Islamic Community Center

It seems as if everyone and their brother have expressed their opinion on the proposed Islamic Community Center to be build at Park51 in NYC… or the proposed mosque in Mufreesboro, Tenn… or in Temecula, Calif… or in Florence, Ky.  So I might as well weigh in too.  I feel compelled to comment from the two traditions of my being – as an American citizen and as a Presbyterian Christian. 

First let me say that I find it more than mildly ironic that this nation, which was largely founded by those seeking the freedom to practice their religion (which was not necessarily Christian, by the way), is now so consumed with the question of the appropriateness of religious freedom for Muslims in America.  As listed in the Bill of Rights, the very first amendment of the U.S. Constitution states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.                         [underlining by me]

Yet , hardly two centuries later, here many of my countrymen (and women) are trying to do exactly that – seeking to deny other citizens of their right to freely exercise their religion.  Suddenly an abandoned Burlington Coat Factory in the heart of NYC is “holy ground.”  Give me a break!

As President Bush reminded our nation the evening of the horror of 9/11, “The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics; a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam… All Americans must recognize that the face of terror is not the true face of Islam.” 

And as President Obama and others have commented, the terrorists who attacked us on 9-11-2001 are viciously intolerant.  So do we honor the memory of those who died on 9/11 and since by imitating those who killed them? 

We are Americans.  Religious toleration is a hefty piece of the foundation of our identity.  We must not and we cannot continue to carry on as many have been in this matter. 

Just as I shutter to think of the horrors and injustices done by Christian extremists over the centuries and plead to not be painted with their same brush, so I long for our nation to be able to distinguish those faithful Muslims who truly practice their faith from the violent zealots who enact death and destruction upon millions in the name of a self-serving parody of Islam.  In so doing, I hope that we can re-orient ourselves around the First Amendment and respect (and even defend) the right of all people to freely practice their religion in America.

Now to put my Presbyterian hat on, I’ll simply remind us of a few lines from “A Declaration of Faith” – the statement of faith written in 1974 by the southern branch of our now reunited denomination.  In chapter seven, paragraph 4 it speaks of the church encountering other faiths:

The church has often lived and worked

     Among those who do not share the Christian faith…

We do not fully comprehend God’s way with other faiths.

We need to listen to them with openness and respect,

     Testing their words to us by God’s Word.

We should be loving and unafraid in our dealings with them.

 In other words, we Presbyterians are part of a tradition that both recognizes and respects the legitimacy of other faiths.  Though, I must confess, this tradition has its own sorted history when it comes to living through this vision.  Yet I’d like to feel confident that in the 21^st century, we Presbyterians would be at the forefront of challenging the Islamophobia that appears to have seized a vocal segment of our American society.

As I understand our Presbyterian theology, we make such an affirmation as found above out of our ultimate trust in God as sovereign.  Indeed, it is this trust that sets us apart from others in our country today.  We Presbyterians believe that we do not need to live in fear.  Rather, we believe that we are called to live in trust with God.  And in that trust, we believe that God will work through us and others. 

Thus from both theological and constitutional perspectives, I believe the plan to construct an Islamic Community Center at Park51 and the requests for mosques to be built in other communities in our country should be approved and respected.

God’s Good Stuff

It never fails!  After preaching a sermon or teaching a class, I run across a book or an article that I wish I’d had in preparing for that sermon or class.  And such is the case with an article in the July 13 edition of The Christian Century that I just got to.  In it, Michael L. Lindvall (pastor of Brick Presbyterian Church in NYC) speaks about God’s good stuff, “Living in a Material World.”

So let me quote Michael, as a follow-up to my last posting “More than a Consumer.”  He writes:

“… what I believe scripture witnesses to is a theology that understands the incarnation as the definitive sign, in one time and place, of the ever-presence of the Living God within God’s good material creation…      

The soul danger lies in the insatiable longing to acquire new things one after another, more and more things, as if the getting of them somehow proves our worth in comparison with others, as if the having of them can fill the emptiness.  It’s this insatiable drive to acquire stuff rather than the stuff itself that’s the problem.

The attempt to stuff more and more stuff into that unfilled place in our souls that only God can fill becomes, of course, idolatry – making what God made into god.”

 Well put, Michael!

More than a Consumer

The lesson the other Sunday was Jesus’ parable of “the foolish rich man” – the guy who thinks he has it all and wants more.  So he builds bigger “barns” to hold his ever increasing possessions, only to die holding a dubious value system.  (see Luke 12)  This lesson has a real tendency to get next to us affluent Americans, and rightly so.  My sermon, as did Jesus’ parable, challenged our priorities and called for us all to live more faithfully with our resources. 

A line in that sermon commented about our culture growing us more into consumers than citizens.  It called to mind an experience one of our daughters recently had with her then almost 3 year old daughter.  Their family had recently finally given up on their fifteen year old Honda Civic and purchased a much newer, “gently” used Volvo wagon.  Needless to say, their family – which now also includes a 7 month old – greatly appreciated the new wheels, especially the extra space. 

However, their young 3 year old (let’s call her “Maddie”) soon tired of the “new” car and longed for their old Honda.  Her mom carefully explained to Maddie how things get old, are more prone to difficulties, and need to be replaced – their logic and rationale for the “new” car.  Okay, Maddie seemed satisfied.

Then a few weeks later, Maddie came to her mom insisting that the family needed a new dog!  You can well understand that their family dog “Aquila” (age 13 years) has been on the decline as Maddie’s awareness and activity level has been growing by leaps and bounds.  So, after having friends with a young lively dog visit , a dog who was able to join her in boundless energy, Maddie had logically concluded that it was time for a doggie change.  Maddie was all ready to “trade in” Aquila for a newer dog, just like they’d done with the car! 

Needless to say, there was another conversation between Maddie and her mom.  This one (so I’ve been told) went along the lines of what it means to be a family and how love/commitment to family – unlike to cars – is unending, even rising above the aches and pains of aging. 

As I seem to come to more closely resemble The Velveteen Rabbit with every passing day, I can truly appreciate the lesson that is before Maddie… indeed before our entire culture.  In an age when most products are intentionally designed and constructed to have only a limited life-span, when relationships (i.e. marriages, alliances between countries) fail as often as they succeed, and when life itself is so easily snuffed out in a momentary flash of emotion, there is another way of living that must constantly challenge that of our popular culture.  We cannot continue to be a “throw away” society.  Nor can we continue to consume at our previous rates.  Neither we nor our world can sustain it.

As the counsel of Jesus, as well as the wisdom of a concerned mom, expressed it, we cannot simply be concerned for ourselves.  We must realize that we are family – the family of humanity.  And we must live like the caring family we are challenged to be, maintaining (or perhaps first establishing) a love and commitment for one another that rises above the aches and pains of life.

If a three year old can learn this lesson, why can’t all the rest of us?

Peek-a-boo

I’m not sure what to make of the news these days.  So what else is new, right?

Yesterday, The Washington Post and others headlined the fact that the blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico gushed oil 12 times faster than the government and BP estimated in the early weeks of the crisis.  According to the latest estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Department of Energy, BP’s Macondo well spewed 62,000 barrels of oil a day initially, and as the reservoir gradually depleted itself, the flow eased to 53,000 barrels a day until the well was finally capped and sealed July 15.  Yesterday’s news was that BP’s free-flowing oil well had spewed a whopping total of 4.9 million barrels — or 205.8 million gallons — into the Gulf.[i]  Thus, this has been the worst off-shore oil accident in history.

So much for yesterday’s news!  This morning’s headlines trumpeted the word of the Interior Department and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which reports that nearly three-quarters of the oil — more than 152 million gallons — has been collected at the well by a temporary containment cap, been cleaned up or chemically dispersed, or naturally deteriorated, evaporated or dissolved, according to.  The report goes on to indicate that only about a quarter of the spilled oil remains in the Gulf and is degrading quickly, with the rest having been contained, cleaned up, or otherwise disappeared.[ii]

It’s that final phrase that grabbed my attention – “otherwise disappeared.”  It seems that over the past 24 hours a major miracle has occurred… or at least a successful public relations spin has been accomplished!

You see, buried deep within yesterday’s news was the report that BP had managed to capture roughly 800,000 barrels of oil with its various containment strategies — a riser insertion tool, a “top hat,” and flaring from a surface rig.  (This represented only about one-sixth of the crude that surged into the gulf over the course of nearly three months.)  In all, it now appears that about 1.2 million barrels of oil have been accounted for, either burned, captured or skimmed off the ocean’s surface.  That’s about a quarter of yesterday’s new estimate for the total oil spill.

So where has the other three-quarters of the oil gone?  Well, the “experts” are unsure!  They theorize that some of the oil has evaporated and some has been consumed by microbes.  But scientists remain troubled by the possibility that large amounts of oil remain underwater in cloudlike plumes. [iii] [Ah, the “blessing” of dispersants!]

According to Ron Kendall, director of the Institute of Environmental and Human Health at Texas Tech University. who will testify before Congress today about his fears that dispersant chemicals have helped much of this oil sink into deep-sea habitats, “[The case of the missing oil] further confirms that a lot of the oil is still at sea.“[iv]

I feel as if I’m back with my seven month old grandson, playing peek-a-boo.  Just by placing his hands over his eyes, Talon thinks I can no longer see him and I’m convinced that he’s no longer there.  Obviously in the minds of the spinners and powers that be (BP and the feds), it’s simply a case of out-of-sight-out-of-mind.  Presto, change, millions of gallons of pesky and polluting oil has marvelously disappeared!

While I’m fairly confident Talon will grow out of such a childish perception, I’m not nearly as confident when it comes to the BPs of the world or much of government for that matter.

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[i] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/02/AR2010080204695.html

[ii] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38556106/ns/disaster_in_the_gulf/

[iii]  www.washingtonost, op. cit..

[iv]  Ibid.

Escaping

Writing in the current edition of The Christian Century (July 27), Krista Tippet recalls her grandfather (The Rev. Calvin Titus Perkins) with great fondness.  He was a Southern Baptist evangelist, who traveled the Oklahoma plains.  She remembers him as “a man of passion, but also a lover of order, a believer in rules… His was a small, closed world defined by judgment.” 

Accordingly, Krista says her grandfather’s theology believed that “every Catholic and Jew, every atheist in China, and every northern Baptist in Chicago,” as well as every non-Southern Baptist was damned.  She summarizes her young adult feelings by saying that, in many ways, he “epitomized what I felt I had to escape from.”  In the remainder of her article (My Grandfather’s Faith), Krista tracks her own faith’s transition and wonders about that of the American church over these same years.

As a child of the south myself, growing up in the mid-twentieth century, I too can identify with familial and societal small and closed mindedness.  Whether we’re talking racial discrimination, religious intolerance, and/or prejudice against gays, I must shamefully say “Been there.  Done that!”

However, like many in our country – including Krista – I have also experienced my own spiritual and ethical transformation.  Thank God!  Furthermore, I am proud to be part of a church (Presbyterian Church USA) that has – and still is – laboring against discrimination, intolerance, and prejudice in most every form. 

As one indication of the transformation that has and still is occurring, a recent survey of Presbyterians by the PCUSA Research Services Office reveals that 61% of those surveyed believe that salvation is not just restricted to Christians.  Additionally, 37% believe that all the world’s religions are equally good ways of finding ultimate truth.  To thankfully rephrase the old TV ad line, it’s no longer your father’s (or grandfather’s) church! 

But there’s still much more to be done.  There’s still so much we need “to escape from.”

The Problem with the Church

For the past half century, it’s been open season on mainline Protestant churches in this country.  Over this span, we Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, etc. have been moved from the mainline to the sideline, as other religious voices have become louder and more influential in the life of our country and community.  And our mainline churches themselves have become less and less substantial, loosing members at an ever appalling rate.  [Note: The church I presently serve is no exception, though we’ve attempted to turn the tide through various programs over the years.]

Literally, everyone and their brother has an idea of what has/is causing the church’s decline: radically liberal theology/politics, unappealing worship services, low birth rates, beliefs inconsistent with 21^st century knowledge, as well as a fixation on reclaiming the past instead of being open to the future.  In my own mind, all of these factors (some more so than others) play a role in the declining posture of mainline churches.  And to this list must be added the overall context of life in the late 20^th and early 21^st centuries, as society in general has become less religiously centered.

However, I’m not here to raise excuses for myself as a mainline Protestant minister nor for our churches.  Instead, I’d like to identify a further culprit, at least as I see it. 

Several years ago, as part of a presbytery (a regional Presbyterian entity) committee, I moderated a meeting that was called to encourage ministers in their preaching to grapple with the difficult and trying issues of the day, i.e. the place of war in our nation’s foreign policy, climate change, etc.  As an opening step in this conversation among colleagues, we asked each minister to share what contemporary topics they’d recently addressed in their preaching.  As minister after minister commented, I was astounded to hear that almost every one present stayed away from contemporary “hot button” issues in their preaching.  Several cited the fear of creating conflict, losing members, or the loss of contributions as the reasons they did not address such issues in their preaching.  When we pressed the matter, asking if such difficult issues might be presented even-handedly (assessing various “sides,” the pros and the cons,  without taking a definitive position as an opportunity to assist congregants in their own struggles), one minister seemed to speak for the large majority present, stating she’d suffer sizeable negative consequences for just raising such an issue in a sermon.  Thus one minister declared “I just preach plain vanilla sermons.”

The frustration of that day – indeed of almost 40 years in ministry – came rushing back to me the other day, as I was reading the June 29 edition of The Christian Century.  A brief article noted a group of California pastors who’d studied the sermons and speeches of a wide spectrum of well-known preachers ranging from Joel Osteen to Jeremiah Wright.  The group concluded that “each of the speakers had a life message which came from a deep place within them that God had touched.”  They then lamented that too many pastors have “become footnote-ers rather than truth-tellers.”  I’ll say “Amen” to that. 

In my own opinion, a further contributing element (perhaps THE element) leading to the decline of mainline churches has been and is the “vanilla” preaching of most ministers.  [And I’ll take my own share of responsibility here too!] 

I couldn’t agree more with those California pastors.  People do not come to church for information.  Rather, folks “want to observe a living fire in a real person.”  In that regard, many of us mainline ministers are our own worst enemy.

For more on the California pastors’ assessment see the February edition of “Currents in Theology and Mission.”

Vacation

I’m presently on vacation with my family.  What a great time – kids, grandkids, a different schedule, plus days (and nights) filled with new adventures.   With our family so spread out and rarely able to get together in person, this time is truly special.

In observance of the vacation spirit, my blog is also on vacation.  I’ll have a new post the week of July 12.

Until then, I hope that you also find renewal in these special days.

The World Cup

I stayed up later than I should have last night… watching soccer!  As most of the civilized, as well as uncivilized, portions of our world know, it’s World Cup time – the rowdy few weeks that arise every four years when a true world champion is determined on the “pitch.”

 Earlier in the day, I’d videotaped the match between the U.S. and Algeria, which would determine whether or not the U.S. made it out of Group C and into the next round of the tournament.  And, miracle of miracles, I made it through the entire day (with some help from family members) without hearing the score.  So after tending to the day’s work and some chores, I settled in to an evening of soccer and then some. 

 Already excited by the critical nature of the match, I felt my stomach tighten even more when breakdowns in the U.S. defense almost permitted Algeria a goal in the game’s opening minutes.  But slowly, as the first half wound on, the U.S. team seemed to find its life, finally scoring, only to not score.  [Robbed again!]  Then in the second half as the action picked up, so did my pulse… especially as the goals, time and time again, refused to come.  As the game’s final minutes of regulation sped to conclusion, my tormented soul (along with millions of others I’m sure) was already struggling with the reality that looked us square in the face – another tie and another quick trip home for the U.S. team. 

But, as we can all now truly appreciate, there’s a provision in soccer for “stoppage time” (additional minutes added to play for time earlier spent on injuries, etc.).  Not quite mid-way into “stoppage time,” just when it appeared total darkness was surely going to consume U.S. soccer yet again, suddenly a bolt of lightning struck.   U.S. goalie Tim Howard made a spectacular save at the U.S. goal and fed the ball to Landon Donovan.  He sent a long pass to Jozy Altidore, whose shot on a breakaway was tipped by Clint Dempsey into the Algerian goalkeeper.  But the rebound of that shot went to Donovan, who tapped it in to the Algerian goal, giving the U.S. a 1-0 lead that held up for the remaining minute plus, setting off a raucous celebration.

 And now, rather than having been completely eliminated, the U.S. is the winner of Group C, moves on in the tournament, and is even being mentioned, buy some, as a favorite to make the finals.  As I heard one sports commentator says today, “Thanks to last night’s game, people who, yesterday, could have cared less about soccer are soccer fans today.”  Truly, it was a magical night.

 I guess all that is a good illustration of why I have been, am, and probably always be a sports fan.  Put a sporting competition in front of me, I watch it, if I’m not trying to play in it.  It’s the challenge… the demand that calls forth depths of skill and spirit… the swings of emotion… and often the surprise of the unexpected.  And, yes, it’s “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” to recalled Jim McKay’s famous line.

While there’s much that’s wrong in the world of sport these days (I’ll save that for another topic, but you know too well what I mean), there are moments thanks to sports that take us to a higher, better level of existence.  That den of stadium noise that is the South African sound of pride – the Vuvuzela – is one example of an entire people lifted by sport (see also the movie Invictus for the rugby version).  The grace displayed by both Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga and umpire Jim Joyce at the “no hitter” that wasn’t is another recent gift of sport to us.  And, to be perfectly honest, those thrilling upsets that have David taking down Goliath (see Boise State 43 vs. Oklahoma 42 in overtime in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl and yesterday’s unlikely probability that the 2010 U.S. World Cup team would advance) are also gifts to us.  

 For all the above, I say “Thank you!”  Now tonight I need some sleep.

Haiti Relief Update

I’ve written here before about our Presbyterian Church’s response to the horrific earthquake in Haiti last January.  Here’s a brief update, which overviews some of the things we Presbyterians have been doing to relieve the plight the Haitians and to assist in their restoration. 

At last report, we Presbyterians have contributed $9.57 million to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance for relief work in Haiti.  In Haiti, our denomination is working with ecumenical partners to provide direct relief.  Our donations have been utilized in supporting food and water distribution sites; providing thousands of tents, tarps, and other forms of shelter; and sending more than 35,000 hygiene and baby care kits.

At present our denomination is in conversation to determine the feasibility of sending short-term volunteer mission groups to assist in the relief efforts.  According to Jon Brown of our denomination’s staff, “We are cautiously hopeful” that groups could begin going to Haiti by next fall and that resource materials will be available to help congregations to track the recovery process.

We Presbyterians continue to be active in displaying the love and care of our Lord, as we seek God’s healing of our broken world and its broken bodies.

Very Interesting

Those of us getting “long in the tooth” will remember (and chuckle a bit) Arte Johnson from Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and his German soldier character, who had the catch phrase “very interesting.”  If Arte were Presbyterian and peering through the foliage at this summer’s PCUSA General Assembly, that’s precisely what he might be inclined to pronounce upon us – very interesting.  For this year’s GA is sailing straight into some, not only interesting, but very controversial issues.

We Presbyterians firmly believe that our Christian faith should interact with and impact our daily lives and the totality of our world.  Using the model of Jesus, who fully engaged the ways of his ancient world, religiously and political, personally and communally, with the Good News and challenge of God’s love, we Presbyterians also strive to bring that divine spirit to bear upon the dynamics of our own day.

Thus the elders and ministers who gather this July in Minneapolis will come face-to-face with the faithful call to address and act upon (a) the best path toward peace between Israelis and Palestinians, (b) the appropriate relationships we Christians should have with Jews and with Muslims, (c) the role of our church in marriages and civil unions, (d) whether our denomination should ordain practicing gays and lesbians as officers and ministers, and (d) the explosive in-house topic of modifying our Presbyterian Form of Government.  It appears that this year’s General Assembly has something for everyone to sink their teeth into, disagree with, and fight over. 

In many ways this year’s meeting of GA will be similar to those family reunions, when everyone’s there: the cranky uncle, the radical grandchild, the pious niece, grandpa the supreme traditionalist, the lefty, etc.  Yes, all are members of the same family, but the trick is maintaining those relationships, especially in the midst of the issues of life and faith that are on the agendas all of them and will surely come up during the day.

The challenge in all such families (and denominations are extended families), in my opinion, is for all involved to remain committed to the family unity that all share.  Above anything else a commitment to the family needs to be maintained.  This is what makes family life so vital and interesting – above all else and in spite of difficulties and differences relationship is kept… and life continues on together in the bond of respectful diversity.

As I read it, this is pretty much what the apostle Paul has taught the Christian community for generations in 1 Corinthians 12:

Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you… If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

We’ll see how our Presbyterian family does this July and in the days, weeks, and months thereafter.  As Arte would surely say, it’ll be “very interesting.”