tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8232783892053033212024-03-12T20:45:40.048-07:00The Unguy's BlogA blog for those who are trying to make sense of what it means to be a man or woman of God in the modern world.Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.comBlogger278125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-40431910502470457982013-11-17T17:14:00.002-07:002013-11-17T17:14:26.953-07:00A Time to Blog and a Time to Move On<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Being an astute reader, you have by now
probably noticed that I am not writing very often. Life has become
much busier for me and in the free time I have, I feel much less
inclined to sit down and compose my thoughts for a blog post. I began
blogging as a way to process what was going on in my life. I have
undergone a lot of transition in my life over the past couple years
and writing for my blog provided an outlet for the changes going on
inside me. It also served as an avenue to speak about issues that had
become important to me, or which I had finally identified as being
important to me. At one point I believed I had something important to
say, a voice that needed to be added to the many others already
clamoring for attention.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But I have come to recognize that
blogging is not my passion. It doesn't burn in my bones. Although
many thoughts swirl around in my mind, rarely do I feel so strongly
about something that I feel an urgent need to commit it to writing
and share it with the world. I certainly still feel strongly about
many issues, but there are other writers who are more articulate,
more qualified and more dedicated to promoting those issues. You can
look at my list of blogs I follow and things that interest me to get
a good idea of what these are. In fact, if you aren't already
following these writers, I'd encourage you to do so. You won't be
disappointed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I will still post here occasionally, as
something particular weighs on my mind or heart. Thank you to all who
have commented and read my blog over the months. I appreciate your
interaction. There may come a time when I feel compelled to actively
blog again, but in the meantime, this blog shall become the
repository for my occasional random reflections on issues of
significance to me.</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-8047102603080078462013-09-28T15:36:00.000-07:002013-09-28T15:36:01.546-07:00Kissing the NFL Good-Bye<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A couple weeks ago I wrote about my
like-dislike relationship with the game of (American) football. After
reading it a friend suggested I read a book entitled <i>The
Winner-Take-All Society</i> by Robert H. Frank. I've added it to my
reading list but unfortunately my local library does not have a copy,
so I will have to look elsewhere. About the same time the current
issue of <i>The Atlantic</i> crossed my desk and I read a very
interesting article in it: “<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/how-the-nfl-fleeces-taxpayers/309448/" target="_blank">How the NFL fleeces taxpayers</a>,”
written by Gregg Easterbrook. The article is adapted from
Easterbrook's soon-to-be-released book <i>The King of Sports:
Football's Impact on America</i>. I shall add this book to my reading
list as well, but the article alone was enough to bring me to the
conclusion that I need to withdraw my support from this league, if
the reasons I listed in my previous post were not sufficient.
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In the article Easterbrook describes
how the NFL earns phenomenal profits for team owners and league
executives while passing the cost of stadiums to the taxpayers in NFL
cities. In an era of tight budgets and calls for decreased government
spending, in a time when resources for the poor, for education and
other truly useful services are being slashed by local and state
governments, politicians continue to shovel largesse to private teams
so that they won't move out of town. He cites numerous examples, all
of which made me wonder why I should continue to give any support to
this league. Why should taxpayers subsidize the Washington Redskins
to the tune of $4 million dollars to upgrade their workout facility,
when the team owner has an estimated net worth of $1 billion? Surely
Virginia taxpayers could direct that $4 million towards more useful
causes and $4 million out of Dan Snyder's $1 billion would hardly
even make a noticeable dent.</div>
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</div>
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The NFL is ultimately a business. It's
about entertainment, but it's also about making money and it does
that fantastically well. The league will receive about $4 billion
dollars this season alone in broadcast rights. That's not counting
ticket sales, merchandising and other sources of income. I have no
bone to pick with the league and its teams for making money. If
people want to pay for tickets and merchandise, if networks believe
there is money to be earned in broadcasting the games, great.
However, don't ask the taxpayers of Footballtown, America to pick up
the bill for building, maintaining and upgrading the stadium that the
teams use to earn their money. Teams should build their own stadiums.
They could then choose to manage and lease them for other purposes as
they see fit, earning additional income. This would be preferable to
forcing communities to build these modern cathedrals, then paying
them a pittance in rent to use them for their games.</div>
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</div>
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In return for the stadium “rental”
charges, teams receive in most if not all cases the exclusive right
to revenues generated within the stadium, including ticket sales,
concessions and, most importantly, revenue from the broadcast rights
that go with each game. These sources of income far outweigh the
rental fees the teams pay. When you factor in that the rental fees
often don't cover the cost of actually constructing the stadium and
paying off the debt for doing so, the teams essentially receive
government subsidies to run their very lucrative businesses. I find
it appalling that in a time when we hear politicians proclaiming the
need to cut subsidies to the poor of our nation we continue to
subsidize billionaire owners of sports teams. Something is seriously
wrong with this equation.</div>
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<br />
</div>
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I imagine someone will point to the
economic “benefit” that sports teams bring to a city. Yes, they
generate some jobs, but I wonder whether they truly generate enough
local employment income, particularly jobs that pay a livable wage,
to merit the subsidies they receive. For example, Louisiana gives up
to $6 million a year to the owner of the New Orleans Saints as an
“inducement payment” so he (hopefully) won't consider relocating
the team. I would think that one could create a decent number of jobs
in other ways for $6 million a year.</div>
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</div>
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I am thankful that I do not live in a
community with an NFL team, so I do not pay directly to support one
through my taxes, although I do not have any idea whether and how
much my state legislature has chosen to support the Arizona Cardinals
with my tax money. I feel sorry for the taxpayers of Glendale, who
get to pay for the shiny University of Phoenix stadium where the
Cardinals play. (I think, to be fair, that they chose to tax
themselves to build it, but I was not around at that time so I am not
familiar with the details.) The residents of Tempe and Mesa should
congratulate themselves on having the wisdom to reject efforts to
construct the stadium in their cities.</div>
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</div>
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The NFL will continue with or without
my support. I don't even mind that they do. In fact I don't mind if
they continue making money. But I do mind that they do so on the
backs of taxpayers, when they do not need to do so. Team owners
should take responsibility for the expenses of their teams and not
expect taxpayers to subsidize them. Their earnings are more than
adequate to pay for their stadiums and upgrades and whatever else
they want. And if they aren't, then maybe they need to adjust their
business model rather than blackmailing cities into pouring millions
into their coffers. I don't expect them to change their ways, but
until they do, I don't need to be an active contributor to their
bottom line. I'm sure I can find better ways to spend my limited
income—as well as my Sunday afternoons.
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Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-62124648623126244472013-09-13T15:42:00.003-07:002013-09-13T15:42:33.657-07:00My Like-Dislike Relationship with American Football<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I have a like-dislike relationship
with football these days (by which I mean American football). I won't
call it a love-hate relationship because it's not that strong. I'm
not passionate enough about football to feel that strongly one way or
the other. I don't schedule my weekend around the football games I
want to watch (although I have been known to schedule based on when a
preferred soccer match will be on!) and I don't feel particularly
heartbroken if I miss a game by one of the teams I support. However,
I do enjoy sitting down on Sunday afternoon and watching a game, even
if only absentmindedly while I read the paper or take an on-and-off
nap. If I miss a game I do go online to see if my teams won or lost.
I used to be much worse and the outcome of the weekend's games often
affected my mood going into Monday morning. Given that my team at the
time was the Kansas City Chiefs, that made for many a Monday with low
spirits. These days I feel disappointed when my favorite teams lose,
but I get on with life because I know there are far more important
and interesting things in the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I am questioning more and more whether
I can and should continue to support this sport, even in my
relatively passive manner. Several issues prompt my doubt. The very
nature of football promotes aggression and violence, albeit in a
somewhat controlled manner. I don't object to the competitive nature
of the sport. All sports are competitive in some degree. Someone wins
and someone loses and within reason that's acceptable. But football
isn't just about winning and losing. It's about the physical contact,
the aggressive hits and the hard tackles. The fans want this kind of
thing. Some have likened it to the Roman gladiatorial games. I don't
know that it is quite that extreme, but the fans certainly experience
some measure of catharsis watching the spectacle of crashing bodies
on the field below (or the screen at home). We take part vicariously
in the violence and in doing so, passively or actively celebrate and
promote it. Do I really want to support an activity so fundamentally
connected with aggression? I'm not sure I do anymore. I'm also not
sure what it says about us and our society that we glory in this
sport.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zn1zNhh12To/UjOTjyYj3VI/AAAAAAAAB78/PsEwi12ptx4/s1600/Football+hit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zn1zNhh12To/UjOTjyYj3VI/AAAAAAAAB78/PsEwi12ptx4/s320/Football+hit.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://postgradproblems.com/are-you-ready-for-some-college-football/">http://postgradproblems.com/are-you-ready-for-some-college-football/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Even as we are enjoying the physical
clash taking place on the field, those engaging in it are suffering
bodily harm that in many cases will damage them for life. The
indications that regular physical contact of this nature can result
in long-term brain trauma seems fairly strong, strong enough that
recently the NFL reached a settlement with a group of former players
over the issue (without actually admitting any responsibility,
conveniently). Some former players face debilitating brain injuries
and some as a result have been driven to suicide. My enjoyment of
their sport doesn't make me culpable in their injuries. Ultimately
they are responsible for their choice to play and continue playing.
But when I choose to watch, I help create the market that makes this
sport financially rewarding and therefore help to perpetuate it. I
realize that if I stop watching, the game will continue to be played,
but my conscience need not bear the burden of supporting an activity
that causes lasting harm to those who participate actively in it.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> In addition to the issues related to
violence and the physical harm the game brings, I am also disturbed
by the sexism latent not only in the game itself but in the
surrounding culture. I recognize that many women enjoy football and,
in perhaps a paradoxical manner, am glad they do. Football shouldn't
be the domain of only men as long as it continues to be played. Yet
football (and related sports such as rugby) remains more male
oriented than perhaps any other major sport. In other sports we see
women's leagues being formed and growing. Although their popularity
is not yet anywhere near that of the corresponding men's sport, we
now have professional women's basketball and soccer. Women can play
softball (although I fail to understand why they can't just play
baseball), tennis, golf and even hockey. But women playing football
remains a rare exception. On the one hand I would commend women for
having the intelligence to avoid involvement in a sport that will,
ultimately, harm them physically. At the same time the feminist in me
revolts at the exclusion of women from this highly popular sport. And
no, I don't count the lingerie football league as a true women's
alternative. In fact, it's just another indicator of the underlying
sexism in the sport. The only place we regularly find women involved
in football at any level is on the sideline as cheerleaders. Without
wanting to insult cheerleading, which can be a legitimate activity for both men and women (the fact that no NFL team I am aware of has male cheerleaders should tell us something), I find this very degrading to women.
It insults me as a feminist and as a sports fan.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-By9Z2P2eIP0/UjOTj4K4_jI/AAAAAAAAB8A/E3UefM0MblI/s1600/Cheerleaders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-By9Z2P2eIP0/UjOTj4K4_jI/AAAAAAAAB8A/E3UefM0MblI/s320/Cheerleaders.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://postgradproblems.com/are-you-ready-for-some-college-football/">http://postgradproblems.com/are-you-ready-for-some-college-football/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> When you combine the exclusion of
women from the game with the sexist attitudes that predominate in the
advertising that fuels the football industry, it becomes apparent how
women are viewed by a large portion of the football-watching world.
Beer commercials, which provide a significant portion of sports
revenue (I have no numbers on how much) regularly appall me with
their blatant sexism (which, unfortunately, is not limited to
commercials aired during football games, but that's a different
topic.) As I said earlier, I fully affirm the right of women not only
to watch but to play football. But I wonder why any woman wants to
watch a sport that so fully excludes her from anything but observing
and often reduces her to a sex-object to sell the sport and related
products.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Finally, I question whether I want to
support a sport that has come to pervert many educational
institutions through corruption and scandal. I started reading today
<a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130910/osu-introduction/" target="_blank">the article published by Sports Illustrated this week</a> on the program at
Oklahoma State University. I haven't even finished the article yet
and already I am appalled. I would say I'm shocked, except that we
have heard similar stories far too often in the past few years. It
seems like every season we hear of another major university that, in
the pursuit of football glory, has allowed and even fostered systems
that promote winning over all else. Even programs that remain within
the generous boundaries of NCAA rules still cause me to cringe when I
read of the exorbitant amounts of money poured into them, even while
academic programs at many universities struggle to find adequate
funding. (I recognize that many athletic departments are effectively
supported by their football program, but this does not necessarily
make it right that so much money goes into football.) When we put so
much significance on the success of a school's football program, we
should not be surprised when rules are bent, ignored and broken in
order to achieve that success. Do I want to support this system?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Yet even after saying all this I admit
that I still enjoy a good football game. I still want to cheer for my
alma-mater to beat the in-state and conference foes. In fact,
somewhat ironically, I will be attending my first college football
game this weekend for my father's birthday. I'm conflicted. I have a
like-dislike relationship with this sport. My response at present
will be to wean myself from watching football. I won't refuse to
watch it if it's on, but I want to choose not to watch it when I have
control of the remote. That won't be easy. It has become a sort of
default behavior for me on Sunday afternoon over the years. But
surely I can find better ways to invest my Sabbath day? I won't
condemn or judge those who choose to watch football and cheer for
their favorite teams, but I would encourage those of us who do to
stop and think about what our support of this sport says about
ourselves and our culture.</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-7341341360355834072013-07-29T08:17:00.000-07:002013-08-18T20:39:54.030-07:00Why I Dance<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I started learning to dance about two
months ago. Not just any type of dance, mind you. I started to dance
ballet—and I really enjoy it. It's been one of the most positive
steps I've taken in recent years and I don't regret it despite the
raised eyebrows and quizzical-critical comments I receive at times.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why dance? And why ballet in
particular?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Part of the answer is quite simple. I
have realized that I am not getting any younger and that I need to
consciously choose to remain active. I want to maintain my health at
a level where I can continue to live a full life well into my later
years. Given that my work has me sitting in front of a computer most
of the day, I particularly need physical activity. I started running
last fall and still run on occasion, but it has not become something
I truly enjoy doing. Those pleasure-inducing endorphins or whatever
it is that some runners experience have so far eluded me. I run
because I know I need to, not because I enjoy it. More recently I
tried doing Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) with my wife and son. We
undertook this primarily to get our son involved in physical activity
and to help him learn discipline, but for various reasons it didn't
work out as well as we had hoped. I also struggled to reconcile my
increasingly non-violent mindset with an activity that involves
punching, hitting and kicking things (and people). Nor did I feel at
home in the often testosterone-heave environment of the dojo.
(Although I respect the owner of the dojo for his perspective and
attitude.) So that fell by the wayside. I could have picked up yoga
or pilates, but when I saw the sign outside the studio advertising
ballet, I began to think that it might be fun to try something
completely new.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h7UQNQASZZo/UfaGU2d9uTI/AAAAAAAAB68/W1BzvrxImvo/s1600/Bayadere+Semperoper+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h7UQNQASZZo/UfaGU2d9uTI/AAAAAAAAB68/W1BzvrxImvo/s400/Bayadere+Semperoper+3.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Semperoper Ballet, Dresden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Dancing ballet takes me way outside of
my comfort zone. When I first considered joining the class I called
the studio to inquire about it and the ballet teacher answered the
phone. Her warm, positive encouragement was precisely what I needed
to take the first step. Her continued encouragement and the welcoming
atmosphere of the class helped me choose to continue. I am not by
nature a big risk-taker. I don't like to put myself in positions
where I feel awkward or uncomfortable. I don't like to try new things
if I doubt my ability to succeed. I am not the most gifted person in
the realm of physical coordination and strength, so undertaking
something that requires both was a particularly bold move. However,
in the past couple years I have put aside much of my innate
hesitation and the fear that keeps me from expressing myself.
Although not entirely free from such constraints, I don't worry as
much as I used to about what others might think of me. This, combined
with the positive support of my excellent teachers (I've now had a
couple, both of them very good and very supportive), encouraged me to
take this bold step.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Many guys give ballet a wide berth
because they perceive it as an activity for girls and women. This
didn't hinder me, because although it is a reality that more women
dance ballet than men, men do are in fact an integral part of the
ballet world. Nor do I pay much heed to traditional prescribed gender
roles. Rather than causing me to hesitate about ballet, the fact that
it crossed gender role boundaries—at least in the minds of many
people—motivated me to do it. I'm not uncomfortable practicing with
the women in the class. Nor am I bothered in the least to have women
teaching. In fact I love the teachers I have—both of them great
dancers and fantastic teachers. They and my fellow students have been
a very welcoming, affirming community and I appreciate that very
much.
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sSYVKvE0Kko/UfaGGm4UatI/AAAAAAAAB60/c8MgODnNb_o/s1600/ballet3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sSYVKvE0Kko/UfaGGm4UatI/AAAAAAAAB60/c8MgODnNb_o/s400/ballet3.jpg" width="328" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is definitely NOT me, although she is very beautifully posed.<br /><a href="http://www.photobysuzanne.com/Ballet.html" target="_blank">(c) Suzanne Gonzalez</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I dance ballet because I think it is
an amazingly beautiful, graceful form of artistic expression. I would
not have always said this. In the early years of our marriage my wife
and I went to the ballet (The Nutcracker, I seem to recall) in
Seattle and I was, quite honestly, rather bored by it. Later, while
living in Russia, we had the opportunity to see several ballets at
the world-famous Mariinskiy Theater in St. Petersburg. There I
experienced the full power and beauty of ballet at its finest and I
fell in love with it, although at the time I still would not have
imagined myself trying to dance. I love the way that ballet combines
beauty with control to powerfully express emotion. I am naturally
quite reserved. I don't display emotional readily nor abundantly. I
want to change this. I want to learn to express emotion more freely
and ballet offers an avenue to do so, an avenue that combines this
expression with beauty and grace.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pM0MEj5wxqI/UfaGXiRRdqI/AAAAAAAAB7E/4gQr4ejXpsM/s1600/Fantasia-disneyscreencaps_com-8275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pM0MEj5wxqI/UfaGXiRRdqI/AAAAAAAAB7E/4gQr4ejXpsM/s320/Fantasia-disneyscreencaps_com-8275.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think I look more like this when dancing. <br />
Actually, the hippo is probably better than I am,<br />
but I'm learning!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I didn't know what to expect when I
began ballet lessons. I certainly felt awkward and lacked confidence.
I'm still pretty awkward, but I look forward to my lessons. They are
very challenging and provide an incredible physical workout. At the
same time they allow me to open up and express myself, releasing
energy and emotion that are trapped inside. My current teacher Magda
is particularly good at drawing us out, moving beyond simply learning
the forms and positions to expressing ourselves through our
movements. Sometimes I feel frustrated by my clumsiness or my
inability to flex and stretch as much as I would like. But ballet has
proven to be an excellent fit for me, a combination of physical
activity with creative expression of beauty and grace that lifts my
mind and body and refreshes me. I only wish I'd discovered it sooner.</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-70515603672198744912013-06-23T14:10:00.000-07:002013-06-23T14:10:15.722-07:00Defining Modesty<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Modesty has been a hot topic in some of
my social circles of late, ever since this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJVHRJbgLz8" target="_blank">video </a>began making the
rounds. Many people, perhaps the majority among my friends, soundly
affirmed the speaker and her commitment to modesty. They decried its
demise in American and Western culture. I can understand that. After
all, modesty seems like a very good and desirable quality. Who
wouldn't want to affirm it?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">However, after watching the video I
felt disturbed. When I read <a href="http://toeveryonethatbelieveth.blogspot.com/2013/06/whosoever-looketh-on-woman.html?utm_content=buffer64685&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer&m=1" target="_blank">this article</a> I found that I agreed with
the author's critiques. Among other things, in the rush to affirm
modesty we miss that the speaker, Jessica Ray, is in fact marketing
to us. She is promoting her line of swimwear and with it an
understanding of what modesty looks like. And that's a significant
problem, because who defines modesty?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Dictionary.com offers <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/modesty?s=t" target="_blank">three definitions of modesty</a>:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<ol>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">the quality of being modest;
freedom from vanity, boastfulness, etc.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">regard for decency of behavior,
speech, dress, etc.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">simplicity, moderation</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Most discussion of modesty these days
focuses on the second definition, narrowing it even further to
standards of dress. More specifically, the discussions focus almost
exclusively on standards of dress for women. Those who advocate for a
return to modesty generally have in mind some more conservative
standard of attire, such as a rejection of bikinis, which is Ms.
Rey's particular issue.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yet the fundamental problem remains:
Who defines what is modest? Standards of modesty change from one
culture to another and within any given culture over a period of
time. What one person considers quite modest might to another person
be extremely immodest. As the author of the blog <a href="http://toeveryonethatbelieveth.blogspot.com/2013/06/whosoever-looketh-on-woman.html?utm_content=buffer64685&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer&m=1" target="_blank">To Every One That Believeth</a> points out, Ms. Rey's dress in her video would not meet
modesty standards at BYU, although by other standards it is perfectly
modest. Simply covering or exposing skin does not make a woman (or
man) modest or immodest. No matter how one defines modesty, it will
be too much for some and too little for others. Modesty is ultimately
a subjective position. I am free to argue that I like or do not like
a person's attire, but by what right do I proclaim that it is
immodest and project my standard onto the other person? Even more so,
by what right do I judge another person based on what she or he is
wearing? (Let's admit that the conversation really comes down to what
women wear and our judgment of women for that, because few people
seem too concerned about what men are wearing. Guys can go around
topless in many social contexts without fear of being labeled
immodest and immoral, although I and probably many others would much
prefer to not see their bare bellies.)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This leads to a second issue with the
modesty debate. All too often advocates of modesty connect what a
woman wears with what kind of person she is. A woman who wears a
bikini, or bares her shoulders, or arms, or whatever is unacceptable
according to the particular definition of modesty, is “obviously”
a loose, immoral person. This may not always be stated explicitly,
but it underlies much of modesty culture. Let's call this for the
falsehood that it is. What you wear does not define what kind of
person you are, and if others choose to define you based solely on
your attire, then they are the ones in error.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Women are also encouraged to dress
modestly for the sake of protecting their dignity and to avoid
provoking the men around them to lustful thoughts and actions. In
this way women become responsible for the actions of men, rather than
men being responsible for their own actions. In Ms. Rey's video, she
cites a study at Princeton which she uses to argue that men who see
bare female flesh respond mentally in the same way they do to images
of tools. In other words, they objectify women. Putting aside the
significant flaws of the study, one very limited data sample does not
conclusively demonstrate that men naturally respond as animals when
seeing women's skin. When we put the burden on women to not provoke
men by their attire, we say that men cannot be held responsible for
their behavior and that they are incapable of acting differently.
That's a low view of men and an unfair burden to place on women. When
modesty becomes the means by which a woman must protect herself from
inappropriate male behavior, then we have identified the wrong
problem and the wrong solution. The problem is the behavior of men
and the solution is for men to learn to view women as human beings
and treat them accordingly. Instead, modesty allows men to continue
to behave like cretins towards women and blames the women for this
behavior. Something is seriously wrong with this picture.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I find it interesting as well that the
modesty discussion seems to ignore the other two definitions provided
above. A modest person – male or female – should behave without
vanity and boastfulness. A modest person should express simplicity
and moderation. These go far beyond issues of how one dresses to
one's very character. This may express itself in one's attire, but
more significantly it will express itself in one's attitude and
actions. As people of God we should all strive to live without
vanity. We should all avoid boastfulness. Scripture says far more
about these issues than it does about what one wears. And these
standards apply equally to both men and women. I affirm modesty as a
principle, but I cannot accept the way in which it has been hijacked
lately to define a certain type of attire for women. I am working to
see each person as a God-created unique individual and not judge them
by what they are wearing, even if I do not personally find it
tasteful or appealing. Ultimately people should be able to dress
according to a standard that they feel comfortable with, not
according to what someone else says is modest and decent. If you want
to wear a one-piece bathing suit, I wholeheartedly affirm that. But
if you prefer a bikini, than that is your choice as well and it is
not my place to tell you otherwise.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On a final note, as a parent of two
teenage children – one boy, one girl – I do believe that parents
have a right and a responsibility to guide their children in their
choice of clothing. But with that comes a responsibility to educate
them, to help them develop their own identity and the ability to
choose attire that accords with that identity. As parents we play
such a formulative role in helping our children define their
identity. I think a mistaken emphasis on a false standard of modesty
may do more to skew that identity in unhealthy ways than to help them
develop true, healthy modesty. I hope, and based on what I see I
believe, that my wife and I have managed to achieve a decent balance
in this regard.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Danielle, who blogs at <a href="http://www.fromtwotoone.com/" target="_blank">From Two to One</a>,
did an excellent series on modesty. You'll find the first article in
the series <a href="http://www.fromtwotoone.com/2012/03/modesty-myth.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-68036631945257308932013-05-18T14:18:00.000-07:002013-05-18T14:18:27.811-07:00Public Schools -- Learning to Live in a Diverse World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My children attend public schools and I
am very glad about that. Public education is coming under increasing
attack, particularly here in Arizona, where our state legislators
seem determined to undermine the very foundations of public
education. At the same time, many Christians seem intent on fleeing
public schools in favor of private, Christian ones or of
homeschooling. I am not opposed to either option and recognize that
there are many factors that influence a family's decision about
educating their children. But I think that we are wrong to abandon
public schools, both as a nation and as Christians.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We did not plan or expect to have our
children in public schools. Because of our work overseas, our
children have mostly attended small schools for expatriate
Christians, where class sizes were very small (our daughter had 10
children in her combined 4-6 grade class) and the worldview largely
homegeneous. Even in those environments they did gain some
multi-cultural exposure, as they often had classmates from several
countries as well as living themselves in a cross-cultural situation.
They also took classes on-line through a Christian internet school
which offered high-quality classes, but in a largely homogeneous
environment. Most of their classmates were from white, middle- to
upper-middle class homes. Some, like our children, lived outside of
their home countries, but most were simply homeschooled children in
the United States. (In the interest of full disclosure, I now teach
for that school and really enjoy the students with whom I work.)
Prior to high school, the one year my children lived and went to
school in the United States they both attended a local private
Christian school. Although the school was good, it proved to be a
less-than-ideal environment for our children, particularly our
daughter. As a new junior high student she felt very much
marginalized and out of place. Her classmates were from similar
socio-economic backgrounds and lacked the multi-cultural perspective
that our daughter had. Nor could they appreciate and affirm her
uniqueness. This may be more because of their age than the school
environment, but the lack of diversity in the school certainly left
little place for someone to feel at home who was not just like
everyone else.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now my children are both in public high
schools. Although our school district has some serious problems, I am
comfortable that my children will receive a solid educational
foundation that will equip them for life after high school. It
certainly helps that my son attends one of the nation's best high
schools, according to some rankings, while my daughter attends a
good, though fairly average high school. But the quality of the
academics is not the primary reason I am glad my children are in
public school. In public school they learn to interact with people
from a wide variety of backgrounds. Our school district is, as they
say, majority-minority, which means that more than 50% of the student
population are not white. Every day at school my children are
reminded that they live in a country that is growing increasingly
diverse, one in which people who look like them will need to learn to
work alongside people who don't look like them. My daughter's school
is less so than my son's, but even though the socio-economic and
ethnic diversity is not as great as we might wish, she still
encounters a wide variety of worldviews. Neither of my children spend
their school days in a Christian worldview bubble. And that's a good
thing, because they are not going to live in a world where the
majority of people accept an evangelical Christian worldview, or even
a Judeo-Christian one. They must learn to interact with a broader
world and they must choose what they believe and why and they might
as well begin in high school. We can't keep them in a sheltered
environment forever.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I want my children to be comfortable
with the reality that people around them look and think differently
than they do. I don't want them to view people as threats simply
because they are different in some way. I want them to accept the
wonderful diversity that is the United States. I want them to be
comfortable with having a black, Hispanic, Asian or female president,
and with having co-workers from all these and other backgrounds,
because that's the future of this country. I don't want my children
to think that white men should be the natural leaders or control the
levers of power and influence, at least not simply by virtue of being
white men. The world is changing. Our country is changing. By
studying in public high schools, my children are learning to deal
with that changing world better, I think than they would in a more
homogeneous environment.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I could list other reasons that I
affirm public education, both for my children and for society as a
whole, but this to me is one of the key reasons we need to have
public education. Rather than fleeing from public schools, rather
than tearing them down either actively or passively, we need to
recommit to supporting and developing them. As Christians we should
do this not less, but more. Ultimately I recognize, as I said
earlier, that each family must make their decision for their own
reasons, but I would strongly encourage us to give serious thought to
supporting public education. We want our children to be prepared to
engage with a diverse world and public schools can help us do that
well.</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-46629224355044022842013-05-14T20:40:00.000-07:002013-05-14T20:40:55.259-07:00If God wills...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In a country where I lived and worked
for several years one often heard the phrase “Khudo khohad,”
which equates to the Arabic phrase “Insh Allah.” We could
translate this phrase along the lines of “If it is God's will.”
In the culture where I lived, this phrase was frequently used to
absolve oneself of responsibility for planning or for the outcome of
one's actions. After all, the individual is not really in control, so
what does it matter what one does? If God wants it to happen it will.
If he doesn't, it won't. End of story.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This attitude permeated the culture in
many ways, resulting in a fatalistic worldview. Why should one plan
or work toward a better tomorrow when the future lies beyond one's
control anyway? Why feel accountable for one's actions when we know
that all things are really in God's control and not our own. If
something happened, it must be God's will. If it doesn't happen, it
obviously wasn't. Other factors come into play in this particular
cultural context which only sharpen the fatalism, because in many
ways people really do lack control over their world. One man had
worked hard to build a couple rooms on his house for his family, only
to have the whole property taken from him by the government overnight
and bulldozed to make way for a prestigious government project.
Although he received some minor compensation, all his efforts to
plan, work and save for his family were reduced to naught without any
opportunity for him to counteract it. In such a world fatalism seems
to be a realistic worldview, but it isn't a very helpful one.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This mindset is quite contrary to the
Western worldview in which I was raised. American culture teaches us
that we can change our lives, that we are in control of our
destinies, that we can make a difference in the world. This mentality
runs through many Protestant churches as well. But does it sync with
the teachings of Scripture? What do we do with a passage like James
4:13-17.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Instead you ought to say: “If it is
the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.”</span></blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This sounds a lot like saying “Khudo
khohad” to me. Should we as Christians in fact be fatalistic? Does
the sovereignty of God render our activity pointless?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have wrestled with the question a lot
in my life, at times actively, at other times passively. I come from
a Reformed theological background, which emphasizes the sovereignty
of God. But I look at the world and find that God exercises this
sovereignty in baffling ways, allowing things to occur that must
surely grieve God's heart. Other Christians claim to see God's
sovereign hand in natural disasters and other tragedies, claiming
that they are God's punishment for certain sins. This mentality stems
from an Old Testament worldview, but isn't entirely incompatible with
a strong view of God's sovereignty. However, I cannot accept that God
acts in this way. It strikes me as far to capricious and arbitrary
(especially since these claims always seem to relate to certain types
of sin. I've never heard anyone say that hurricane Katrina was the
punishment for the greed and consumerism of Americans, for example.)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If we adopt too strong a view of
sovereignty, we become passive chess pieces in some divine game. We
may think we have a say in the course of the game, but we don't
really. Or if we allow for some individual freedom but insist on God
having a clear and decisive plan for each person's life, we can spend
our energy worrying constantly whether we are in or out of God's
will. I grew up with this mindset. I understood that my goal in life
was to fulfill God's plan for it. I understood that this plan would
be clear to me if I simply prayed and sought wisdom. But experience
has shown that sometimes God's will is rather unclear. In fact, God's
plan seems to me more like a broad directive than a specific agenda
for each day, week, month or year. Before I worried that if I stepped
outside of God's will, if I moved off that clearly defined path he
had laid out for me, I would basically be trashing my life. Now I see
God's will more like the markers that illuminate the edge of the
highway. Yes, there are areas I don't want to go, but there is a
broad swath of possibilities that are fully within “God's will.”
And don't even get me going on the idea that God has a “perfect
someone” for each of us to marry.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I keep running up against this question
of God's sovereignty and the extent to which what I do really
matters. I don't think Scripture teaches us to our actions and
decisions have no real meaning. But can we change the course of
events, or are all things so completely determined that our choices
have no real significance? I would not want to live in such a world,
nor would I consider such a God particularly worthy of worship. I
don't think God wants us to be mere automatons.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Interestingly, I found a new way to
think of this after watching the movie MiB3. (I must say that I never
imagined having my theology influenced by Men in Black!) In that
movie, agents K and J meet Griffin, a fifth-dimensional being who
sees multiple timelines simultaneously. To Griffin, all futures are
possible until the point that an event occurs which then eliminates
some of them, while opening up new alternatives. Because Griffin
exists multi-dimensionally, none of the outcomes is fixed or
determined, but he can see all of them as real because he can see
what would happen should any particular event occur. What if God is
in some manner like Griffin, only more so? What if God's sovereignty
doesn't mean that an exact course is already fixed for each of us,
but that God knows the ultimate outcome (the full restoration and
redemption of the creation) and in God's multi-dimensional existence
can simultaneously see all possible paths to that endpoint, without
dictating that any particular one of them should occur?
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I find that I need room in my theology
for my actions and decisions to count, so that my life has meaning
beyond simply preparing me for some heavenly future. I don't believe
that God created me and placed me in this world simply so I could
learn some lessons in preparation for eternity. I believe God calls
me, and all people, to be co-creators, or at least co-workers in the
process of bringing the kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.
If one emphasizes too strongly God's sovereignty one can eliminate
this element of human cooperation and render human life as a fully
pre-determined set of events without real significance. One can also
end up with a God who is distant and unmoved by the events of this
world. Otherwise, surely God would act to rectify the injustices and
sufferings of God's creation. If we believe that God does act, but
through God's people without specifically compelling them to act,
then we must allow room for flexibility in the working out of the
divine will.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In a blog such as this I can only begin
to touch on this deep topic. I have on my shelf a book I first read
many years ago in seminary by Clark Pinnock and others entitled <i>The
Openness of God</i>. This book caught my attention the first time I
read it and it may be time for a second read. I know that it was not
well received by many evangelical theologians because it directly
challenges some long-held theological positions, but the questions
the authors raise and the suggestions they make offer an alternative
way to understand this tension between divine sovereignty and human
action. If only Pinnock had had MiB3 to watch!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have no nice conclusion to this post,
because the issue remains open for me. I do not reject God's
sovereignty, but I need to understand it in a way that allows for
real, meaningful human action and freedom. I don't want to be reduced
to saying “If God wills” and absolving myself from responsibility
or action. On the other hand, I do want to recognize that my actions
and plans still rest within the larger framework of God's actions in
the world. That provides, as it were, a safety net, because I can
have confidence that God remains in control even when I make the
mistakes that I inevitably will.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-44719364358494469132013-05-05T18:11:00.002-07:002013-05-05T18:11:45.209-07:00Energy Independence -- at what cost?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I believe we have a moral
responsibility to care for the created world. Creation care, <a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/creation-care-is-worship.html" target="_blank">as I have written earlier</a>, is part of our worship of God the Creator. As
such, I advocate for the development and use of sustainable energy
forms, among other things. I see the growing impact of climate change
on our world—most particularly on the poorest regions of the
earth-- and cannot continue to live complacently a high-consumption
American lifestyle. In the past few years I have, with mixed feelings
because it also impacts my budget, welcomed the increase in the price
of gasoline and other petroleum-based products. As these fuels become
more expensive, they make alternatives more desirable and
cost-effective. This benefits the environment and has the potential
to create new economic growth in sustainable energy.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now I read (in articles such as <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/05/what-if-we-never-run-out-of-oil/309294/" target="_blank">this in <i>The Atlantic</i></a>) that advances in technology, combined with the
higher price for petroleum and therefore the higher economic return
on the investment, have driven significant new discoveries of oil and
natural gas within the United States as well as in other regions.
Within a very short time frame we have gone from a scenario in which
oil would become in increasingly short supply to one in which the
supply has suddenly become quite abundant, or at least potentially
so. In fact, some argue that the United States could become not only
oil self-sufficient but even an oil exporter in the next several
years.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This could be the best thing to happen
to not only our country but much of the world in quite some time. If
we could eliminate our dependance on oil from the Middle East,
Venezuela and other countries, we would no longer be investing our
money and resources supporting petro-dictatorships. It doesn't take
much to recognize that the largest oil-producing countries also have
some of the worst political and human rights situations in the world
(think of Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran). As long as we depend on their
oil, we will support those in power in these countries because we
cannot afford to rock the boat too much. But if we and other
countries no longer depended on them, they would suddenly lose the
funds that keep them in power. That might in fact be very
destablizing for those countries and their people, and possibly for
the world as a whole, but it would at the least mean we wouldn't have
to keep paying tribute to governments whose behavior violates many of
the principles that we as Americans claim to hold most dear.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Producing oil and gas domestically
could also be environmentally positive in that, if we were to enact
and enforce strict environmental legislation, we could create a
situation in which they would be produced with the least negative
impact on the environment possible. We don't have that control in
other countries. We can have it here, although the power and
influence of the oil and gas industry makes me doubt we will be as
stringent in this area as we ought.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At the same time, oil independence
could be the worst thing to happen to our country and our world, for
a couple key reasons. First of all, most of the new oil and gas being
produced comes from the practice of fracking. This practice, in which
steam and other chemicals are introduced into deep wells to fracture
the rock, thereby releasing the petroleum and gas locked within, has
opened vast new deposits of petroleum to production. But it has also
raised some serious questions about the long-term effect on the
environment. North Dakota has been undergoing an oil boom for some
time due to this process. It has brought great wealth and economic
opportunity to the state, but at an uncertain cost. Farmers have
complained of their farmland becoming toxic in some manner. Wells and
water sources may have become contaminated. The link between fracking
and these effects remains hotly contested, but the oil and gas
industry is doing their best to stifle the discussion with
reassurances that fracking is completely safe. If they are so certain
that it is, then why not allow more open debate and discussion, as
well as unbiased analysis of the effects? We will make a very poor
exchange indeed if we purchase our short-term energy independence at
the cost of the long-term destruction of our environment, especially
the environment that produces much of our food.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In addition, oil independence reduces
the incentive to pursue and promote alternative, sustainable energy
sources. Why should we concern ourselves with those when it appears
that we have a supply of oil that will last far longer than anyone
imagined a short time ago? Despite the advances made in alternative
energy sources in the past decade or more, they still cost more per
energy unit than oil and gas at current market prices. If oil supply
continues to increase – even if demand also increases – oil will
still remain less expensive than alternatives. Nonetheless, while
acknowledging that we will continue to need petroleum-based energy
for quite some time, we cannot continue to use these types of sources
as we have for so long without significant harm to our environment
and, ultimately, to ourselves and our children. Unfortunately, I
think far too many people are content to continue living the status
quo as long as possible.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I would love to see us have a healthy
discussion of these issues as a society, including but not limited to
the political realm. What kind of future do we want for ourselves and
our world? What price are we willing to pay for our own comfort and
convenience now as opposed to the sustainability of our world and our
country for future generations? I fear that such a conversation will
not take place, at least not openly and publicly, because so many
special interests are at play and they are the ones with the wealth
and power to control the conversation, be it through the information
we receive or through the political discussions in Congress and state
legislatures. What role do we as Christians have to play in this? How
can we engage in the conversation and bring a theology of creation
care into it?</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-45689944098045964032013-04-07T10:22:00.003-07:002013-04-07T10:23:33.228-07:00Accusers or Defenders? Reflections on The Crucible<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I shared the other day, I
reencountered two classic works of literature this past week. I
already wrote about <a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/jane-eyre-and-religious-abuse.html" target="_blank">my thoughts on watching the 2011 film version ofJane Eyre</a>. Today I want to explore my reaction to watching a
production of Arthur Miller's play <i>The Crucible</i>.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3aSRCOWlS_I/UWGqhUherDI/AAAAAAAAB5I/WVvOr210J1w/s1600/The+Crucible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3aSRCOWlS_I/UWGqhUherDI/AAAAAAAAB5I/WVvOr210J1w/s1600/The+Crucible.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I had not seen or read <i>The Crucible</i>
since high school. I remembered the basic plot but had forgotten most
of the details. I had not ever, to my recollection, seen it performed
on stage. Although I knew of the connection between the play and the
infamous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials" target="_blank">Salem witch trials of 1692-93</a>, I was not prepared for the
strong reaction I experienced as I watched the performance of a local
Christian high school. In the director's notes was written:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It is our hope that as we leave the
theatre following the production, we will heed the lessons of history
to search our own souls.</span></blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Watching this play, particularly after
viewing </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Jane Eyre</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> only days before and <a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-legacy-of-shame.html" target="_blank">after reading Danielle's reflections on visiting a slave prison</a>, certainly has
caused me to search my soul.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Salem Witch trials were conducted
in one of the most religious communities in America. To cite the
director's notes: “The Puritans believed God had chosen them to
establish a model community for the rest of the Protestant world and
envisioned themselves as a 'city on a hill.' Their leaders created a
theocracy founded on biblical principles, whose purpose was to
prevent any kind of disunity that might open them up to destruction.”
When I read this, I immediately think that this remains the ideal of
certain groups of Christians. God has established the United States
to be a city on a hill to the world and as such we need to found our
laws and culture on biblical principles. Although I do not agree that
God has established the United States as a city on a hill, I am
certainly inclined to support the idea that we should found our laws
and cultural norms on biblical principles.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YVGAOFsx1Ks/UWGqhWbOXLI/AAAAAAAAB5A/Edac0U2rDMw/s1600/The+Crucible+-+Proctor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YVGAOFsx1Ks/UWGqhWbOXLI/AAAAAAAAB5A/Edac0U2rDMw/s1600/The+Crucible+-+Proctor.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But then I consider the results of this
in New England. I watched the performance of <i>The Crucible</i> with
a deeply troubled soul. At times it pained me to see these “biblical
principles” applied in such a way that innocent people were
accused, condemned and many of them hung merely on the basis of
suspicion and ungrounded accusations. Certainly the issues involved
were more complex than simple religious fervor, but the insistence
that they were doing the work of God as they tried, condemned and
executed these people (mostly women, which is also significant,
although some men were also accused and executed) for witchcraft
makes me question the very principles which they sought to uphold.
They believed they were upholding the teachings of Scripture, when in
fact they were violating the very teaching of Jesus to “love your
neighbor as yourself.” Their own fervor blinded them to the
travesty of their actions.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Arthur Miller wrote <i>The Crucible</i>
at the time of the McCarthy trials, in which suspected Communists
were accused and condemned publicly. He saw a distinct parallel
between the two events. As I watched the play I saw parallels to our
current society as well. Out of fear of perceived threats to the
“biblical foundations” of society, out of insecurity and fear in
light of cultural transformation and the economic difficulties we
have been passing through for a few years now, I see a tendency among
some to react with a similar witchhunt – looking for a group or
groups of people whom we can blame for the “decline” of our
country. The “illegal” immigrants are to blame, or the homosexual
community with their “gay agenda.” We may not be able to put them
on trial in a court of law anymore (thank God for that), but we still
see them put on trial in the court of public opinion. We see our
legislators in many states and in our national Congress, working too
often to enact laws that restrict, exclude and punish those we blame
for our issues, rather than looking for positive solutions that
embrace the diverse mix of people that form our nation.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k39Dzo_U-Xg/UWGqhc9kA0I/AAAAAAAAB5E/gshpRkpwro8/s1600/The+Crucible+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k39Dzo_U-Xg/UWGqhc9kA0I/AAAAAAAAB5E/gshpRkpwro8/s320/The+Crucible+3.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Where is the Church in all this? Are
we, like the Puritan leaders of 1692, leading the witchhunt, seeking
to accuse and condemn those we determine to be sinners? Or are we
defending those unjustly accused, standing with them, affirming their
dignity, worth and value as children of God against the voices that
would cast them out? Will future generations look back on us as we
now look back on the Salem witch trials?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I want to stand for those who are
accused, condemned and outcast because they are different than the
majority. I want to stand for those who do not have power, influence
and privilege in our country. I don't have to affirm everything such
people may or may not do. That is not the issue. The issue is that
they are also children of God, uniquely created just as I am and
worthy of full embrace as brothers and sisters. Jesus didn't exclude
those who were on the fringes of society, the ones that the
“righteous” people so readily condemned. No, he embraced them,
ate with them, loved them, while directing his critique to those who
considered themselves righteous. Do I care more about maintaining an
outward appearance of righteousness, or do I care more about loving
the real people God brings into my life?</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-31590928308109990032013-04-05T20:25:00.001-07:002013-04-05T20:25:52.756-07:00Jane Eyre and Religious Abuse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have reencountered two works of
literature this week and both encounters have left me disturbed and
reflective. The questions that they have raised dovetail with the
issues raised by Danielle's post <a href="http://www.fromtwotoone.com/2013/04/slave-castle.html" target="_blank">on visiting an old slave fort</a>, as <a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-legacy-of-shame.html" target="_blank">I wrote about the other day</a>.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A few nights ago my wife and I watched
the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1229822/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">2011 film version</a> of <i>Jane Eyre</i>, starring Mia Wasikowska
and Michael Fassbender. I do not aim to write a review of the movie
here, but will say that my wife and I both found it enjoyable and
well-done. I had not read the book in many years, so although I was
familiar with the basic plot trajectory, many of the details had
faded from my memory. I will not attempt a thorough explanation of
the plot here so if you are unfamiliar with it, you may find it
difficult to understand some of my comments.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e_-Cn-O-pWI/UV-Ugv53rPI/AAAAAAAAB40/UlTjxgeCsQQ/s1600/JaneEyre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e_-Cn-O-pWI/UV-Ugv53rPI/AAAAAAAAB40/UlTjxgeCsQQ/s1600/JaneEyre.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I watched, the role of religion in
Jane's life struck me quite strongly. Jane is a strong-willed child,
a girl who refuses to simply acquiesce to the expectations of those
around her. This trait brings her much trouble. (And the feminist in
me asks whether a boy demonstrating such behavior would have
experienced the same response. Probably not. But we shall set aside
examining the story from a specifically feminist perspective.) Sent
off to a school for orphans, she enters a world that is disturbing in
the manner and degree to which it seeks to crush the vitality of each
girl sentenced there. This alone would be troubling, but more
troubling still, this school, called the Lowood Institute, is run by
a minister who believes that he operates it in a manner consistent
with instilling godliness in its subjects. As such the girls there
are deprived, abused and dehumanized, all while being preached to and
indoctrinated with the Bible. Religion becomes a tool of oppression
to Jane and the other girls of this prison.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Later, after a period of life in which
she experiences happiness and love for the first time ever, Jane's
world falls apart again and she flees the situation which is
crumbling around her. Her flight brings her to a remote region where,
facing death from exhaustion, she is taken in by another minister,
Mr. St. John, and his two sisters Mary and Diana. In their home she
experiences grace and kindness in the name of the Gospel. At this
point my heart lifted, for I saw faith portrayed at least in some
degree as it should be lived. Through their kindnesses and help
Jane's well-being if not happiness is restored and she resumes life
in new circumstances. However, her fortunes again change, this time
for the better when she inherits a large sum of money. Because of
their kindness to her Jane shares this inheritance with the St. John
family, which allows Mr. St. John to fulfill his own desire of going
abroad as a missionary. At this point the ugly side of religion shows
itself again as he tries to persuade Jane to join him in his mission,
not as a fellow laborer but as his wife. He insists that he knows
what God has called her to and scorns her offer to travel and work
alongside him as a sister but not as a wife.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This second abuse in the name of
religion is not as severe on the surface as that given at the Lowood
Institute, but it strikes me as abuse nonetheless. Although Mr. St.
John is well-intentioned, by asserting his claim to know God's will
for Jane and by expressing scorn for her when she offers an
alternative demonstrate, he discounts her individuality, her wishes
and her own relationship with God. As a man, he assumes that he knows
what is best for her as a woman. As a pastor, he assumes that he has
the spiritual insight and authority to tell her what she should do.
But what gives him this right? And why can he not consider her
viewpoint, her wishes and her desires? What he proposes strikes me as
another form of imprisonment, likely far more benevolent than what
she experienced at the Lowood Institute, but a form of bondage
nonetheless since she would be pressed into it against her own will.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I recognize that Jane Eyre is a work of
fiction and that there is far more to this story than the role that
the Christian religion plays in her life. Nonetheless this particular
aspect disturbs me, because it reminds me once again of how faith,
religion and the Bible are too often used to abuse others rather than
to liberate them and restore them to the fullness of their created
humanity. Jane finds this restoration, but not specifically through
the grace of Jesus Christ expressed through his children. Although
Mr. St. John and his sisters do demonstrate this grace, Mr. St. John
then contradicts it through asserting his own power and will over
Jane.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I do not think this is what Jesus asks
of us. I do not think he wants us to exert power and control over
others, regardless of whether we think and believe that we are acting
in their best interests. In most cases, we must earn the right to
speak into the lives of others. (There may be at times a place for a
prophetic word, but prophetic words in Scripture most often challenge
the abuse of power, privilege and authority, which is not how we most
often think of them in modern Western culture.) We should also
consider carefully whether in our actions which we believe to be in
the best interests of others we are truly affirming and upholding
their dignity. Thankfully I think we have come a long way from the
days of places such as Lowood Institution, but that doesn't mean we
should not continue to examine our beliefs and our actions, lest in
the effort to do good we actually do evil and destroy the image of
God in another person.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't think Charlotte Brontë
set out to write a critique of religion, but her novel certainly
challenges me to think again about how I live out my faith. I would
grieve to find when I stand before God that my well-intentioned
actions were in fact abusive and destructive of human dignity,
grieving God's heart. We can easily deceive ourselves, so we need to
listen to the voices of others, both those who affirm us and those
who critique us (both inside and outside the Church), seeking always
to demonstrate the kindness and grace of God through our actions,
rather than to exert power and domination over others in God's name.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In a future post I shall write about my
other recent experience, this one with Arthur Miller's <i>The
Crucible</i>.</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-20883852762263802052013-04-03T19:31:00.001-07:002013-04-03T19:31:18.307-07:00A Legacy of Shame<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Recently Danielle at <a href="http://www.fromtwotoone.com/" target="_blank">From Two to One</a>
wrote <a href="http://www.fromtwotoone.com/2013/04/slave-castle.html" target="_blank">a powerful article</a> describing a visit she and her husband made
to an old slave fort in the country of Ghana. I won't try to retell
her story; you must read it yourself in her own words. Her tale has
remained in my mind since I first read it, disturbing my efforts to
ignore unpleasant truths. One detail that she shared sticks out
particularly: that over the dungeon where the captured Africans were
held, abused, tortured and dehumanized until they were sold and
shipped away, the white masters of the fort and the territory had
their chapel. Danielle writes:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>As they [the white masters] sang
worship songs to the Almighty God, the captives who had been beaten
and raped and tortured shouted for mercy and rescue.</b></span></blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How, I ask myself, could people who
call themselves by the name of Jesus Christ engage in such behavior?
How could they so casually worship God while under their very feet
were hundreds of humans whom they had abused, raped and tortured and
whom they were going to sell into lives of slavery to serve the
economic interests of other white Europeans?
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I asked my wife this question and she
gently reminded me that humans have a remarkable ability to justify
their behavior, often by dehumanizing others. The white masters
didn't feel any sense of guilt because to them the black Africans
were not really fellow humans. They were fundamentally inferior, even
inhuman. Therefore it was not immoral to treat them as beasts. Worse
still, these people who considered themselves Christian in some sense
of the word turned to the book of Christians, the Bible, for
justification of their actions. This book which speaks of God's love
for humanity, which describes the great lengths to which God has gone
to restore humanity—all of humanity—to harmony with the divine as
it was intended, was read in such a way as to support the
dehumanization, abuse and degradation of people created by that same
God.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>The painful truth is that one can
read the Bible in that manner.</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In fact the Bible has often been used
to justify the mistreatment of various groups of people throughout
history. One can cite verses in which slavery appears to be normal
and acceptable. One can cite verses in which God commands one group
of people to annihilate entire cities and other groups of people. One
can cite verses in which a woman who has been raped must marry her
rapist. One can cite verses to argue that women are subordinate to
men. The list could continue. What troubles me is that I so rarely
hear anyone in my circles speak of how they are bothered by these
verses or how they are interpreted to justify and support the
exclusion or abuse of entire groups of people. In the past year I
have found a growing number of voices who do speak openly of this,
but I'm still not hearing it from the pulpit, at least not very
often.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Instead I continue to hear voices that
call for the submission of women as the biblical model. I hear voices
that would have us deny equality to women, homosexuals, immigrants
and other groups. These voices cite the Bible as their authority,
often pointing to specific texts as support. How does one interact
with a text that can be so freely used to support the subjugation of
other members of God's creation? How is it that the message of
redemption, liberation, restoration and renewal are so often drowned
by the voices of exclusion and privilege? What am I to do with this
book that has been used to condone some of the most inhumane behavior
humans have committed?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm not sure we really have learned
much since the time when the white British and Dutch masters ruled
that slave fort in Ghana. Yes, we no longer buy and sell slaves
openly as we did then, but we continue to tolerate slavery. We
continue to use the Bible to justify our exclusion of women and
others from full participation in society. We may not be just like
those slave masters, but are we really so different? Am I really so
different? How do I in my reading of the Bible and in living out my
faith support either explicitly or implicitly the abuse of others?
How do I need to think, read and act differently to stop
participating in these acts of injustice?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I appreciate the many voices I have
found that are speaking up openly and powerfully on these questions.
Thank you Danielle, not only for this thought-provoking post but for
your consistent advocacy for those who are marginalized, excluded,
abused and cast off. If we are not to remain blissfully ignorant or
complacent of the evils which our faith has been used to justify, we
must learn to see, read and think differently. I would hate for my
legacy to be looked at with the same scorn and shame that we now look
back at those slave traders.</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-47288099465522462882013-03-24T17:54:00.004-07:002013-03-24T17:54:46.664-07:00What did Jesus' Death Accomplish?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As much of the Christian Church begins
Holy Week (our Orthodox sisters and brothers will not celebrate
Easter this year until May 5), the topic of atonement returns to the
forefront of my mind. I don't regularly ponder this, but over the
past year I have revisited much of my theology, questioning and
examining it in light of my experience and learning over the past
several years. I find that in some places my theology no longer fits
as it once did. In places it pinches, in others it is too baggy. Some
spots now appear threadbare. The time has come to refresh this
theological garment.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I last seriously considered my
theology I was in my mid-twenties, with no children, attending
seminary classes part-time while living and working in a medium sized
American city. Since that time a lot of water has flown under the
bridge. I have experienced new cultures. I have walked through many
joys and sorrows. I have seen two children born and grow into their
teen years. I have found and embraced feminism as a key element of my
worldview. I have returned home from years of cross-cultural living
feeling defeated and deeply wounded. I don't see the world and I
don't see God in the same way that I did some twenty years ago.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Rarely do Christians stop and consider
the act we refer to theologically as “atonement.” We understand
and affirm that in his life, death and resurrection Jesus Christ
altered the fundamental relationship between God and humanity. But
how, exactly, did he accomplish this? To phrase the question in
other terms, why exactly did Jesus have to die? Could God have
altered the divine-human relationship in another manner? Thomas
Oden, in the second volume of this systematic theology trilogy <i>The
Word of Life</i>, provides a nice, relatively concise, summary of four
key streams of thought among Christians concerning this question. He
labels these four motifs as:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Exemplar or Moral Influence Motif</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Rector or Moral Governance Motif</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Exchange or Satisfaction Motif</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Victor or Dramatic Motif</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Christian traditions in which I
have spent most of my life have overwhelmingly embraced the exchange
or satisfaction motif. In this motif, the death of Christ serves as
penal substitution for human sin. It satisfies God's holiness. Oden
writes: <span style="color: magenta;">“It is in keeping with God's justice that sin not be
cheaply remitted, but must be punished, or some satisfaction offered.
Since sin is an infinite offense against diving holiness, the
satisfaction for sin must be infinite. Either satisfaction or
punishment was required by God's very nature.”</span> This motif comes
through regularly, although perhaps without our explicitly
recognizing it, in many popular Christian songs that speak of the
blood of Jesus cleansing us of sin.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One can find support for this motif in
certain passages of Scripture, but I have come to question whether
this view sufficiently describes the need for and enactment of
atonement in Christ's death. This motif seems to emphasize a divine,
angry, judgmental God who must have “his pound of flesh” but out
of mercy directs this wrath upon his own son. As Oden writes in
pointing out objections to this motif: <b><span style="color: purple;">“Too much is made of the
divine majesty being offended, neglecting the fact that God can show
mercy and forgiveness without harming his honor or majesty.”</span></b> The
emphasis on blood, on satisfaction of righteousness, on paying a debt
through the sacrifice of another seems to run contrary to the idea of
God as loving and merciful Creator. Again, I do not deny that certain
passages in Scripture use this language and we must somehow account
for it in our understanding of the divine-human relationship. But if
we hold primarily or exclusively to this motif, do we adequately or,
perhaps more importantly, appropriately capture the nature of
atonement? At the same time, does my hesitancy to affirm this
teaching arise from an inadequate appreciation of God's holiness?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I appreciate Oden's volume of
systematic theology because, unlike many Protestant systematic
theologies, he doesn't insist on a single understanding of the
atonement. He asserts the need to hold all four motifs in tension.
(Due to space I am not going to explore all of the motifs here.) The
evangelical Protestant American churches that I have been a part of
in my life rarely did so, at least not explicitly. I find myself
looking for an atonement theory that deemphasizes wrath, judgment,
violence and punishment and that emphasizes love, mercy,
reconciliation and restoration. I cannot say that I have yet come to
an adequate understanding. This threadbare part of my theological
garment remains under repair.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Although Oden does a good job of
looking back to the church fathers in his review of Christian
theology, I wonder if he adequately examines traditions outside of
Protestantism. I would be very curious to know how the Roman Catholic
Church and the Orthodox Church understand atonement in light of their
whole theologies. I would gladly hear from someone who could
enlighten me in this area. Even within the Protestant church
traditions, I would love to learn more from someone whose church
emphasizes something other than penal substitution, whether their
understanding fits within the four motifs offered by Oden or not. I
wonder in particular how the Quaker (or Friends, to refer to them in
their own terms) tradition understands the death of Christ.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ultimately I am able to live with
ambiguity in this area because I recognize that, however it is
understood, the basic reality remains that in his death and
resurrection Jesus Christ did fundamentally transform the
relationship between God and humanity. Somehow, in the cross-event
and the resurrection event, we now have the opportunity to be
restored to what God created us to be, and not only as humans. In the
death and resurrection of Christ God has initiated (and culminated in
some sense) the renewal and restoration of creation. The power of
evil has been broken. The world need not remain enslaved to it. There
can be no better news, however we understand this to have been
accomplished.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today in worship we sang a <a href="http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=565142" target="_blank">new-to-me song </a>that captures well the victory of Jesus that we celebrate in
particular this week:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>Sing to the King who is coming to reign</b></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>Glory to Jesus, the Lamb that was slain</b></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>Life and salvation His empire shall
bring</b></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>and joy to the nations, when Jesus is
king</b></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>How do you understand the death of
Jesus Christ? Are there ways in which the way you have traditionally
understood atonement that now pinch or are threadbare?</b></span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-3159818197225183592013-03-17T16:41:00.002-07:002013-03-17T16:41:30.993-07:00Will I Dance?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t4aqsGg_vsk/UUZUc0NoSgI/AAAAAAAAB4c/bo9Qi3XWMlY/s1600/IMG_0077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t4aqsGg_vsk/UUZUc0NoSgI/AAAAAAAAB4c/bo9Qi3XWMlY/s320/IMG_0077.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(c) 2013 Andrew Carmichael</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This morning in worship we sang a song
I really like. Unfortunately I rarely hear it anymore, since it has
reached the ripe old age of 20 years. The chorus proclaims:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We will dance on the streets that are
golden</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The glorious bride and the great son of
man</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From every tongue and tribe and nation</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">will join in the son of the lamb.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The words and the melody stir something
inside me that make me want to dance. But I don't, unless I'm in the
privacy of my own home, preferably without even family members
around.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On Friday evening I went to see a
student of mine perform in the musical The Secret Garden. She did a
great job, as did all the teenagers in the show. I'm impressed by the
acting and singing talents of so many youth. I'm also somewhat
envious, because when I was that age I didn't have the courage or
self-confidence to try performing. I was terrified to get in front of
people, afraid of looking like a fool. It's the same fear that keeps
me from dancing when I hear a song that moves me. I'm afraid of what
others will think of me.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am afraid of failure.</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now in the middle years of my life, I
look back with regret at opportunities I might have pursued, at
talents and skills I might have developed, at fun I might have had,
if only I had not been afraid. I cannot undo those past events, but I
can choose whether to continue to live in fear. Even now I still want
to cling to what seems to be safe. I don't want to speak out on
issues, lest others reject or criticize me. I don't take big risks
because I don't want to fail.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">However, I am slowly—ever so
slowly—becoming comfortable in my own skin. I'm growing bolder in
my willingness to speak my mind, even if I expect that it will not
receive a positive response. I'm trying new things, like singing with
a praise team and running for exercise. I'm not up to trying out for
a dramatic role yet, nor do I know of any opportunities to do so, but
I see myself developing greater confidence and boldness. Even as I
grow more willing to try new things, I'm also more comfortable
accepting that there are some things I don't want to or cannot do. I
don't have to be all things to all people, and I do best to operate
in my strengths rather than bemoaning my weaknesses.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At the same time, I am learning to
affirm more fully and genuinely the talents of others. I am letting
go of the need to show that I'm smarter, better, stronger... whatever
is-er. God has given each of us a unique set of gifts, abilities and
interests and I can appreciate what others have, such as acting, even
if I don't. I recognize more and more that everyone doesn't have to
be, act, look, think, dress like me. Nor do I have to conform myself
to what others do or think. Our society may compel that, and our
churches even more so, but God doesn't. God created and embraces
diversity. God celebrates it.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Perhaps one of these days I'll be so
bold as to dance during worship, even if ever-so-slightly. That's a
big step and I'm not sure I'm ready to take it. But I hope I will
eventually. I want to embrace fully the identity I have in Christ, no
longer worrying about the expectations or judgments of others, but
celebrating the me that God has created me to be. For part of the
great redemption story is that God sets us free from fears and
bondage of all kinds. God liberates us to be all that we were meant
to be, in all the colorful diversity, uniqueness and beauty that this
entails. The song I quoted at the beginning speaks to this as well,
reminding us that before the throne of God will dance women and men
from all nations, languages and cultures. It promises to be a
colorful celebration and I look forward to being a part of it,
dancing with reckless abandonment to the glory of God.</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-33816002176433453062013-02-18T06:54:00.003-07:002013-02-18T06:54:28.887-07:00Acts of Repentance<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Last week I read chapter 3 of Luke's
Gospel. In meditating on this passage, the words of John to the
masses caught my attention. In the contemporary German translation
<i>Hoffnung f</i><span lang="de-DE"><i>ür Alle</i> </span><span lang="en-US">in
verse 8 John says:</span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Zeigt erst einmal durch
Taten, dass ihr wirklich zu Gott umkehren wollt.</b></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Show first through deeds that you really want to return to God.</b></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This translation
emphasizes what doesn't stand out so strongly in the English
translations I have read, that those who claim they want to come back to
God should demonstrate this not with empty words or by undergoing
some ritual, but in living transformed lives.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">John continues by warning
the people that the axe is ready to cut down any tree that doesn't
bear fruit. In my church background, bearing fruit has most often
been understood in terms of “winning souls for Christ.” Those who
are not making converts are unfruitful and therefore in danger of
being cut down and discarded (into the fires of hell?) But I don't
think John has this in mind when he speaks here. The context of the
passage doesn't support it, nor do other parts of the New Testament,
where we find the fruit of God's spirit within us being evidenced by
the manner in which we live (consider Galatians 5:22-23 and
Colossians 3:12-17)</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What does the evidence of
repentence look like according to John the Baptizer? He tells those
who have two shirts to give one away and to share their food with
those who have none. He tells tax collectors and soldiers not to
exploit and abuse their positions but to be content. Interestingly,
he doesn't tell them to be more diligent in their personal devotions.
He doesn't tell them to cut themselves off from interacting with the
world around them. He doesn't tell them to pray more or to evangelize
more. <b>He doesn't tell them to be more spiritual. He tells them to
demonstrate their transformed hearts through loving action that
affirms the dignity and value of others.</b></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In this season of Lent,
many Christians choose to give up one or more things as a sacrifice
to help focus body and soul on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the
cross. I think there can be value in this, although I do not see it
as an essential aspect of Christian life. However, Julie Clawson
<a href="http://julieclawson.com/2013/02/14/celebrating-valentines-day-during-lent/" target="_blank">writing about the potential conflict between Lent and Valentine's Day</a>, caught my attention with her focus on going beyond personal
spiritual practices during this Lenten season.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Instead
of giving up chocolate or Facebook for Lent, we could work to aid
those our culture dictates we exclude. We could provide the blessing
of marriage to those our culture forbids to let marry. We could
provide aid to those our culture says are unwelcome sojourners in our
midst. We could work to ensure that our churches truly are a
welcoming house of prayer for all peoples. It may be uncomfortable
and perhaps even difficult to work for the good of those our culture
would rather us despise or exclude (although I doubt it will get us
beheaded), but perhaps that’s what being a martyr for the sake of
love means these days.</span></span></span></blockquote>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">I
think she is r</span></span><span lang="en-US">ight when she
states that “It is a lot easier to focus on our personal spiritual
development than it is to work for the good of others.” Certainly
the two are connected, as working for the good of others flows out of
our relationship with God. I see a connection as well with the words
of John in Luke 3. <b>We demonstrate our repentance not primarily
through acts of personal piety, but through acts of loving service to
others.</b> The first may be difficult, but the second is more so.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="en-US"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How do we best
demonstrate that our encounter with God transforms our lives? Do we
do it best through more church activities, attending worship services
as often as possible, joining multiple Bible studies, listening only
to Christian radio? Some of those activities may be useful, even
necessary. But surely we should give evidence of our transformed
lives even more in the way we work to express love to others, to
affirm their dignity and worth, to create a more equal and just
society, to worship God through caring for creation. May our lives
produce bountiful fruit—for the benefit of the people and society
around us, as well as for our global community. In this way we honor
and worship the God of our salvation.</span></span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-52969476447035576122013-02-17T09:25:00.001-07:002013-02-17T09:25:05.131-07:00Drink Milk, Get the Girl<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While listening to the radio the other
day I heard an advertisement that caused my blood to boil. In the ad,
designed to promote milk consumption, two school-age boys are
negotiating the exchange of various lunch items. One boy offers to
trade his unhealthy lunch items to the other boy for his healthy
lunch items. Among the healthy items in the exchange is a container
of chocolate milk. After they complete their trade, we hear the voice
of a girl expressing how much she admires boys who choose healthy
drinks. She indicates that the boy who has made the healthy choice
will be rewarded by her at recess in some unspecified manner.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This advertisement offends me because
it perpetuates the tired and sexist meme that women are the reward
for particular choices. Put succinctly, <b>drink milk, get the girl</b>. This meme has been and continues to be used to
advertise an untold number of products. Drink this beer, buy this
car, wear this clothing and this sexy woman (or these sexy women)
will be all yours. Women are a commodity—objects who exist only to
reward men. That the milk producers chose to perpetuate this
exploitative mentality to sell milk to boys only makes it more
offensive. By choosing this meme to market their product they
continue to instill in boys and young men the idea that girls/women
are the reward they will get for their choices.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We find this meme all too frequently in
advertising. It dominates beer advertising and is a common theme in
car advertisements. One need not ponder long to think of several
Super Bowl advertisements that used this appeal. I will not provide
links to such advertisements because I do not want to give them any
more attention than they already receive. I appreciate the campaign
promoted by MissRepresentation to call out these sexist
advertisements through their <a href="http://www.missrepresentation.org/not-buying-it/" target="_blank">“Not Buying It” </a>campaign. Businesses
respond primarily to one thing—revenue. So our most effective
response to sexist advertisements is to make it clear that we will
not purchase products advertised through the objectification of
women. If enough of us make it clear to them that we will not
tolerate and support such demeaning stereotypes, we can make a
difference. Carl's Junior stands out in my mind as a particularly egregious abuser of women in their advertisements. As a result, I avoid eating at Carl's Jr. although I do like their hamburgers. I can list numerous other businesses as well.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thanks to <a href="http://www.missrepresentation.org/" target="_blank">MissRepresentation</a> and other
articles I've read from feminist writers I have become much more
aware of the extent to which women are objectified in the media, not
only in advertising. Becoming aware of this is the first step. Now I
must choose how I will respond. I don't want to support anything that
removes or denigrates the worth and dignity of women actively or
passively. Of course this takes conscious effort and I cannot say I
am fully successful yet. But I am growing in this area. If this idea
is new to you, I would encourage you to check out the
<a href="http://www.missrepresentation.org/" target="_blank">MissRepresentation website</a> and learn more about how women are
routinely portrayed in the media in ways that demean them and treat
them as objects for male gratification. We don't need to tell boys
that they'll get the girl if they will drink milk. Nor do we men need
to tolerate those who tell us that women are our reward for our
choices. Surely advertisers can find ways to sell their products that
affirm the dignity of all people.</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-63528393547719291472013-02-02T08:54:00.000-07:002013-02-02T08:54:04.355-07:00A Broken and a Contrite Heart - Guest Post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have written several pieces lately on the issue of violence, so when I received a newsletter from some friends of mine, written by the mother of one of them, I immediately resonated with the author's argument. She graciously allowed me to repost her article here for the benefit of my readers. I trust that others will find it as challenging as I did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jan Wood is the Executive Director of GOOD NEWS Associates. She is also an Associate with a ministry of speaking, writing, consulting and spiritual direction. She is the author of <i>Christians at Work, Not Business as Usual</i> and co-author of <i>Practicing Discernment Together, Finding God’s Way Forward in Decision Making</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Be sure to check out the organization's website at <a href="http://www.goodnewsassoc.org/">www.goodnewsassoc.org</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">***</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kudzu
is a fast growing invasive species that snuffs out the plant life in
its path. To folks’ dismay this plant that was originally imported
to the US for its usefulness quickly covered everything in its path,
covering roads, cars, trees and buildings and killing off other plant
life by shading it from the light. It takes constant vigilance to
keep it at bay.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Similarly,
the national conversation after the Newtown school shootings have
illumed that we Americans have become blind to and smothered by
violence. Our national heart has been rightfully broken. We know
that enough is enough. Things must be done. Yet the words,
opinions, the self-justifications of every sector of our society pour
over us like a tsunami. We feel both angry and numb. Broken and
belligerent. Hopeful and helpless. But mostly helpless. This is so
much bigger than any one of us.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The
spirit of self-idolization and its ever-present servant—violence—has
spread over and through our American culture muting and smothering
the multitudes of individual goodnesses in the world. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
clinging vines of a violent, self-centered culture enwrap us all.
They shape us. They enlighten us. They blind us. They shade us
from the Light. Violences are pleasantly deceptive. There seems to
be no direct connection between what we are immersed in and what we
do. No direct connection between what we do and the pain we cause
others. And we never notice that our souls—individually and
nationally—have gradually become dimmed to the acute, unfiltered
radiance of goodness and Light. </span>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Changing a culture seems
as impossible as trying to catch a cloud. Yet cultures are
constantly changing. We have all seen this happen before our very
eyes. As Americans we have cultivated a garden where violence is our
ally and friend, our pleasure and entertainment, our safety and our
inalienable right. It has become part and parcel of our worldview,
our words and actions, and ultimately, our delusions. We have made
all other lives and futures dispensable when violence suits our aims.
And this part of our culture is destroying our souls, our
relationships, our communities and our nation from the inside out.
It is the kudzu of our souls.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There
is something deep that is calling God’s people to the prophetic; a
place of voluntary </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>standing-with</i></span><span style="font-size: small;">
and </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>repenting-for</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"> a
deeply corrupted American culture. It isn’t enough to just try to
be better than the culture. Deep compassion and broken hearts compel
us to call out to God </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>on behalf</i></span><span style="font-size: small;">
of our culture. As folks lustily call for their rights, their
pleasures, their freedoms, their safety, their profits, let us simply
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>stop</i></span><span style="font-size: small;">. Stop inwardly
justifying our own choices and sink into the broken heartedness that
is called for. The list of what-everyone-else-should-and-must-do
goes silent. In that space we can feel a deep well spring of
repentance. A broken and contrite heart that simply collapses before
God and cries out: “Oh God, forgive us!” We don’t know what to
do. This is much bigger than us. Yet, we echo the Psalmist by
praying</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Create
in us a clean heart, O God,</i></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>and
put a new and right spirit within us.</i></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Cast
us not away from thy presence</i></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>and
take not thy holy Spirit from us.</i></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Restore
to us the joy of thy salvation </i></span>
</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>and
uphold us with a willing spirit.</i></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">May
it begin with us.</span></div>
<br />
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-1426705603554391742013-01-26T18:28:00.001-07:002013-01-26T18:28:15.518-07:00Creation Care is NOT Creation Worship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y0u3w11HYZ8/UPwsRLVZwCI/AAAAAAAAB4E/HvfrZy69Vy0/s1600/Creation+Care.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y0u3w11HYZ8/UPwsRLVZwCI/AAAAAAAAB4E/HvfrZy69Vy0/s320/Creation+Care.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.msumccreationcare.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Image Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Last week I wrote that <a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/creation-care-is-worship.html" target="_blank">creation care is worship</a> and explored some reasons that many Christians, particularly
here in the United States, fail to recognize the connection. Today I
want to consider some other obstacles that may hinder many Christians
from caring for creation as an act of worship.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Creation care as worship sounds awfully
close to worshiping creation. They are not the same thing. I am not
advocating nature as God, nor the worship of the creation as some
type of deity. <b><span style="color: purple;">Creation care from a Christian perspective clearly
recognizes and distinguishes between the creation and the Creator.</span></b> I
do think that some aspects of native American (and probably other
native religions, I'm not particularly familiar with most of them) do
recognize something important in the interconnection of human life
with the rest of the natural world. Somewhere in our Christian
theology we have lost this connection, to our detriment and to the
detriment of the natural world. We have forgotten that God created as
in harmony with the rest of creation. We were not created to live
disconnected from the world around us. We were not created to
exploit, abuse and use creation solely for our own benefit, without
regard for the holistic balance of life nor without concern for
future generations. All of creation comes from God and all of it was
declared good by the Creator. When we affirm the created world, when
we care for it and nurture it so that it sustains our lives and the
lives of future generations, we honor and worship the Creator God,
not the creation itself. Let's not let our fear of confusing the two
keep us from expressing our worship through care for creation.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Christians may also reject creation
care because they reject modern science and the evidence that our
human behaviour is causing significant harm to the global
environment. I see in certain Christian circles a very strong fear of
what we might call scientific conspiracy, an ongoing effort to
undermine Christian faith through science. There are many aspects of
this, more than I can possibly or want to address in this article.
But I do want to challenge the thinking that global climate change
represents a scientific hoax designed to undermine Christian faith.
Not that long ago I was rather skeptical about global climate change
and the threat it poses to human life and well-being. The more I read
and observe what is happening though, the more I realize that the
data is there to back up the concerns being raised by scientists. I
wrote some time ago about watching the movie and the effect it had on
my thinking. Currently I am reading the book <i>Hot, Flat and Crowded</i> by
Thomas Friedman, which is a powerful argument for our need to change
our lifestyle for the sake of ourselves and the future of our planet.
I don't see how this challenges the foundations of Christian faith.
Rather, it should stir us as Christians to recognize that we have
failed to be good stewards of creation, as we were tasked to be in
the beginning according to Genesis. Why do so many American
Christians refuse to hear the siren call being sounded?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The answer to that lies in another
problem we have as American Christians: <b><span style="color: purple;">We love our American
lifestyle more than we love God</span></b>. In fact, we have conflated the two. There. I said it. We would prefer to
choose our life of personal comfort, convenience and individual
freedom, over social responsibility and accepting God's call to care
for creation. Caring for creation comes at a price. We cannot live as
we have been living if we want to worship God through creation care.
Faced with that reality, many Christians in America prefer to cling
to a cultural Christianity that allows them to pursue their desired
lifestyle without care for creation or the poor of the earth who will
be most significantly affected by the environmental destruction we
are causing directly and indirectly. Our lifestyles come at more
expense that the dollars we pay, but because that expense is paid by
the poor in other countries and will be paid by future generations,
we do not let it concern us. Worshiping God through caring for
creation will require us to make changes and, yes, sacrifices. It
will challenge us to value more highly something other than our
personal comfort and pleasure. This does not mean that we must live
in poverty. It doesn't mean that we will not be able to have
pleasant, enjoyable lives. But it will mean that we choose more
carefully and wisely how we purchase and use resources, thinking not
only of the bottom line now but of the impact on others around the
globe today and in the future. It does mean reexamining our values
and priorities in the light of Jesus Christ. Ron Sider, in<a href="http://creationcare.org/view.php?id=759" target="_blank"> this article</a>, pointedly states:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #353532;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serifl;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The
church of Jesus Christ will do what God wants it to do for the
environment and the poor if member by member, congregation by
congregation, we look up into the face of the risen Lord and submit
ourselves totally and unconditionally in worship and obedience. Let's
look into his face in surrender as we face very decision- about
money, sex, business, marriage, politics, divorce, peacemaking. Can
we keep doing some of the things we are now doing if we look
constantly and intently into his face and ask him, "My Lord, are
you pleased with how I am living, or does it make you weep?"
Let's dare daily to look into his face and invite him to make us more
and more like himself, transforming us from one degree of glory to
another.</span></span></span></blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Worshiping God through creation care
does not come easily. It requires us to rethink our values and
priorities and in consequence to make some adjustments – for most
of us probably fairly radical adjustments over time – to how we
live. Because we love our God, we need to love and care for the whole
of creation: the other people living on the planet now, the plants,
animals, water and air that surround us, and all that will exist in
coming years. I myself have only begun to reexamine my lifestyle, and
my wife and I have begun making changes in how we live as a result. I
shared some of these last year, in <a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/are-we-poisoning-ourselves.html" target="_blank">this article</a>, <a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/whats-our-responsibility.html" target="_blank">this article</a>, and <a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/small-steps-to-healthier-world.html" target="_blank">this article</a>.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>How do you already express worship
through caring for God's creation? What changes might you make to
better worship God in this way? What hinders you from caring for
creation?</b></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-29535200187446894982013-01-20T12:38:00.001-07:002013-01-26T18:29:16.790-07:00Creation Care is Worship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y0u3w11HYZ8/UPwsRLVZwCI/AAAAAAAAB4E/HvfrZy69Vy0/s1600/Creation+Care.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y0u3w11HYZ8/UPwsRLVZwCI/AAAAAAAAB4E/HvfrZy69Vy0/s320/Creation+Care.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.msumccreationcare.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When God created humans, God gave them
responsibility to care for the rest of the created world. We are
caretakers of creation. In caring for creation we worship God by
affirming the value of what God created. But since the fall we have
done a rather poor job of it. As humanity has developed
technologically in the last couple centuries, we have increasingly
exploited creation for our own benefit rather than caring for it as
an act of worship to our Creator God. <b><span style="color: purple;">Creation care is an act of
worship</span></b>, but too often Christians, particularly American Christians,
fail to recognize this.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We see this increasingly clearly in the
conversation about the effects of global climate change, our role in
causing it and our response to it. I have heard many comments and
statements by Christians that reject the reality that the global
climate is changing and that we humans bear the major responsibility
for this change. What leads so many Christians to refuse to accept
the evidence for the changes occurring to our world and the need to
change our behavior in response to these changes? In this article I
want to examine four elements which I believe negatively influence
Christian thinking on this issue.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Christians fail to worship God by
caring for the created world because they have adopted a dualistic
theology that devalues the physical world and exalts the spiritual
world. This dualistic theology owes more to Greek philosophy than it
does to the teaching of Scripture. In classical Greek philosophy,
particularly that of Plato, this world is not reality. It is only a
mere shadow of reality. Life in this world is in some sense an
illusion, or at best something less than the "real" of which it is
only an image. Therefore, in this worldview, the physical nature needs to be cast off, left behind, so that we can
encounter the real spiritual world of which we currently only see
hints and shadows. This philosophy has found a home in the church
from early on, although it was quite clearly rejected by the creeds
of the early Christian Church. We find it still today, such as in the
popular writings of C.S. Lewis (whom I happen to like, but
whose theology I take issue with at times). Consider these words he
wrote:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Think of yourself as a seed patiently
waiting in the earth; waiting to come up a flower in the gardener's
good time, up into the real world, the real waking. I suppose that
our whole present life, looked back on from there, will seem only a
drowsy half-waking. We are here in the land of dreams, but cock-crow
is coming.</span></blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At one point in my life I would have
strongly embraced these words. But now I see that they cannot a
dangerous seed that runs counter to the teaching of Scripture. The
Bible does not teach us that creation is less than real. It doesn't
teach us that we are only living in a half-awake state, in a land of
dreams. Rather it affirms that God created the physical world and
called it good. The only thing bad about it was for man to be alone
in the world. The Christian emphasis on the resurrection also affirms
that divine aspect of our physicalness. Jesus was resurrected not
only as a spritual being, but in some manner as a physical one as
well, and so shall we be at the future resurrection. When we view the
created world as something bad, negative, inferior or less “real,”
we deny the value of God's very creation. We rob God of worship. We
lose incentive to worship God through caring for that creation. After
all, the created world is only evil anyway.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This dualistic theology combines with
another flawed bit of theology: an escapist eschatology that looks
for the end to come soon so that we can get out of this fallen world.
While I would not find the return of Christ soon disappointing, we
must first of all acknowledge that the Bible clearly teaches that we
do not know when that return will happen. No matter how hard we try
to “read the signs of the times” we still do not know and
predictions about the imminent appearance of Jesus have consistently
been wrong. So we should not cease to care for God's creation simply
because we don't believe it's going to around much longer. If we act
in this way, we act irresponsibly toward our children and their
children and however many future generations may live on this earth
before Christ does return. We dishonor God and fail to express care
for future generations when we take a short-view of history. We
cannot continue to create enormous environmental problems merely on
the hopeful assumption that no one will have to worry about cleaning
them up anyway.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Furthermore, this eschatology assumes
that the new heaven and new earth that Christ will initiate on his
return will somehow be completed disconnected from the present earth.
I used to think this way. Certainly we read in Revelation 21:1 that
the first heaven and first earth have passed away. But the passage
doesn't really tell us what that means specifically. It tells us that
the created order is being made anew, but that doesn't require
complete discontinuity with the old. What if heaven is not some place
“out there” but is in fact intimately connected with the renewal
of the creation to the form God originally intended it to have? N.T.
Wright addresses this far more thoroughly and eloquently than I can
in his excellent book <i>Surprised by Hope</i>. I believe that he raises
very thought-provoking insights into the Bible's teachings on this
subject and I see now that this clearly impacts our view of this
world and our responsibility to worship God by caring for it as long
as we live on this planet.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We need to rethink our theology so that
we do not continue to abuse the created world. We need to recognize
and affirm that caring for creation is in fact part of our worship of
God. God made the physical world and called it good. God gave us
bodies not as a cage or prison from which we must strive to escape,
but as a fundamental part of our identity. God then placed us in a
real, physical world with a mandate to care for it, for our benefit
yes, but not exclusively so and not in such a manner as to exploit
and destroy it.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">Creation care is worship.</span></b> We rob God of
worship when we abuse, exploit and destroy creation, both in the
present and for future generations.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In a later post I will explore this
topic further and consider other reasons that Christians fail to
embrace creation care as an aspect of worship. In the meantime, tell
me how you have seen Christian theology used to denigrate our
responsibility toward creation.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also recommend the various <a href="http://sojo.net/topics/environmental-stewardship/creation-care" target="_blank">articles on this topic posted at Sojourners.com</a>. </span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-81714234943646586612013-01-12T07:38:00.002-07:002013-01-12T07:38:36.027-07:00Violence is not the Solution to Violence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While browsing Facebook the other day
a picture caught my attention. (Unfortunately I cannot find a way to link to or embed it here.) It shows Jesus (in classic white-man Jesus appearance) holding a young child and talking to a bunch of men with the caption:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>You have heard it said, "Love your enemy and do good to those who persecute you." But I say, if you feel threatened, don't hesitate to blow someone away. The Second Amendment gives you the right. Besides, the Founding Fathers were Christians, so it's all good.</b></span></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ic0GRn5rrNc/UPFy7hugrnI/AAAAAAAAB3U/9SoUhPBI6LE/s1600/American+Jesus.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ic0GRn5rrNc/UPFy7hugrnI/AAAAAAAAB3U/9SoUhPBI6LE/s1600/American+Jesus.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<img src="http://static.quickmeme.com/media/social/qm.gif" /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In its hyperbole, this captures well a key concern I have
with the rhetoric I hear coming from a certain segment of Americans.
I find it particularly disturbing that many of those who espouse such
views also present themselves as brothers and sisters in Christ. They
fail to recognize an inherent contradiction in their thinking. They
argue that they should have the right and the means to use violence
to protect themselves from violence and forget that the very Jesus
they proclaim himself stated unequivocally how we are to respond to
those who threaten us.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>You have heard that it was said, “Love
your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you, love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be
children of your father in heaven.</b></span></blockquote>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Jesus' words should strike us as very
radical. Perhaps they strike us as too radical, so we have to ignore
them or dilute them in some manner because we cannot bring ourselves
to actually apply them concretely. No, we are more comfortable with
the idea of forcefully defending ourselves than with the idea of
loving our enemies. We consider our Second Amendment rights more
important than living out the words of Jesus. That should give us
reason to stop and think.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In response to the violent rampages
such as the one in Newtown, or in Aurora, or in any other number of
cities in recent months and years, some, including the largest gun
lobby in the country, cry out that the solution is to arm more
people, to make guns more accessible so that criminals will be
detered. I think this is a very false solution.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Violence is not the solution to
violence.
</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">More weapons does not equal more
safety. Liz at These Square Pegs has <a href="http://thesesquarepegs.blogspot.com/2012/12/too-soon.html" target="_blank">a great article</a> that points this
out quite clearly, pointing out among other things that the risk of
homicide is three times higher in homes with firearms. If more guns
made us more safe, we should be among the safest nations on earth,
yet somehow we feel less safe. I will not feel more safe if more
people are carrying weapons, ready to use them whenever they perceive
a threat. I can imagine a scenario in which someone starts shooting
in a Newtown- or Aurora-like scenario, and several other
“well-intentioned” citizens pull out their weapons to shoot back.
Only in the melee it is not clear who is shooting at whom and
suddenly more people are dying because it has become an open
gun-battle. <b>Guns do not make us safer.</b> Violence does not reduce
violence.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We need to take the discussion in our
culture beyond whether one has an uninfringed right to gun ownership
and what restrictions are reasonable on guns. We need to talk about
the culture we have created and continue to perpetuate that glorifies
violence as the solution to problems. In the month since the Newtown
massacre I have been to the movie theater a couple of times and in
light of all these violent shootings I am struck by the number of
films we produce and watch which effectively glorify violence. How
many crime shows do we need on TV? Why are violent video games some
of the most popular? I confess that I too enjoy some of these movies
and TV shows (although I generally limit my video gaming to sports
games and such violent escapades as Mario Kart), but I recognize that
I need to examine my own consumption of these products. I don't think
the solution is all or nothing, but I think we must rethink how we
portray violence and stop teaching ourselves and our children
implicitly (and now, with statements like those made by the NRA,
explicitly) that violence solves problems.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We should re-envision our society. We
can reduce levels of violence and the inclination to resort to it as
a solution by changing the way we view and treat others. We can
choose to not live in fear. We can choose to work towards a more just
and equal society. Violence and the perceived need for guns will be
reduced as we change the way we think and act toward one another. It
is possible, but will not be easy. It will take a lot more effort,
time and education than simply arming more people or posting armed
guards in our schools. It will require a willingness to rethink our
values. It will take sacrifice. But I believe the outcome will be
worth it. (It will not require completely renouncing gun ownership.
Many European countries with very strict gun laws, such as Germany,
still have high levels of gun ownership, but not the levels of
violence in the culture that we do.)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I fear that as a society we are not
willing to have this conversation. I doubt that we are willing to
sacrifice some very sacred cows in order to change our ways and
reduce the culture of violence we have created. Most unfortunately, I
question whether many within the church are willing to take the words
of Jesus seriously. From the rhetoric I hear and see, too many
Christians hold more strongly to their Second Amendment rights than
to the teaching of Jesus. As God's Church we should be leading the
change in society away from violence, but instead we often seem to be
the ones holding most strongly to our culture of violence. This
saddens me. But I will hold on to hope and will support <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/01/07/gabby-giffords-mark-kelly-tucson-shooting-gun-control/1816383/" target="_blank">those who advocate for change in this area</a>, such as the former congressional
representative from my district, Gabrielle Giffords, who herself was
seriously injured in a mass shooting in Tucson two years ago.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>I believe the time has come for change.
Will we embrace it, or will we cling more strongly still to our
culture of violence?</b></span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-80987725554280361012013-01-03T20:37:00.000-07:002013-01-03T20:37:29.002-07:00Grieving Victims of Violence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am grieving this week for a young
woman I never met. I have been grieving for her since I first heard
<a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-indian-rape-death-fallout-20121231,0,2657019.story" target="_blank">the story of her brutal rape at the hands of several men</a> on December
16 and subsequent death from her injuries at the end of the year. I
grieve because no person should endure the abuse that she received. I
grieve because her life was just as precious to God as any other
human and her loss diminishes all of us, to recall the words of John
Donne. When I think of her I see all the women I have the privilege
of knowing and shudder at the thought that any of them should face
what she did.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I grieve as well because her death does
not stand as an isolated act. Although her abuse was particularly
awful in its brutality, rape has been and remains a common occurrence
in India. Perhaps this heinous crime will spur changes in Indian
society, but some of the comments I have read make me doubt this.
These comments sound all too familiar, placing the blame on women for
their appearance or behaviour, effectively making the victim
responsible for her own abuse. It seems that men in India, at least
many of them, have a very difficult time accepting women as their
equals. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/worldviews/2013/01/03/indias-tipping-point-death-of-rape-victim-sparks-global-outrage/" target="_blank">Feeling threatened by women</a> in the public space, they shame
them, demean them, abuse them, rape them and seek to exert control
over them to maintain their superior position in the culture. I
recognize that not all men in India are this way, but from the many
stories that have come out of India in light of this crime, these
characteristics seem to provide an accurate profile of the culture as
a whole.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I grieve not only because of the
culture of violence toward women that we find in India. I grieve also
because this same culture of violence exists in my own country. We in
America may feel some sense of cultural superiority to India, but we
shouldn't, because women face similar threats of violence, rape,
abuse and even death at the hands of men here in the United States as
well. We are not innocent. We are not better than they are. In fact
we are just as guilty as India of excusing violent behavior by men.
<a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/masculinity-and-violence.html" target="_blank">As I wrote recently</a>, we falsely continue to affirm this as part of
masculinity. We men (and women, who unfortunately sometimes
perpetuate the same lies and myths about rape victims as men) need to
stand against violence, particularly against women. We need to affirm
that being a “real” man doesn't require asserting power and
control over women. Quite the opposite. We need to demonstrate by
word and deed that men are fully men when they embrace gentleness,
humility and kindness and surrender power and control. Instead of
feeling threatened by the equality of women, we need to embrace and
affirm it, for in affirming their full dignity and equality we
benefit all of society, including ourselves.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also need to leave behind false
myths and ideas that place the blame for rape and abuse on women
because of their appearance or behaviour. Men who rape bear the
responsibility for their behaviour, not their victims. Unfortunately
<a href="http://www.fromtwotoone.com/2012/05/recap-modesty-myth.html" target="_blank">the modesty myth</a> so frequently perpetuated in Christian circles does
nothing to reduce or eliminate this false blaming. Men and women in
the church need to take the lead in defending the victims of violence
and abuse instead of turning the blame back on them. We, the people
of God, should be the trendsetters against violence in any form. I
grieve that we often lag far behind or, worse still, perpetuate false
gender stereotypes along with modesty and purity myths. By doing so
we are complicit in the culture of rape and violence that exists in
this country and around the world.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hope that this young woman's death
will bring change to Indian society. I hope it does not stop with
India though, but can be a catalyst to further the reduction and
eventual elimination of violence against women in every country. We
must speak out. We must stand against violence toward women. We must
adopt a new view of manhood that affirms the full equality and
dignity of women. We cannot remain complicit in the abuse,
mistreatment, rape and other forms of violence against women.</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-47443250984401607832013-01-01T10:08:00.002-07:002013-01-01T10:08:32.012-07:00Looking Back, Looking Forward, Embracing the Now<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I sit here looking out the window at
the beautiful New Year's morning, sipping my cup of hot tea, I
naturally find myself reflecting on the year that has just ended and
the one that has just begun. Of course, as my son pointed out last
night as the clock struck midnight, marking the beginning of a new
year on January 1 is a completely arbitrary decision and in that
sense today is no different from any other new day. Except that it
isn't, because we humans have chosen to mark the passage of time
throughout much of our history. We feel the need to observe the
transitions not only in seasons but in units of time such as days,
months and years. Different cultures choose different times to
observe the passage of time – ancient Persian cultures welcomed the
new year with the arrival of spring (which seems imminently
sensible), while Jewish culture greets the new year in the autumn
(both of these examples being referenced according to the cycle of
seasons in the northern hemisphere).
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Celebrating the departure of one year
and the arrival of another seems to me quite useful, regardless of
when one does it. By observing the transition of years we allow
ourselves to pause, reflect on what has passed and look forward to
what is coming. Just as each day offers us a new beginning in our
lives, so each new year offers us an opportunity to begin anew on a
larger scale, or to celebrate what has been and renew our commitment
to it for another year.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>As 2013 begins, I want to remember the
past</b>.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't want the beginning of a new
year to mean that everything from the past is forgotten. That would
be unhealthy. George Santayana is quoted as saying “Those who
forget the past are doomed to repeat it.” Certainly we should not
forget the tragic events of history, both distant and more recent,
lest we carelessly allow such events to repeat themselves. We must
not forget the victims in Newtown, nor the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-indian-rape-death-fallout-20121231,0,2657019.story" target="_blank">young woman in India who was brutally raped and murdered on a public bus</a>. We must remember so
that we can take steps to change ourselves and our world so that such
tragic events become rarer and even, someday, become a thing of the
past altogether. We remember the difficulties, hardships and even
tragedies in our own lives because from them we can learn, grow and
change ourselves and our world.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We remember the past not only because
of its tragedies and sorrows, but also for its joys and pleasures. I
do not want to forget the delights of my children when they were two,
three, six, nine or any other age. I want to celebrate the times with
family and friends from this past year and those before. I want to
remember with joy the people who have blessed and enriched my life,
whether they are present to me now or not. Remembering them and the
times we've shared keeps them close and honors them and the role they
have played in my life.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Even as I remember the past, I
don't want to live in it.</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This past year had many memories, both
positive and not-so-positive. The years before it are also filled
with experiences both good and bad. Sometimes I'm tempted to wish
that I could return to a particular point in my life and live there
again. But I can't go back. Seeking to live in the past robs me of
the joy and richness of the present, which is the only time I can
experience fully. As much as I fondly remember my children in their
early years, I err if I value those years over the teen years they
are currently in. No matter how fondly I recall my years in
university, I can't return to them. I have passed that point in life.
I can recall them with pleasure, but I can't live there.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Realistically, I often recall the past
through highly-filtered lenses. Those early years of parenting were
great in many ways, but they had plenty of challenges. Those student
years were enjoyable, but they weren't the pinnacle of my life. When
we look to the past as a golden age, we devalue the life God gives us
to live in the present and we discount the potential and possibility
of the future. Whatever the past held for each of us as individuals
and for us as a society, we can't go back there. The way forward does
not lie in trying to recreate the past.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I begin this new year I want to
remember the past, with both sorrow and joy as appropriate. I want to
learn from it and I want to honor its memories and experiences. At
the same time I want to embrace the present and look to the future. I
want to celebrate the life I have now, accepting its opportunities
and challenges, joys and sorrows as they come without looking back
with nostalgic longing to a time that has passed. This year I don't
want to live in the past or in the future. I want to live in the now.</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-65665164713124563092012-12-29T12:38:00.000-07:002012-12-29T12:38:06.984-07:002012 in Review - Writers who have influenced me this year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have significantly expanded my blog
reading this year, as much as my schedule allows. There are many
interesting and excellent writers out there, but of all those I
follow, a few stand out in terms of their influence on my own
thinking and development.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rachelheldevans.com/blog" target="_blank">Rachel Held Evans</a> – her blog stands
out as a center for healthy, open discourse about faith, gender and a
variety of other topics. Rachel's blog has often been the catalyst
that has spurred much of my thinking, as well as the nexus that has
connected me to many other interesting writers.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.fromtwotoone.com/" target="_blank">From Two to One</a> – Danielle writes
about the junction of faith and feminism in her very articulate and
thought-provoking style. Among her many great articles I particularly
appreciate her series on modesty.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://kathyescobar.com/" target="_blank">Kathy Escobar</a> – Kathy writes from her
own experience in downward mobility and challenges me to keep
thinking and looking for ways to move downward myself.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.katieaxelson.com/" target="_blank">Katie Axelson</a> – I only recently
discovered Katie's blog, but I find her writing articulate and her
areas of interest overlap significantly with my own. I look forward
to hearing more from Katie in the coming year.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.carisadel.com/" target="_blank">Caris Adel</a> – I've followed Caris most
of this year and appreciate very much her exploration of issues of
faith.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://julieclawson.com/" target="_blank">One Hand Clapping</a> – Julie Clawson
writes about social justice issues and has helped further my own
thinking about what it looks like to act justly and live sustainably.
She also wrote an excellent series of articles on feminism this year.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.allthingsbeautifulblog.com/" target="_blank">All Things Beautiful </a>– I really like
Alyssa's perspective on the world. She reminds and encourages me to
look for and celebrate the beauty in life and the world around me.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I won't even attempt to suggest the
best posts from each of these authors. I would encourage readers to
explore their blogs for themselves and discover the great,
thought-provoking writing each one offers. I look forward to reading
more from each of them in 2013.</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-21970199325915666012012-12-28T20:44:00.002-07:002012-12-28T20:44:36.054-07:002012 in Review - Part 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The following were the five most popular this past year:</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/getting-beyond-shame-guest-post.html" target="_blank">Getting beyond shame – a guest post by Micky Dewitt</a> (4/20)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/woman-up.html" target="_blank">Woman up!</a> (6/11)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/gods-politics.html" target="_blank">God's Politics?</a> (10/8)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/wasted-treasure.html" target="_blank">Wasted Treasure</a> (8/29)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/hopefully-engaged.html" target="_blank">Hopefully Engaged</a> (12/2)</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-26788696493171561082012-12-27T16:04:00.000-07:002012-12-27T16:04:59.051-07:002012 in Review - Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In this past year I awakened in a
meaningful way to the need to change the way we live. Our very
lifestyle is poisoning ourselves and destroying our environment. As
disciples of the Creator God, we must adopt a different mentality
toward the created world. We must stop treating it as disposable,
exploiting it for our personal pleasures without concern for the rest
of the people with whom we share the planet, nor the others who will
come after us. This also ties into the issue of equality, since our
wealth and privilege as Americans thrives on and perpetuates economic
inequality. I continue to be challenged to live more sustainably and
justly.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/are-we-poisoning-ourselves.html" target="_blank">Are we poisoning ourselves?</a> (3/28)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/whats-our-responsibility.html" target="_blank">What's our responsibility?</a> (3/28)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/why-arent-gmo-products-labeled.html" target="_blank">Why aren't GMO products labeled?</a>
(7/14)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-poor-will-always-be-with-us.html" target="_blank">The poor will always be with us</a>
(10/21)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/equality-is-moral-issue.html" target="_blank">Equality is a moral issue</a> (12/6)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How do you understand the relationship between faith and the environment? What does sustainable living look like?</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-823278389205303321.post-76215094798302250102012-12-26T17:10:00.003-07:002012-12-26T17:10:47.867-07:002012 in Review - Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This year was the first one in which I
made a deliberated, focused effort to write regularly for this blog.
I have enjoyed developing this outlet for sharing with others what I
am learning and thinking about. Simultaneously I have been challenged
and enlightened as I have expanded my own reading on other blogs. As
the year draws to a close, I want to take the next few days and look
back at some of the issues and posts that expressed some of the most
issues most important to me.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In 2012 I understood clearly and
affirmed for the first time that I am a feminist. As a feminist I
believe strongly in equality and in the worth and dignity of all
persons, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sex, or any other factor.
Alongside this I have begun to recognize that people like me –
white American men – need to relinquish the hold we
have on power, control and privilege in our society, in the church
and around the world. The time has long since passed when the “table”
should be dominated by such a limited group of people. We need to
make room for and encourage the full participation of women and other
voices in our societal conversation. A few key posts in this area:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/i-am-feminist.html" target="_blank">I am a feminist</a> (1/9)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/feminism-its-not-just-for-women.html" target="_blank">Feminism – it's not just for women</a>
(3/7)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/strong-is-beautiful.html" target="_blank">Strong is beautiful</a> (4/27)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/woman-up.html" target="_blank">Woman up!</a> (6/11)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/feminism-arises-from-faith.html" target="_blank">Feminism arises from faith</a> (9/8)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/its-time-for-change.html" target="_blank">It's time for change</a> (11/12)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theunguyblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/breaking-down-walls.html" target="_blank">Breaking down walls</a> (12/24)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Check in tomorrow as I explore other key posts from the past year!</span></div>
</div>
Andrea Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617647699862799185noreply@blogger.com0