Christians, the Military and the Cult of the American Dream

I need to start this post by clarifying my intentions. My goal is not to disrespect any soldier or supporter of the American military. My purpose is to lay out some of the reasons why I myself do not and cannot support the military and to point to a few reasons why I disagree with some of the evaluations of my position. That is all. If you read any more than that into this post then there has been a complete failure of communication.

Several people have told me lately that they, or someone they love, fought in recent wars not because they believed in the cause but because they had a sense of duty to their country. Now as a Christian I am terribly suspicious of this sort of shallow deontological reasoning. Our greatest, more precisely, our only duty is to God. This duty necessarily precludes fighting in unjust wars (although, I would make the case that it goes even further, that Christians in fact should never use or promote violence.) However, I will let it suffice for now that Christians should not fight in any war not deemed “just” as determined by Augustine’s Just War Criteria. The distinct call of the biblical witness in fact compels us to openly and boldly defy “the call of duty” by the nation in which we find ourselves if it remotely conflicts with the call Christ has on our lives as non-violent peacemakers and aliens and strangers on this terrestrial globe. So if we want to make an appeal to a deontological ethic then I suggest that as Christians this can only mean that we seek out our duty to God, not to country, especially when the two are clearly in contradiction. With that said, I would make the argument that patriotism and the sense of patriotic duty that follows are frighteningly close to idolatry. The nation seeks to be the primary or even sole entity that is capable of our provision and protection and in return demands our allegiance. This sounds eerily familiar to the Shadrack, Meshack, and Abendigo story. We know better because it is God who is our sole provider and protector and the only one that can rightfully demand our allegiance.

In tandem with this, I have also been told by several folks that I cant make an intelligible judgment about the military since I myself have never been a part of the military. There are three problems with this accusation. First, I grew up in a military family. I am very familiar with how the military operates. I spent the greater part of my childhood shopping at the BX/PX and Commissary, being waved through the gates of various military bases and yes, recurrently being schooled in patriotism, duty to country and inherent honor that should be bestowed on any who have put on a military uniform. Not to mention, the almost absolute trust that we apparently supposed to put in our government and our military. I know what it is like to have friends and family away at war, what its like to deal with untimely deaths due to both enemy and friendly fire, and I even had a AWAC crash right down the street from my house. Several of my friends lost parents in that disaster. I think I have a little bit of perspective on the military. Some may object that I don’t know about the situation in the Middle East, to which I would concede that I don’t know as much as I would like to. However, I would say that I am more informed than most Americans, because my main research interests in recent years have related to the wars in which we now find ourselves. I would also like to add that currently that all my information about the middle east crisis is at best secondary, or tertiary, but that I intend to travel with a Christian peacemaking mission to either Iraq or Palestine next year. If after that trip my views radically change I would be happy to admit that. For now however my best judgment is that Christians should not be involved in fighting this or any other (unjust) war.

Second, this myopic assessment misses the greater point that I am not making a judgment on any military in particular, but on the Christian’s place in relation to any and all forms of militarism. It matters little to me if it is the military of America or China or Greece (I list these three countries because they are the ones in which I have lived) that is calling upon the Christian to fight, the Christian must reject this call if it in any way stands in contrast with the biblical witness. I am not specifically against the American military; I am against all militaries. It is my belief, as a Christian and as an aspiring theologian and philosopher/ethicist, that I am not only capable of declaring the truth of Jesus’ non-violent testimony and the harm of Jingoism (of any person in any nation), but obligated to do so. I am not making judgments on American soldiers, rather I am articulating what I believe to be the teaching of Jesus and the best logical choice for a Christian in anytime or place; that is the rejection of the myth of redemptive violence and a critically thought out ethic in relation to issues of war and peace.

Third, to say this necessarily implies that one is not qualified to make a judgment on any thing unless he or she has personally experienced it. This of course is fallacious. I am not yet a parent, but I can, and you would all likely agree, make the assessment that it is bad parenting to punch your child in the face. I don’t have to be a parent to make this call, nor do I have to be a soldier to declare that it is not acceptable, at the very least, for a Christian to fight for an unjust cause. Simply put, it is an erroneous claim that one cannot give any opinion on a topic until he or she has personally experienced it. That mentality goes against any convention of academia because often our best knowledge comes from the outside in not the other way around. While experience can certainly enlighten a position, it is not fundamental to the formation of an informed perspective. The witness of scripture and the early church, along with the best theologians and Christian ethicists throughout the centuries, would univocally point to a position that requires Christians to view their duty to God and his justice to universally trump any allegiance to a country or any other cause. 

Finally, and I wont deal with this in any depth at all (John Howard Yoder, Stanley Hauerwas and Greg Boyd among others have dealt with this rather extensively), some point to the violence in the Old Testament as reason enough for Christians to fight in the military today. There are at least three fundamental problems with this argument. First, simply put we are not living in the times of the Old Testament nor are we the nation of God’s chosen people. In the text of the OT we see that God used his chosen people, often against his seemingly original intention, to commit acts of violence. The reasons for this are hotly debated in the theological world, but either way it is certainly true that the people of God are no longer confined to a particular nation or ethnic group. Therefore it is only reasonable to assume that no nation is God’s instrument of justice and righteousness in the world today. Rather it is the witness of Christians living sacrificially that play this role not by using violence, but by following the non-violent example of Jesus.

Second, the Old Testament violence almost universally was about pointing to the power of God, not to Israel’s military might. While God certainly used violence in the OT it was most often his miraculous intervention, not the power of the world’s best military, that won the battles. It is also worth mentioning that the military conquests of the OT look nothing like the current wars. They were about establishing God’s people as the primary heralds of God’s sovereignty and supremacy over all the nations and their gods. This war, while some may intend it to be for the same reasons, cannot possibly accomplish this because America is not God’s chosen people and more importantly because Jesus has called us to conquer by the power of the cross not the power of the sword.

Third, and most importantly, we know Jesus to be the most complete and authoritative revelation of God’s Character, and the one to whom we have given our lives and agreed to follow. This means we don’t start defining Christian ethics by looking to the narratives of the Old Testament; we look to the person and teachings of Jesus who is the Logos. It is through this lens that we can then appropriately assess the OT and the other writings in Scripture. If you start somewhere else, then I believe, that your reasoning will be fundamentally flawed because you have tried to define the greater by the lesser, the creator by the actions of his creation. While the bible is the word of God, Jesus is the Word of God. That distinction must be made if we are going to be able to establish any acceptable biblical ethic. It is Jesus who shows us God, and through whom we interpret all the rest of God’s revelations.

Again, my intention here is not to condemn or disrespect anyone. It is simply to lay out the reasons why I take the position I do in regards to the relationship between the church and the military. Regardless of where you come down on the issues I must say that I love you. All of my brothers and sisters, from soldiers to housewives, preachers to pediatricians are special to me and I cherish the family of God in a way that cannot effectively be expressed in words. I hope this note is challenging, maybe even convicting, but never condemning or judging. May God be with us all as we wrestle through this gauntlet that is life.

Christians and Politics: Abstinence is the Best Policy

This is a short paper I wrote, for an ethics class, about responsible engagement of the political sphere by Christians. I of course take the position that Christians should not get themselves tangled up in the worldly political game, but I was required to give a brief positive assessment of competing views so I did that although I am not convinced that the “positives” of other views are truly strengths at all. It is a very basic, perhaps even elementary, assessment but I believe it to be a sufficient introduction to this position. 

The Distinct Polity of the Church is Political Enough: Why Christians Should Abstain from Civil Governmental Politics

by Justin Bronson

 

I am persuaded that the most faithful way for Christians to engage the political sphere is by being a distinct polity unto themselves operating on the principle of imitating Christ’s example of cross-bearing love. In my view this precludes the participation of Christians in government, but requires us to transform the political sphere by questioning the powers, and exposing any sin by openly provoking them to direct their evil towards us just as Christ did. This could perhaps be viewed as a sort of mediation between Niebuhr’s Christ against culture, and Christ the transformer of culture.[i] We participate in what I will call selective engagement, meaning not that we choose when we are going to engage, but how we are going to engage the political sphere; specifically that we reject governmental positions and create our own peculiar polity of Christ-like living.

In Scripture we can see both apodictic and casuistic[ii] teachings[iii], and examples, particularly in the person of Christ; as well as an overarching, at least in the NT, principle of humble, self-sacrificial service[iv] as opposed to “fighting” worldly political battles as the means to transforming the world. This informs a position of selective engagement. Themes such as Satan being the god of this age[v], Jesus’ example of rejection of earthly power[vi], the demonic influence in government[vii] and of Christians being foreigners in earthly kingdoms[viii] all point to an idea of selective engagement. Our primary grounds for this selective engagement is, as already mentioned, the life of Christ. Instead of taking the kingdoms Satan offered,[ix] entering Jerusalem as the conquering earthly king, calling legions of angels,[x] or getting caught up in the politics of his day; Jesus rejected Satan’s offer of power,[xi] entered Jerusalem on a lowly donkey, died alone on a cross[xii], and called all people to take up their crosses and follow him.[xiii] Perhaps the best representative verse of Christ in this light is Col 2:15, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”[xiv]

Many early Christians, the Anabaptist movement, and multiple contemporary theologians/ethicists, have also called the church to be its own polity as a way of influencing the world and subverting the current political sphere. Tertullian will, for this essay, serve as an example of the early Christian call to selective engagement. According to Hollinger, Tertullian believed “Christians were to refrain from political life because it involved emperor worship.”[xv] Although the American context does not require emperor worship, it does demand allegiance. This is something we as Christians cannot give because our sole allegiance is to Christ. This is where I would fall in line with Niebuhr’s assessment of Christ against culture when he says this approach “uncompromisingly affirms the sole authority of Christ over the Christian and rejects cultures’ claims to loyalty.”[xvi]

The Anabaptists picked up on this thinking and refused to let the church be defined by geography, and believed that government was unnecessary for Christians because the church was the their polity.[xvii] The Schleitheim Confession unabashedly declares that Christians should not be involved in government, pointing to the example of Christ[xviii] and the need for separation from the evils of the world[xix]. However, it wasn’t that they, and others like them,[xx] just wanted to be against culture. This is evidenced in Yoder’s critique of Niebuhr’s assessment of Christ against culture. Yoder points to an amalgamation with “Christ transforming culture”[xxi], when he says it’s “about devotion to the way of Christ, which at points conflicts with culture and society.”[xxii]

Contemporary theologians[xxiii] have also delved into this idea, including Stanley Hauerwas who says “The church does not exist to provide an ethos for democracy or any other form of social organization but stands as a political alternative to every nation, witnessing to the kind of social life possible for those that have been formed by the story of Christ.”[xxiv] Martin Luther King Jr. did not completely reject the notion of Christians in government, but he witnessed to the conflict between government and Christian ideals and called for a negotiation that ultimately seeks justice.[xxv]

Christians have also taken opposing views, each with particular strengths. Many, like Calvin, believed the church should indeed be involved in government[xxvi] claiming that those who refused to do so were “frantic and barbarous men are furiously endeavoring to overturn the order established by God.”[xxvii] The focus on God’s sovereignty, even in the political realm, and Christians’ use of the established order to advance kingdom ideals are strengths of this position. Others, like Luther proposed, that it is acceptable, but not necessary for Christians to be involved in government. His distinction between the two kingdoms[xxviii] allowed for Christian participation while not mandating it. He also proposed that the government should not be governed by Christian ideals. This has a particular strength because it attempts to keep the church and the state from getting too muddled while allowing for freedom of Christians to pursue any vocation in which he or she can do good. These views, and similar ones, have the three primary strengths of a broad range of influence and the possibility of “immediate” effectiveness, as well as the necessary power to enact proposed changes. The belief is, if a Christian can rightly participate in government he or she can enact good over a large number of people and possibly in a relatively short amount of time and to a great extent make sure it happens.

All of these things considered, it is my belief that Christians should actively engage society and the political sphere by being a separate and distinct polity. We therefore should avoid direct involvement in government such as serving as a governing official. The witness of Christ, the New Testament, various historical and contemporary individuals and movements have persuaded me that although the church can certainly bring about good through government; ultimately our responsibility is to be faithful to Christ as Lord and we must therefore take up our crosses and not the sword of power. We must imitate Jesus and not Caesar if we are ever going to change the world.

 

---

[i] Hollinger, Dennis, Choosing the Good: Christian Ethics in a Complex World (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002) 191-197, 208-213

[ii] Pohl, Christine- Class Handout,  Forms of Ethical Guidance in Scripture

[iii] Luke 9:48, John 10:37

[iv] E.g. Matt. 5:3ff, 16:24, Acts 20:18-21, Eph 6:12, Phil 2:3

[v] E.g. 2 Cor 4:4

[vi] E.g. John 6:15, Luke 4:7f

[vii] E.g. Luke 4:6, Eph 6:12, Col 2:15

[viii] E.g. 1 Pet 2:11

[ix] Luke 4:5f

[x] Matt 26:43

[xi] Luke 4:8

[xii] E.g. Matt 27:46

[xiii] E.g. Mark 8:34

[xiv] RSV

[xv] Hollinger p192

[xvi] Hollinger p191

[xvii] Hollinger p194

[xviii] Boulton, Wayne G., Thomas D. Kennedy, and Allen Verhey, eds., From Christ to the World: Introductory Readings in Christian Ethics p286

[xix] Boulton p284

[xx] See for example Leo Tolstoy, Dorothy Day, Jacques Ellul, Vernard Eller, David Lipscomb and Various Monastic movements

[xxi] Hollinger p208

[xxii] Hollinger p194

[xxiii] Notably Vernard Eller, John Howard Yoder, Greg Boyd, Lee Camp and Richard Hughes

[xxiv] Hollinger p55

[xxv] Boulton p429

[xxvi] Hollinger p209

[xxvii] Calvin, John. Of Civil Government Ch. 20 www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.vi.xxi.html

[xxviii] Pohl, Christine- Class notes Christ and Culture in Paradox from Martin Luther

Another Religion and Politics Internet Roundup

Again, I have failed to make time to blog lately. Hooray for intensive classes! I have come across several interesting articles and blog posts in the last few weeks. Sometime this week I intend to start posting a chapter by chapter review of Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion. For now, enjoy this internet roundup. 

The homosexual marriage debate is particularly fascinating to me and I have been reading a lot about it lately. Here are just a few of the different views I have found. These two posts from Religious Rhetorics provide a look at rhetorical fallacies in the gay marriage debate. Part 1, Part 2. 

In that vein, this is an interesting and provocative take on the “choice” to be gay.

Bart D. Ehrman has gotten a lot of attention lately because of his books challenging various Christians beliefs and church history. Here is a short response by N.T Wright to Ehrman’s book God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question – Why We Suffer. Christian Conversations provides us with this Stephen Colbert interview/humiliation of Ehrman, in typical Colbert fashion, about Ehrman’s book Jesus Interrupted.

Many of you know that I go to a Wesleyan seminary, yet I am not generally a big fan of John Wesley. This sermon by Wesley therefore came as a pleasant surprise to me. Wesley has a great view of the potential destructive power of wealth. This sermon on slavery also impressed me, especially considering his socio-cultural context.

Abortion. Thats probably sufficient to get some folks riled up, but I thought this blog post at Nachfolge hopefully reminds us that our actions should be redemptive and restorative for both mother and child.

My wife and I lived and worked in China for a year teaching English and sharing our light and hope with others and we will always feel a special connection to China. So I mourn the violence directed at my Chinese friends on the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Finally, I leave you with what I hope will become a regular feature on my blog; the What The Sheol?!?! section. For my first WTS?!?! I give you this article about a pastor inviting people to bring their guns to church. Just what the world needs…

Mark Driscoll on Joel Osteen and the Prosperity Gospel

I just wanna preface this video by saying that I rarely agree with Mark Driscoll and am often not a big fan of either his theology or his tone, but this clip does a good job pointing out some of the flaws with health and wealth theology. Before I saw this I thought that all Driscoll and I had in common was our love for Christ and our tendency to cuss a little too much.

 

Consider what Driscoll is saying about our Lord and Savior and what implications that should have for our theology and our lives. Any comments?

A Different Kind of Memorial Day

I’m gettting tired of the syncretism, but I am thankful that today gives me a reminder, a chance to remember those who have given their lives for the sake of True Freedom. I would like to remember the martyrs whose blood is the seed of the church; those who gave it all so that you and I could receive the Gospel. In our haste to remember soldiers and our patriotic fervor we forget about those whose lives were taken, or rather given freely, for peace, love, hope, and transcendent freedom. Its time for a new Memorial Day.

There are estimates that 465 Christians are martyred every day around the world, approximately 70 million martyred throughout history, and about 170, ooo martyred every single year. That means that almost 40 times as many Christians are martyred for their faith every year than the total number of American soldiers killed in Iraq. 

I think it is especially important to remember those martyrs who died while working for peace. One of these “soldiers of peace” that I would like to remember is Tom Fox. Brother Fox gave up his life while working for peace in Iraq. He was working with Christian Peacemaker Teams to end the violence and oppression in Iraq. You can read more about brother Fox here and make sure you check out CPT.

Christian Martyrdom is certainly nothing new. In fact the greek word from which we get our English word “Martyr” originally meant witness, but became synonymous with Christians giving up their lives at a witness to the Slaughtered Lamb, thus martyrs. Here is a great list of early Christian martyrs. 

 

Many Have Been Tortured and Killed for Christ So that the World may Know Peace, Hope, Joy, Love and of course True Freedom!

There are also several great websites dedicated sharing the stories of Christian martyrs including Voice of the Martyrs,  and Jesus Freaks. You should also check out the books The Purple Crown, and the Politics of Jesus. 

If you are interested in reading more about Chrisitan martyrs you check out these resources from Time, Gospel Web, Reformation Theology,All About Following Jesus, and World Wide Challenge.

So join me in remebering and celebrating the lives and deaths of those who are bringing peace to all of humanity by giving up their lives for the sake of the cross of Jesus.

Theology and Politics Around the Web

Today was my first day off from classes so I had some time to surf the web. Here are some of the interesting things I found.

My good friend Drew posted this funny yet insightful list of tips for public speakers called the TED commandments. All preachers could learn from this.

Fellow Asbury Seminarian, Chad, posted this short post about things American churches need to learn. I hope that he posts more in depth later. This article from Ethics Daily might also be another good lesson for the American Church. The Wittenburg Door has this satirical list of what American would look like if Evangelicals had their way. 

The God’s Politics blog had this great post on Abortion, due in part to the recent speech given by President Obama at Notre Dame. In tandem with this, is a video report about the controversy from Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly.

I just can’t let this American Patriots Bible thing go, so here, here, and here are three posts by Greg Boyd about this ridiculous perversion of the bible. This article/video and this article from Ethics Daily might also shed some light about America’s Judeo-Christian heritage. Then there is this article, also from Ethics Daily, on the disturbing use of biblical quotations to justify America’s wars, which reeks of crusade mentality. 

These two articles might be interesting to those of you from the churches of Christ, and perhaps others as well. The first is a thought-provoking post on the need for denominations from fellow CC Blogger Chad Holtz, and the second from Mike Cope is about a formative time in the churches of Christ relating to our restoration heritage, check out the comments too. Speaking of CC blogs, check it out here.

My blog buddy, and recent Claremont School of Theology graduate, Jimmy put up this very helpful list of tips for those thinking about seminary. 

Also check out the new links I have about Christian Anarchy in my links section. 

Anybody out there have any good stuff they have found on the web lately? If so give us the link so we too can check it out. Blessings to you all!

Semester’s End and Reflections

I finished my first year of Seminary! I have enjoyed it immensely. I have been challenged on a number of levels, made great new friends, explored my passions, and learned more than I ever thought I could or would. I have also begun to figure out what some of my future research interests may be. So I thought I would share those with you all and the give you some excerpts from a few of the many, many papers I wrote this semester. 

My main research/writing interests include:
Christian Anarchy
American Restoration Movement
Anabaptism
Martyrdom in Contemporary Christian Contexts
Christian Non-violence and Peacemaking
Hospitality
Community
Sexual Ethics (GLBT Issues)
Ecumenism
Homiletics and Ethics
Sacraments as Political Statements
Ethics as Apologetics
New Monasticism
Simplicity and Frugality
Financial Ethics
Eco-Theology
OT War Theology in Light of the Cross
Christology as Meta-Ethics

I am also interested in the lives and/or works of:

David Lipscomb/St. Francis/Vernard Eller/Jacques Ellul/Leo Tolstoy/ Ammon Hennacy/John Howard Yoder/Andre Trocme/Tripp York/Ammon Hennacy/Ivan Illich/Dorothy Day/Fyodor Dostoevsky/Christine Pohl/Stanley Hauerwas/Will D. Campbell/Wendell Barry/Walter Wink/Greg Boyd/Henry David Thoreau/Nikolai Berdyaev/Richard Hughes/John Mark Hicks/Léonce Crenier/Will Willimon and many others.

Do you have any more suggestions?

Here are some excerpts from papers I wrote this semester, just in case you’re interested…

An Reflection on Marva J. Dawn’s Book  Sense of the Call

Unfortunately much of what I have been taught in church, until very recent years, has been terribly unhealthy albeit well intended. Church for much of my life has been about rules more than it has been about relationships. I didn’t know the church as family or community but as an institution and my particular denomination had/has the erroneous belief that we can effectively disconnect ourselves from two thousand years of history and tradition and just “be the church of the New Testament.” Therefore I was lacking in my understanding of church family and the “great cloud of witnesses” that have come before me. Books like Dawn’s point out the inadequacy of the teachings I have received and cause a part of my soul to lament because of all of the richness I have missed out on over the years, but they also give me hope that the church is changing yet again and seeking community and family and history in a culture of isolation and shortsightedness. Perhaps it will be the church once again that teaches the culture around us how to live lives that are fulfilling and meaningful.

This morning I went to Easter service at a rich, white, mega church in the suburbs and I could see and feel the disconnectedness and lack of genuine community almost immediately. Some People were timidly saying hello to others next to them whose names they had never heard or couldn’t remember, while others tried to blend into the crowd and go unnoticed, and still others wearing masks of happiness even though their eyes gave away their secret weariness and loneliness. We need community and we need it now, but it is not formed over night or out of shear will; it is instead fashioned or rather grown over years of learning to trust and be trustworthy, of giving love and receiving love, of confessing and forgiving, encouraging and rebuking. Community is messy business, but like a Jackson Pollock painting, there is beauty in the mess. Dawn gracefully and masterfully points this out when she asks, “Do we care for the people we serve enough to say that we belong to each other, that we feast together?”(217) If we care for them enough to belong to them and vice versa then we must know that the whole thing is messy and dangerous and often painful, but it is in those moments of feasting together, on good food or good wisdom or good memories, that we know that it is all worth it and that the church is meant to be a community that ruthlessly and recklessly cares for each of its members. “It is our faith. We can rest in that. And feast together in its hope. And embrace our callings together in the world with its Joy.” (226) Brilliant!

A Reflection Paper on My Life and Calling

It was the lives and encouraging words of my friends and mentors that helped me, often without me realizing it, discern the special call Jesus has for me. It was God speaking through his glorious, servant-hearted saints, sometimes shouting (or at least I imagine), “Justin, take up your cross and follow me. Give me your life and I will use your mouth as my megaphone – declaring the Love of Christ, your hands as my construction crew – to tear down walls of apathy, arrogance, and prejudice while building up broken people – and your thoughts, prayers and praise as my dwelling place – so that a river of live will flow out you, making the lame walk, the blind see and the captives to find freedom!”

A Study on the Kingdom Ethic of Caring for the Poor in the Latter NT

For James there is no confusion about the place of caring for the poor in the Christian life. He uses it as the primary litmus test for determining true and acceptable religion. He states we must not show favoritism to people based on their social or economic standing, but should show mercy to those who are in need. He asserts that wisdom from heaven is wisdom that is pure, and thus wisdom that seeks to care for the needy, which he juxtaposes with an attitude of envy and selfishness. And finally, James engages in a salvo against those who have wealth yet refuse to share it with those in need. For James caring for the poor is tantamount to demonstrating faith in God Almighty, and thus is one of the most defining characteristics of the Christian life.

A Paper About Fantastic Imagery in Revelation      

For most of my life I have approached Revelation with an oversimplified view, “God wins,” because I have grown increasingly annoyed with dispensational theology, among others, abusing the text for fear-mongering, bad foreign policy, and selling novels.

While I can still see how some can take this text and twist it into understandings that seems to fit political agendas or fear tactics it is abundantly clear to me now that this text is far too beautiful and rich with meaning to be ignored. It is yet one more place where I can go to explain the gospel of the victorious Christ to this world that is under attack. I can also see the great reassurance that this story would have offered to my brothers and sisters twenty centuries ago. As they claimed the victory of Christ and survived the attacks of the defeated accuser, so too can I, by the power of the Slaughtered Lamb, Ruler in Heaven, endure any hardship or persecution that comes my way, because God does indeed win and he has invited me to join in his eternal victory celebration.

My Commentary on Matthew 16:24 (Take Up Your Cross)

When Jesus tells his disciples that if they wish to follow him they must take up their crosses, he is calling them to be faithful and obedient. He is telling them that they must actively choose to give up their own life both figuratively, and literally if it comes to that, if they are going to be his disciples. He is calling them to a way of life that is self-sacrificial and totally dependant upon and obedient to God. His command seems to be a play on words, in that taking up your cross kills your desires, but one must desire to follow Jesus in order to take up his cross. The command is figurative, but has a literal dimension involved, in that Jesus does require willingness on the part of his disciple to die, even a heinous death like crucifixion, but doesn’t require for every disciple to actually take up a physical cross and carry it around. It also seems that in taking up their crosses, or living Christ-like lives, the disciples, all disciples, will in reality also be exposing the evil and sins of those in power. If we live faithful lives that expose the sin around us then we are certainly going to suffer as Jesus suffered and we should expect this to come because we have already consciously decided that we are willing die for the sake of Christ.
My Commentary on Matthew 28:18 (Beginning of the Great Commission)

When Jesus declares that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him, He is saying that he has the power to reign over and judge all creatures, as well as the prerogative to teach and command, and the ability to heal. In essence, Jesus is claiming to be King and Judge and Lord over heaven and earth. His authority comes as a direct result of his humility and in turn his death and resurrection. God the Father is not subject to this authority that He has given Jesus because they share this authority as co-rulers, but the Father has allowed Jesus solely to exercise judgment over others. Jesus’ authority both came from God and was in him as the Divine Son of God, but Jesus wanted to make sure that the connection that he had with the Father was clear and that he didn’t arbitrarily claim authority, but that his authority was directly linked to his relationship with the Father. It seems that while his authority is ultimately from God, some part of it is connected with his humanity as well, as he is the most direct connection between the heavenly and earthly realms. Jesus is given, which means he passively received, not took, authority, power, dominion, rule, control and jurisdiction over heaven and earth. It is through becoming powerless and that Jesus was ultimately in a position to receive all power and authority.

My Commentary on Matthew 16:19 (Binding and Loosing)

Binding and loosing is authoritative teaching, in this case teaching about the life and functions of the church, and when Jesus uses this language with Peter he specifically is calling Peter to a higher way of living; the way things are in heaven. Then if he does this, whatever he teaches will be fully in line with God’s will and thus will be bound on both earth and heaven. It is not that Jesus is giving Peter or the disciples authority to arbitrarily make up rules for the church and that heaven will then honor those teachings; rather Jesus is telling Peter that if his life is in line with the will of God then his teachings and commands to the church will also be in line with God’s will and thus binding on God’s people. Jesus is speaking to Peter as the representative for the disciples, based on the greater context of the book, and is therefore giving all of them this same challenge and authority. This authority is for all of the leaders of the church and is an awesome responsibility that requires a life of sacrifice and seeking out God’s will.

My Commentary on Matthew 13:24-30 (Parable of the Weeds)

The evidence leads me to believe that this parable is primarily about the judgment of God. The parable makes clear that God is the one, through his angels, who separates the wicked from the righteous and that we should not try to take part in this venture. It also gives us a view of living in the present and trusting God with the future because it was the son of Man who put us here where we are even when we are just little seeds in the ground. The parable is a warning about things to come, such as the burning fire for the wicked and the barn of God’s protection and the shine of righteousness for those who follow God. It also speaks to us about living our lives now in a way that doesn’t try to separate evil people from good people but rather trusts that God will nurture and nourish all people as the earth nurtured both the weeds and the wheat. In tandem, when we question God about the evil in the world and our role in ridding the world of this evil, we can know that God’s answer is just to follow him and trust that when the harvest comes he will judge both the wicked and the righteous.

My Commentary on Matthew 5:48 (Be Perfect as Your Heavenly Father is Perfect)

The command in Matthew 5:48 to be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect is a call to action. It demands of the hearer/reader the he or she participate in the actions of God which are most clearly seen in actions of loving others, even enemies. Being perfect in this case does not mean a perfection of one’s being as much as a perfection of one’s attitude and actions. It is not about being without blemish; rather it is about committing oneself to obediently being like God by sharing his love in the world. The connection holiness also helps us see that this command to be perfect is a way of setting apart those who take part in these actions of love as those who are like God.

If you actually read all of that then kudos to you!

The American Patriot’s Bible, and Christians Debate Torture, Really?!?!

I am appalled that followers of a tortured Messiah could even consider torturing another human being. I expect this from those who have been co-opted by the power of their position in government or the military, but I can’t begin to understand how so many people who claim a life of self-sacrificial love, of dying to themselves, can justify, proactively at that, any kind of torture.

On the other hand, I realize more and more how much the temptation of allegiance to the nation-state has dissolved, in the minds of many, the clear commands of Christ to love our enemies, and has even convinced us that our country’s political ideals are worth tormenting and even killing others. This is yet another example of what happens when people confuse their allegiances and try to amalgamate the Kingdom of Jesus with the kingdoms of this world. Here is one appalling example of how this kind of thinking is perpetuated, The American Patriot’s Bible (Gag). I am convinced that when we fuse the Christian life with worldly politics, even in a seemingly harmless way, it inevitably leads to things like justifying torture in the name of God and country. Greg Boyd chimes in on torture and the Patriots Bible here.

If you havent heard already, “White evangelical Protestants were the religious group most likely to say torture is often or sometimes justified,” according to a new Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life poll and this article from CNN and this post by Brian McLaren at God’s Politics. Wow, that makes my soul weep and deeply grieves me. It leaves me wondering how we could have veered so far from the Christ that we profess to follow, the Christ who was himself tortured on our behalf. I want to blame Constantine, I want to blame Satan, but I am beginning to realize that we are the ones, we who follow Christ, yet live for ourselves, who perpetuate this kind of thinking. Church wake up! Instead of defending the heinous practice of torture, let each of us take up our own cross, the implement of our own torturous death to this world, and follow the whipped and  beaten, spat upon, nailed down, suffocated, tortured and murdered Christ. This is our only hope, the world’s only hope, for new life.

My blog buddy Jimmy McCarty has written a series of posts, for both his blog and God’s Politics, on the subject of torture. Jimmy calls for Christians to take the torture of our own Messiah more seriously as we live and die to protect others from these kinds of dehumanizing acts, so that they can come to know Jesus too. His most recent post, and links to his previous posts, can be found here. God’s politics also has another good article on torture and difference between God’s image and Caesar’s image here.

Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly has this video, featuring Dr. Shaun Casey, addressing the faith issues surrounding torture. It is interesting, but again disheartening to hear a  distinguished divinity school scholar, Dr. Jean Bethke Elshtain, defend the use of torture. I think Casey, an Obama advisor, does a good job making the case that torture is never morally acceptable. Even conservative columnists, like Kathleen Parker, are calling the atrocious act of torture into question. Specifically, reframing the debate with this statement and question: “When we ask if something is torture, the answer is another question: What kind of people should we be?”

So I pose that question to the church in light of our crucified Messiah and his command to take up our crosses. Followers of Jesus, what kind of people should we be?

50 MORE (Yes More!) Ways to Love and Serve… No More Excuses

Last week I put up two lists of 50 things you can do love and serve, which I borrowed from Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Jimmy McCarty. I decided to create my own list. My wife and I also got together with another couple and decided to start going through these lists doing the ones that we can, one by one until we have finished each list. I hope you do the same. 

1. Help former prostitutes and sex slaves by visiting starfish-project.com and buying some beautiful jewelry.

2. Contact your local Christian college/university or seminary to find out what social justice projects are in the works and join in.

3. Get to know the janitors at your school or work. Ask them questions about their lives.

4. Loan money, interest free, to someone in an impoverished country to start their own small business through an organization like Kiva.
 
5. Visit a worship service of a tradition or religion that is not your own. Ask lots of questions.

6. Think about those whom you dislike/hate the most. Say a prayer for God’s blessing on their lives. If you can, send them a card or do something nice for them.

7. Get some friends together and take a grill downtown and have a cookout with some homeless folks and make some new mortgage-free friends.

8. Rather than simply donating some toys to a needy family during Christmas time, invite a family to join you at your house for a good meal and exchange gifts that you each have made.

9. Find out what different foreign/ethnic populations there are in your area. Put up flyers in the appropriate languages offering free English classes. (In my experience, this one may have a fringe benefit of getting some great, authentic food.)

10.  Go door knocking and find out if your neighbors need any odd jobs done around their houses.

11. Tell the janitorial staff or other manual laborers at your school/workplace how much you appreciate them. 

12. Go without food for a day. When your tummy starts growling take time to pray for those whose stomachs feel this everyday. Take the money you would have spent on food for that day and donate it, plus some more, to a local food bank or organization that supplies food internationally to those in need. 

13. Help a barefoot kid get shoes by donating to Soles for Souls or by buying a pair for you from Tom’s Shoes.

14. Learn how to cook. Make a meal for someone, anyone.

15. Learn to love yourself better so that you can learn to love others better.

16. Ask hard questions to those in power. (Why are people hungry when there is a surplus of food in this country? What can be done to better educate our children? Etc.)  Don’t stop asking until you get answers. Act upon the answers you receive.

17.  Go to a gay pride parade. Hand out cold water. Ask for forgiveness on behalf of the church for our typically unloving behavior.

18. Invite a gay couple over for dinner. Get to know them. Love them. 

19. Have a yard sale with some friends. Use the money you make to help someone in need. 

20. Move to another country for a year. Teach English, dig wells, teach basic hygiene, be a human shield on a battlefield, or do something else that will help the locals. While you are at it, learn as much as you can from the nationals and bring what you learn about/from them back to your community.

21. Learn a useful skill like sewing, carpentry, welding, first aid, or fixing cars and share this skill with others, free of charge.

22. Get some friends together and spend a night with the homeless. When you all get up in the morning take your new homeless friends to Waffle House or IHOP for breakfast.

23. Learn how to use coupons etc and save a ton of money on things you use everyday. Use the money you save to help others and while your at it give some of the cheap/free stuff you get to a homeless shelter. For help getting started go here. 

24. If you are not at a place where you can adopt or foster a child find someone who has and encourage them or help them out.

25. Volunteer at your local library to lead children’s story time.

26. Find a local volunteer organization, like the Hands On Network, and join in.

27. Make a big pot of soup our chili for local firefighters.

28. Smile at people.

29. Be a real life Patch Adams, and dress up like a clown and visit a local hospital to spread some joy and laughter. (You should probably call first)

30. Ask your waiter/waitress if you can pray for them when you pray for your meal. (Really, this has almost always gotten a good reaction when I have tried it, but make sure to leave a good tip.)

31. Offer to house a foreign exchange student.

32. Head over to a local nursing home with some friends and sing old hymns (even if you cant sing well, cause odds are that they will still love it or not be able to hear how bad you really sing).

33.  Buy a bunch of basketballs, footballs and Frisbees and give them to your local children’s home, and while your at it see if you can stay and play for a little while.

34. Get basic medications to sick people around the world through organizations like Hope Light Foundation, and Gospel Medical Mission International.

35. Buy some gift cards for your favorite grocery store then give one to the cashier after you pay for your groceries and ask them to use it for the person behind you. Do this every time you shop there. 

36. Donate your used professional attire, suits etc., to an organization like Career Gear, or Dress for Success, that helps disadvantaged men and women get and keep good jobs.

37. Likewise girls you can donate your prom dress or brides maids gowns to Donate My Dress so that another girl can enjoy her prom night.

38. Research the financial situation of your favorite Christian ministries or other non-profits at sites like Ministry Watch and Charity Navigator. Hold them accountable for how they use the money you donate, and if they aren’t being responsible (pay special attention to the donor alerts list, primarily “health and wealth” ministries) with the money then find another organization to support. Or if the need arises, learn how to start your own non-profit and go for it.

39. Visit Voice of the Martyrs and find out about Christians suffering persecution around the world. Devote time in prayer everyday for a person or group who is being tortured and imprisoned, or even killed, for their faith in Jesus. Also, you can find info on the site about writing to Christian prisoners and even governments who are keeping them in prison. 

40. Start composting, even if you don’t have a garden, and use it for your own flowers and veggies or give it to someone else for their garden. 

41. If you are married do something to strengthen your own marriage, and another couples’, like going to a marriage retreat or seminar and paying for the other couple to attend.

42. Buy beautiful handmade gifts from Ten Thousand Villages; all the products on the site are guaranteed “fair trade.” This means the folks who make the beautiful creations get a fair price for their labor. 

43. Turn your air down, tv and computer off, and unplug other small appliances every now and then. This will save electricity and save you money. Then, of course, you can use the money you save and donate it to Habitat for Humanity or another worthy organization. 

44. Invite one neighbor over every week for dinner until you have met everyone on your block.

45. Fill bags with supplies like bottled water, restaurant gift cards, socks, trash bags, bandages etc. and carry them around in your car to give to folks asking for help on the streets. Leave a little note of encouragement in each one as well, and perhaps information about your congregation.

46. Find someone in need of a reliable ride to work or doctor’s appointments and give them a lift.

47. Send Christmas gifts to kids who would otherwise go without gifts, through Operation Christmas Child. If you have kids, make sure you involve them in the process and teach them about helping others.

48. Give money or time to help out at your local animal shelter. Hopefully the pets you help will bless a family looking for an animal companion. 

49. Cry with those who are crying. Laugh with those who are laughing. Pray with those who are praying.

50. Try to do one thing on these lists every week until you can cross each one off. Then start your own list and share it with others. In fact, post some ideas here.

50 MORE Ways to Love and Serve… No More excuses

Yesterday I posted a list of 5o ideas to love and serve those around you that I got from Jimmy McCarty who got it from Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. Today’s list again comes from Jimmy, but this time he came up with the ideas. 

1. Sponsor a child in a poor country through an organization like World Vision orCompassion International.

2. If you’ve got an extra room in your home open it up to a refugee living in America. You can find such a person in need through organizations like World Relief. (Or maybe you can offer it to a family that just lost their house to foreclosure.)

3. Write or call your congressman or senator and ask them to support public policy that shows mercy, compassion and justice to the “least of these.” Tell them you care about peace. Let them know that you will not give them any more votes if they are not promoting the common good.

4. Give up “your” seat at church to a visitor and then invite them to lunch after service.

5. Go to your local homeless shelter, encampment or “tent city” and offer someone there a job mowing your lawn, cleaning your home, washing your car, fixing your fence or whatever else you need to have done. While they’re at it serve them lunch and some cold lemonade, and then pay them more than fairly for a job well done. THEN recommend their services to all of your friends.

6. Take several friends and provide free condoms and clean needles for those who are in prostitution and addicted to drugs.

7. Pray with them when they desire it. Pray for them always.

8. Start a small group where each meeting the group looks at a different country around the world (Zimbabwe, Congo, North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti and Sudan are good places to start), studies the social and political climate of said country, studies a relevant scripture that speaks of mercy and justice (not hard to find), provide a meal with food from that country and commits to some act of justice as a group on behalf of the people there and pray specifically for that nation until the next time you meet.

9. Pray for the soldiers and families of those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

10. Pray for the Iraqi/Afghani soldiers, families and terrorists/combatants dying in Iraq and Afghanistan.

11. Ask your family and friends to donate any money they would have spent on a birthday/holiday gift for you to a specific charity or ministry. I’d recommend Made in the Streets.

12. Stand in solidarity with tomato workers who are not being paid fair wages and are often modern-day slaves by refusing to eat at Chipotle (my favorite restaurant and a place I haven’t eaten in over a year) until they agree to pay tomato pickers in Florida fair wages and insure their safety.

13. Buy a goat, cow, chicken, mosquito net, well or some other fun gift giftfor a poor individual, family or community somewhere around the world.

14. Throw a party at a park, or some other place where the local homeless community gathers, that is open and free to all. Play games, eat good food, have good conversations and make new friends.

15. Offer to provide free babysitting for, Christmas and birthday gifts for, or even to adopt the unborn child someone is considering aborting. Don’t condemn her unless you have done all you can to make it easier for that child to be born.

16. Send a birthday card to the co-worker, boss, ex-girlfriend/boyfriend that you get angry just thinking about. Tell them how you appreciate something about them and that you wish them a day of joy.

17. Become a regular volunteer at a local charity/non-profit/ministry that focuses on serving the young and poor. Be a mentor to someone who may not have one.

18. Take Jesus’ advice and at Thanksgiving invite the homeless, the prostitutes, the AIDS victims, the parolees and immigrants to dine with you. If your family decides to eat elsewhere accept it and if not rejoice!

19. If you live in southern California, New Mexico, Arizona or Texas cross the border on a Sunday morning and have communion/the Lord’s Supper/Eucharist at a local congregation. Do so prayerfully considering the global nature of God’s family and kingdom. Come home and serve your “illegal” sisters and brothers in Christ in your community.

20. Take a group to eat at a restaurant and have every one leave a 50% tip for the waiter/waitress who is spending their night serving you dinner instead of taking their children out or studying for their exam in the morning.

21. Offer your home, or if you can your church, as a place of sanctuary for someone who is threatened with deportation and separation from their family, especially their children.

22. Give money to charities that serve disadvantaged children in both Israel and Palestine.

23. Do advocacy work for those facing death row in your state. Do this especially if you find their accused crime particularly heinous.

24. Find a park that you consider too unsafe for your children to play in or a school where graduation rates are too low to send your child there and work to make it so that it is safe enough/good enough for your children to go there since someone’s children will have to.

25. Start a business and only hire those who are homeless or ex-felons to work there.

26. Buy gift cards to local restaurants and give them to those holding signs on the corner or that ask you for money in a parking lot. Then ask if they’d mind you joining them for the meal.

27. Pray for a political leader you dislike (Maybe Barack Obama or Sarah Palin?), a celebrity you dislike (maybe 50 Cent or Britney Spears?) and for someone at your job/school/church that you dislike. Pray for their well-being and God’s favor upon their life.

28. Do a “water only fast” where you stop drinking anything but water (yes that includes coffee, soda and alcohol!) for a set period of time and donate that money to an organization that is providing clean water for those in places without it. (World Vision is a good option again. So are Water Wells for Africa, African Well Fundand The Water Project.)

29. Seek advice from someone who is a different race/ethnicity and/or gender than you. Really listen to what they have to say.

30. Get a group of people together and map your community for possible slave trafficking.

31. Post this phone number (888-3737-888) and this website (http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/) around your community, in your church, in public bathrooms, etc. to let those who are victims of slavery know where they can get help.

32. If you’re young like me (almost 26, yikes!) find an older person at your church and ask them about their life. Listen to their stories. Really listen. You’ll learn a lot and love them in the process.

33. Move into a community where you are the minority, learn the culture of the people in the community and live life with them. Be open to learning from the people you are then surrounded with. Worship how they worship, read the Bible with the lenses they read it through, celebrate births/deaths/baptisms/holidays the way they do. You’ll see Jesus in a whole new way and truly live out the call of the church to be of all nations.

34. Ask friends of a different race than you (this implies you must have a significant number of them!) how they are reacting to and interpreting different things going on in society. (The recent election of Barack Obama, conviction of OJ Simpson or the Olympics would have been good opportunities.) Truly listen and learn from their perspective. Reconciliation will be happening before your eyes.

35. Learn the language of the new ethnic community forming in your city. Then go do your shopping in a grocery store in that area and get your hair cut in a barbershop there as well.

36. Bake cookies and give them to your neighbors just because.

37. If the church you attend has a separate “ethnic” service attend it once a month instead of the “regular” service.

38. Stand near the door and give everyone who enters church on Sunday a big hug.

39. Perform civil disobedience in response to a local injustice and be willing to go to jail as part of your witness.

40. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in response to a local injustice, and if possible have as many people from area churches sign on to it.

41. If possible, rearrange your work schedule to be 4-10hr days and spend that extra day off doing any of the other things on this list.

42. Refuse to be a part of the chain of gossip about someone else; especially about the person you love to gossip about.

43. Be a Big Brother or Big Sister.

44. Use your vacation time to volunteer at a summer camp for kids or doing disaster relief here or abroad.

45. Cook a meal once a week for an elderly person in your church or the single mother/father and her/his children you work with.

46. Volunteer a night to babysit for a couple you know so they can have a date night.

47. Turn an empty lot or other public area into a community vegetable garden. Do this especially if you live in an urban area.

48. Use your professional skills to serve those in need. For example: if you are a lawyer offer pro bono services to the homeless or if you are a teacher mentor an at-risk youth. The options are limitless.

49. Become a foster parent and take in those with no family. Or go a step further and adopt a child with no one else in the world. Or, mentor an emancipated foster youth (16 and up) who may be completely on their own with nowhere to spend holidays, no one to ask for money from when when they need it or have someone older to get advice from.

50. Or you can do what the rich young ruler couldn’t and sell everything you have and give the money to the poor. Then follow Jesus and see what happens…

I plan to have a list of 50 more things put up in the very near future, but this weekend I am helping with a youth retreat, so it might not be up until early next week, so stop back by and see what other ideas you might find useful. Feel free to add your own.

50 Ways to Love and Serve… No More Excuses

So my wife and I are living in suburban/rural America for the first time in a while and boy is it a dangerous place to live. No we dont have a lot of violence, or drug dealers or gangs, but we are surrounded by apathy, gluttony, greed, and finely manicured lawns (ok that one might not fit on the list, but still.) We live in a very typical middle-class rural/suburban neighborhood where people are, or at least seem, content to isolate themselves in the privacy of their homes with their stuff. Unfortuately we too have joined this trend more than I would like to admit and this is scary as hell. In fact I think it is a good picture of what I understand hell to be – a place of isolation. 

Our excuse, until now, has been that we just dont know what to do to reach out, to foster community, to serve and love those around us. In Nashville and in China we always had a community with which we met and loved and served. We knew where the homeless stayed and we spent time with many of our mortgage-free friends on a regular basis. My wife served physically and mentally disabled folks by taking them bowling or other recreational activities and we opened our home to folks in need. Since we have moved to Kentucky we have justified our own indifference and apathy by telling ourselves “we will serve when we see some needs that need to be met.”

Well we no longer have an excuse… And neither do you! 

The best blog on the web, imho, Seeking First The Kingdom, had two posts recently providing 50 ideas each about ways to serve wherever you are. The first he got from Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and the second he put together himself. Here is the first list, and I will post the second one in my next post so as not to overwhelm anyone. And I want to work on my own list as well.

1. Fast for the 2 billion people who live on less than a dollar a day.
2. Contact your local crisis pregnancy center and invite a pregnant woman to live with your family.
3. Ask your pastor if someone on your church’s sick list would like a visit.
4. Join an open AA meeting and befriend someone there.
5. Adopt a child.
6. Mow your neighbor’s grass.
7. Volunteer to tutor a kid at your local elementary school. (Try to get to know the kid’s family.)
8. Grow your own tomatoes–and share them.
9. Ask a small group in your community to meet regularly for intercessory prayer.
10. Build a wheel chair ramp for someone who is homebound.
11. Read the newspaper to someone at your local nursing home.
12. Plant a tree.
13. Look up the closest registered sex offender in your neighborhood and try to befriend him.
14. Throw a birthday party for a prostitute.
15. When you pay your water bill, pay your neighbor’s too (they’ll let you… really).
16. Invest money in a micro-lending bank.
17. Ask the next person who asks you to spare some change to join you for dinner.
18. Leave a random tip for someone who’s cleaning the streets or a public restroom.
19. Write one CEO a month this year. Affirm or critique the ethics of their company (you may need to do a little research first).
20. Start tithing (giving 10%) of all your income directly to the poor.
21. Connect with a group of migrant workers or farmers who grow your food and visit their farm. Maybe even pick some veggies with them. Ask what they get paid.
22. Give your winter coat away to someone who is colder than you and go to a thrift store to get a new one.
23. Write only paper letters (by hand) for a month. Try writing someone who needs encouragement or who you should say “I’m sorry” to.
24. Go TV free for a year. Or turn your TV into a pot where flowers grow.
25. Laugh at advertisements, especially ones that teach you that you can by happiness.
26. Organize a prayer vigil for peace outside a weapons manufacturer such as Lockheed Martin. Read the Sermon on the Mount out loud. For extra credit, do it every week for a year.
27. Go down a line of parked cars and pay for the meters that are expired. Leave a little note of niceness.
28. Write to one social justice organizer or leader each month just to encourage them.
29. Go through a local thrift store and drop $1 bills in random pockets of the clothing being sold.
30. Experiment with creation-care by going fuel free for a week–ride a bike, carpool, or walk.
31. Try only reading books written by females or people of color for a year.
32. Go to an elderly home and get a list of folks who don´t get any visitors. Visit them each week and tell stories, read the bible together, or play board games.
33. Track to its source one item of food you eat regularly. Then, each time you eat that food, pray for those folks who helped make it possible for you to eat it.
34. Create a Jubilee fund in your Church congregation, matching dollar for dollar every dollar you spend internally with a dollar externally. If you have a building fund, create a fund to match it to give away and by mosquito nets or dig wells for folks dying in poverty.
35. Become a pen-pal with someone in prison.
36. Give your car away to a stranger.
37. Convert your car to run off waste vegetable oil.
38. Try recycling your water from the washer or sink to flush your toilet. Remember the 1.2 billion folks who don´t have clean water.
39. Wash your clothes by hand, or dry them by hanging to remember those without electricity or running water. Remember the 1.6 billion people who do not have electricity.
40. Buy only used clothes for a year.
41. Cover up all brand names, or at least the ones that do not reflect the upside-down economics of God’s Kingdom. Commit to only being branded by the cross.
42. Learn to sew or start making your own clothes to remember the invisible faces behind what we wear. Take your kids to pick cotton so they can see what that is like (and then read James).
43. Eat only a bowl of rice a day for a week to remember those who do that for most of their life (take a multivitamin). Remember the 30,000 people who die each day of poverty and malnutrition.
44. Begin creating a scholarship fund so that for every one of your own children you send to college you can create a scholarship for an at-risk youth. Get to know their family and learn from each other.
45. Visit a worship service where you will be a minority. Invite someone to dinner at your house or have dinner with someone there if they invite you.
46. Help your church congregation create a Peacemaker Scholarship and give it away to a young person trying to avoid the economic draft, who would like to go to college but sees no other way than the military.
47. Eat with someone who does not look like you. Learn from them.
48. Confess something you have done wrong to someone and ask them to pray for you.
49. Serve in a homeless shelter. For extra credit, go back and eat or sleep in the shelter and allow yourself to be served.
50. Join a Yokefellows ministry at a prison close to you. Remember that Jesus said he would meet you there (Matt. 25).

If you have any other good, practical ideas please feel free to comment. Also, if you have tried anything like the ideas on this list then please tell us all about your experience.

The Lord’s Prayer, My Paraphrase

Tonight at church we did a prayer exercise in which we were asked to read the Lord’s prayer and craft a prayer of our own, for our own situation, based on the example Jesus gave us. Here is what I came up with.

 

Daddy in Paradise, Your character is good, marvelous, loving and pure. I want your Upside-down Kingdom to be seen and felt here in my neighborhood as it is in your celestial community.

I want your desires to be known and lived out in my city as in your New Jerusalem. Please provide us with just enough food to satisfy us for today and maybe a little extra to give to our neighbors in need.

Forgive us for seeing needs and not meeting them especially when we are spending our time judging others, and help us forgive when we are hurt, disappointed, and accosted.

Pull us out of harm’s way when sin comes looking for us or when we go searching for sin. Set us free as you snatch us out of the hands of our cruel enemy.

 

How would you prayer read if you were following the model laid out by Christ? How have you come to understand the Lord’s Prayer? What has it meant to you?