I've been away on a blessed vacation this last week and had a wonderful, peaceful time in the Smokey Mountains and in Kentucky's grand forests. I'm rested and back.
And what do I get when I get back (at another blog)? A complaint from a long-time reader. And so, I'm addressing this post to her...
Tell you what, Mom2: I'm a reasonable guy. I WANT to know God. I WANT to walk in God's ways. I WANT to know God's salvation and grace.
That being the case, I am open to being taught. I happen to believe that I am ENTIRELY fallible and able to be mistaken.
Come by my blog or send me an email and tell me what exact "my error" is in any regards, not just on my sartorial tastes. This is your chance to, graciously and kindly, show me the error of my ways.
A suggestion: Begin by saying, "Dan, when you say..." and quote me and explain why what I've actually SAID is mistaken or in error.
Help me. Teach me. I'll wipe out our history and listen with a fresh and open mind.
Here's your chance.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Easter...
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead...
So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead...
Donna and Dan - 10
Another post in the countdown to Dan and Donna's 25th anniversary this coming June, which I began back in December. It is my plan to post a story, remembrance and/or poem once a week for 25 weeks leading to the big date.Down to less than ten weeks now...
When we got married, we decided to find a church together and that I would leave the church of my childhood (Victory Memorial Baptist Church, over near my parents in the south end). About that same time, one of the guys in the band - Ed, who attended a Nazarene church - had heard about this struggling Nazarene church in Louisville's Portland neighborhood. Portland was and is a poorer section in the West End of Louisville and this church was just barely staying afloat. And so, two of the guys in the band, Donna and I all joined Westside Church of the Nazarene and it became our first church home as a couple.
The church consisted of the minister - a stern, fire-and-brimstone part-time pastor/full-time electrician - an elderly piano player, her husband and a dozen or so children and teenagers. Also, we had Billy as a fairly regular guest. Billy is an elderly gentleman with some mental retardation and he is just a delight (the last I knew, Billy was still with us, although he must be ancient, by now). He would often accompany the piano player on his harmonica, which he played with more enthusiasm and grace than talent.
The piano player, Mrs. Loyall, had grown up playing piano for silent movies and, as a result, played hymns with a sort of bawdy, ragtime feel. Her rollicking piano playing notwithstanding, she was a bit on the stern side, too.
And so, these four idealistic young adults joined the mix of the elderly and young at Westside. We spent some time working on the building, doing concerts, leading Vacation Bible School and other youth activities and, occasionally, butting heads with the pastor and piano player. Mostly, we got along well, but there were at least a few tense times.
After a couple years of doing that, we joined Baptist Tabernacle, also in Louisville's West End/Portland. This was while Donna was still in the Seminary, 1987, I believe. Baptist Tabernacle had been a fairly large and historic church in Louisville in the 1950s and 1960s. It had been a white church that had thrown itself into the fight for civil rights at a time when Louisville still had a good deal of antipathy towards the notion.
But, like many urban churches, it had dwindled down from an attendance of about 400-500 to about 100 by the time we had begun attending. It is in a section of town that had experienced "white flight," and with people leaving that end of town, they also left Tabernacle. Still, those who remained were a dedicated group concerned about their neighborhood.
To that end, Donna was eventually offered a Church Social Worker position at Tabernacle. She struggled with meager resources and sometimes opposition to new ideas. Donna and the church did much good work, nonetheless. She graduated from the Seminary in 1988 and we moved into our first house on West Main St...
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Happy Resurrection Day!
Once more to new creation Awake,
and death gainsay,
For death is swallowed up of life,
And Christ is risen today!
~George Newell Lovejoy
and death gainsay,
For death is swallowed up of life,
And Christ is risen today!
~George Newell Lovejoy
Happy Resurrection Day!
He takes men out of time and makes them feel eternity.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
For I remember it is Easter morn,
And life and love and peace are all new born.
~Alice Freeman Palmer
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
For I remember it is Easter morn,
And life and love and peace are all new born.
~Alice Freeman Palmer
Happy Resurrection Day!
Some photos from Jeff St service this morning, and a quote from St Wendell...
Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it...
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go.
Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.
Happy Easter to all.
Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it...
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go.
Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.
Happy Easter to all.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Donna and Dan - 11
Another post in the countdown to Dan and Donna's 25th anniversary this coming June, which I began back in December. It is my plan to post a story, remembrance and/or poem once a week for 25 weeks leading to the big date.
So, here we were, a newly married couple living in a TINY apartment on campus at the Southern Baptist Seminary. This was a four room apartment. The kitchen was little more than a hallway between the door and the living room, with just a bit of counter space.
The living room was the largest room, maybe about 10 x 16' with enough room for a couch, a table and a small Christmas tree at Christmas time (but not much else). The bathroom was just functional with a toilet, shower, sink and just enough room for one person to maneuver between these. The bedroom was just that: a room with a bed filling it up, nearly wall to wall.
We took this apartment, which was basically a one person apartment, in order to save on money, of which we had none. I was working a 40 hour minimum wage job and, although Donna was busy with her seminary classes, she held some part time jobs while in school. On top of that, there was the one summer where I decided to become "self-unemployed" (as I aptly called it) and did lawncare. (I came up with this GREAT name for the business - Lawn Order, like Law n' Order, but with "Lawn," great, right?? - but beyond that, I was a pretty ineffective businessman.)
We were dirt poor and happy as a pair of loons.
Our major concerns during those first years were getting through school, arranging more opportunities for my Christian band to play, staying faithful to the church and being madly in love. I had some concerns because the Seminary, in those days, had a reputation for being too "liberal" which, in Baptist parlance at the time, meant basically that they were pretty traditional and conservative but thought maybe - just maybe - it would be okay for women to preach and otherwise be ministers.
For my part, I didn't much trust education. I thought that if you weren't reading the Bible and REAL Christian writers (CS Lewis, Corrie Ten Boom, Jonathan Edwards, Chuck Swindoll, etc), that you were opening up your mind to possible corruption. Seriously. I just didn't see much great advantage in going to school and I saw a lot of risks.
Of course, I trusted Donna to be discerning and not learn any "bad" education, only the "good" stuff. Still, it was a concern. After all, sometimes couples grow apart and develop different interests, priorities, beliefs, even! What if that happened??
As it turned out, we grew together, for the most part. We remained pretty traditional during those first few seminary years, but it was traditional with a deep concern for the poor, for children, for the disabled, for peacemaking. Donna had some desire to be a missionary of some sort, but I was pretty dedicated to doing ministry through my band and we weren't sure how that would work out.
It was in those first few years that we started talking some about living in Christian community. Some in my band were interested in having some sort of Christian retreat/camp setting where we kids and youth could come and we could have concerts and other ministries in that setting. It is a theme which has recurred in various forms throughout our life together.
So, here we were, a newly married couple living in a TINY apartment on campus at the Southern Baptist Seminary. This was a four room apartment. The kitchen was little more than a hallway between the door and the living room, with just a bit of counter space.
The living room was the largest room, maybe about 10 x 16' with enough room for a couch, a table and a small Christmas tree at Christmas time (but not much else). The bathroom was just functional with a toilet, shower, sink and just enough room for one person to maneuver between these. The bedroom was just that: a room with a bed filling it up, nearly wall to wall.
We took this apartment, which was basically a one person apartment, in order to save on money, of which we had none. I was working a 40 hour minimum wage job and, although Donna was busy with her seminary classes, she held some part time jobs while in school. On top of that, there was the one summer where I decided to become "self-unemployed" (as I aptly called it) and did lawncare. (I came up with this GREAT name for the business - Lawn Order, like Law n' Order, but with "Lawn," great, right?? - but beyond that, I was a pretty ineffective businessman.)
We were dirt poor and happy as a pair of loons.
Our major concerns during those first years were getting through school, arranging more opportunities for my Christian band to play, staying faithful to the church and being madly in love. I had some concerns because the Seminary, in those days, had a reputation for being too "liberal" which, in Baptist parlance at the time, meant basically that they were pretty traditional and conservative but thought maybe - just maybe - it would be okay for women to preach and otherwise be ministers.
For my part, I didn't much trust education. I thought that if you weren't reading the Bible and REAL Christian writers (CS Lewis, Corrie Ten Boom, Jonathan Edwards, Chuck Swindoll, etc), that you were opening up your mind to possible corruption. Seriously. I just didn't see much great advantage in going to school and I saw a lot of risks.
Of course, I trusted Donna to be discerning and not learn any "bad" education, only the "good" stuff. Still, it was a concern. After all, sometimes couples grow apart and develop different interests, priorities, beliefs, even! What if that happened??
As it turned out, we grew together, for the most part. We remained pretty traditional during those first few seminary years, but it was traditional with a deep concern for the poor, for children, for the disabled, for peacemaking. Donna had some desire to be a missionary of some sort, but I was pretty dedicated to doing ministry through my band and we weren't sure how that would work out.
It was in those first few years that we started talking some about living in Christian community. Some in my band were interested in having some sort of Christian retreat/camp setting where we kids and youth could come and we could have concerts and other ministries in that setting. It is a theme which has recurred in various forms throughout our life together.
The Bible and Economics...
Part of an ongoing series looking at all the many passages in the Bible that deal with wealth and poverty issues. You can see the links to the other passages in the series under the heading "The Bible and Economics" below.
I began looking at the "wealth" of material (ha!) found in Psalms on this topic back in September, offering findings from the first ten Psalms. Today, I offer some passages from Psalm 24 to Psalm 37, which especially focuses fairly specifically on the notion of "the wicked" oppressing the poor...
The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it, for God founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters...
~Psalm 24: 1-2
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in God.
Fear the LORD, you saints, for those who fear God lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
~Psalm 34: 8-10
My whole being will exclaim,
"Who is like you, O LORD ?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them."
~Psalm 35:10 (Note: the whole chapter is about God delivering the Psalmist)
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for God knows their day is coming.
The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright...
But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.
In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
But the wicked will perish: The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish—vanish like smoke.
The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off...
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.
~Psalm 37: 7-22, 25-26
I began looking at the "wealth" of material (ha!) found in Psalms on this topic back in September, offering findings from the first ten Psalms. Today, I offer some passages from Psalm 24 to Psalm 37, which especially focuses fairly specifically on the notion of "the wicked" oppressing the poor...
The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it, for God founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters...
~Psalm 24: 1-2
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in God.
Fear the LORD, you saints, for those who fear God lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
~Psalm 34: 8-10
My whole being will exclaim,
"Who is like you, O LORD ?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them."
~Psalm 35:10 (Note: the whole chapter is about God delivering the Psalmist)
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for God knows their day is coming.
The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright...
But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.
In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
But the wicked will perish: The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish—vanish like smoke.
The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off...
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.
~Psalm 37: 7-22, 25-26
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Donna and Dan - 12
June 1, 1985
On a gray rainy June day
Discomfort and noise and confusion
Rushing, final arrangements, frustration
Chaos, frayed nerves exposed,
Stepped upon
Twisted
Pulled
Torn
And then she says, "I Do,"
And we kiss
And sunshine sneaks in through the windows
And we embrace
And everything
For evermore
Is all right.
On a gray rainy June day
Discomfort and noise and confusion
Rushing, final arrangements, frustration
Chaos, frayed nerves exposed,
Stepped upon
Twisted
Pulled
Torn
And then she says, "I Do,"
And we kiss
And sunshine sneaks in through the windows
And we embrace
And everything
For evermore
Is all right.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Lord, Have Mercy...
In the news...
Washington (CNN) -- Shots fired at a congressman's campaign headquarters. Windows smashed at Democratic offices across the country. A coffin placed on a lawmaker's lawn. Hate-filled voice mail messages left on members of Congress' phone lines.
Those are just some of the incidents reported since the House passed historic health care reform legislation Sunday -- a bill that became the law of the land.
The issue has unleashed a deep-seated anger from those worried about a government takeover of health care, and what they deem as the process being "rammed through" Congress...
Republican House members encouraged protesters outside and inside the House gallery, some of whom carried messages like "Vote no or else" or "If Brown won't stop it, a Browning will" -- a reference to newly elected Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown accompanied by a silhouette of a pistol.
But the anger has boiled over into physical and verbal threats. Windows have been smashed at Democratic offices in at least three states, and federal agents are investigating whether a cut gas line at the home of a Virginia congressman's brother was related to the lawmaker's yes vote...
======
sigh.
Let's pray for and/or raise concerned thoughts for our nation and our neighbors who are tempted to express their disagreement with violence and threats.
======
UPDATE:
On a related theme to this and to update my earlier post about Glenn Beck, Beck has gone on the attack against Jim Wallis, apparently. Jim Wallis had raised concern about Beck's attack on "social justice" churches and asked Beck if they could sit down and talk things over.
Beck's response?
"So Jim, I just wanted to pass this on to you. In my time I will respond — my time, well, kind of like God’s time, might be a day, might be a week to you, I’m not sure. But I’m going to get to it in my time, not your time. So you go ahead and you continue to do your protest thing, and that’s great. I love it. But just know — the hammer is coming, because little do you know, for eight weeks, we’ve been compiling information on you, your cute little organization, and all the other cute little people that are with you. And when the hammer comes, it’s going to be hammering hard and all through the night, over and over…"
======
Why are these people just so darned ugly? Why can't they talk things over like adults? Instead, too many like Beck, like these violent protesters, choose to go on the attack. It is tremendously sad. Lord, have mercy on us all. Lord, soften the hearts of those who are so full of hate and bile. Lord, have mercy...
Washington (CNN) -- Shots fired at a congressman's campaign headquarters. Windows smashed at Democratic offices across the country. A coffin placed on a lawmaker's lawn. Hate-filled voice mail messages left on members of Congress' phone lines.
Those are just some of the incidents reported since the House passed historic health care reform legislation Sunday -- a bill that became the law of the land.
The issue has unleashed a deep-seated anger from those worried about a government takeover of health care, and what they deem as the process being "rammed through" Congress...
Republican House members encouraged protesters outside and inside the House gallery, some of whom carried messages like "Vote no or else" or "If Brown won't stop it, a Browning will" -- a reference to newly elected Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown accompanied by a silhouette of a pistol.
But the anger has boiled over into physical and verbal threats. Windows have been smashed at Democratic offices in at least three states, and federal agents are investigating whether a cut gas line at the home of a Virginia congressman's brother was related to the lawmaker's yes vote...
======
sigh.
Let's pray for and/or raise concerned thoughts for our nation and our neighbors who are tempted to express their disagreement with violence and threats.
======
UPDATE:
On a related theme to this and to update my earlier post about Glenn Beck, Beck has gone on the attack against Jim Wallis, apparently. Jim Wallis had raised concern about Beck's attack on "social justice" churches and asked Beck if they could sit down and talk things over.
Beck's response?
"So Jim, I just wanted to pass this on to you. In my time I will respond — my time, well, kind of like God’s time, might be a day, might be a week to you, I’m not sure. But I’m going to get to it in my time, not your time. So you go ahead and you continue to do your protest thing, and that’s great. I love it. But just know — the hammer is coming, because little do you know, for eight weeks, we’ve been compiling information on you, your cute little organization, and all the other cute little people that are with you. And when the hammer comes, it’s going to be hammering hard and all through the night, over and over…"
======
Why are these people just so darned ugly? Why can't they talk things over like adults? Instead, too many like Beck, like these violent protesters, choose to go on the attack. It is tremendously sad. Lord, have mercy on us all. Lord, soften the hearts of those who are so full of hate and bile. Lord, have mercy...
Monday, March 22, 2010
Context is Everything
So, I had cause to stop in at a local church other than mine the other day. It's a pretty traditional, conservative church in many ways, but it's also fairly hip, with lots of energetic and kind young adults and a beautiful emphasis upon the arts.
While I was there, I looked around at some of their very interesting art on the walls and I noticed a nice, professional-looking poster for a Bible study or something that included a quote from Revelation 21...
He who was seated on the throne said, "Behold! I am making everything new!"
The book of Revelations is not my favorite, so I didn't pay that much attention to it, I just went on to look at some of the other art on display.
After a while, nature called and I made a visit to the bathroom and noticed the same poster that I saw earlier, only this time, it was right above the toilet!
He who was seated on the throne said, "Behold! I am making everything new!"
But now, well NOW, I had a whole new image of the meaning of the verse.
Hadn't ever thought of it that way before...
While I was there, I looked around at some of their very interesting art on the walls and I noticed a nice, professional-looking poster for a Bible study or something that included a quote from Revelation 21...
He who was seated on the throne said, "Behold! I am making everything new!"
The book of Revelations is not my favorite, so I didn't pay that much attention to it, I just went on to look at some of the other art on display.
After a while, nature called and I made a visit to the bathroom and noticed the same poster that I saw earlier, only this time, it was right above the toilet!
He who was seated on the throne said, "Behold! I am making everything new!"
But now, well NOW, I had a whole new image of the meaning of the verse.
Hadn't ever thought of it that way before...
Sunday, March 21, 2010
JUSTICE!
Regarding all this hubbub about churches that "push" social justice, my guess is that for some - like Glenn Beck - the term "social justice" IS a code word. They hear it mentioned at a church and they jump to they only (to them) logical conclusion: That such churches MUST be talking about socialism. When they have "social justice" meetings planned, they are actually figuring out ways to use our military to take money from the rich and give it to the poor, all the while sitting at a shrine of Joseph Stalin.
Of course, in the real world, that is just absurd. Such nightmare scenarios are all just part of the brainwashing that has happened amongst some on the Right who can ONLY imagine something like that must be happening at these churches. For this reason, it seems reasonable to them to tell people to "run" from such churches.
So, to that end, I thought I'd provide some real world examples of what we, at Jeff St, do to promote social justice, in our own words and actions.
We educate about the homeless, as we do here, here and here
We sing songs, as we do here or hymns that include these lines...
If you give food to the hungry
and set the oppressed free
then your light will rise like a light out of darkness
and the Lord will be your guide
you'll be like a well-watered garden
like a spring that never runs dry...
(...which the biblically astute will recognize as coming from the prophet Isaiah).
We preach sermons about it, as you can see here
For example. So, in any of our words, are there any actual problems, or just a people striving to be faithful to God's Way?
And yes, sometimes, we take what might be called political action. For instance, just this week, our church and about 20 others around Louisville will ask our school officials and state courts to implement a program called "restorative justice." The concept is that for many of our children, they get introduced early on to prison life for horrible mistakes they've made and actions they've committed. The problem is that, statistically, once that happens, these children will tend to become lifelong problems, with many repeat visits to prison and thus leading an unproductive life.
Restorative justice is a way of intervening early to stop that cycle of a school-to-prison pipeline. I won't go into the details here, because that's not the point. The point is, we have researched an existing justice problem, one we know well because of our own families and friends, and found a positive, productive solution. In this case, that solution can only be implemented by schools and courts. We can believe that restorative justice is a good idea, but it is only a good idea if the powers that be implement it.
And so we'll take political action, asking our elected and court officials to implement a positive change for justice.
Justice for some of the least of these, as is a repeated theme throughout the Bible.
But in any of these ACTUAL real world examples of what churches that "push" social justice do, is there anything that says, "This isn't a real church - you should RUN from it, leave it!"?
Even if someone disagreed with a particular song or action that we're doing, clearly these are actions taken in an effort to follow God. So, it would seem the most anyone could complain about is that we are mistaken. We are mistaken, some might say, to think that this "restorative justice" program is a good idea.
But even IF someone thought we were mistaken, well, churches are mistaken about things all the time. Shall we tell everyone to "run" from churches that ever make any mistakes? Obviously, that would leave our churches empty.
And so, I ask: Is there some problem with any of our actual words or actions - a problem that would call for leaving such a church? OR, is that a good, healthy, Christian political thing to be doing?
Of course, in the real world, that is just absurd. Such nightmare scenarios are all just part of the brainwashing that has happened amongst some on the Right who can ONLY imagine something like that must be happening at these churches. For this reason, it seems reasonable to them to tell people to "run" from such churches.
So, to that end, I thought I'd provide some real world examples of what we, at Jeff St, do to promote social justice, in our own words and actions.
We educate about the homeless, as we do here, here and here
We sing songs, as we do here or hymns that include these lines...
If you give food to the hungry
and set the oppressed free
then your light will rise like a light out of darkness
and the Lord will be your guide
you'll be like a well-watered garden
like a spring that never runs dry...
(...which the biblically astute will recognize as coming from the prophet Isaiah).
We preach sermons about it, as you can see here
For example. So, in any of our words, are there any actual problems, or just a people striving to be faithful to God's Way?
And yes, sometimes, we take what might be called political action. For instance, just this week, our church and about 20 others around Louisville will ask our school officials and state courts to implement a program called "restorative justice." The concept is that for many of our children, they get introduced early on to prison life for horrible mistakes they've made and actions they've committed. The problem is that, statistically, once that happens, these children will tend to become lifelong problems, with many repeat visits to prison and thus leading an unproductive life.
Restorative justice is a way of intervening early to stop that cycle of a school-to-prison pipeline. I won't go into the details here, because that's not the point. The point is, we have researched an existing justice problem, one we know well because of our own families and friends, and found a positive, productive solution. In this case, that solution can only be implemented by schools and courts. We can believe that restorative justice is a good idea, but it is only a good idea if the powers that be implement it.
And so we'll take political action, asking our elected and court officials to implement a positive change for justice.
Justice for some of the least of these, as is a repeated theme throughout the Bible.
But in any of these ACTUAL real world examples of what churches that "push" social justice do, is there anything that says, "This isn't a real church - you should RUN from it, leave it!"?
Even if someone disagreed with a particular song or action that we're doing, clearly these are actions taken in an effort to follow God. So, it would seem the most anyone could complain about is that we are mistaken. We are mistaken, some might say, to think that this "restorative justice" program is a good idea.
But even IF someone thought we were mistaken, well, churches are mistaken about things all the time. Shall we tell everyone to "run" from churches that ever make any mistakes? Obviously, that would leave our churches empty.
And so, I ask: Is there some problem with any of our actual words or actions - a problem that would call for leaving such a church? OR, is that a good, healthy, Christian political thing to be doing?
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