tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23703915100735697602024-03-05T19:25:36.014-08:00Caffeinated TheophaniesRuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-83463180098223683212013-11-19T23:49:00.001-08:002013-11-20T00:26:14.787-08:00I am going to throw a party<style>
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</style><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>- John 2:3 </i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>----</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The jury has ordered Frank Schaefer to be suspended from
ministerial duties for 30 days. At the end of the 30 days if Frank Schaefer
cannot agree to follow Discipline in its entirety, he must surrender orders. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/RMNetwork/posts/10152018312474483">- Reconciling Ministries Network</a></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">---</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am going to throw a party. I want it to be a place where people sit
together, eat together, geek out about John Wesley, make potluck jokes, and
never consider self-editing the gender of anyone’s love or spouse. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s going to be in a brightly lit room on a warm
night. People will come in out of the
cold, warming their hands in mugs of hot cider. More and more people will come
in, welcomed by the radical hospitality of long hugs and noisy appreciation. Those walking by will look in and see all the
glowing faces, and, if they are exceptionally brave, know that by knocking on
the door they will be welcomed with open arms too. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">All of us will be every inch ourselves and glory in that
great gift of being alive, being lovable, being loved, and loving in return. The cold chill of shame will be forgotten in
the warmth of this home. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I know that some of you will not take me up on this
invitation. Instead you’ll be clutching
a book you and I both think is holy, but in different ways. You’ll march away from my home. My heart will be sad at the empty spaces
around this table, wishing that the ones I love wouldn’t be left out in the
cold. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And when the moment comes, we’ll all gather together in one
room. We’ll break out the bread and the
cup and we will gave thanks to the one who created us, the one who taught us to
love, and the one who brought us together.
All who wants to partake will be offered it, without hesitation, without
qualification. Bread, wine will be
offered with dignity and compassion. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You see, this isn’t my party, and this isn’t my table. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And because this isn’t my party, and because it’s not my
table, it won’t stop. God’s invitation
to come on in and participate in the work of love never ends. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Those who think they define United Methodist might throw us
out of the label, but they can’t throw us out of this party. They might try to drown out our singing with
their shouting, but they can’t overcome the party. They might try to distract me or scare us
from our love and our gentleness, but they can’t stop the party. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am going to throw a party.
Do you want to come? </span></span></div>
Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-41852161267823460082013-05-20T16:02:00.002-07:002013-05-20T16:02:24.121-07:00The First Baptism
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course it would be a baby baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Until yesterday morning I have held precisely two babies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year during communion at First a baby
was placed in my lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one before
that took place approximately a fourteen years ago at a family reunion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of these times I was handed a baby
while I was sitting down, with a lap, and a nearby adult to hand off any
disasters (crying).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So when I realized that my first baptism would be “simply” a
matter holding an infant, pouring water over his head, and standing up in front
of an entire congregation in a confident and holy manner, I may have lost some
sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been praying the same thing
for weeks: “Don’t let me drop the baby, don’t let me drop the baby.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet when I met the baby, I immediately relaxed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a curious child and smiled a bubble of
joy as I peered into his carrier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
practiced holding him and we both realized this was a bit scary, but he was
willing to work with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pastoral
calm front was well in place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
I offered him a finger and he held fast and bobbled it through the whole
prelude to the baptism. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The congregation
was distracted with giggles and joy – as it should be. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I put the water on his head “I baptize
you in the name of the Father,” I stopped for a moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I lost my ability to speak as I held this
wonder of a new life and performing one of the most sacred acts of my church. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He turned back at me and made eye contact with large eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They said: “This is new, this is weird, this
is kinda … AWESOME.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He clapped his
hands in the baptismal water bowl, sprinkling it all over me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember my
baptism and be thankful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I baptize you in the name of the Son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I baptize you in the name of the Holy
Spirit.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
And although I wanted kiss this wonderful, patient, giggling, splattered boy on
the head, I said a small prayer instead: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You know kiddo, it’s a
big family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are more than your
fair share of embarrassing uncles and hard family secrets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite that I want you to <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>know that God loves you - absolutely,
thoroughly, ungrudgingly, unconditionally loves you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope you will help join us in the work that
God has laid out before us, by loving your neighbor and working to bring about
justice, peace, and hope for all. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yet, even as I say
this I realize that your work has already begun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ve given such joy to me and to this
congregation through your excitement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
cannot wait to see what beauty you will bring next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">God, be with this
child, and help him teach us more about this love, curiosity, and bravery he’s
already got in spades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br />
Amen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-10178697227860311682013-03-12T14:53:00.002-07:002013-03-12T14:53:24.588-07:00The Transformative Power of Praying for Kittens
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I was little I wanted a pet all of
my own. I prayed for a kitten, but my parents never got me one. I
prayed for kitten, but my parents would not be swayed.<br />
<br />
We already had a cat, but she was a grown up cat and I wanted a kitten. A
nice, small, cuddly kitten with a pink nose. I asked my parents for a
cat, but they said no. I prayed and prayed, asked and asked, but I still only got noes. <br />
<br />
I asked over and over, and one day the answer changed and I knew that I had an in to getting my cat. Instead of no, they said I needed to show that I could take care of the cat
that we had already. So it became my responsibility to feed her dinner
every night. Even if I was tired. Even if I didn't want to, I
still had to feed the cat.<br />
<br />
Well one day the stray cat outside my grandparents house
gave birth to kittens. There was one kitten that was the color of cream.
He was a rascal and would pounce on his siblings. Immediately I fell in love with him and said: "Please God, let me take this kitten home!" I dragged my dad outside - he was the
one who was holding out, in large part I think because he was the one who
needed to clean the litterbox - but when I put my kitten into his hands the
kitten instantly began to purr and nuzzled against him. His heart grew three sizes that day and I took him home. <br />
<br />
I thanked God because I finally had my cat!<br />
<br />
</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hSqXae-QDHRnKYx05cM0bDeOdtRELbkpR1bTPGxlknXwYMJgnr5MhSGl9SFjsVG8oE6fenabN67b4GaaFYah0lL_e2c9p97h36vQ6dLpTZVCxOTXli5-wnnRwiVPDoMeUQwguc7SLQ/s1600/photo-9.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hSqXae-QDHRnKYx05cM0bDeOdtRELbkpR1bTPGxlknXwYMJgnr5MhSGl9SFjsVG8oE6fenabN67b4GaaFYah0lL_e2c9p97h36vQ6dLpTZVCxOTXli5-wnnRwiVPDoMeUQwguc7SLQ/s320/photo-9.JPG" width="239" /></a>But then something funny happened. That older cat, the one I showed that
I was responsible enough for a new kitten? When we brought the kitten home, she
started to follow me everywhere. She began to sleep with me every night
curled up on my feet. She even would stick her cold nose against my leg,
make me jump and get under the warm covers. The kitten and I became
friends, but the cat that loved me the most was the one that I had already. <br />
<br />
I got my cat! And my prayer changed, from please god to thank you God!<br />
<br />
You see, my was not the cat that I was expecting. And God answered my
prayer for a cat all of my own, with the cat that I formed a bond with proving that I was ready for my own cat. <br />
<br />
But you know what, here's one of the amazing ways prayer works. Because I was
praying for a kitten, I learned how to take care of the cat. Because I showed I
could take care of a cat, I got to have one. Sometimes we change and
learn so we can have those things we ask God for all the time, because the
things we ask for are important and big responsibilities. So all those
times we ask God to give us peace in the world all the time, we get more
peaceful hearts to show we're ready for that peace. Or if we ask for more
love, our hearts become more loving. And if we ask for a cat all of our
own, our hearts open up better to the new cats around us, but also the cats
that we already own.<br />
<br />
Let's pray. <br />
<br />
God, help us ask for big things, like love and hope and kindness. Help us
ask for those big things, so we can have bigger hearts ourselves. Help us
remember to ask all the time for these big things, so we know what is
important, and can live our lives with those important things. <br />
<br />
Amen.<br /><br /><i>--- This was the children's sermon for our March 9th worship service.</i></span></div>
Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-69015947115202292222012-11-07T13:24:00.000-08:002012-11-07T13:31:32.024-08:00Praying for Wednesday <div class="MsoNormal">
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-</style>Our church set aside our sanctuary and some time to pray on election night. It<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> took place concurrently with a meeting and so the clergy at my church took twenty minute shifts over the course of the hour and instead of being bothered by the interruption, I found that I was grateful for the quiet on a frenzied night of meetings and election coverage. The candles and white calla lilies from All Saints day still covered our sanctuary. <b>It was simple, pious atmosphere. I felt called into a quiet sense of responsibility. </b></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>While consecrating communion, I described the last supper this way. </div>
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And on the night Jesus gathered his followers around him he brought different
people with different ideas to his one table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And we know that as the grain is scattered through many fields, it is
gathered together in this one loaf, united by love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></blockquote>
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At that moment, I needed to hold on to hope for our country and our community. Too often we think that a "house united" means everyone thinks the same thing, not that our differences are a gift that leads us into a better, stronger community. Seriously people, we can't all be thumbs. </div>
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<b>Instead of praying for one outcome, I prayed for Wednesday</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I prayed specifically for the people that I
know have different political opinions than my own, not because I was “praying
for the enemy,” but because I felt called to bring light into the moments of a breach
of community and hope for our future together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My prayers weren’t that their mind be changed, but simply to hold them
in love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<b>I know in the bottom of my heart that the people on the
other side of my thought-out and morally weighed political conclusions also
do a great deal of soul-searching and heart-work for their stances.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span>I cannot assume that it’s out of ignorance or
stupidity they have made their decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I respect their judgment and I knew that I would accepted the new
President if the election had gone the other way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnU5qzbmBbcV9i0kO2N3ACGdRIP1xzzMEL_82LqsZ_C3K2m2B-ErdpCPHHQXaeRKaStbkQrdPxP2K-qIduuaCDcLD4RmDy8IfR_EGEQXLn2-J45dGOjrun8Swl9-9AupiWFbATMbF_yg/s1600/election+day+communion.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnU5qzbmBbcV9i0kO2N3ACGdRIP1xzzMEL_82LqsZ_C3K2m2B-ErdpCPHHQXaeRKaStbkQrdPxP2K-qIduuaCDcLD4RmDy8IfR_EGEQXLn2-J45dGOjrun8Swl9-9AupiWFbATMbF_yg/s320/election+day+communion.png" width="320" /></a>Wednesday comes after a yearlong argument.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our problems are still there --- a need for
governmental income, more sustainable job creation, the ravages of a decade of war, and a climate that is changing
with violent outbursts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also believe
that it is a patriotic duty to hold on to our convictions when your officials
disagree with us. I hope that my conservative friends continue to hold us to
standards of fiscal responsibility and respect for our institutions; I hope that my progressive friends continue to work for equal access to the benefits of living in our country. </div>
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But.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br />
Differences do not equate with the face of evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An election going differently than your hopes is not a time
to call for revolution or to threaten the lives of those who just became
elected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not the time to say that
you disown your family because they voted for a different direction for the
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the time to demonstrate
to the world that we can move forward despite our strong, opinionated differences. <b>Democracy is not merely about having an election, but forging a future out of the results of the ballot box. </b> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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I am holding all of us in the light,
so that we can show that we are one, united in love. I am a Christian who believes that we are called into unity, not to be the same, but to hold each other in respect and hope. <br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-83776975974349747012011-07-18T15:31:00.000-07:002011-07-18T16:38:58.751-07:00Can a Christian Woman Get a Hotel Room While Showing Cleavage?Thunderstorms in Boston and Newark delayed my first leg of air travel home. I, like many other stranded travelers trying to get to Seattle, needed to find a place to sleep other than concourse benches. My journey at that point included 14 hours of travel time and knew I had at least another 16 hours before I would get home. I was frustrated. Exhausted.<br /><br />As I approached the <a href="http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/newark/ewrhi/hoteldetail?sicreative=5825577073&sicontent=0&sitrackingid=234172609&cm_mmc=Google-PS-HolidayInn-_-G+B-AMER-%5BUSA%5D-East-_-NJ-Newark-_-newark+holiday+inn&siclientid=1952">front desk</a>, my dusty backpack and roller bag in toe, the clerk's eyes roamed over my body. From my face to my shoes, he slowly looked up and down, pausing in leering enjoyment at my chest each perusal over my body.<br /><br />At that point I smiled. It was not a friendly smile, but a patented Pacific Northwest variety of <a href="http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=8946">smile </a>that can easily be translated into "#$@* you very much." Only after I smiled did he acknowledge that I was at the desk.<br /><br />His reaction was par for the course that day. I had made a classic travelling error. I wore a shirt that showed a hint of cleavage. The over shirt was sleeveless, see through material, with polka-dots. It also breathes well and is cool in the hot summer months, so I can add a layer of formality without sacrificing comfort. So when I was stuck on the tarmac for an hour in Boston in this travel outfit, I wasn’t sweltering. It’s a fun flirty shirt that is not enormously provocative, but makes me smile at the hint of curves that it shows when I wear it.<br /><br />You see, I love my body. As a 25 year old woman who spends most of her year in <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/irene-rubaumkeller-/are-eating-disorders-more_b_438332.html">Southern California stating how comfortable I am in my own skin is a startling revelation</a>. I love the color of my hair and I am thrilled that I am inheriting my mother’s sparkling grey. I love the fact that only the right side of my face can curl into a sarcastic half smile. I love the gentle curve out of my stomach, because it means that I am healthy and have enough to eat. I love my mismatched feet. I even after years of awkward self-conciousness love that hint of cleavage.<br /><br />This is not me speaking from narcissism, but an appreciative gasp of thanks for the miracle of my body. Thank you, God. Thank you for this body and the life that comes along with it.<br /><br />This prayer is defiant. My body is not something that I am supposed to like. My native and <a href="http://http//www.fatnutritionist.com/?cat=14">corporate culture</a> can’t sell me creams, make-up, and get thin quick cookbooks if I actually like my body as is.<br /><br />As for Christianity? Historically, the body has been an embarrassing footnote to the theologies of spiritual salvation, an accident that needed to be conquered by true faith. And being in a woman’s body? Well that was an indication of spiritual unwholesomeness that is to be blamed for the whole sinfulness of humanity. So while you have <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebe_(Bible)">Paul</a> and <a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/augconf/aug06.htm">Augustine</a> praising women for their spiritual leadership and capabilities, you also have them suggesting that women need to cover themselves to <a href="http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=178029901">not inspire lustful thoughts of angels</a> or<a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/102/1020409.htm"> cause spontaneous erections in men</a>. I <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Jvlmr5ePKnsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=rosemary+radford+ruether&hl=en&ei=u8EkTth_lPa2A6aVzOUI&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=body&f=false">shouldn’t be so proud of my womanly curves</a>, I should hide them so I do not invoke any hint of sexuality.<br /><br />Wearing a shirt that even remotely suggests my body is feminine means that I am now allowed to be viewed as a sexual object. This is probably why the clerk at the desk felt that it was acceptable to ogle me. After I handed over my identification and credit card, the clerk walked over to his manager. “Should we let her have a room?” he audibly whispered to his supervisor. The clerk kept a raised eyebrow pointedly directed at my chest.<br /><br />The supervisor looked over at me and smiled broadly. “I think so. She has an innocent face,” he said to the clerk. “But if we have a loud party we will know where it started.” He chuckled inviting me to share in the joke.<br /><br />Half way through my journey, exhausted and frustrated, I had just been called a whore. I flushed in anger, embarrassment, and gratefulness that I had a place to sleep that night. I swore that I would never wear that shirt again.<br /><br />That is the sneaky part of sexism. It makes you blame yourself for the horrible treatment of others. I went to bed that night thinking that the behavior of the clerk was my fault for showing cleavage and standing out while I traveled. I looked at my breasts in the mirror and sighed at the unwanted attention the garnered yet again. I forgot that my body was a miracle. I went to bed without thanking God for this blessing.<br /><br />The worst part of this story is that I forgot that my body is a gift. Sexism, and the theologies that stem from it, are in direct conflict of my understanding of God’s universally applicable love for us as God created us. Scripturally, there are <a href="http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=178030272">many</a> <a href="http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=178030346">verses</a> that uphold that a body as being lovingly created by God or in the image of God. Women are either explicitly mentioned, or can be read into verses that celebrate God’s creation. Many <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=htnNWWAovewC&printsec=frontcover&dq=womanspirit&hl=en&ei=PsIkTuTdDoKqsAPpytjcCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false">feminist theologies</a> address this consideration of the body, and emphasize the importance of the feminine body in the face of prejudice or <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=dTKNv_aLe5AC&pg=PA155&lpg=PA155&dq=when+violence+is+no+stranger&source=bl&ots=jh2wMPg0Ik&sig=Br-Dazz_b_VC1PrAnZ3CPJGbVyI&hl=en&ei=v8AkTtq2PJKksQOCtKHeCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&sqi=2&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false">violence</a>. It’s hard to remember this when you’re scared or frustrated, but the underlying and deliciously subversive message of these Christian's woman's depicitions of the beauty of the body is this: I am a child of God, made in the image of God and I will not feel ashamed because choose to travel in a shirt that makes me smile.Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-11059812150795565252011-06-27T17:18:00.000-07:002011-06-27T18:16:56.031-07:00150 Posts<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Last weekend was <a href="http://www.pnwmyp.org/ac2011/">Annual Conference for Pacific Northwest United Methodists</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It felt like a homecoming to sit in a large room with “my people.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Although I have loved and appreciated being at <a href="http://www.cst.edu/about_claremont/">Claremont School of Theology</a>, in large part because it refuses to let me rest on shortcuts, it was refreshing to not be constantly translating my understanding of Christianity or Methodism.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yes, there are places that we have to grow to be the best United Methodists we can be, but this weekend left me hopeful and excited to how we can move forward. <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">One of the highlights of the conference was the high involvement of <a href="http://www.pnwumc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=66&Itemid=151">Young Adults</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We were everywhere! We were heading committees, leading worship giving addresses, running cameras, building labyrinths, and serving in dozens of other instrumental ways.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was so exciting to see how much we have made annual conference our own.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In her excellent Young Person’s address, Emma Donohew’s emphasized the need for our conference utilizing social media.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“I know it’s cliché for a young adult to say this, but I will preach the gospel of social networking!” she declared.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And she’s right.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The future of “first contact” will be online.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If someone wants to know what it means to be a Pacific Northwest United Methodist, the internet is the first place that a young adult will look.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If we are to be relevant we must be online.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As I sat there I realized that I knew to use social media, but I have only updated my blog once in the past year.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My challenge from Emma’s talk is not necessarily to preach the gospel of social networking, but to do it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> </p><p class="MsoNormal">So.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am giving myself an accomplishable social networking challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>150 blog posts between now and the next convening of annual conference.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>3 blog posts a week.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And while I can visualize whole months in the future that will be difficult, perhaps this kind of journaling shall be my Wesleyan method for the next year.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If I agree wholeheartedly that we should use social media as a form of outreach for the United Methodist Church, it’s time that I take the first step and model that affirmation.<br /><br />Let's see what happens. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span></p> <br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">If you want to hear other excellent things that Emma said, here is the entirety of Emma's Address: </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(It starts at minute 41) </span><br /></p><br /><br /><iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://cdn.livestream.com/embed/pnwumc?layout=4&clip=pla_409234c0-8916-4c01-a3ec-8e2e61929fd3&color=0xe7e7e7&autoPlay=false&mute=false&iconColorOver=0x888888&iconColor=0x777777&allowchat=true" style="border:0;outline:0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><div style="font-size:11px;padding-top:10px;text-align:center;width:480px">Watch <a href=http://www.livestream.com/?utm_source=lsplayer&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=footerlinks title=live streaming video>live streaming video</a> from <a href=http://www.livestream.com/pnwumc?utm_source=lsplayer&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=footerlinks title=Watch pnwumc at livestream.com>pnwumc</a> at livestream.com</div><br /><br /><p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Blog #1 in Ruth’s Social Networking Gospel Challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-29429959523486072402011-05-02T12:52:00.000-07:002011-05-02T13:40:41.727-07:00A Different Reaction<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Once explaining how our actions affect God, a professor offered this story.<span style=""> </span>On September 11<sup>th</sup> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_theology">process</a> <a href="http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1489">theologian</a>, Marjorie Suchocki planted bulbs in her garden.<span style=""> </span>On a day that despair, death, and hatred reigned, she <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Presence-Marjorie-H-Suchocki/dp/0827216157#reader_0827216157">made a prayer</a> of hope and took part in creating life, with sewing plants into the earth.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">On this day that is intimately connected to September 11th, I ponder about justice, safety, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Precarious-Life-Power-Mourning-Violence/dp/1844670058">grief</a>.<span style=""> </span>I do not find joy in the death of an evil man.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And so, as so many celebrate this death, I will celebrate the things in which I find life:<span style=""> </span><br /><br />I rejoice in the young hummingbird flitting from twig to twig in the tree overhead.<span style=""> </span><br />I rejoice in the domesticity of taking down and folding fresh laundry.<span style=""> </span><br />I rejoice in the feeling of accomplishment of finishing papers.<span style=""> </span><br />I rejoice in the bright color of my scarf.<br />I rejoice in the support of text messages from best friends.<span style=""> </span><br />I rejoice in clear mountains, sunlight on my face, wind dancing in my hair, smiling at a stranger, daisies growing out of cracks in cement, the taste of my coffee, and the scent of roses drifting over campus.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here God, these are my offerings of uncomplicated joy to<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyRs9R9zt-lUQQRR34uUXBCZNCbJ-DEYGYZqNJTVuiHV76xQ5wIHoqOr7Xon8bYG6VyiChFzBm4lWr1O9Vv6YHOaSjoM3Fdwhyphenhyphen6ApXTCcPAhjC6_bUi3GOv_sAa6DvdMrfxQzoeG42Q/s1600/simple+joy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyRs9R9zt-lUQQRR34uUXBCZNCbJ-DEYGYZqNJTVuiHV76xQ5wIHoqOr7Xon8bYG6VyiChFzBm4lWr1O9Vv6YHOaSjoM3Fdwhyphenhyphen6ApXTCcPAhjC6_bUi3GOv_sAa6DvdMrfxQzoeG42Q/s320/simple+joy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602216601330355266" border="0" /></a>day.<span style=""> </span>Take these delights into your heart.<span style=""> </span>And God, if I may, I hope the joy we find in these simple things will overwhelm us into deep, lasting peace and celebration of life. <span style=""> </span></p>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-67515231427002745892010-05-04T13:28:00.000-07:002010-05-04T17:40:34.695-07:00Tripp's Words of Wisdom: Six Rules on How to Use Social Media Things and Still Have a Life1) You’re on twitter, facebook, whatever, you use, pick one of them, where people actually connect to you. Pick a network, make yourself available, connect to people in it. <br />a) Listening, finding something with an engaging passion. Don’t reply to everything of facebook, every tweet, every blog comment. One place where you are going to look at what they do and get a response from you. <br />b) Okay, I do that already. Facebook will always get a reply. <br />c) Or you can solicit e-mails, to avoid fights. <br />d) You make a way to have a conversation, you pick one. Facebook, comments, it unravels. If they are in your congregation, do it everywhere. <br />2) Pick one conversation and permeate it. <br />a. Phil, technically he could blog and dialogue on any of those issues. Something you know everything about. When you know questions, culture. You want them to come to you. (Be an expert). Pick one idea and permeate that conversation. If someone cares at all about that idea, they will come find you. <br />3) Subscribing to lots of blogs is a good idea – here’s how to do it with efficiency. I subscribe to 300 blogs on my RSS feeder. 5-10, I look at every time that they have something come up? They’re status – awesome, I want to know what they think. Find the 5-10 that are in the conversation you’re in, care about what you say, and regularly engage in those 5-10. Dialogue with them, connect with the people you always read. Know that the other ones are going along and find a connection. Create a place they become investment, they matter because they are attracted to you. Why, and who really thinks you’re interesting. Have that group you’ll always be in conversation with. <br />4) Consistancy and regularity. Like regularity in the number of posts, the quality and the topics. <br />a. Regular debate on what that means. My life is interesting, so I’ll just tell you what I feel like. Cool if people who go to your church and your grandma read it. Don’t blog on your new sweater, unless you’re just interested in writing it, and you can make sweater purchasing interesting. I totally disagree with this. Theme, quality and consistency. <br />5) Get an RSS feed and scan it, read the titles. Good bloggers know that they need to have good titles. Scan, look at the titles, and decide whether you want to click on it. Another trick. Google reads blogs to you. While you’re scanning blogs, it’s reading you a previous one. Tweets of conent, schedule once. <br />Comment on a blog post, it wins fidelity more than anything else. Retweet think you like the title, posting a comment means that you’ve read it. It’s converting yourself to someone’s post and they will like you.Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-84250570985995760212010-05-04T12:48:00.000-07:002010-05-05T03:10:22.319-07:00What my Buffy the Vampire Slayer T-Shirt Tells me about Jesus.Tribes, are our visible narratives of self-identity by association with a group. It’s who we want the world to see who we are. According <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Godin"></a><a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/">Seth </a>Godin a Tribe is an organic event. Not just something being in community is something that we as humans are evolutionarily geared to be, but that a gathering of has an individual choose to associate with and through that association they give me identity.<br /><br />As I was reading through<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%28http://books.google.com/books?id=7f1DyktinKoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Tribes&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false"> Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us</a>, I couldn’t help but think about my own examples of tribe membership. I often describe myself as a nerd, which other nerds get and causes non-nerds to worry for my self-esteem.<br />Nerd-dom has long been an important subculture, which yes is highly influenced by science fiction and comic books, but really is about:<br />· imagination,<br />· utopian community, and a<br />· hopeful future.<br /><br />Although the stereotype of the nerd may be the person who hides behind her computer nerds have long been about forming community IRL. While there is no secret handshake, there are certainly ways to measure “nerd cred.” For example, when meeting a new nerd, I might mention that I follow Neil Gaiman on twitter, I can tell you the name of the commanding officers for each Star Trek series, and have been reading megatokyo since comic 83. Yet nothing, absolutely nothing, can beat the establishment of nerd cred through the almighty t-shirt.<br /><br />T-shirts are a visible way to align myself with a particular tribe. In the nerd world it’s not so much a Sharks vs. Jets situation, a person in a Superman t-shirt would not automatically hate a person wearing a Spider-Man shirt, as much as it is a method of sorting. For example, when I wear my Buffy the Vampire Slayer T-shirt, I expect to get into conversations about why Fox has no understanding of tribe loyalty and why producing video content for the internet is the way of entertainment’s future; I would not expect to have conversations about why Asimov is better than Heinlein or Girls in Refrigerators. In the age of the internet, a t-shirt has also become a way of supporting an artist whose work you particularly enjoy. There are webcomic artists who are able to completely support themselves and their family on t-shirt sales alone. T-Shirts are about preference, declaring knowledge, and ultimately about willingness to support creative thinkers, the glue to our community.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Lessons from the Obama Tribe </span><br /><br />T-shirt declarations are not just from one branch of nerdyness. One of my friends bought a great deal of “Obama chic” during the 2008 campaign and he was even more thrilled when his conservative step-mother bought him an Obama shirt with the declaration “Hope” across it for his birthday. For him, wearing the t-shirt, putting the campaign card in his window, and playing Obama’s key campaign speeches for any roommate walking down the hall. Obama was the leader of a tribe of people, because he was able to inspire people into thinking about how they related to a politician and politics differently.<br /><br />Godin understands leaders in a different light than how we usually understand leaders to work. First of all Godin understands WORK differently. The Tribe understanding of occupation is the simple idea that if you love what you do for a living, you’ll be a much more interesting individual. Oh sure you’ll be happier doing work that you love, but you’ll also be a credit to your society because your energy and creativity will be more productive and world-changing. Leaders are people who are able to nurture curiosity in a way that it becomes productive to society. They are able to inspire people to take a leap from doing work to ensure a paycheck and risking to fall in love with work that might not pay as much, but is ultimately more rewarding for everyone around them. Most importantly leaders are able to guide individual creativity and channel it into fulfilling a need or goal for the whole tribe or the rest of society.<br /><br />Obama was this type of leader for my friend. He took off a semester from school to do what I teasingly called “Work for Obama.” Even though he was set by the Obama administration to God-knows-where, and worked more than 100 hours a week, and even though he had to sacrifice what was familiar and time with those he loved, he was happy. He leads campaigns now. He has been inspired, by one leader to become a leader.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Buffy T-Shirt + Jesus = Rebranding Christianity </span><br /><br />The third key component to being a tribe is marketing. Now being my generally anti-consumerist self, I have to admit that this was the idea that was the hardest for me to swallow. Godin declares:<br /><blockquote>Marketing changed the idea of stability. It’s human nature – we still assume the world is stable… and we’re wrong. We’re wrong because the dynamics of marketing and storytelling and the incessant drumbeat of advertising have taught us to be restless in the face of stability. And the Internet just amplifies this lesson.<br /></blockquote>I worry about this part of our culture. If it’s not new, it’s disposable. And if it’s disposable, we’ll throw it out. Forever 21 is a perfect example of this – in as little as six weeks runway fashion can now be worn by everyone with a spare twenty dollars. And in about three months, it can be thrown away. I fret about my car’s gasoline that seems to disappear, but really creates trash (carbon dioxide, smog) that we don’t or won’t see. Our desire for the new, the pleasure that derives from these goods, doesn’t entirely give us a chance to fully come to terms with how to deconstruct or recycle the old.<br /><br />Then I began to think, what is marketing of the new is just another way to explain openness to creativity? What if being in a tribe not just about association with like-minded people, but an excitement about what these people will bring to the table next?<br /><br />To go back to my Buffy t-shirt, I wear that with pride, because I like to be a part of a group that is familiar with Joss Whedon’s work. Eventually, I will watch whatever Joss Whedon writes. Yes, even the really gross, scary horror stuff (and not just because @gravelittleloli will make me), but because I’m always interested in the stories that Joss tells. There is something about his archetypes of strong, yet vulnerable, yet loving women intrigue me and his witty dialogue always makes me laugh. Even though I get annoyed at the fact that he enjoys creating romantic tension just for the sheer joy of murdering them, I still get pulled in each time. I’m curious about what Joss has to say next, and so I keep coming back. I belong to this tribe, I advertise that I belong to this tribe, because I am curious about what will come next and I want to be a part of that discussion.<br /><br />Which brings me of all places to Christianity. You see, I think Jesus was a Leader in a tribal sense. There seemed to be a level of inspiration and guidance of creativity that was embodied in Jesus that is astonishing. There is also a level of inspiration and hope that drew people in. I bet that people following Jesus were a hundred thousand times more eager to hear his next sermon than I am to see a sequel to Dr. Horrible’s Sing-long Blog.<br /><br />Today though, I’m not sure that the church has that ability to be encapsulated by a t-shirt. I don’t think I could wear a Methodist T-shirt that declares “I write John Wesley Fanfiction” and expect to have random conversations about grace and social justice at a Christian convention. My Christianity has lost its ability to be conveyed in t-shirt form. We’ve lost our ability to market – to be able to be creative and exciting in a publically expressible form of loyalty. Yet what I find significant in nerdyness, is in fact, what I also find available in Christianity. Imagination, Utopian community, and creativity are all there in Christianity, why can't I express that easily?<br /><br />I think for Methodists, mainline protestants, or progressive Christians, our significant landfill has finally caught up to us. We can’t just dispose of our old ideas, because our old ideas are so prominent in everyone else’s minds, that they stuck when we try to explain the new. We need to be able to explain our tribe better, we need to make it<br /><br />So, Godin’s challenge is not just to identify tribes or to understand how they work, but is a call to action about the ways in which we can lead them. He thinks that each and every single one of us has the potential to be a leader. I think my call as a future Christian leader of a progressive, mainline church is not to be to see new tribes and create them, but instead to understand what makes Christianity as awesome as being a nerd, and go from there.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Grammar edit and sentence tightening occurred. And I added tags. RM]</span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-50565049636153188492010-04-27T12:49:00.000-07:002010-04-27T12:54:48.260-07:00A Confession, Eccumenicism and ProximityI have a confession. Talking to other Christians about faith, can at times, is more stressful than talking to other people from different religions. Perhaps it is because I have more at stakes – since the conservative, evangelical, substitution-atonement, Biblical literalist Christians will affect how my progressive, pluralist, liberation theology, historical-critical definition of Christianity at the very least for making the word Christian unintelligible. Or perhaps the reason discussion among Christians is so uncomfortable, is because while other faiths are strictly off limits to proselytize to, convincing other Christians of the truth of progressive Christianity seems to be allowed. At the heart of these conflicts and discomfort is the idea that I am right, and that when other people understand/believe/practice Christianity differently, they are wrong. <br /><br />John Caputo, in What Would Jesus Deconstruct talks about “proximity.” It is understanding:<br /><blockquote>that the other person is a relation ‘without relation’ in a the sense that the other person is constituted by an interiority or an interior secret that we can never access, a secret inner self that we can never really reach or know. (Only God knows what is in the heart of each of us.)<br /></blockquote>While, another is deeply important for who we are and how we understand ourselves, our ability to every fully and completely understand the other is imperfect. While we can be close to other individuals, what goes on in the heart’s of another can never be fully communicated, just as what we say can never be fully understood.<br /><br />Yet for Caputo, this is not a hardship, but a blessing. He explains that:<br /><blockquote>The relation with the other person is therefore a journey we never complete, where that incompleteness is not imperfection, but testimony to the perfect excess of the other, it is not a loss, but a source of endless novelty and discovery. <br /></blockquote>Knowing the other with absolute certainty would be boring, because you would be able to predict everything this other person does. It would not lead to any change for either of you, because there would be nothing that would challenge you enough to change. It’s like the computer at the end of War Games, running through each variable possibility for Thermonuclear War, and seeing that there are no winnable outcomes, and so the computer does nothing. Not seeing the future, not knowing completely what the other person will do gives that person the chance to surprise you, to engage you, and to help you grow.<br /><br />This unknowingness is an invitation for engaging with that person and traveling on a path of relationship together. In exchange for understanding the person completely, we are given the opportunity to be affected by the other. Our relationship need not be a quick moment of perfectly boring understanding, but a life-long path of wonder and discovery. <br /><br />While this works wonderfully for individuals, this creates problems for me when I start thinking of those individuals in terms of their Christian context, because it challenges me to change my understanding of how Christianity works for the other. You see, I think that I already know precisely how Christianity works and functions for a fundamentalist, and therefore I see their future in a blink of an eye and am bored (or frightened) by it. Yet this is not real knowledge, because I cannot fully understand what a fundamentalist thinks anymore than I can fully understand what a progressive Christian thinks (although I assume I know that too). I have closed off my own potential to engage that person because of my own false conviction that I know their heart. Through this, I refuse to let the other Christian teach me. <br /><br />For Caputo, this journeying with another person is an act of risk. For me, there is a great deal of potential for being hurt by engaging with this other Christian voice, including the perception that my call is not to ordained ministry, because women cannot have authority over men. I know that this risk is relatively minor on the scale of how much people can hurt each other. Yet this journey is not just about risk, but also about love. The reason we are vulnerable to the risk, is because we do this with love. The reason that we are vulnerable to change, is because of how our love causes us to commit to that other person, both how we perceive them now and what they will grow to be, and how what they do to surprise us, will change us.<br /><br />In proximity, what is “right” and “wrong” becomes less important. I stop claiming that I know what is “right” about Christianity, in order to learn about beauty, truth, and hope from the Christian Other. Ecumenicism then is not about uncomfortable, awkward moments when people start asking who’s allowed to bless and take communion/Eucharist/the sacrament, but instead a conversation about why remembering that in the past is important for Christians now. While I will never be able to fully understand what goes on in an evangelical’s mind, I will be able to recognize their journey as important to my own Christian path. It’s only when we stop assuming what is “right” about Christianity, but listen to the novelty from the pluralities of Christianities that Ecumenicism becomes possible.Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-44117293078744381492010-03-23T11:59:00.000-07:002010-03-23T12:15:20.391-07:00How we say it.Talking to someone not only is about the words we say, but also the way we say it. Conversations hinge on the body language someone exhibits. If someone crosses their arms, the conversation can go from friendly to tense in a flicker of an eye. When we’re tense, what we say in a conversation changes completely.<br /><br />Communication technology is the same way. What technology we use, shapes what we say. <a href="http://www.shanehipps.com/">Shane Hipps</a> notes in <span style="font-style: italic;">Flickering Pixels</span>:<br /><blockquote><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_McLuhan">Marshall McLuhan</a>, the oracle of the electronic age, reveals the error of this assumption when he says that ‘the medium is the message.’ If the first truth is that our methods change, the message automatically changes along with them. You can’t change methods without changing your message – they’re inseparable.” (25) </blockquote>The medium by which I communicate with my grandmother changes everything. I send her short e-mails with forty words and usually a silly picture attached; Grandma sends me cards in the mail with a silly news story clipped from the paper. Neither of us writes back. Our phone conversations are longer, we banter, and we discuss everything from family history to theology and politics. These are the same two people, yet what we say changes completely by the mediums we use to communicate with. It is fortunate that this 90 year old grandmother and this 24 year old grandchild have the telephone, otherwise we’d never be able to meet in the middle and hear what the other person has to say. Our ability to communicate vastly improves with finding a technology that works for both of us.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://jimandmarilyn.com/church.htm"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNo9F4wy5AbB1Bx8GgEXlseGqwtSYdbpCF4FCq55yRR-WFCgMP6tVDPEEZ9W5n9nC8tNKwb8zl_ceYiOTh6luVuKqeOjhlT9kYl5xYL1Bov8jXZZwv412KTOTH_8l9ghfYAtF6YE40Nw/s320/pews.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451909558125697250" border="0" /></a><br />In theology terms, Hipps explains that the medium that we use to talk about God changes the ways in which we communicate about God. The way that the printing press changed Christianity was not only in terms of reading the Bible, but also in the ways that we organized our congregations. He points out pews inside churches, which line people up like letters on a page, are not found in medieval churches (47). The printing press changed everything for Christianity. We changed our ways of thinking about and constructing Christianity because of technology.<br /><br />He also suggests that the printing press changed the way we understood theology. A sentence is a logical, linear string of characters to produce a whole thought. Therefore, Hipps sees those of us who have been trained in reading and writing think in these logical linear ways. In Hipps understanding, theology became a linear, logical understanding that valued progressive, factual thought over feelings. How we understood God and talked about God, changed because of this technology.<br /><br />Yet, like the example of communication with my grandmother, communication between God and humanity goes both ways. Hipps describes Flickering Pixels as both the way we communicate about God, and the way that God reaches out to us: “It’s about the way God communicates with us and the way we communicate God to the world” (13-14). God uses different mediums to communicate with humanity. At first it was the temple in Jerusalem, later God used Jesus. Using the Logos passage in John 1, Hipps points to the ways in which the message and the medium were embodied in the same person. Through Jesus, the ideas and words of God, become perfectly communicable. Interestingly, a human, is the ultimate communication technology for God.<br /><br />Yet some parts of what is communicated remain the same; some parts of each new communication technology build from another communication technology. So when the Jesus medium talks about love, Jesus is using the same message from previous technologies, for example the Prophet Isaiah communication model. My grandmother asks about my eating habits and exercise routine or tells me that she loves me whether it is through phone or card. So while communication mediums do change, some parts of the message, like God loves, doesn’t change.<br /><br />Unfortunately, there is also the problem of the fourth dimension of technology. This is the fact that technology can sometimes trap us in unexpected ways. Hipps calls this the “underside” of technology. For instance, city walls while providing protection during a siege could also be a trap during the time of a city fire; video surveillance cameras provide identification of those who commit a crime, but also invade the privacy of people (Hipps, 37). The response to the God Communicating Technology also can have flaws that get brought forward with each new technological advantage. Despite God’s use of many different people to communicate, God’s message, that gets regularly forgotten. Deborah, was excluded from the list of Judges in Bible concordances for centuries; Mary Magdalene was excluded from Paul’s list of people who witnessed the risen Christ. Even though well intentioned people do use this medium to talk about God, they in fact sometimes bring in the underside of technology as well. <br /><br />How we say what we say matters. Not only does how we say it matter, it changes what we say too. So, if a Theology after Google, is a theology that takes rapid technological changes into account, then it also needs to understand the ways in which talk about God will change what we say about God. If we are to take this theology seriously, we need to be extra observant of what precisely it is we are pulling forward from past mediums, looking for both the potential beauty from past mediums, and be aware of the past mistakes.Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-68979721615657778082010-03-22T18:53:00.000-07:002010-03-22T19:07:19.269-07:00Did talking about the sermon make you happy?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.savagechickens.com/2010/02/beyond-the-web.html"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1J9Vm7MfGm0W9KVrGYDPPk6fLSEj2kctZVQKRA8_NEmNMyKE3YuVynV0F6nXjenNcea-KTdUYsK6ei6xZrysG6X6t5JVKZZfhQj9WNJSE-b-JKYNLRGh1QBLGvY-SvMSY9Uycect9g/s320/chickenlive.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451642466591802082" border="0" /></a>According to a recent New York Times article, a study suggested that those who regularly took part in deep, thoughtful, and existential conversations were, by both internal and external observation, <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/talk-deeply-be-happy/?src=me&ref=homepage">happier</a>.<br /><br />Considering that I am thinking a lot about church, the internet, and the church and internet, this article provides an interesting challenge. Do we in fact have these kinds of deeply connecting conversations on the internet? Does the internet give us the opportunity to meet more people that we can have these kinds of conversations? Does its openness make people hesitant and uneasy with “putting themselves out there” and being in these kinds of deep conversation for the whole world to see?<br /><br />And then the second question became, do we have these conversations in the church? Does coffee hour, bible study, or the sermon give us not only a sense of community, but a place of illuminating conversations where we can enter into meaningful theological discussions that leave each other enlightened and enriched? At the heart of Christianity are stories about God and Jesus and the ways in which meaning erupted into the world. Does our church give us the opportunity to meet people that we can have these kinds of deep, meaningful eruptions and the language with which to be able to talk about them? Does the church provide safe-places to be able to enter into these kinds of conversations?<br /><br />For me, deep conversations are about finding meaning with another person. They are important, blessed events. Therefore it is a challenge to both the church medium and the internet medium that in order to provide happiness, they need to provide ways for people to dive into deep, careful, thoughtful conversation. And it is a challenge to suggest that we need to think of new radical ways that these mediums can be happiness-inducing by supporting voices and making opportunity for difficult, but ultimately meaningful conversations.Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-50581090622869843822010-03-11T22:29:00.000-08:002010-03-11T22:39:02.054-08:00Sexuality 2.0: A ChallengeFirst of all this post is not just about homosexuality, although we do touch upon that some. In fact, it seems that the “question of homosexuality and the church” is perhaps even a distraction away from the heart of the matter: Christians don’t know how to talk about any kind of sexuality.<br /><br />But before we can talk about sexuality, we need to talk about bodies. And bodies are a point of complication for Christians. We divide our bodies from our spirit. Our bodies are flawed, needing to be conquered by the spirit, needing to be overcome by a will stronger than what we say. Christians privilege the will, the mind, and reason over our bodies. It’s an unequal dualism.<br />Everyone has a body, but not every body is created equal. Some bodies are reduced to what we simply see; some bodies are not even visible at all:<br /><blockquote>The Latina body is a particular body that is invisible, even when radicalized and sexualized, it’s invisible.<br /></blockquote>With these bodies, both visible and invisible, we are told how we fit into our society.<br />These actions are even more prefabricated when discussing sexuality. We have heteronormative, monogamous, and married sexuality. Yet even this solid absolutely model gets frayed at the edges, frayed by practice.<br /><br />So perhaps a Sexuality After Google, is a sexuality 2.0. 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<![endif]--> <table class="MsoTableGrid" style="border: medium none ;" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border: 1pt solid black; width: 239.4pt;" width="319" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Sexuality 1.0 </span></p> </td> <td style="border-style: solid solid solid none; border-color: black black black -moz-use-text-color; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; width: 239.4pt;" width="319" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Sexuality 2.0 </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> </span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; width: 239.4pt;" width="319" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Stable</span></p> </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; width: 239.4pt;" width="319" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Ambiguity </span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; width: 239.4pt;" width="319" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Male/Female</span></p> </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; width: 239.4pt;" width="319" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Gender Queer</span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; width: 239.4pt;" width="319" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Hetereo/Homosexual </span></p> </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; width: 239.4pt;" width="319" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Queer </span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; width: 239.4pt;" width="319" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Prefabricated Narratives for Sexuality</span></p> </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; width: 239.4pt;" width="319" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Constructed Narratives </span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; width: 239.4pt;" width="319" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Identities</span></p> </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; width: 239.4pt;" width="319" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Identification</span></p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <br /><br />Instead of understanding sexuality as a stable identity (I am gay, I am straight), then perhaps we can understand sexuality as a fluid, creative identification. Our identity is not told to us, but something we can borrow from, perform, and narrate. Our sexuality is not a permanent category to fit into, but instead part of our stories from which change, grow and elaborate over time.<br />Then perhaps if we understand sexuality this way, we won’t be Christians that “Need the gays (gaze)” We won’t be a church that uses homosexuality as a litmus test, but instead allow us to have a conversation about sexuality ALL sexual identifications can discuss this beautiful, ambiguous, and powerful experience.Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-92230250199004368682010-03-09T12:13:00.000-08:002010-03-09T12:27:17.745-08:00"Saints and Sages, not Religious Professionals"<a href="http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101050207/photoessay/17.html">Brian McLaren</a> skyped in to our class last week to talk about his new book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Kind-Christianity-Questions-Transforming/dp/0061853984">A New Kind of Christianity</a>" (and which<a href="http://youthjusticenetwork.blogspot.com/2010/03/new-kind-of-christianity-summary-from.html"> we all reviewed </a>various chapters, including my post <a href="http://caffeinated-theophanies.blogspot.com/2010/02/when-jesus-said-love-your-neighbor-he.html">here</a>.) At the end of the chat, our TA asked him if he Brian would like to offer us any advice. <br /><br />He told us "The world is looking for saints and sages, not religious professionals." <br /><br />And then he followed that up with this story, which I will quickly paraphrase to the best of my ability:<br /><br />McLaren is good friends with his next door neighbor and their relationship has grown and blossomed so that he became close to his neighbor's family as well as his neighbor. His next door neighbor’s father grew ill and was dying and the neighbor asked McLaren to come visit his father in the hospital. One day as McLaren was walking to his car, he just got a strong urge to go see his neighbor’s father at the hospital. He sat there in the hospital praying and holding the father's hand. He left to go to the parking lot and before he made it to the car, his neighbor called. The neighbor’s father had passed away. <br /><br />The world is looking for saints and sages and not religious professionals. <br /><br />And I knew in an instant that YES! I wanted to do this. His story reminded me of countless other stories of mine, which, while not as dramatic, were places that I felt like I was doing ministry. These were not United Methodists, but still people who needed love. And I loved doing it. I love being with these people. As I heard that story, visions of how I could keep doing that, just that and be fulfilled, happy and joyful for the rest of my life. <br /><br />Of course just as soon as these grand visions flashed through my mind, I immediately ran into a stop sign. "But how would I eat?" I asked myself. I don't want or need a paycheck for fancy things, in fact I am quite comfortable with the fact that my chosen profession won't lead to a lot of extraneous bonuses, but I rather like the idea of having a roof over my head, food on the table, and hot water for a shower. These visions of ministry --- I'm not sure if they would ever translate into these three essentials for my life. <br /><br />I think that this internal conflict may be a microcosmic example of the macrocosmic problem with the mainline churches of today. I think we really, really want to be out there and being the holy people the world is looking for, but are worried about what we think are the essentials. We do want to do this, but we also want a church to meet, to pay our pastors, and Bibles in the pews. <br /><br />So this is what I'm sitting with. How do we have an ecclesiology and an imagination that allows us to be both? Is it possible? I dearly wish and hope so.Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-82000757390652464582010-02-20T23:21:00.000-08:002010-02-20T23:43:00.152-08:00When Jesus Said Love Your Neighbor He Meant Pagans, Buddhists, and Athiests Too: Brian McLaren and PluralismPluralism is the idea of “Can’t we just all get along?” This question for Christians becomes especially acute when dealing with religious pluralism, because it is necessary to respect and understand other traditions. Christians have seriously screwed this up in the past; our relationship to the religious other has often been one of violence, destruction and outright murder. We need to create new ways of relating to other people, and we need to figure this out quickly. In my experience it is this form of intolerance that causes some of the worst backlash against Christians.<br /><br />To start off with, there are two models that people have basically proposed for why and how to be pluralistic: <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Simpsons Model </span><br /></div><br />The American religious landscape has changed greatly. No longer is it safe to assume that each person that we meet is Mainline Protestant Christian, but instead it is a very real possibility that our neighbors, our teachers, or our coworkers follow a much different spiritual path than our own. Pluralism, that ability to know and respect other traditions, becomes a necessary technique for survival as a good citizen in the United States. Diana Eck wrote the seminal book, <span style="font-style: italic;">Pluralism in America</span>, about just this topic. But if you want a more entertaining model to see how pluralism works in the United States today look no further than the television show T<span style="font-style: italic;">he Simpsons</span>. One of the major themes of the show is how religious differences can lead to conflict and how eventually understanding leads to a stronger community. Springfield is a typical American town and pluralism has become a very typical American question.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Apocalyptic Model </span><br /></div><br />There is another urgent model for the necessity of pluralism. Many point to the nuclear age that we live in as justification enough for needing to understand each other. The potential for violence and the ability to destroy all human life is at humanity’s fingertips. Preventing total destruction is a relatively new responsibility for mankind. Since religion has become a major justification for violence, people tend to get nervous over religious conflict. <br /><br />This is the approach that Brian McLaren starts with. He says:<br /><blockquote>We all woke up again today in a world where Christians, Muslims, and Jews (along with adherents of many other religions) are either killing one another or planning new ways to kill one another, and many believe that in doing so they are obeying and even pleasing and honoring God.<br /></blockquote><br />McLaren shows here how religion sometimes can be used to justify this killing. This model for pluralism does not set out so much how we should relate to each other, but instead emphasizes why we need to figure this out. And we had better do it fast. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">McLaren's Model</span><br /></div><br />However, the brilliance of McLaren’s approach to pluralism is that while he frames the necessity for understanding each other in the global sense, he approaches the problem on a deeply personal level. He doesn’t map out responses for Christianity on at a state or international level, but instead focuses on three steps any individual Christian can take to becoming more Pluralistic:<br /><br />1) Repent of crimes done in the name of Christianity<br />2) Deprogram knee-jerk, trained responses to the idea of accepting other traditions. <br />3) Find a new, Christian model for dealing with the Other. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Repentance: Educate Yourself</span><br /> To repent, you need to educate yourself. Christians have forgotten our history of encountering other religions, and by encounter I mean for the most part abusing, enslaving, or murdering those of other traditions. However, those we have harmed in the past do remember this history. “They remember,” McLaren says repeatedly. To be able to enter into religious dialogue, we need to be aware of this history of violence so that we can apologize for it and overcome it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Deprogram: John 14:6 doesn’t mean what you think it means</span><br />One of the struggles Christians have with pluralism is the idea of superiority in both terms of having the most evolved spiritual tradition and having an afterlife paradise for just us Christians. McLaren tackles John 14:6, the verse that is often used as Jesus reserving God just for those who follow in Jesus's footsteps. Instead of looking at this verse as a worldwide declaration for Christian exclusivism, McLaren does a thoughtful exegesis of the verse IN CONTEXT with the rest of the passage. Instead McLaren points to how this is a message of comfort and hope to his disciples, NOT a prescription for kicking everyone else out of heaven. <br /><br />McLaren suggests that the reason that we think of this verse when asked about pluralism is because we have adopted an “us/them” model from the Greco-Roman culture. This us/them then is not a genuine part of Christianity, but instead an unfortunate cultural artifact from a dominant group wanting to maintain their secure place at the top of society despite adopting this radical new spiritual movement. Therefore being good Christians does not require this exclusivist outlook on other traditions, but instead could actively encourage ways to love our neighbor including their religious outlook. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">New Model: Love One Another. </span><br />McLaren stresses that the new model also needs to be rooted in Christian choices, images and perfection. He explains:<br /><br /><blockquote>[Christians] also feel uncomfortable with the win-lose, “it’s either us or them’ mind-set they have inherited, because they know this mind-set too easily descends into prejudice, dehumanization, and violence toward the other. But they also feel uncomfortable with the “Whatever you believe is fine, as long as you’re sincere” approach. Just as the former fuels fear resentment, and even hatred toward “them,” the latter undermines commitment and identity among “us.” I share this ambivalence, because I think both dangers are real. </blockquote>Relativism, the reduction of everything to equally the same, creates a problem for Christians who intend to be a pluralist. Pluralists need to walk a fine line between respecting other traditions and yet still finding value rooted and caused by our own particular spiritual path. <br />McLaren’s solution to this problem is to not be a relativist, but instead be a Christian Pluralist. He points to several scripture passages, including Paul insisting that God treats all equally (Romans 5:12-21), the tradition of the religious outsider doing God's will in the Hebrew Scriptures, and Jesus stating "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another" (John 13:34). These examples provides a model for the way we can interact with the religious other and do so within a framework compatible with Christian teachings. Christian love of the neighbor really can expand to include the whole world. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Critique of McLaren’s Model </span><br />The problem with this model for pluralism is that McLaren tends to use religious groups interchangeably. This subtly recreates the us/them dynamic that he was trying so hard to eliminate. Although I recognize that McLaren is focusing on the way that Christians should act with the religious other, it still strikes me as deeply problematic to think that Hindus and Atheists and Jews could be interchangeable. Not only do Christians need to change our own behavior, we also need to understand the distinctions between these very diverse and separate groups. Although I recognize that it is incredibly difficult to do that in this small of a chapter, undoing the us/them distinctions really does need to start with breaking it down even when these conversations are most cramped. <br /><br />McLaren suggestions do give us a model of behavior that will start good conversations with the religious other. How those conversations will progress will not be the same, because what is of utmost concern to an atheist will not be the same thing that drives a Jew to keep kosher. However, acting out in deep neighborly love will lead to rich discussions. Christians need to start and take part in these dialogues, especially if we are going to be good neighbors and effective world leaders. McLaren’s model teaches us as Christians how to listen and that will put us in a very strong starting place for how to find our voice in a world that needs Pluralism and a thoughtful Christianity. <br /><br /><br /> (This post is a classroom wide series of posts about Brian McLaren’s <span style="font-style: italic;">A New Kind of Christian</span>.)Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-7306614702790626152010-02-13T11:21:00.000-08:002010-02-13T11:32:09.224-08:00A Christian debates an Atheist – can any good come from this?My Theology after Google professor is debating Daniel Dennet, one of the four “New Atheists.” Clayton threw the glove down via YouTube, showing that new technology can still be used for old-fashioned challenges. Here is the challenge:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sreHoEgWylk&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sreHoEgWylk&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />I am rather uncomfortable with this idea. Not because I think that atheists are terrifying or unreasonable, quite the opposite in fact. In my experience the many atheists I know have come to their conclusions from a thoughtful and patient examination of their soul (inner world if you prefer) and have chosen a system of beliefs that give them life and meaning. This journey is not unlike my path towards relevancy and hope inside my Christian tradition. We both have worked pretty hard at this; I respect and honor their path, just as my non-theist friends have respected and honored mine.<br /><br />Like most belief systems, even systems of non-belief, there tends to be some obnoxious loudmouths that claim to speak for the whole movement. The Dawkins and Hitchens of the world tend to be as much fundamentalists as Pat Robertson because they claim the absolute truth and most of the media’s attention. This should certainly be splashy.<br /><br />And so I worry that this debate will not bring about respect, but just louder yelling at each other. Professor Clayton says “let’s talk out of our common ground,” yet, I’m not sure that a “Debate” is even the right structure for bringing about a way to find that common ground. In my mind’s eye, I see two men at a podium waving scriptures (be it the Bible, Whitehead, or Darwin) and declaring this to be a fundamental truth, there can be no other! I know that this is probably not the case -- they will be sitting down in chairs, sipping tea, and creatively, wittily calling each other foolish.<br /><br />Of course I’m going to watch this. Like a moth drawn to flame, humans are drawn to controversy, and I’m no exception. And yet I’m dearly hoping for something absolutely boring. I want Clayton to say: “Yep, I’m totally an atheist if all you define God as is an old white guy with a beard” and Dennet to say: “Yep, I’m totally theistic if God is the idea that humans can hope and love.” So I am watching this with all the expectations of a car going into the wall, but really hoping instead that it turns out to be a boring 500 laps around a track.<br /><br />All right, my non-theist friends, my theist friends, my pluralist friends, my “we’ll never get along” friends, my somewhere in between friends, what do you think? Is this kind of debate a good idea? Or how would you go about starting a dialogue between atheists and theists in such a way that would uphold the positive aspects of both?Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-23479593520386502912010-02-09T00:19:00.000-08:002010-02-09T00:34:46.799-08:00iPhone BrainOne day I forgot to close the cap on my water bottle as I put it into my purse. Within moments everything was drenched to the core, including, oh horror of horrors, my iPhone. Quickly realizing I had achieved the pink line of warranty-voiding doom, I scoured the internet searching for a way to bring my phone back from the white screen of death. After submerging my phone in rice for two tense days, hoping that this miracle cure would work, I wrestled with the idea of going without a smart phone. Giving up that smart phone, even though I had only had it a mere six months, would have felt like giving up an arm. <br /><br />In his excellent and accessible explanation of Marshal McLuhan, Callid Keefe-Perry states “technology is the extension of the human senses.” For example, a radio can extend the sense of human hearing, because it lets us hear things from a different moment or farther distance than our present time and place. The sense that the internet extends is memory. Like language and writing before it, electronic information access is expanding my universe beyond my own experience and lets me encounter the experience of the other. The iPhone, for all intents and purposes had become my memory. Yes, this memory is slower and more unorganized than my own brain, but it is much more precise and can extend beyond my own first-hand knowledge of the world. I am now part of a collective of minds all contributing thoughts, facts, impressions that I can access with this phone at any moment. <a href="http://nosleeptilltenure.blogspot.com/2010/02/isolation-experiment.html"> As Angelina points out</a>, my iPhone brain found me a way home even though I was on roads that I had never been before because of its GPS and mapping instructions let me tap into that collective knowledge of place. Giving up the iPhone, giving up the smart phone technology, would be like giving up a large chunk of my memory.<br /><br />And yet, I turn off my phone whenever I enter a time of meeting or worship. This has become an important part of the entering into worship ritual for me – get a bulletin, give out hugs, sit with my pewmates, take a deep breath, and turn off the cell phone. Although I still feel that heart-palpitation of vulnerability from letting it go, I realize that this centers me more than all the other rituals combined. I am cutting off that memory, that extra-sensory technology, when I enter a time and place to connect with the Holy. While I know many who have added smart phone technology to their worshiping experience and tweet along to sermons, read Bible verses, or use it as a stand-in candle, I know in myself that the reason I turn it off is because I disengage from that instantaneous precision and connection to all humanity for just a moment. Perhaps, this is a new equivalent of closing eyes and bowing heads for prayers; that this is my way of shutting out the rest of the world and allowing myself to reach for that one on one encounter with God. Technology is extending the human senses, and sometimes, to be in the moment, I feel that deep need to give it up. <br /><br />For more about McLuhan's description of technology or to get a better handle on what this whole Theology after Google class is talking about, here is Callid Keefe-Perry's video:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kNNOClkhlz4&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kNNOClkhlz4&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370391510073569760.post-87413211886659417432010-02-08T10:08:00.000-08:002010-02-08T10:25:29.823-08:00Is the United Methodist Church Macy’s or eBay?<span style="font-weight:bold;">“Small is the new big. Mind you, big is still big… Big Box stores such as Home Depot continue to drive mom-and-pop hardware shops out of business. Even small churches are being turned to condos thanks to the rise of megachurches.” (Jarvis, pg. 55) </span><br /><br />I bet that the small churches that are turning into condos are members of the mainline denominations. Yet, as of 2000, there are roughly 6.5 million United Methodists across the United States and most of those members are scattered into small churches. On the other hand, a non-denominational megachurch may well have 8,000 people attending that one church. Some megachurches, such as Mars Hill churches in the Seattle area have started many satellite churches throughout the area (one wants to ask if this is the start of a new denomination?), yet that still is only a coalition of 30,000 people connected to each other instead of the millions of United Methodists. <br /><br />Jarvis suggests that eBay’s 2007 sales figures of $59.4 million is an example of “small,” because each of those sales figures originate from individual sellers. (The corporation that owns Macy’s sold less than half of that the same year.) Yet an individual seller would not have had the same market opportunities nor would a buyer would have the same guarantee of safety, had not they made their transaction through eBay. Sure, this is an example of a “small is the new big,” because the individual generates the product and the sales, but it is still an example of how being big gives you advantages. <br /><br />To me this suggests that the importance of the rule “Small is the New Big” is as much a matter of perception as it is numerical reality. Big is old fashioned, slow to change, and disempowering to the individual. Yet, being physically big is good, as long you feel small. Here, small is a measure of how much an individual is empowered to make their own goods and services readily available to others and profit from that networking. This is why not all bigs are created equal – and I would happen to agree. The internet age does privilege those gigantic connections, such as eBay, that empowers and connects. <br /><br />Yet, right now, the mainline denominations resemble Macy’s more than eBay. Yes, we do have an enormous amount of sales, but how much does this feel like prepackaged goods? How much does the individual feel like they can offer their own goods and services into this connection and benefit from using the denomination as a resource? Do we feel big: monolithic and slow to change, despite our small churches; or do we feel small: letting individuals feel like they are empowered to offer their own personalities and services because of that connection? Perhaps the reason that megachurches have been so successful is the ability for an individual to feel like they have access and attention within this large structure; perhaps the megachurches just don’t feel that big. <br /><br />The United Methodist Church is both small and big. I think the lesson that I’m going to learn from this is to examine size not so much in terms of numbers, but in terms of perceptions. It doesn’t matter how big we are, it matters how small we feel.Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957413212218945301noreply@blogger.com0