. The city almost completely came to a stop. City officials declared that the city was in code red and pleaded with people to stay off the roads. Those who didn't catch the memo found themselves stuck in intersections with a team of strangers, hands on bumpers. last night I helped push out about ten cars in my neighborhood. One car took us an hour to get down one block. I was joined by two other older men in pushing this particular car. I passed the flask as we took a quick break. We talked of how this was a community effort and it's too bad it takes a freak snowstorm to bring people together.

unfortunately, once the snow melts we will undoubtedly return to the normal order of passing on the other side of the street from someone in need.

it is balls cold

2008-12-14T16:46:00.000-08:00

Right now the weather service for Spokane reports the wind chill factor is at -12 degrees. The inside of my bedroom windows are completely iced over despite the heavy blankets I nailed over them. My faucet for my bathtub is frozen and we are all huddled around our single space heater. That all said we have shelter. There are many in our city who do not. I will soon post emergency shelter listings for places that open up specifically when it gets this cold. In the meantime we currently have boxes and boxes of sweaters, hats, scarves, gloves, and blankets. If for any reason you are in need of any of these things let me know. We are also keeping a few things in our cars and bags at all times in the event we run into people downtown who are in need. Our prayer is that no one will be forced to sleep out in the cold during this time. Prayer is important, but we as the church should also do whatever it takes to help people. Open your homes - let people crash on living room floors if that is what it takes.

the Bible isn't to be taken literally

2008-12-12T00:40:00.000-08:00

This is a shout out to all my Bible college homies that were "amening" Bush's victory in 2004 over Kerry. We evangelicals need to make sure we know our faith from our politics.

US President George W. Bush said in an interview Monday that the Bible is "probably not" literally true and that a belief that God created the world is compatible with the theory of evolution.

"I think you can have both," Bush, who leaves office January 20, told ABC television, adding "You're getting me way out of my lane here. I'm just a simple president."

But "evolution is an interesting subject. I happen to believe that evolution doesn't fully explain the mystery of life," said the president, an outspoken Christian who often invokes God in his speeches.

"I think that God created the Earth, created the world; I think the creation of the world is so mysterious it requires something as large as an almighty and I don't think it's incompatible with the scientific proof that there is evolution," he told ABC television.

Asked whether the Bible was literally true, Bush replied: "Probably not. No, I'm not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it."

"The important lesson is 'God sent a son,'" he said.

Global Economics

2008-12-11T09:01:00.000-08:00

Gay.

2008-12-10T21:13:00.000-08:00

This is from the blog world. My friend Karl sent it too me. Check his blog (sideardesign.com) sometime.

Though I am not sure how ready I am to judge the morality of homosexuality, I have felt that the difference in constitution rights for homosexuals versus heterosexuals is unjustified. What we have is a religious view of marriage that has infused itself into our political structure. But it is easy to ask questions when you notice that many Biblical passages in reference to marriage relationship are omitted from our contemporary religious and political view of traditional marriage. Some of these below are bullshit and taken out of context. Others might be worth thinking about.

Traditional marriage, Bible-style
by kos (http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/12/10/12118/336/767/671488)
Wed Dec 10, 2008 at 10:50:03 AM PST

jem6x has an excellent diary on Newsweek's great cover story on the Bible and gay marriage. Go check it out. But this comment by gladkov was particularly excellent. In short, if we are to let the Bible define what "traditional marriage" should look like, then our marriage laws should be amended as such:

A. Marriage in the United States shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women. (Gen 29:17-28; II Sam 3:2-5)

B. Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam 5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chron 11:21)

C. A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed. (Deut 22:13-21)

D. Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden. (Gen 24:3; Num 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Neh 10:30)

E. Since marriage is for life, neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any State, nor any state or federal law, shall be construed to permit divorce. (Deut 22:19; Mark 10:9)

F. If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother's widow or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen 38:6-10; Deut 25:5-10)

G. In lieu of marriage, if there are no acceptable men in your town, it is required that you get your dad drunk and have sex with him (even if he had previously offered you up as a sex toy to men young and old), tag-teaming with any sisters you may have. Of course, this rule applies only if you are female. (Gen 19:31-36)

Smart Architecture

2008-12-02T22:40:00.000-08:00

TED.com has some amazing video lectures from innovators around the world. This is a favorite of mine because it shows how you can take a normal skill such as architecture and design and use it to create profound change. "Because nobody told us we couldn't do it, we did it."

Progress, Still Rolling Back Progress

2008-12-01T14:38:00.001-08:00

My PC has been down for the last month, but now we are back up and running. In my absence there have been many new developments in our world. Lets talk about them.

1. Progress.
In cased you missed it, on November 4, 2008 Barack Obama was elected to be the next president of the USA.

2. Still Rolling Back Progress.
One day after Thanksgiving, a day that we stop and give thanks for all of the things we have, we decided we needed more shit so we lined up by the millions at three in the freaking morning in front of retail stores in hopes of saving a few bucks.

Now I admit I am not innocent of consumerism by any means, but camping out all night to save $100 on a third TV for your house is just plain stupid. Why is it that we practice such dedication to save a few pennies, but we don't go even remotely close to such extents to save lives?! Why do we camp out in the cold all night like bums to get a great deal while homeless people camp out in the cold every night because of what they've been dealt?! It is unjustifiable!

It gets worse.

Jdimytai Damour, 34, was crushed as he and other employees attempted to unlock the doors of a Long Island, New York, WalMart at 5 a.m.

"He was bum-rushed by 200 people," Jimmy Overby, the man's 43-year-old co-worker, told the New York Daily News. "They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too ... I literally had to fight people off my back."

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was also taken in for observation and three other shoppers suffered minor injuries during the incident, police said."

Wal-Mart representative Dan Fogleman called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the victim came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store. "The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," Fogleman said.

Which leads me to my next topic: Dan you lying P.O.S.

From today's thread published on walmartwatch.com:
"Wal-Mart has once again received the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) lowest possible rating in its recently released ”Buying for Equality 2009” guide. HRC’s guide rates retailers and other corporations on their respective company policies that support lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals including anti-discrimination protections, domestic partner benefits, diversity training, and transgender wellness benefits. Companies are scored from 0 to 100, with passing retailers receiving HRC’s “green” rating."

Hey Dan, could you explain that for me?

State and federal regulators have hit Wal-Mart for violating rules on work hours and leave:

Wal-Mart Violated Worker Rights More than 2 Million Times, Minnesota Judge Rules Wal-Mart violated the law more than 2 million times over a six-year period by denying workers time for breaks and forcing them to work "off the clock" for no pay, a Minnesota judge has ruled. Dakota County District Judge Robert King ordered the company to pay $6.5 million in back pay. In addition, Wal-Mart faces fines as high as $2 billion for the wage-and-hour violations. [Workday Minnesota, 7/2/08]

Family Leave Laws. Wal-Mart has received numerous fines for violating the Family and Medical Leave Act in locations all over the country -- firing workers while on federally protected medical leave. In 2005, Wal-Mart was fined $188,000 by the California Fair Employment and Housing Commission for violating California state law by failing to reinstate a woman after she completed her maternity leave. [U.S. Department of Labor, via Freedom of Information Act; California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, case no. E 200203 M-0774-00-pe, C 03-04-026; Sacramento Bee, 6/14/05.]

Off-the-Clock Work. In 2000, Wal-Mart paid $50 million to settle a lawsuit that involved 69,000 workers in Colorado who had allegedly been forced to work off the clock. In 2002, a federal grand jury in Oregon found Wal-Mart employees were forced to work off the clock and awarded back pay to 83 workers. In December 2005, Wal-Mart was ordered to pay $172 million to 116,000 current and former California workers for violating a 2001 state law that requires employers to give 30-minute, unpaid lunch breaks to employees who work at least six hours. In the United States, Wal-Mart has 53 class action lawsuits over wage and hour violations. [New York Times, 11/19/04; Associated Press, 2/17/04; Associated Press, 9/19/05; Associated Press, 12/22/05.]

Hey Dan it looks like your doing a good job treating your associates well.

My personal favorite:
JACKSON, Missouri (CNN) -- Debbie Shank breaks down in tears every time she's told that her 18-year-old son, Jeremy, was killed in Iraq.

The 52-year-old mother of three attended her son's funeral, but she continues to ask how he's doing. When her family reminds her that he's dead, she weeps as if hearing the news for the first time.

Shank suffered severe brain damage after a traffic accident nearly eight years ago that robbed her of much of her short-term memory and left her in a wheelchair and living in a nursing home.

It was the beginning of a series of battles -- both personal and legal -- that loomed for Shank and her family. One of their biggest was with Wal-Mart's health plan.

Eight years ago, Shank was stocking shelves for the retail giant and signed up for Wal-Mart's health and benefits plan.

Two years after the accident, Shank and her husband, Jim, were awarded about $1 million in a lawsuit against the trucking company involved in the crash. After legal fees were paid, $417,000 was placed in a trust to pay for Debbie Shank's long-term care.

Wal-Mart had paid out about $470,000 for Shank's medical expenses and later sued for the same amount. However, the court ruled it can only recoup what is left in the family's trust.

The Shanks didn't notice in the fine print of Wal-Mart's health plan policy that the company has the right to recoup medical expenses if an employee collects damages in a lawsuit.

The family's attorney, Maurice Graham, said he informed Wal-Mart about the settlement and believed the Shanks would be allowed to keep the money. VideoWatch this couple's story »

"We assumed after three years, they [Wal-Mart] had made a decision to let Debbie Shank use this money for what it was intended to," Graham said.

The Shanks lost their suit to Wal-Mart. Last summer, the couple appealed the ruling -- but also lost it. One week later, their son was killed in Iraq.

"They are quite within their rights. But I just wonder if they need it that bad," Jim Shank said.

In 2007, the retail giant reported net sales in the third quarter of $90 billion.

Legal or not, CNN asked Wal-Mart why the company pursued the money.

Wal-Mart spokesman John Simley, who called Debbie Shank's case "unbelievably sad," replied in a statement: "Wal-Mart's plan is bound by very specific rules. ... We wish it could be more flexible in Mrs. Shank's case since her circumstances are clearly extraordinary, but this is done out of fairness to all associates who contribute to, and benefit from, the plan."

Jim Shank said he believes Wal-Mart should make an exception.

"My idea of a win-win is -- you keep the paperwork that says you won and let us keep the money so I can take care of my wife," he said.

The family's situation is so dire that last year Jim Shank divorced Debbie, so she could receive more money from Medicaid.

Jim Shank, 54, is recovering from prostate cancer, works two jobs and struggles to pay the bills. He's afraid he won't be able to send their youngest son to college and pay for his and Debbie's care.

"Who needs the money more? A disabled lady in a wheelchair with no future, whatsoever, or does Wal-Mart need $90 billion, plus $200,000?" he asked.

The family's attorney agrees.

"The recovery that Debbie Shank made was recovery for future lost earnings, for her pain and suffering," Graham said.

"She'll never be able to work again. Never have a relationship with her husband or children again. The damage she recovered was for much more than just medical expenses."

Graham said he believes Wal-Mart should be entitled to only about $100,000. Right now, about $277,000 remains in the trust -- far short of the $470,000 Wal-Mart wants back.

Refusing to give up the fight, the Shanks appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. But just last week, the high court said it would not hear the case.

Graham said the Shanks have exhausted all their resources and there's nothing more they can do but go on with their lives.

Jim Shank said he's disappointed with the Supreme Court's decision not to hear the case -- not for the sake of his family -- but for those who might face similar circumstances.

For now, he said the family will figure out a way to get by and "do the best we can for Debbie."

Dan, are you still sticking by,"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority"?

Save Money, Live Better.
In this tough economy it would seem that we should all go to WalMart to get our stuff. After all it is truly cheaper than many places. This, however, is because WalMart is a giant of global corporations that feasts upon the impoverished, paying them little and therefore reaping shit tons of profit. This is the formula of global economics, but whose lives are getting better?

Enough.

"i won't be fulfilling the lord's will untill i am doing the lord's work."

2008-11-03T22:59:00.000-08:00

well intentioned failure

2008-10-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

This is an insightful article from Bob Lupton, Founding President of FCS Urban Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. I met Bob a couple of years ago when he and I took a class together in London. FCS works to empower urban communities to bring about social, economic, and spiritual rebirth. For more on FCS visit www.fcsministries.org

Religious Tourism
“They’re turning my people into beggars!” It was a painful accusation for Juan Ulloa to make. He was a churchman, after all. An elder. With loyalty to the household of faith. But when asked the question directly, he could not lie. I had pressed him on the relationship of his micro-lending organization to the churches of Nicaragua. Juan was the executive director of a Christian micro-finance ministry that made many thousands of small loans to Nicaraguan peasants. It seemed to me a reasonable inquiry to understand how they worked together with local churches. Hesitantly at first, Juan explained that there were entire sections of the country where his loan officers could not make any loans at all. These were the regions where a concentration of churches from the U.S. conducted their mission trips. “People say ‘Why should we borrow money when the churches give it to us?’”
The people were right, of course. What peasant scratching out a bare existence could refuse suitcases bulging with new clothing for his family? What struggling pastor could resist the temptation to accept a steady salary and generous church income in exchange for hosting visitors, organizing volunteer work, and staffing funded programs? What village would borrow money to dig a well or buy books for their school library or save money to build a church if these things were provided for them free of charge? If all they had to do was make their wish lists, show up for the schedule arranged by the donors, and smile graciously until their benefactors head back home, who would blame them for accepting this easy charity?

No, Juan was not blaming his people for becoming beggars. He was faulting the affluent, well-meaning U.S. church for its unexamined generosity. His accusations, now pouring forth with considerable force, were directed at naïve “vacationaries” who spend millions of dollars traveling to his country, perform work that locals could better do for themselves, and create a welfare economy that deprives a people of the pride of their own accomplishments – all in the name of Christian service. The unintended consequences of such mission work was undoing the very vision Juan had given his life to – helping his people emerge from poverty through training, entrepreneurship, saving and hard work.

For some reason U.S. churches, filled with results-oriented members, seem oblivious to the abysmal outcomes of many if not most mission trips. Perhaps because it feels so good to be giving to those so much worse off, or because unconditional serving seems so Christ-like, the Western church embraces with great pride an unexamined form of charity that our nation as a whole rejected with the passage of the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. We know that welfare creates unhealthy dependency, that it erodes a work ethic, that it does not elevate people out of poverty. Yet, in the name of Christ, we perpetuate this very welfare principle in the way we do missions. And the trend is growing!

A Princeton University study found that in one year (2005) 1.6 million church members took mission trips – an average of eight days – at a cost of $2.4 billion. And the number has grown every year since. “Religious tourism” as some call it has become a growth industry. The web is full of agencies (denominational and para-church) ready to connect churches to a “meaningful mission experience” in an exotic location rife with human need. The Bahamas, for example, receives one short-term missionary for every fifteen residents.

More scornful critics point to the make-work nature of many missions trips. Like the wall built on an orphanage soccer field in Brazil that had to be torn down after the visitors left. And the church in Mexico that was painted six times during one summer by six different missions groups. And the church in Ecuador built by volunteers that was never used because the community said it was not needed.

But in fairness to our U.S. churches, many of our motives are noble. We want to excite our members about missions. We want to expose youth and adults to the needs of a hurting world. We want to engage our people in life-changing experiences. We desire deeply to obey the teachings of Christ to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, show compassion to the oppressed and spread the Good News. But because we view missions through the lens of our church – that is, what will benefit our people the most, what will be most rewarding for us, what will appeal the most to our members – we neglect to consider what is in the best interests of those we would serve.

How we serve is equally important to who we serve. Take the well that my church dug for a rural Honduran village. The remote peasant community needed water. The obvious solution: dig them a well. There was great celebration when the first water was pumped to the surface and villagers filled their jugs with cold, pure water. But when our missioners returned the following year the pump was idle and locals were again carry water from a distant supply. We repaired the pump. But by the time we returned the following year it had broken down again. This happened repeatedly year after year. The village simply waited until their benefactors returned.

Compare this experience to the remote mountain village in Nicaragua where a different strategy was employed. A community developer, recruited from the U.S. and supported by Juan’s micro-lending organization, assisted the residents in creating a plan for a much needed well. She arranged financing conditional upon villagers investing their own money from their meager savings. She then connected them with a reliable Nicaraguan engineer, and helped them organize a water commission to set fees, collect water bills, manage finances and maintain their new utility. Village men provided all the labor, digging trenches, laying water lines and setting 250 meters. When the pump was switched on and water surged to the homes, the village erupted with pride. Their water supply, they soon learned, was abundant – sufficient to allow them to sell water to the adjacent village. They now owned and managed a wealth-producing asset. The lesson: never deprive people of the satisfaction of doing for themselves.
“Above all, do no harm.” It’s the bottom line of the Hippocratic Oath that has guided the conduct of physicians for centuries. It is time for the Western church to apply the same principle.

PS: Some believe that short-term missions trips whet the appetite for long-term mission involvement. Research does not support this claim however. In spite of all the moving testimonies of “life-changing experiences” by returning short-termers and the occasional example of full-time missionaries who point to a mission trip as the catalyst for their calling, there is no evidence that missions as a whole has benefitted. As a matter of fact, while short-term mission trips have increased dramatically over the past two decades, support of long-term missionaries has declined. Strangely, the correlation seems to be inverse. Perhaps because we have spent so lavishly on “religious tourism” we feel that our financial responsibility to missions has been discharged. Or is it that long-term missionaries do not serve the immediate self-interest of our church?

taxes

2008-10-15T10:03:00.001-07:00

Obama and Biden just released this tax calculator to show that Obama's tax plan will cut taxes for 95% of workers and their families. Give it a try.

bummer

2008-10-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

whatever

neighborhood council, steve, karl marx.

2008-10-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

Neighborhood council.
last night i attended the browne's addition neighborhood council meeting. to be honest council meetings are about as exciting as a bush speech on stategery. i realize, however, that the council is serving a purpose and i give those who have been committed to the council credit for their efforts. surely our neighborhood is better off in many ways due to the unrecognized work of these few.

my criticism is simply this: lack of vision. i walk my neighborhood - i know people in my neighborhood. i am pretty sure that the least of their concerns are whether or not we have sexy signage at the entrance to brownes. houses need restored. businesses need support. people need a myriad of different social services. again we do not need signage. it's like putting a clever title on an unfinished story. enough.

Steve.
Our friend steve past away this week. steve was a well known resident of my neighborhood. he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, expressed with a trumpet, and proficient in friendship. steve was a good man. he was gentle and gracious - readily available for relationship. steve was a regular of the local coffee shop i use to manage here in browne's where he and i had many great conversations. steve was loved by many and i am grieved that he is gone. steve, i imagine, is tooting halleluia these days. let us not take our neighbors for granted.

Marx.
"The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point, however, is to to change it."

DD214, Shoes, Transitional Housing, Hell and the 10 Commandments

2008-09-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

DD214.
About half of the homeless people I have met in the last few years are veterans. Besides not having a home they are faced with a multitude of challenges. Richard struggles from post traumatic stress disorder and has medicated it with beer. Jay has never been able to fully integrate back into society and after losing a loved one in Iraq is on the street and often drunk. It is true that many of the homeless in our city have at one time worn a uniform with great honor. My friend Will has completed two tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom and I asked him about the care structures we have in place for veterans when they return home. Will said that the VA is the main support for veterans. All vets have a DD214, a file that proves their military status and thus grants them access to the VA and its many services. Next time Jay calls me I am going to ask him if I can take him to the VA.

On the other hand I am friends with Ivan, a Puerto Rican doctor at the VA. Ivan says that in order to care for veterans well and extensively we need more support and funding for the VA. Side note: Ivan tells me that the difference between a leader and a manager is that the leader says, "There, you go that way. Manage yourself to get there." I like Ivan.

Will brought up another challenge concerning the VA. Because many of the vets on the street are Vietnam vets there is little regard for the VA. This is because Vietnam was such an unpopular war and in turn veterans were not supported well upon their return. They simply do not trust the system.

We ask our men and women to go and fight for freedom and honor abroad and they do so courageously. Should we not also courageously fight for their freedom and honor here at home?

Shoes.
I met Zack the other night. He was shoeless. Zack is about my age and has been living on the street since he was 13 when he got kicked out of his house for attacking his mother's abusive boyfriend. I had Zack try on my shoes but they were too small. I told him I would bring him shoes the following day and asked him where I could meet him. Zack sleeps on the sidewalk near City Gate on Madison. The next day I found him just were he said he would be. Zack is now rollin in some size 10 basketball shoes that Jeff gave me to give to him.
Here's the thing: Shoes are not enough. Zack still sleeps on the sidewalk.

Transitional Housing.
In response to all the good people I have been meeting on the street I have become incredibly interested in Transitional Housing. There are a lot of people in our city doing great work with transitional housing projects and programs, but the need is greater. I am dreaming. Here is a dream example: Learn and research progressive and successful programs in Spokane and other cities. Pray about starting a Non Profit specific to Browne's Addition Low Income Development. Identify a project - say a good ol house that needs some redeeming. Pitch the idea to anyone who will listen. Acquire co dreamers. Acquire funding. Restore the house - building out apartment units that are nice. Find Eric, Todd, Jay, Zack, or others and move them in. Offer them other services to assist in overcoming additional challenges. Bring joy to our neighborhood.

Want to dream with me?

Hell and the 10 Commandments.
This is a deviation from the above topics. Today as I walked downtown a well dressed man was condemning people to hell if they didn't obey the 10 Commandments. I heard him say to one man who was smoking that he was going to go to hell for smoking. I didn't realize that was in the new version of commandments (Law 10.1?).
I am glad I heard his discourses, otherwise I would still be under the false impression that it was only a cross and resurrection that kept me from the pits of hell.

Gimme a frickin break people.

really?

2008-09-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

tana

2008-09-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

i met tana the other night at about 1:30 am. i was with a couple of friends (jeff and natalie) driving home from pool and beer when tana stumbled towards our car yelling for help as we waited on a red light. the shoeless tana was spotted with hives and wheezing from a panic or asthma attack. we quickly ushered her into the backseat where i held her head to mine, pleading with her to follow my breathing as we raced towards the emergency room. she begged us not to go to the ER - she couldn't afford it and despite our arguments that money was of no issue we simply couldn't get her to comply. the argument took us to the front doors of sacred heart hospital before we finally conceded because tana was exhibiting normal breathing and the hives were receding. over the course of our time together, however, we learned that tana's distress was far greater than her temporary attack - details of which i will omit out of respect for her. we spent the following hour and a half attempting to assure tana's safety. reflecting on the situation i am ashamed of moments of compromise. i guess we attempted to make the best decisions based on the moment. hopefully our friend tana is safe. dear God, please keep her safe.

i am becoming more and more broken by these encounters of late. they are disheartening and make me feel helpless. the cops are not much of a help. these people refuse to help themselves. and i admit that i am scared to go to the full extent to love and help them. stop being a pussy trent.

HOW DO WE HELP?!

African Children's Choir

2008-09-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

My fiance, Marci, works for the African Children's Choir. She recently was in Uganda for three weeks and is now in Chicago for two. I am incredibly proud of the work that she is doing. ACC creates awareness to the struggles Africa is facing. It is also raises funding to send thousands of African children to school through college.

For more info on ACC go to http://www.africanchildrenschoir.com/

todd

2008-09-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

todd is a homeless alcoholic. i met todd at about 1:00 this morning when i was at the baby bar with my dad. todd was half way down a high gravity when he came up asking if we would buy him some food. in the conversation that followed todd attempted to tell us that people don't understand alcoholism. he's right.

i told todd that he was a good man and that if woke up today ready to clean up i would be his sponsor. i gave him my number.

i escorted him to the end of the corner and gave him three dollars. he promised he wasn't going to buy beer, but was going to arctic circle to get a burger. i believed him and again i reminded todd that he was a good man. he started crying and i hugged him.

todd went on his way and i was left feeling frustrated and without understanding.

todd is 42 years old. he was sober for 9 months before recently relapsing. he said it was because he was bored. todd is a good man.

eric

2008-09-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

i met eric at about 1:30 the other morning as i was on my way home from a night out. eric is a homeless alcoholic. eric is a good man - at least that is what i attempted to tell him in the following two hours that we spent together. eric's face was cut and bruised from a scuffle he had gotten into over a girl (homeless or rich, we have the same problems) and he said with a slur, "Trent, that's how it is out here," waving his hand out at nothing in particular, "if a guy gets you, you got to get him." Then he punched me in the chest. I reminded him that we were friends and he said sorry. we walked and talked as we made our way back to my house - i had offered for eric to sleep on my couch. he agreed to crash at my place reassuring me that we were friends and he wasn't "gonna steal nothin or anything." I honestly wasn't concerned about it. when we got to my house, however, my roommate's dog, nelly, went nuts - growling and barking at him, which i have never seen happen. since nelly's owner is a girl i made the tough decision to not have eric stay at our house. it was really frickin tough. eric rolled us cigarettes and then we went back out, walking towards downtown. along the way we hopped in bars and drank water together and eventually eric went on his way.

eric is 26. he was three days out of detox when i met him. he had been on meth, but only drinks and smokes weed now. eric never asked me for anything so i asked how i could help him.

"Ah I don't know man. This is my fucking life."

"but, eric, it doesn't have to be, man. let me help you."

"its too hard man."

i grabbed eric by the face with both hands, looked him in the eyes and said, "eric you are a good man and i believe in you."

"it's too hard man."

"bullshit it's too hard.'

"this is what we do man - we go." he said, again throwing is finger in no general direction.

eric is 26 years old. he is three years older than i am. eric is my friend. eric is a good man.

what happens when it is balls cold

2008-09-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

The Spokane Homeless Coalition's last count of homeless persons living on our streets, in drop-in shelters, or transitional housing was 1,765 persons. How do we help?

The Spokane Regional 10 year Plan to Address Homelessness:
http://www.spokanehomeless.org/uploads/Ten-Year_Plan/Documents/Final%20SR%2010-Yr%20Homelessness%20Plan%20Complete%201-06.pdf

when good news is bad news

2008-09-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

The other night I took myself on a date to Riverfront Park to read the paper and relax. As I entered the park I walked past a 40 something year old man towering over three teenage boys. His words were this (and I quote), "You are a sinner and if you do not accept Jesus Christ right now to be the savior of your sins you will go to hell. You don't want to go to hell do you?"

The good news sure sounds good, doesn't it?

Instead of decking him in his trachea, which would only give him reason to claim the glory of persecution I called my Dad and asked that he would pray for our city with me. We prayed the promise that our poor attempts at communicating good news does not nor cannot sway God from redeeming our neighborhoods, our city, or His Creation.

The soap boxers later congregated around the fountain with praying and preaching through loudspeakers and waving signs reading "GOD HATES SIN". I wonder if these people have read their Bibles lately - specifically Matthew 6:5-6

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

God does hate sin but though my theological convictions are similar to the bad news butt head i passed, there is a right and wrong way to communicate those convictions.

The gospel of the kingdom of God as made available to us through Christ is good news. When we are ending our arguments with, "you don't want to go to hell do you?" we are failing to preach good news - we are preaching bad news. that which we were commanded to preach by Christ was not hellfire, but rather the good news of the kingdom. I am not playing the game if my faith is solely based on not going to hell. I am playing because of life abundant - a life of forgiveness and grace. I do not need to be saved from hell. I need relationship with God.

Perhaps I will make a sign that says, "I am a sinner."

This is a picture of a shirt a 10 year old boy was wearing at the bad news party at the park.

yes and yes.

2008-09-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

why

2008-09-11T17:21:00.000-07:00

wow. blogs are ridiculous. please forgive what seems to be an over dramatic name and layout. hopefully there will be some unpacking of such sillyness to be had on this cyberspace that no one other than my mom and fiance will find.

i recently returned to spokane after a summer cooking for the anglicans in northern idaho. i also recently became engaged to a wonderful woman. i start school in two weeks and i am looking for a means to pay my rent. life is good and i am ready to resettle and find a healthy rythm.

i am doing some work with my church in brownes addition and am incredibly excited about what it looks like to be good news to my neighbors. my journey with church and christianity has been adventuous over the past few years and it is good to be amongst people who are down with being broken together as a means to love the broken types around us. we are hoping to further develop the truism that the church exists to serve the world. in this we are commited to living very ordinary lives, but with gospel intention. therefore we will not be bound by the 4 walls of our religion, but will be freed by the gospel.

these are a few questions we are asking regarding brownes addition and downtown spokane:
Are we willing to seek, and submit to, the good news even if this means disregarding the social construct of contemporary Christian culture?

Is good news happening outside the confines of the “church”? Do we recognize and celebrate it when we see it? (Receive)

Where and who do we serve? (Redeem)

Where and when do we take a vocal and active stand against bad news? (Reject)

peace.