I want to begin by apologizing for anyone who slogs through my comments this week. Our administrative assistant--who is a wonderful person btw--was out of town for Thanksgiving when I began writing this. I also want to apologize for the length that this is likely to be. Though it may not seem it, I generally do try to stay focused. But this is liable to get long and trying. So use your judgment here. If you begin to feel exhausted or bored--or, if you find that my thoughts here make you want to like me less--then please go do something else. We live in an age that is devoted to superficiality. So while I am passionate and feel that my reading comments here are important, they're probably not important enough to trade for the patience of my friends.
Clarification: The word integrity is most often used as a moral qualifier. It references a measure of trustworthiness. However, I am pretty sure that this is actually a derivative meaning. The word fundamentally refers to the concept of wholeness or singleness, as in a chemical compound or solution. To have integrity means to be more consistent and less polluted. A person of integrity is solid in their constitution and understandable in their speech because they carry themselves and speak from a center that is whole.
I begin here because I believe that one of the best ways of understanding our world today is to note that it is seriously lacking in integrity. What I mean here is not merely that people do not tell the truth or that they have mixed motives and agendas. I mean, rather, that the very framework of our reality is severely polluted. Our society seems to be functioning out of corrupted center. It may have always been thus but if it has, I have not always been aware of it.
To explain what I mean here, I offer three simple questions to consider. To what extent are we being lied to by the powers? To what extent are these people aware that they are doing this? And to what extent do we, the people, care?
To what extent are we being lied to?
There are three ways to answer the first question. We are either not lied to; we are somewhat lied to; or we are considerably lied to. Certainly, some believe that everything that we are told by the powers (political leaders, economic experts, and the media) is true but this, it seems to me, is a small percentage of people--at least of the handful of folks reading this blog.
Most folks probably assume that there is some misrepresentations afoot. We may even believe that this is o.k. Perhaps we assume that our leaders have our best interests at heart so if they have to lie in order to protect or serve the larger good in some way, we can accept that. I am not in agreement with this philosophy but that is not even my primary concern at this point. I am rather wondering at what point somewhat becomes considerable. For sadly, it seems that we are seeing more and more evidence that much of what we see and hear from power these days is either a complete lie or some kind of derivative of a previous lie. (When I refer to the powers here, I am not talking merely about politics. I am referring to the entire structure: geo-political and corporate-economic.)
To what extent are these people aware that they are lying?
While the initial question is uncomfortable enough, the second is even more disconcerting. I do not want to belabor this but I do want those of us who are interested to think about the ramifications. You see, the assumption is that people in leadership positions know what they are doing. By this, I mean that they are the agents of the ideas that they present and the policies that they put into place.
In this regard, we might say that such leaders are people of integrity. Because even if we do not agree with them, they are still speaking sincerely from their own center. Or, to put it another way, we would trust that these people believe their own nonsense even if no one else does.
Of course, another possibility is that these people are intentionally lying. That they are either acting insincerely themselves or they are being coerced in some way to betray their own integrity. The examples here would be, first, a leadership that believes lying is expediently necessary for the greater good or, second, a proxy leadership that has been secured through blackmail or bribery.
There is actually a third possibility as well. It might be possible that these people have somehow already lost their integrity (their center). That it has been replaced by something else and therefore they cannot recognize their own lies.
A common way to think about this third example is to speak of a puppet. We have all probably heard reference to "political puppets." This is certainly an appropriate metaphor but I am thinking here of something a step beyond even that. I am thinking of people who may not even comprehend the ways in which they are being used by some other person or some other force. [If it is possible that leadership can be so completely compromised, then imagine the condition of those who are following...] This brings us to the final question.
To what degree do we care?
Some would say that the details are of little concern to the people--that as long as things are going well (or well enough), it does not matter whether or not our leaders are lying. This, btw, is very relevant to the current situation. For it seems that the greater constituency of our society is quite happy to allow anything to be done in its name as long as they can somehow see themselves participating in the benefits.
For example, when we read about things like war and torture, a denial of civil rights or national autonomy, we are numbed by the illusion that what we are reading about does not pertain to us. Someone tells us that these things are going on somewhere else and that because of this, our lives are somehow better. We then instinctively believe not only that the claim is true but that these otherwise negative images in no way apply to us--that because these other people are being warred upon and tortured and denied of civil rights, these things are somehow further away from us.
This is disconcerting and, I think, misunderstood. It is foolish to imagine that the wickedness that we let loose on the world will not someday arrive upon our own doorstep. And I fear that such a time is closer than many of us realize.
What is happening?
For some time now, the citizens of our society have been systematically scared into a state of compliance. And once scared, we have little energy to question laws that continue to reduce our freedom. So the great irony is that while we are being told that we are waging all these wars "for our freedom," the fact is that we are becoming less and less free. Therefore, through legally justified ends, we are circumventing moral questions and our society is giving way to tyranny. And because much of our society is thoroughly distracted (with anxiety, entertainment and hedonism), a lot of this is going largely unchecked.
Meanwhile, I sense that there are very real practical and humanitarian consequences for all of this. I am writing now mostly for my own clarification. I guess if I am willing to say some of these things out-loud, then I must actually be considering them. It is kinda like I am pinching myself and asking, "am I really seeing this?" It is a bit surreal.
So I offer my thoughts here to anyone who might be able to set me straight on all this. Tell me I am just seeing things. But first let me tell you what I am seeing...
First Case In Point--WAR:
Are we hearing these highly charged comments about Iran (or Syria or Pakistan or China)? Does it strike us as curious (dangerous?) that supposedly left-of-center politicians seem to have nearly identical ideas about Iran that supposedly right-of-center politicians have? Are we really to imagine that these men and women have spent hours and hours pouring over the facts and have come to this conclusion?
Our public leadership is now talking about Iran in the same ways that we have already heard people talk about Iraq and Libya and Afghanistan and other places. In the days in which I have been working on this, NATO has apparently done something in Pakistan as well. Do you or anyone you know really want to go with war with Iran? Oh, and China keeps coming up too... Where does all this love of bloodshed come from? Who is interested in this? And who is going to benefit?
I recently saw a video in which Michele Bachmann stated that Iraq should reimburse the US for the cost of the war there. An interesting suggestion given the apparent facts. Has it not been pretty much settled that Iraq had nothing to do with 911 and that there were no weapons of mass destruction... So let me get this straight, we have someone running for a major office in this country who believes that it is o.k. to wage unjustified war, thoroughly destroy another country's infrastructure, kill hundreds of thousands of people, and then demand some kind of reimbursement for the trouble. Is this the world we now live in?
BTW, this is not partisan. Democrats and Republicans alike all seem wildly enthusiastic about violence these days. Meanwhile, average people are suffering greatly. Run a searches on what returning soldiers are saying about their time in Iraq. Remember when war used to be bad?
Maybe we can comfort ourselves with some nonsense about keeping us safe. But from what exactly...
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/congress-to-vote-next-week-on-explicitly-creating-a-police-state.html
http://www.infowars.com/senate-moves-to-allow-military-to-intern-americans-without-trial/
Second Case in Point--Banking Cartels:
There is a push to centralize Europe. It is coming from the global financial interests. There is also a more subtle interest in doing a similar thing with the U.S., Canada and Mexico. [Don't take my word for it. Do a little research on The North American Union and see what you think. BTW, I like Canada and Mexico, I just think stuff like this should be more open.]
In connection to Case in Point #1, the interest in both European and North American politics these days is driven by the financial world. I realize that it is cliche' to talk about the evil power of banks but it is getting harder to ignore that money is part of all this. Take a look at what is/has happened in Greece and Italy. Those are not haphazard replacement parts. Iceland might be the best example. The thing to think about here is how interest works (pun intended). Bankers do not do things out of the goodness of their hearts, Human Nature 101 suggests that people want things and they make deals that help them get what they want. And the more they get, the more they have to "secure." And the more people have to secure, the less tolerant they are with volatility.
Oh, and did you see this?
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/business/2011/11/bank-bailout-was-way-bigger-anyone-thought/45432/
In case you are tired of all the links, the number in the article is nearly $8 trillion. So what do all those people who were in such a hurry to crucify the Madoff family want to do with the people responsible here?
Third Case in Point--Repression:
This one is harder to see because things have been warming slowly--kinda like frogs in a pot. It is getting more obvious though...
http://current.com/community/93556545_time-magazine-changes-revolution-redux-cover-for-us-print-only.htm
http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/senators-demand-military-lock-american-citizens-battlefield-they-define-being
There also appears to be a bill out there to give the authorities more power to control the Internet
http://insearchofsimplicity.com/tag/congressional-bill-to-limit-internet-use/
Not long ago, someone sat me down to tell me about some of the things that I am doing wrong as a pastor. Several of her points were helpful and I appreciated this person's courage to speak with me. However, one of the things she noted was that I had made some reference to politics in one of my sermons and she didn't like this.
I wasn't sure exactly what she meant because although I certainly do address worldly issues, I make it a point to avoid anything that might be construed as partisan. I do this because I don't want to give people an excuse to ignore the help that I am trying to offer them. That... and I am actually doubtful that we even have a two-party system anymore.
Anyway, the truth is that social commentary been an important part of theological and spiritual work for as long as people have believed in God. Just about every person who is referenced in the Bible is there because he/she had something to say about the world around them. And it was generally not favorable.
In this way, saying that politics and religion don't mix is a statement about a natural tension that exists. It is probably a healthy tension given that both of these strong arms of human civilization have, at times, abused their power.
In Jesus' parable of the Great Judgment, the nations of the earth are brought collectively before the throne of God. I do not know whether the judgment will have anything to do with our regional or national affiliations, but just in case, I would prefer to go down as being a part of a peace-loving and just society.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Don't Feed The Trolls
This past Sunday afternoon, I made it downtown to check out the Occupy Charlotte gathering. I wish that I could say that I did this on my own initiative but the truth is that a gentleman in the church had been discussing the situation in a class that he was teaching and had come to me seeking some direction on how he and others might reach out to these people in an appropriate way. I told him that I thought that idea was great and that I wanted to support his class in any way that I could. It turned out that the best way was to physically go with him to meet and talk with some of these people.
Initially, the plan was to provide a simple worship experience on site for those who might appreciate it. However, when we arrived, it became clear that this was not the best way forward. Instead, we sat with a group of people who were actually having something of a strategic planning session. They were using the technique of role-playing to think about some of the challenges facing their goals. It was really quite interesting and inspiring. Because it was clear that they wanted to express their concerns without breaking laws and drawing negative attention to their efforts. The role-playing helped to reveal some of the traps that would likely emerge simply because of the many different people involved.
After about 40 minutes or so, the training session was over and everyone left their "character" parts to discuss more practical matters such as their weekly meeting--they called it a General Assembly. The woman who was leading the training assumed that my friend and I were reporters because we had not really introduced ourselves yet. I explained that I was rather a pastor and explained the story of how we came to be there. While the people were very nice, it was clear that there was an undercurrent of suspicion. It reminded me that Christianity still has a long way to go in terms of restoring its reputation among many people. However, the more we talked the more comfortable everyone became. We stayed a while longer and then turned back toward our car to drive home. As I was leaving, I was struck by the difficulty of their path and the remarkable dedication that it is going to take to accomplish some of the change they and many others are looking for.
There were only about 20 or 30 people at the site when we were there. There were eight or so of us in the middle of the grounds working in the role-playing session--a couple of folks on chairs, the rest of us sitting directly on the ground. There were three or four folks standing near the street holding signs and the rest of the camp was doing other things such as working with the main shelter that held food and other supplies and simply talking amongst themselves.
Every few minutes, someone would drive by and shout something negative from a car--predictable things like "Get a Job you lazy..." To which one or another person from the camp would shout something back at them. At one point, after this had escalated somewhat, one of the women in the training session said, "Don't feed the trolls." Her statement stood out. It was clear that she was trying to encourage the camp to stay focused and not let the movement and the people drift to a lower level of purpose. She didn't say anything more or harangue those of the group that had let their frustration get the best of them but she did make her point. Shouting back negative things at cars was not going to accomplish their goals.
Don't feed the Trolls... I am not even sure I know what that phrase means but it immediately made sense to me. It reminded me of my own temptation to return fire with fire, idiocy with idiocy, hate for hate. And it is hard sometimes because trolls (and they come in many forms!) can truly get annoying. But the fact is that feeding them just encourages them, doesn't it? Seeing the rise out of us fuels their appetite for destruction and negative energy. Seeing us loose our composure and sink a level or two only serves to assure them that there suspicions about us are correct.
This was something that the early Church constantly had to struggle with. It is something that the Church always has to struggle with. The world is watching. And there are those who enjoy nothing more than catching Christians behaving badly. BTW, there are trolls in in the church too.
So what do we do? I don't think the point is to simply take the abuse (though, according to the Sermon on the Mount, it might be). But we do need to be careful about how we respond. Because the message always includes the package that it comes in. Sometimes folks are simply not listening. Other times, they are just hoping to drag you down. It is at these points that we must resist the temptation to feed that negativity. Because the fact is, it's just tough to change the world by shouting at passing cars.
For those who are curious, I respect what folks are trying to do in the various Occupy sites. I sense that they are facing an enormously uphill battle. But I like the fact that people stand up for what they believe and what they believe in. It seems to me that we are living through some challenging times and we really do need some change. I do not know what is going to come of all this but it is my sincere hope that it does not turn us all into trolls.
Initially, the plan was to provide a simple worship experience on site for those who might appreciate it. However, when we arrived, it became clear that this was not the best way forward. Instead, we sat with a group of people who were actually having something of a strategic planning session. They were using the technique of role-playing to think about some of the challenges facing their goals. It was really quite interesting and inspiring. Because it was clear that they wanted to express their concerns without breaking laws and drawing negative attention to their efforts. The role-playing helped to reveal some of the traps that would likely emerge simply because of the many different people involved.
After about 40 minutes or so, the training session was over and everyone left their "character" parts to discuss more practical matters such as their weekly meeting--they called it a General Assembly. The woman who was leading the training assumed that my friend and I were reporters because we had not really introduced ourselves yet. I explained that I was rather a pastor and explained the story of how we came to be there. While the people were very nice, it was clear that there was an undercurrent of suspicion. It reminded me that Christianity still has a long way to go in terms of restoring its reputation among many people. However, the more we talked the more comfortable everyone became. We stayed a while longer and then turned back toward our car to drive home. As I was leaving, I was struck by the difficulty of their path and the remarkable dedication that it is going to take to accomplish some of the change they and many others are looking for.
There were only about 20 or 30 people at the site when we were there. There were eight or so of us in the middle of the grounds working in the role-playing session--a couple of folks on chairs, the rest of us sitting directly on the ground. There were three or four folks standing near the street holding signs and the rest of the camp was doing other things such as working with the main shelter that held food and other supplies and simply talking amongst themselves.
Every few minutes, someone would drive by and shout something negative from a car--predictable things like "Get a Job you lazy..." To which one or another person from the camp would shout something back at them. At one point, after this had escalated somewhat, one of the women in the training session said, "Don't feed the trolls." Her statement stood out. It was clear that she was trying to encourage the camp to stay focused and not let the movement and the people drift to a lower level of purpose. She didn't say anything more or harangue those of the group that had let their frustration get the best of them but she did make her point. Shouting back negative things at cars was not going to accomplish their goals.
Don't feed the Trolls... I am not even sure I know what that phrase means but it immediately made sense to me. It reminded me of my own temptation to return fire with fire, idiocy with idiocy, hate for hate. And it is hard sometimes because trolls (and they come in many forms!) can truly get annoying. But the fact is that feeding them just encourages them, doesn't it? Seeing the rise out of us fuels their appetite for destruction and negative energy. Seeing us loose our composure and sink a level or two only serves to assure them that there suspicions about us are correct.
This was something that the early Church constantly had to struggle with. It is something that the Church always has to struggle with. The world is watching. And there are those who enjoy nothing more than catching Christians behaving badly. BTW, there are trolls in in the church too.
So what do we do? I don't think the point is to simply take the abuse (though, according to the Sermon on the Mount, it might be). But we do need to be careful about how we respond. Because the message always includes the package that it comes in. Sometimes folks are simply not listening. Other times, they are just hoping to drag you down. It is at these points that we must resist the temptation to feed that negativity. Because the fact is, it's just tough to change the world by shouting at passing cars.
For those who are curious, I respect what folks are trying to do in the various Occupy sites. I sense that they are facing an enormously uphill battle. But I like the fact that people stand up for what they believe and what they believe in. It seems to me that we are living through some challenging times and we really do need some change. I do not know what is going to come of all this but it is my sincere hope that it does not turn us all into trolls.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Some Fine Morning
I had breakfast this morning with a number of men from our church. After we had finished, one of the gentleman waited to speak to me. He asked me if I was O.K. I was a little surprised because we all had a great breakfast, pretty-much laughing all the way through it. I wondered what kind of aura I was giving off.
I replied that I was fine and that I actually felt very good. To which he agreed and said that he sensed the same but just wanted to check. After we talked for a while, I got in the car to drive to work and realized that I really did feel good. I then went on to have a great morning--talking to others, catching up with some friends via email and then having the time to work on my blog.
All that positive reinforcement strangely reminded me of how sometimes it seems that just when our work is over and we might have some time for rest that we are called home. I briefly considered that my present joy might perhaps be a sign of some imminent demise... Of course, that is just the kind of morbid thought that I would expect from myself on an otherwise perfect day!
But it is not altogether crazy. Think of MLK's final sermon or Kennedy's warning to the country shortly before his death. Think of Jesus' important work and how just when it seemed that the disciples might be getting it that he was soon saying goodbye to them.
I remember well the last conversation that I ever had with my dad. I remember leaving the house thinking that I had never seen him so much at peace. The next thing I knew I was getting a call at college from my mom telling me that he had had a heart attack. Strange...
I certainly do not sense that my work on this earth is done--I probably won't even get it done, even if I live another forty or fifty years. Still though, it is something to think about. That we all have some stuff to work on down here. And when it is accomplished, it will be time to go home.
Death is a taboo subject in our modern world. We go out of our way to make sure that we only see things that are full of youth and health, vitality and vigor. It is no longer enough that we watch all those shows about celebrities, we now have shows that update us on what is happening with celebrities when they are not doing shows... Coincidentally, I received an email today from one of the local plastic surgery offices, the subject line read, "You can be Beautiful for the Holidays & Save." Since I am having such a good day, I am going to assume that it was SPAM and not the universe trying to tell me something!
Of course, the truth is that death is part of life. And while I am in no hurry to experience it, I also do not want to let it secretly enslave me. What I mean here is that our fear of death can actually keep us from living life. And fear itself is very likely a form of death. In this way, Christian claims about resurrection and eternal life are probably profound truths that we are just beginning to understand.
For those who are looking for the "practical point" in all of this, here it is: In several places, Jesus makes reference to the surprise of the Gospel. Most familiar here, is his statement, "For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it." (Lk:24) But Jesus puts it slightly different later in Luke's Gospel, stating, "Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it." (Lk. 17:33)
I sense that there is more here than we generally see. Of course, we understand this in terms of final things. But is not what Jesus is saying here also true in daily or common things? When we think of free people, or people who are truly alive, do we think of people who are all bound-up and worried about things, strategically trying to secure everything and insuring the future? Or, do we rather think of the people that we know who venture their lives--people who, by casting aside fear and anxiety, invest themselves in the people and the worthwhile projects around them? People, who in a sense, die to themselves and thereby also die to their fears.
Alison reminds us of the beautiful craziness of all this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdRdqp4N3Jw
I replied that I was fine and that I actually felt very good. To which he agreed and said that he sensed the same but just wanted to check. After we talked for a while, I got in the car to drive to work and realized that I really did feel good. I then went on to have a great morning--talking to others, catching up with some friends via email and then having the time to work on my blog.
All that positive reinforcement strangely reminded me of how sometimes it seems that just when our work is over and we might have some time for rest that we are called home. I briefly considered that my present joy might perhaps be a sign of some imminent demise... Of course, that is just the kind of morbid thought that I would expect from myself on an otherwise perfect day!
But it is not altogether crazy. Think of MLK's final sermon or Kennedy's warning to the country shortly before his death. Think of Jesus' important work and how just when it seemed that the disciples might be getting it that he was soon saying goodbye to them.
I remember well the last conversation that I ever had with my dad. I remember leaving the house thinking that I had never seen him so much at peace. The next thing I knew I was getting a call at college from my mom telling me that he had had a heart attack. Strange...
I certainly do not sense that my work on this earth is done--I probably won't even get it done, even if I live another forty or fifty years. Still though, it is something to think about. That we all have some stuff to work on down here. And when it is accomplished, it will be time to go home.
Death is a taboo subject in our modern world. We go out of our way to make sure that we only see things that are full of youth and health, vitality and vigor. It is no longer enough that we watch all those shows about celebrities, we now have shows that update us on what is happening with celebrities when they are not doing shows... Coincidentally, I received an email today from one of the local plastic surgery offices, the subject line read, "You can be Beautiful for the Holidays & Save." Since I am having such a good day, I am going to assume that it was SPAM and not the universe trying to tell me something!
Of course, the truth is that death is part of life. And while I am in no hurry to experience it, I also do not want to let it secretly enslave me. What I mean here is that our fear of death can actually keep us from living life. And fear itself is very likely a form of death. In this way, Christian claims about resurrection and eternal life are probably profound truths that we are just beginning to understand.
For those who are looking for the "practical point" in all of this, here it is: In several places, Jesus makes reference to the surprise of the Gospel. Most familiar here, is his statement, "For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it." (Lk:24) But Jesus puts it slightly different later in Luke's Gospel, stating, "Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it." (Lk. 17:33)
I sense that there is more here than we generally see. Of course, we understand this in terms of final things. But is not what Jesus is saying here also true in daily or common things? When we think of free people, or people who are truly alive, do we think of people who are all bound-up and worried about things, strategically trying to secure everything and insuring the future? Or, do we rather think of the people that we know who venture their lives--people who, by casting aside fear and anxiety, invest themselves in the people and the worthwhile projects around them? People, who in a sense, die to themselves and thereby also die to their fears.
Alison reminds us of the beautiful craziness of all this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdRdqp4N3Jw
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