Restrepo...

I'm waiting for this to be checked back in at Hastings and then I will rent it.

Hunting and Helping...

General Larry Nicholson described his work in Afghanistan as: 10% Hunting and 90% Helping. Can any of you soldiers affirm or add insight or commentary to that assessment?

How Baseball Helped Children and Saved Lives in Afghanistan

I've been looking for ways to highlight the positive work our Troops are doing to support the humanitarian goals related to rebuilding Afghanistan. Spirit Of America is an organization doing just that in cooperation with the US Military. Here is an article describing one project in a village related to starting a 'Baseball game". You can watch a video of the founder talking about the org: here

I have mixed feelings about seeing a solider with a gun and soccer ball...but I also know men who would be the kind of people deeply motivated to heal more than hurt that are in the military, so I see this as a chance to show that to the people of Afghanistan.

The Big (Military) Taboo...

"The U.S. military now has more people in its marching bands than the State Department has in its foreign service" -NY Times Article

Change...???

President Obama, a Democrat who symbolized new directions, requested about 6 percent more for the military this year than at the peak of the Bush administration.

An in-depth look at the war in Iraq and Afghanistan

Nir Rosen on "Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America’s Wars in the Muslim World". The book looks like a must read and this interview, though dense in subject matter, is extremely helpful in understanding the complex issues that underly Iraq and Afghanistan and their many and different cultural challenges. In the era of media soundbites about such massive issues, I found the mentally challenging subject matter a needed discipline in doing the work of understanding the wars. I know for many there is a war-fatigue and we would rather just change the channel. I too wrestle with that temptation. But as in the interview, when you have friends and family that might have their 'numbers erased from your phone' it's still important to keep the wars in the front and not the very back of the American cultures consciousness.

The counter-insurgency campaign...success or struggling...?

Democracy Now report on Afghan progress purported by Obama in Portugal. The Afghan report starts at 12:00 in the vid.

I can't help but feel like I am watching old footage from Vietnam when I see these types of reports. It frustrates me to have to keep posting counter points of view at the expense of my military friends. My intent isn't to discourage those serving...my intent is to add voice and info to the debate in hope that people will put pressure on their representatives to end these costly campaigns.

My A-Team review....

We watched this the other night, mostly for nostalgia reasons.

Interesting take on the whole military politics and mercenary 'Black Water...I mean 'Black Forest' stuff. So just what was really being said in the story line...you got 'guns for hire' 'corruption' 'military corruption' 'CIA corruption' and the whole 'use of violence B.A.' stuff. In the end a celebration of the emergence of "A-Team' private militia like para-military saviors, armed tea party inspired rescuers???

I got lost in the mash up of armed para military groups vying for power and wealth against other paramilitary group doing it for revenge. The whole BA/Hannibal Gandhi quotes moments made me nauseous...pitting wisdom against wisdom to justify anything you actually want to do.

That was a faint reflection of the most historic moments of complete ethical madness...when Pres. Obama, the winner of the Noble Peace Prize used Martin Luther King and Gandhi in his acceptance speech not for Peace...but to justify his continual and increasing military actions in the current and expanding theaters of USA paid and future funded campaigns.

I mean even Jessica Biel was a fumble...I mean she looked like she weighed about 85 pounds and was working on a role to replace Christian Bale in 'The Machinist 2"...not attractive, sorry, eat a burger girl. All in all it had some funny moments and some good action scenes in the Die Hard, over the top kinda way. OK to watch...just turn off your brain.

I actually like the Family Guy A-Team clip almost better.

"I was told to withhold a six-inch Harry Potter figure, but when I picked up a plastic M-16, I was told, ‘That’s for the 10-year-olds."

-A Salvation Army volunteer, who claims Salvation Army officials told him not to include Harry Potter and Twilight toys in his collection for needy children “because they’re incompatible with the charity’s Christian beliefs.”
The toys left behind were to be disposed of, and not passed on to other charities.

Gays, Guns and Green Backs...

There is a lot of various debates and discussions going on out there in media land about the DADT/Open Gay issue in the military. The angle I find interesting is captured in some of these images I have seen in the debate.

This video of Rep. Barney Frank, a gay member of congress is a perfect example of the polarization and straw-man nature of issue debate in our culture. I'm not a soldier, so I have a hard time with all of this stuff, I am not sure exactly what to think about it. From one angle as a straight male, I have various uncomfortable thoughts. From a Christian...there are many thoughts...and from an ethical position in regards to gender equality and the evolving future policies in regards to mixed company/showers/bunks etc...I think many of the arguments made for open and integrated views on sexuality could be applied to many other money saving changes. Single bathrooms, showers, barracks etc...could save a ton of money, eliminating marriage bonuses or housing perks, de-funding matters relating to sexuality or marriage...there's a lot of angles to take on all of this. Whatever the case, it will be interesting to see how the next administration handles this ball once it is passed, especially if it's a Republican or Independent Admin.

Richard Holbrooke's last words...

As Mr. Holbrooke was sedated for surgery, family members said, his final words were to his Pakistani surgeon: "You've got to stop this war in Afghanistan."

-American Diplomat, Richard Holbrooke, (special adviser on Pakistan and Afghanistan, working under President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton), (Wash Post article)

Oreo Cookies & Military Spending...by the Ice Cream Man

This is a simple yet clear animation of the US budget, military spending and the struggling American economy.

"There's some interesting talk stirring about how it may be necessary to cut defense expenditures to decrease the deficit. Even though the $533 billion budget is the elephant in the room and the $200,000 spent every minute on the endless war on terror is the gushing, bleeding wound of America, this has been the taboo secret, the idolatrous sacred cow. But folks are beginning to whisper." -Shane Claiborne

The sword of man or the song of angels...?

""A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." -Matthew 2:18

War grinds over the guilty and innocent alike, it does not discriminate. The horrific suffering of children is a part of the Christmas story that often gets passed over in our holiday readings.

The actual slaughtering of innocents as a result of religious extremism and bloody prophetic paranoia is woven into the Christmas story but rarely finds its truths connected to anything in our modern moment. We Pastors can find lessons to be learned in the gifts being given and the songs being sung but "peace and goodwill' to us on earth seems to be idealized out of any real pursuit. I am always reminded by people that 'peace can't come on earth'...it's always eschatologiszed away...a future dream, not a present hope.

Men tell me "war and perpetual conflict on Earth'is our only lot...while Angels tell me 'Peace and good will on Earth'...is here. Women tell me that only enemy hate and murder can be the lot of human interaction...while Jesus speaks of enemy love and brotherly care. Humanity clings to the Old Creation...while the Spirit is bringing about the New Creation. Our religious teachers can only see a Mountain of Fire and the Abandoned City burning...while those shod with the gospel of peace, see a Bride City of rivers and trees whose leaves are for the healing of nations.

Why must Herod's vision of the future be the one that Jesus's church believes in, why not believe the Prophet's visions of lambs and lions, snakes and children being together? Why if Jesus chose to gather a community of disciples that reflect the amazing new possibilities for humanity...why do we always proclaim a truncated version of kingdom life and possibilities?

If the signs of the last days people are the ability to speak in any language to any culture...if we are the inhabited ones, the temple fire bearers, the proclaimers and providers of the Kingdom that is among us...why are the dreamers labeled as the fools?

I cannot see Herod's sword as the bearer of glad tidings...no, he who wields it, is still singing the song of Rachel...and the children are still weeping because of it. This Christmas, I choose to believe that the sword of man cannot eclipse the song of Angels.

Peace...on Earth, is my song to be sung...no matter how loud the weeping of gunfire still is.

Iraq through a Photojournalist's eyes...

Michael Kamber, Photojournalist: Iraq, Click on the 'Iraq' project at the bottom to see some really powerful photographs from Iraq. I am not sure why we don't get to see this level of reality in most of the coverage of the wars we are engaged in, but this guy captured it.

Exactly....

135 peace activists arrested at the WhiteHouse...

Washington Police arrested 135 of the protesters, in what is being called the largest mass detention in recent years. Among those arrested were Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst who used to provide the president’s daily briefings, Daniel Ellsberg, who released the government’s Pentagon Papers during the Nixon administration, and Chris Hedges, former war correspondent for the New York Times. (link)

Still remembering...and questioning

Defending Constantine

In the ongoing exploration of a Christ-centric political posture in regards to pacifism, nonviolence, Just war etc..one will bump into the Roman emperor Constantine at some point of the study or discussion. The perspective is often a 'crux of history' discussion...where the church 'fell' or where a victory was gained. The implications of a 'baptised emperor' has been the point of many heated arguments over a pint...or via some medium of public dialogue. This article is a great addition to the debate: "Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom"

Some of my favorite quotes worth ponder from the article:

"Constantinianism is the sociological condition that makes possible the presumption that the suffering Christ, the crucified Christ, is not the last word Christians have to say before a waiting world. Constantinianism names the pretense held by some Christians that there is a truth beyond the truth that is the unsurpassable Christ."

"To suggest that with Constantine things went to hell in a handbasket reveals the presumption that we are in control of history. Now that, as we say in the theological business, is interesting."

(Thanks Rick for the link)

Ron Paul on Wikileaks...

Watch the video: link
Yet again...Mr. Paul nails the true issues to the wall as the jello of Empire continues to squiggle and wiggle under the light of truth.

Youtubing on the edge of death.

Marines in Sangin, Afghanistan doing what Marines do...kill, blow things up and tell stories about it to one another. Wow...this brings up so many conflicting emotions and thoughts...One is pride in our soldiers kicking ass and the other is the odd sense of screwed up reality as I am watching men kill one another put to music. Seeing the gut wrenching tension and at the same time the glee in soldiers faces as if they are playing games. Youtubing on the edge of death. One is a feeling of being sidelined during a period of history when men are doing things that determine life or death...and I am knee deep in human drama and trauma. They are shooting bullets and I am shooting my mouth off. The dichotomies of it all frustrate me. The mundane nature of so much of life around here is the very thing that many soldiers are longing for and which is driving many here to self-inficted acts of stupidity and sin. I'm trying to convince people to live while others are just wishing they could live.

Puking while we are Partying....

It's hard to watch this video and remember that our fellow Americans and brothers in arms are facing these situations while we sip coffee, argue with parents, complain about our lives, pursue selfish lives and go off and waste a ton of money we don't have on a holiday that will be over in snort of indifference. The video is in German but you can understand the sounds of gun fire, the smoke and chaos, the shouting and the man vomiting our his over-amped nerves. These are the images that motivate me to pray for my friends at are in Afghanistan and other areas of conflict or potential conflict. I know its not a video of blood and gore...but it reflects the tension that burns its affects into tee psyche of soldiers.

American Prisoner in Afghanistan pleads for release...

Please watch the video to the end to hear the solider's request.

Better for Baghdad...?

Listening to someone share about how America's foreign policy and military campaigns have destroyed their city, driven them from their home and family and forced them through 'rock & a hard place' resettlement options, sure puts a face on what used to be news articles and sound bites on talk shows.

Listening to someone share what life is like having to call America home, the very country that forever took away your own national home...is deeply conflicting.

Looking into the eyes of people who have seen what you only hear about through talking heads and polarizing, pontificating politicians is far more articulate and convincing.

Seeing the ache of a life once lived, sounds forever stilled, voices too far away too touch, childhoods, places, ways of being...forever altered, not quite the same, just out of grasp...always 'not quite the same'...is an experience that is hard to articulate.

As someone who has spent a lot of time wrestling, debating, praying and studying on war, nonviolence and refugees, last nights dinner, conversations, biblical study and fellowship with Iraqi muslims put my growing convictions into a concrete reality. The implications of these burdens and visions of a way of life, a way of being, of relating with one another....took on fresh hope and a practical connectedness that made sense to me in ways like never before.

I now see how God's call to work with refugees has a connection to my political science passion and my interest in issues of war and peace and what the gospel brings to the troubles and evils of men, like never before.

I felt perfectly formed for the task last night...talking to people who valued the words of peace...like few others have.

It was a blessing.

The Way of the Warrior...

Marine Special Forces veteran, Rudy Reyes, fights to overcome the personal demons that led him to the military where he was trained to carry out special wartime missions that compound his torment. This is another one of the short films in the films series called: 'In their Boots'. The profound depth of experience that Rudy shares from is heart wrenching and unbelievably courageous. I've not seen a more raw, personal unveiling take place from a 'man's man'. I hope his story inspires others veterans to pursue the path of healing.

A new version of "The Draft"....

Tom Rick on the Rich and bring back the Draft:
Bringing back a draft does not mean bringing back the draft we saw in the 1960s. Rather, I think we design a new deal that offer a three-part set of options:

The military option.
You do 18 months of military service. The leaders of the armed forces will kick and moan, but these new conscripts could do a lot of work that currently is outsourced: cutting the grass, cooking the food, taking out the trash, painting the barracks. They would receive minimal pay during their terms of service, but good post-service benefits, such as free tuition at any university in America. If the draftees like the military life, and some will, they could at the end of their terms transfer to the professional force, which would continue to receive higher pay and good benefits. (But we'd also raise the retirement age for the professional force to 30 years of service, rather than 20 as it is now. There is no reason to kick healthy 40-year-olds out of the military and then pay them 40 years of retirement pay.)

The civilian service option.
Don't want to go military? Not a problem. We have lots of other jobs at hand. You do two years of them -- be a teacher's aide at a troubled inner-city school, clean up the cities, bring meals to elderly shut-ins. We might even think about how this force could help rebuild the American infrastructure, crumbling after 30 years of neglect. These national service people would receive post-service benefits essentially similar to what military types get now, with tuition aid.

The libertarian opt-out.
There is a great tradition of libertarianism in this country, and we honor it. Here, you opt out of the military and civilian service options. You do nothing for Uncle Sam. In return, you ask for nothing from him. For the rest of your life, no tuition aid, no federal guarantees on your mortgage, no Medicare. Anything we can take you out of, we will. But the door remains open -- if you decide at age 50 that you were wrong, fine, come in and drive a general around for a couple of years.

The War Prayer, as you probably have never seen it...

"I don't think the War Prayer will be published in my time. None but the dead are permitted to tell the truth." -Mark Twain (1905)

It's pieces of writing like this that have arrested me. The explosive and controversial writing of Twain is powerfully portrayed in this short video. It will tick you off or touch you...but you won't forget it.

PTSD...

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder affects many soldiers returning from war. This video tells a few soldiers stories about how they turned to drugs and alcohol to self medicate. It's a tough look at the psychological impact of killing. One of the angles of ministry I hope to see with "Pastors For Peace" is facilitating the pastoral care of the soul that is needed for healing. Ministering the "Peace" of God through active care for returning soldiers. Being involved in the spiritual work of healing that only the Holy Spirit and the Word of God can bring about. The ministry of healing is desperately needed in the lives of these men and women as well as finding accompaniment in the joinery, how ever long it may be.

SO YOU'RE A COWARD...A Memoir of Conscientious Objection

"We were killers, everyone knew that. A Ranger would take his bayonet, stick it in your throat, twist, pull, plunge again, and then piss in your face as you drowned in blood. If America needed someone dead, anyone dead, it’d call us. And we’d do it." -Nate Wildermuth's writings

The Militarization of the Middleast...

The info on Wikileaks that was released this week is bringing out all kinds of discussion about the contents. The Militarization of the Middleast is one big one on some sites.

President Obama is preparing his budget request for FY2012. It's expected to include a record-breaking $3.075 billion in military aid to Israel. And a 30 Billion in Military aid between 2009-2018.

"Israel understands U.S. policy intentions to arm moderate Arab states in the region to counter the Iranian threat, and prefers such sales originate from the United States instead of other countries like Russia or China

The Obama administration's record-breaking $60 billion sale of fighter planes and attack helicopters to Saudi Arabia, announced just last month. (link)

"We cannot be both the world's leading champion of peace and the world's leading supplier of the weapons of war." - Jimmy Carter

An epidemic of despair...

If violence is the symptom of despair then the sporadic and systematic violence that characterizes our world betrays an epidemic of dispair. We despair of justice, we despair of reason, we despair of the other person and so we destroy the other person, and we prepare to be destroyed by the other person ourselves. In short, we despair. We are without hope for ourselves, for the other, for our world. -Theodore Jennings’ The Liturgy of Liberation

My daily prayer...

"Lord I pray for those who kill, are killed and those who suffer because of war." This video reminds me of the trauma, courage and suffering of those who are executing our foreign policy.

Three cups of tea...please

What an amazing man and mission....one of the best and most hopeful things I have heard about Afghanistan. May his tribe increase. My favorite moment: The Taliban playing on the school playground swing set....violence is truly the fruit of a failed imagination.

http://castroller.com/podcasts/BillMoyersJournal/1415219

The Conscientious Objector review

Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. -Psalm 91:14-16

I'm not a big fan of quoting scripture in war...but, if ever it seemed appropriate, this verse fits the story retold above. I watched this documentary last night and have to say, it was one of the most moving stories of faith and war, I've seen. The story of a courageous Seventh Day Adventist man who chooses to serve his country in WW2 without a gun.

It's an inspiring story that shows the cost and the witness of one man's attempt to reconcile his faith and duty to country. It's full of miracles and moving testimony from WW2 veterans who served together with Desmond Doss. This is a must see film, if the issues of faith, violence, patriotism and duty matter to you.

Constitutional Conservatism...?

So what do you think of the Mt. Vernon Statement?

Voting ourselves into suicide....

Perhaps the worst blow to them, the greatest disillusionment, was socialist England; here was their literal dream, a bloodless socialism, where force was not used for murder, only for expropriation, where lives were not taken, only products, the meaning and the future of lives, here was a country that had not been murdered, but had voted itself into suicide...

This, then, is the choice, think it over, consider the subject, check your premises, check past history and find out whether it is true, that men can never be free. It isn't true, because they have been. Find out what made it possible. See for yourself. And then if you are convinced--rationally convinced--then let us save the world together. We still have time. -Ayn Rand

Unsustainable Foreign policy...

USA Foreign policy:
-A Trillion dollars to fund our world empire, military is in 140 countries, with 700 military bases...simply unsustainable.

Soldiers of Conscience

I watched this last night. I thought it was one of the best, balanced and brutal dialogues about war and killing, pacifism and patriotism that I have seen. I am thinking about showing it as part of our Christ & Culture nights.

The oldest story....

"(John) Edwards' fall from grace is the oldest story in America, and probably the world. He was a gorgeous, powerful man willing to torch his family, his career and those who trust him to get laid -- by someone whose name the rest of us can't even pronounce." -Anne Lamott (article in The New York Times)

Not all Heroes carry a gun....

The Conscientious Objector,,,get the movie: here

Street preachers....

The path out of here....

"I believed that God had spared me during the genocide for a reason: to talk to as many people as possible about how he had touched my heart amidst the holocaust and taught me to forgive. I was to bear witness to how this one act can save a soul crippled by hatred and sickened by the desire for revenge." - Rwandan holocaust survivor Immaculee Ilibagiza, Led by Faith

"Without forgiveness, there's no future." - Desmond Tutu

10 minute Government lesson, everyone should know....

The Truth About Veteran Suicides....

Eighteen American war veterans kill themselves every day. One thousand former soldiers receiving care from the Department of Veterans Affairs attempt suicide every month. More veterans are committing suicide than are dying in combat overseas.

"The Pentagon regularly reports on the numbers of American troops "wounded" in Iraq (currently at 31,948) but neglects to mention that it has two other categories "injured" (10,180) and "ill" (28,451). All three of these categories represent soldiers who are so damaged physically they have to be medically evacuated to Germany for treatment, but by splitting the numbers up the sense of casualties down the public consciousness....Here's another number that we don't often hear discussed in the media: 287,790. That's the number of returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who had filed a disability claim with the Veterans Administration as of March 25th

Read more: here

Water-boarding your kid?

This article: "Soldier father accused of 'waterboarding' daughter, 4, because she can't recite alphabet" is a painful reminder of the potential abuse that arises out of situations that soldiers are forced to go through, endure, process and carry with.

I do not incriminate or point to this act as an attempt to say that the army did this to this man or is solely responsible but...isn't it fair to examine the issue? Do folks have a right to examine religions that produce extremists? Do we have a duty to examine the "input/output issues of violence, media and our cultures effects on the young and old alike? Isn't most of life a testimony of cause and effect? Not in all cases...but probably easily observed. The man was probably simply sick and in need of mental health support...but maybe not?

Just because a Priest sexually abuses a child, it shouldn't incriminate the Catholic church...but it should cause us to examine its' position on "celibate clergy" and ask tough questions as to wether that policy helps create a culture of potentially sexually repressed men and women?

As a pastor, I am concerned about the re-entry issues facing men and women who are in the service or are veterans. PTSD is a hot button in some circles...It's affect on marriages, relationships, parenting, friendships and inner psychology are serious issues to me. We use certain phrases in interpersonal conversations that are unspoken truths...like when someone off handily remarks that their father was in the military. The general assumption is that would mean that certain issues of intimacy, authority, discipline, displacement, attachment challenges for transitory families are or have been experienced. Does this mean all MK's deal with this or all Solider or Vets fall into such classifications or stereotypes...I don't think so...but are they generally accepted distortions, seems so.

"Supporting the Troops"...is taking on a whole lot more meaning in my mind these days.

Cyberdyne here we come

Pentagon Looks to Breed Immortal ‘Synthetic Organisms'

In the counsels of government

In the counsels of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplace power exists, and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic process.
-President Eisenhower's Farewell Adress, January 1961

The times...they are a changing....

Everyone will live quietly in their own homes in peace and prosperity, for there will be nothing to fear. The LORD Almighty has promised this! -Micah 4:4

Masters of War....Pearl Jam version

Not sure I've heard a song sung with such brutal ethos in the delivery; that matched the smoldering indignation of the words. Dylan wrote an apocalyptic doom of a song and Eddie Vedder sings it like a prophet of Old Testament proportions.

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead


"Masters of War" startles Dylan himself. "I've never really written anything like that before," he recalls. "I don't sing songs which hope people will die, but I couldn't help it in his one. The song is a sort of striking out, a reaction to the last straw, a feeling of what can you do?" The rage (which is as much anguish as it is anger) is a way of catharsis, a way of getting temporary relief from the heavy feeling of impotence that affects many who cannot understand a civilization which juggles its own means for oblivion and calls that performance an act toward peace.

JESUS AND THE SUICIDE BOMBER...?

Humam al-Balwai, the suicide bomber who murdered seven CIA employees in Afghanistan was a brilliant Jordanian physician who recorded a “martyrdom video” before his death expressing hatred of America and his own nation. After watching that video on Arab TV, the father of the killer said: “We are not surprised. Fighting the arrogant, unjust, haughty and tyrant American who kills civilians and innocent people makes the whole Islamic world hate America.” He then added, “They say that Jesus gave his life to people. I say that Humam sacrificed his body and soul for the oppressed.” The bereaved father ignores the distinction between the New Testament account of dying to give eternal life to those you love, and dying to deliver death to those you hate. Blinded by fanaticism, jihadist sympathizers deny the difference between Jesus and a suicide bomber.
-Thursday, January 14, 2010 by Michael Medved

John Stewart Vs. Bill O'reilly

Political toe to toe....pretty good exchange...I think it really gets rolling about half way...I call it a draw.
Watch it: here

Grizzly Adams...the Genesis warrior

"God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:28

I was asked:
"What is your stance on the idea that men are warriors, that they have an innate need to fight and wrestle?

My response would be that I believe that man is genetically equipped to fulfill the mandate given in the above verse in Genesis. The challenges of mankind rising, creating, producing, taming, fashioning and harnessing the wilds of the world is wrapped up in that word "subduing".

I see "fighting and wrestling" to be a natural God given drive to fulfill the role He has given man to do. If that 'impulse' is held and expressed within the God determined boundaries, it is a powerful force for provision, civilizing and the common good. But, like sexuality, if it is expressed outside the boundaries God determines, it can become a source of pain, suffering and destruction and ultimately even, death.

Human nature isn't pure...it must wrestle with sin...and sin seeks to pervert the creation and express it's nature to kill, steal and destroy.

For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. -Jesus (John 8:44)

But, I don't see the act of killing animals in the same light as killing human beings. Mankind is created in God's image, animals are creation of God but do not bear the image of God...just the breath of life from God. So, even the Lord killed animals and showed the proper use of them, and even directed mankind in the issues of consumption of animals in the OT, especially Leviticus.

And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. Genesis 3:21

That said...the bible also speaks a lot about the care of animals too. I don't espouse an unbridled, unrestrained devouring of the earth in a consumeristic manner. We are called to rule with compassion and justice and to be good stewards of the earth...both in manner of ethics and economy as it relates to consumption.

When violence is turned towards those who are image bearers...the Bible starts getting very serious, even in the OT. Once we get to the NT...the ultimate vision of God's kingdom begins to dawn and dominate in the person and teaching of Christ...who by the way, caught and ate fish too. So a kingdom vision of the lion laying down with the lamb is a unfolding one that starts in the changed human heart and is outworked in wisdom and God given boundaries in this age.

The spilling of blood is very serious to God.

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper? "The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. -Genesis 4:8-11

Ultimately, though I recognize and support the bearing of weapons in relationship to subduing nature and protecting humans from the wild...I find the killing of image bearers to be an act that Jesus forbids. So warriors are needed but the expression of the warring nature can be turned to evil or good. I know many would say that "self-defense" is an expression of that good...each will have to figure out how to outwork that as a principle for life. But for someone to point to the warrior 'impulse' as evidence of God's blessing of war....I would say that's a misuse of that power and responsibility.

For me....the best image I have in my mind...is Grizzly Adams...man in relationship to the wild, living off the land but doing so in a realistic but relational way...both with man and animals.
That's a vision of the my Father's world that was represented in His greatest Image bearer...Jesus Christ; and It's a vision of life, that I pray and work towards.

(Painting by Frank Frazetta)

Why pastors should preach about "War"....

Why are you talking about all this "war" stuff anyway...?

I am asked this in one way or another fairly frequently of late and understandably so...this blog is a response to that question. I try to answer those sincere questions here. I also am trying to ask the questions that seem to be ignored in the daily life of the church world. When issues that result in the potential death of our loved ones, friends, fellow countrymen, innocents abroad or at home and our enemies...I think we should do some serious work of thinking and talking. It's one of the reasons we have a constitution that puts the deciding work of war on the shoulders of a "debating natured' congress. It should be something we "think through" not just respond to.

Christians and pastors, spend countless hours on trivial life issues, they hear or preach sermons on subjects most folks forget about soon as they chomp into their greasy lunches. We write books that split the atoms of sacramental ecclesiology and the proverbial self centered discussion of "worship wars"...but rarely talk about "war"; a subject that break up homes, infects in a cancerous way many marriages that end up in divorce, push men and women in to coping based addictions, leaves minds and hearts wrecked with PTS and often results in burying our loved ones.

Is this a Jesus issue, a gospel imperative? yes, I believe it is.

For me the issue is simply this, people are lost, they don't know the way to life...they need Jesus.
He is the way, the truth and the life....people need to know about Christ.

How is this accomplished?

Most often, they "SEE" the "WAY" being lived and then they ask questions because of the provocative nature of the life being lived. If you remove the "provocative nature" the "saltiness" as Jesus described it...you lose the distinction that sets you apart and makes your "WAY" ...more distinctive than others.

In today's Church...."HOW" Christians live...has been trumped by "WHAT" Christians "Believe".

My pounding on the issue of war and violence is rooted deeply in the critical issues of the way of living, that many christians espouse. It is no different than the world. We Kill, maim, brutalize and dominate our enemies and then make movies and games that indulge this as "way of life" as entertainment. We "christianize" it all, with a militarized, patriotic drunk church culture, that cares more about the civil religion of "God and Country"...than the way and teaching of Jesus. All of this is, in my mind, extremely critical to "my" walk with Jesus and more importantly...the attraction of the alternative King and His kingdom offered in the gospel message.

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, -1 Peter 3:15

The American Revolution....

"Republicans don't know how to defend morally an individual's right to achieve wealth and to keep it, and that is why they fail. ... It's part and parcel with their ambivalence over the individualist heritage of the nation. ... One of the things that people have to understand is that the American Revolution was truly an epic revolution in the way individuals were perceived in relation to the rest of the society. Throughout history individuals had always been cogs in some machine; they'd always been something to be sacrified for the king, the tribe, the gang, the chieftain, the society around them, the race, whatever, and the real revolution, in America especially, was a moral revolution. It was a moral revolution in that ... suddenly, with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, the individual, his life, his well-being, his property, his happiness became central to our values, and that is what really made America unique. People came here from all over the world to try to escape the kind of oppression they had and experienced in the past. They came here for freedom; they came here for self-expression and self-realization, and America offered them that kind of a place." -- Robert Bidinotto

What is difference between a Republic and a Democracy?

"The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government..."
- United States Constitution, Article IV, Section 4

So what's the difference between a Republic and a Democracy?

Democracy:
Invloves the government ruling and making laws for the "greater good" of all people, they may abolish personal rights in doing so. Democracy is government by and for the people. They may or may not be republics--that is, government limited by constitution or charter. The tricky part of "democracy" is defining "the people" and then deciding what counts as "by the people" and what counts as "for the people." In a sense, that could be considered the content of democratic practice.

Republic:
Invloves the government using and abiding by the constitution heavily. Personnal rights are respected and cannot be taken away. This helps to avoid tyranny and mobocracy (the majority makes laws and governs by passion, prejudice, or impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences).
Republics are the common and "standard" type of governments found today, not democracies, despite what many people (who may not know the definition of either) think.
Just as democracies may or may not be republics, republics may or may not be democracies.

The difference between Democracy and Republic:
Democracy and Republic are two forms of government which are distinguished by their treatment of the Minority, and the Individual, by the Majority. In a Democracy, the Majority has unlimited power over the Minority. This system of government does not provide a legal safeguard of the rights of the Individual and the Minority. It has been referred to as "Majority over Man".
In a Republic, the Majority is Limited and constrained by a written Constitution which protects the rights of the Individual and the Minority. The purpose of a Republic form of government is to control the Majority and to protect the God-given, inalienable rights and liberty of the Individual.

The United States of America is a Republic.

"Wherever the real power in a Government lies, there is the danger of oppression. In our Governments the real power lies in the majority of the community, and the invasion of private rights is chiefly to be apprehended, not from acts of Government contrary to the sense of its constituents, but from acts in which the Government is the mere instrument of the major number of the Constituents." -- James Madison, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, 1788

"The unity of a nation's spirit and will are worth far more than the freedom of the spirit and will of an individual; and that the higher interests involved in the life of the whole must here set the limits and lay down the duties of the interests of the individual." -Adolph Hitler

Why not...?

Great article on the issue "preaching about war"; I particularly loved the comments surrounding how "support the troops" has replaced the issue of Just War reflection. Teaching and preaching about war

Dorothy Day....gusty grannie and christian anarchist

"And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. -James 3:18

Part One:

Dorothy Day...a New York writer and Catholic anarchist who at the height of the Depression unwittingly created what would become a worldwide peace and social justice movement. The Catholic Worker persists to this day in over 180 houses of hospitality and soup kitchens across the United States, in Europe, Australia, Canada and Mexico. Their tenet is based on doing works of mercy and living in voluntary poverty with no attachments to Church or State.Dorothy Day....she is no ordinary saint. Caught up in the Bohemian whirl of 1917 Greenwich Village, Dorothy wrote for radical papers, associated with known Communists, attempted suicide and had an illegal abortion, a doomed common-law marriage and a child out of wedlock. The birth of her only child led to her religious conversion.
Part Two:
"Peace...begins in thought, word and deed." -Dorothy Day

Nimrod's Return...?

I've had a number of conversations over the last few months that have been deeply political but what a number of folks don't seem to realize is that underneath political discussions are more profound philosophical discussions. And these philosophical questions have profound theological implications in my mind. When we discuss policies...we must face the fact that there are philosophies that undergird those policies.

For a follower of Jesus, the philosophies of this world and the principalities and powers that animate and propagate those philosophies..are our main combatants. It is these entities and ideologies that we are called to wrestle with.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. -Ephesians 6:12

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. -2 Corinthians 10:4-5

In this ongoing discussion and wrestle, i've mentioned, quoted and referenced material that looks at the issues of government, politics and the human and religious struggle to find one's proper balance in this being in the world and yet, not of it. It's surprised me that many of my fundamentalist christians or right-minded political friends seem to embrace a faith that is comfortably wedded to the state, especially when it revolves around issues of the military and the subjects related to war.

This is a posture that to me, seems to undermine the very revolutionary principles that were at play in the founding of America. I seem to see a unhealthy fraternizing that goes on with the very powers that have grown so monolithic; as to overshadow the very nation that we fought our independence with. The inability to see clearly the beast that is growing, alarms me. And what frightens me more, is the wedded nature of faith and violence that seems to be generally embraced or accepted by most christians.

The idea that power is what is needed in this era, in order to dismantle, protect or achieve victory against our enemies; seems to be a precarious posture to embrace...especially since the machine that is achieving such victory is growing bigger and bigger and more and more in control of the very ones it says it is protecting.

Doesn't that dual accomplishment seem machiavellian to anyone else than my little old self?

"The struggle against terrorism and totalitarianism is ultimately a war of ideas, to be fought in our minds." -Ayn Rand

I read this article today and found some really profound points within it, too many to post...so I will simply link to it...in hopes that more hungry minds will take the time to read and ponder it:

Faith & Force by Ayn Rand

These principles are part and parcel of our political history...you can hear the same content in this short clip from a speech by Ronald Reagan:


You can see all of these ideas being explored in this video from Glen Beck's program; which are still true issues, whether or not you agree with Glen or not...personally I find him annoying most of the time, if not hysterical...but his accuracy in pinpointing many of the cultural battles, is still poignant:


I simply believe that people are giving over their souls, minds, allegiance, money and more and more...their very lives or their children's lives to the state...or to be more biblical...to the kingdoms of men.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." -Romans 12:2

This ailment is an action that has been rooted in first ones giving over their God given mind. We are increasingly being more and more conformed to the patterns of this world. We are being lulled to sleep by convenience, materialism, protectionism and socialism...but not in a purely political manner...but also in a religious one. We are embracing the Americanization of Christianity....in much the same way Middle Easterners have wed faith and state in Islam.

I see hints and shout of this in songs like this: Born Again American and in paintings like this one: One Nation Under God.

Soon one is not free enough to question such Allegiance and the pressure as a pastor to bow to the idol of cultural christianity is becoming more and more profound. I cant seem to find many that seem to serious about the gospel the Jesus preached and the kingdom He told us to pray down to earth and live out ethically and morally. In the end, I have been more challenged on issues of Cultural Christianity than I have ever have on any other topic. This posture towards the state, mingled with good old patriotism has grown into a golden statue that soon will require all to lay prostrate before it.

I sit and ponder the biblical stories of Nimrod and his heaven touching tower and warlike nation capturing triumphalism and wonder if my evangelical, prophesy prone brothers and sisters and their "Anti-Christ" bogey man of apocalyptic literature isn't actually gearing up for a grand unveiling.

If ever there was a desperate need for thinking, gospel rooted believers...it is now.

Jesus, Obama and war....

This short video has some really poignant juxtapositions between Jesus, Mr. Obama and War....worth wrestling with. The very opening statements by the President on the sermon on the mount are enlightening indeed.

The Declaration of Independence...

Selections from The DOI...which I found to be painfully relevant as I read it this morning:

"He (King George) has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance."

"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

"For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us"

"For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent"

"He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions."

Read it for yourself at http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/

Avatar...round two

"I was a warrior who dreamed he could bring peace. Sooner or later, though, you always have to wake up." - Jake Sully

I think this phrase sums up the bone I have to pick with with Avatar, a movie btw that ranks in my top 10 favorites of all time.
All praise aside...and there is so much to praise about this film...I think the issue of fighting fire with fire was the weakest point for me of the film. Even though there has been much talk about creating these neat little descriptive titles like "Soldiers Vs Warriors" that somehow define away the simple fact in the end...we all will have to kill each other someday.

Now, I am a major proponent of facing the ugliness of our societies past sins and recognizing our culpability in the sins of our fathers. But historical revisionism is running rampant these days, especially in the romanticizing of indigenous people and the first nations. Nobody awakens and manipulates "white guilt' better than Hollywood and they preen their self righteous selves all the way to the bank....while we, sit in awkward inner turmoil over historical realities that we truly don't even comprehend or really know what to do about.

We are often the victims of our educational lopsidedness in regards to political posture and we have a collective cultural memory that is made up of movies and tv shows instead of the actual history that took place. Now a lot of that is good in my opinion...if you look at the tv and movie posture towards our early history in the 40's-70's it's a bleak and barren land of stereotypes, misinformation, bigotry and hyped up sentimentality that misses the mark of truth just as bad as much of today's elitist propaganda that is pumped out of the media outlets.

The savages and civilized were really worse or better than the money making entertainment industry has pictured them.

Here is an article that pretty much dismantles the view that paints early native people as Eden loving, vegi-munching, Adam and Eve like, prancing, red skinned peace niks. It's kind of like going through a mind de-programming course reading it...because some much of our cultural conditioning has been contrary to the actual historical facts...or has left out a big part of the reality of early conflicts and politics.

But...even though I love the romanticizing of a people group that love the earth, each other and living sustainable...the truth is often far from such portrayals.

And the conclusions made in the movie about he necessity of violence becoming the only outcome to our cultural clashings....worries me too.

"Our only security is pre-emptive attack. We will fight terror with terror." - Colonel Miles Quatrich

In the end, I am left with another motivation to pursue the vision of life presented by Christ as the only true vision of the future. Man seems to never see farther than his two hand's and whatever he can find or fashion to fight with...and in this film even God...or Goddess or Animal Spirit or whatever...was reduced to slaughter as the only achievable answer.

Hollywood can keep it's answers...I will turn to the Bible.

Soldiers of Conscience...

Soldiers of Conscience, PBS Emmy nominated documentary from Luna Productions on Vimeo.

Here is another trailer but with different content.

Kingdom Anarchy....

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. -Col 3:2

My issue from the start in all of this Peace talk; has been the fact that we in the church "do not" teach the personal Christ taught ethic, regarding peace. 

Period. 

I'm not and have not been concerned about how or what world powers, princpalities, and high places do. I'm concerned about living and preaching the gospel. An act that, I believe will undermine, overturn, topple, expose, redefine and liberate or strengthen human systems in many ways.  

God prevented Babel for a reason. In fact He pretty much instituted a major act of anarchy. I think that is worthy of some major work of thought and biblestudy. Powers work to centralize, control, establish, rule, dominate, dictate, tax and conform. The state ultimately can demand or take your life or....tell you you abandon the teachings of Christ and join it in taking life. 
Principalities and powers, the kIngdoms of this world...are as the prophets have always represented them: beasts. The revelation pulls back the eternal curtain on the systems of this world and shows a blood soaked, demon invested, economic worshipping whore. 
And the command is to reject her mark in hand and forehead. To be marked not with a beast mark in ones mind or works of hand; but be marked with the name of God.

Come out of her, my people. 

We are to ride with the one who judges the world with the sword of his mouth not of his hand. To join the one who's robe is dipped in his own blood not the blood of others. 
We are told to worship the lion of Judah who is revealed in heaven as a slain lamb. 
The kingdom that has rejected earthly rule represented in man made temples, priesthoods, kings and economic systems. 
This is a kingdom that's throne is in the heart.
The implications of all this are profound...but Jesus said it would be like being lambs to the slaughter or lambs among wolves. We would die daily. There would be many souls of martyrs under the altar. We would not love our lives, even unto death. 
We would be the little flock. We would be known as the ones who are the "troublers" who turn the world upside down. We offer the world a differnt king and kingdom...that has no Lord, but Jesus. 

That's anarchy indeed...but it's not human anarchy...it's kingdom.   

Seers, dreaming the dreams of God....

But if I am casting out demons by the power of God,
then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.
-Jesus (lk 11:20)

What will the human heart, a family, a church, a city, a region or a country look like if 'The Kingdom of God arrives among us"? Is not the resurrection which was supposed to be only at the end of all time; a sign that something has arrived sooner than we had thought? Is not the outpouring of the Spirit, which was a prophesied, eschatological event...a sign that a new kingdom has arrived? If these "end of days" events, have moved into the present...why do we continue to say...this or that...is for then or there?

Really?

Darwinian thought....would say that human evolution is reduced to one simple truth...the survival of the fittest. The strong remain, survive and thrive...the weak will be consumed, destroyed, eclipsed, prevailed over, driven out, experience genocide, become extinct etc.

I believe the Kingdom of God trumps Evolutionary philosophy.

Maybe it appears "utopian" or a "dream"...but I stand in the long line of dreamers...or as the ancients called them "seers" who spoke from dreams...God's dreams. And I think those dreams are the true reality...not the other way around.

Stop the Clash of Civilizations....

Teasing the wound....

"Another attitude to war has something tragical in it. There are men who maintain that the love for peace and the inevitability of war form a hideous contradiction, and that such is the fate of man. These are most gifted and sensitive men, who see and realize all the horror and imbecility and cruelty of war, but through some strange perversion of mind neither see, nor seek, to find any way out of this position, and seem to take pleasure in teasing the wound by dwelling on the desperate position of humanity."
-Leo Tolstoy, from his book: The Kingdom of God is within You.

Led into the wilderness....

I read this paper from Ched Myers this morning. I don't think I have read a more concise article that captures the heart of my own personal journey with the gospel; as it relates to personhood and politics. If I could have everybody that interacts with me, read this...I think they would understand the underlining ministry and mission impulses that burn in my belly. This article helped me frame those Spirit & Word "perceptions" in a clearer way. It was like hearing someone speak my inner turmoil and give it greater light. I know that sounds over the top, but it really resonated and explained myself to myself in some profound ways.

I began this mornings study, compelled by a phrase in the book of Luke, chapter 4:1 about Jesus "Being led into the wilderness by the Spirit." when I watched the above video and reached around the 6 minute mark, the Spirit was doing quite a number on my heart. I just had a conversation yesterday with my friend Jeremy from Kentucky, about feeling this inner impulse towards a wilderness season. I was feeling a compulsion towards wilderness. The message in this paper and this video touched that in a profound way.

As we teach through the book of Luke, I can see that much change is ahead...I both long for and fear, the unfolding of this gospel in fresh and life altering ways.

Military Jesus Guns....???

Words fail me....This is simply unbelievable.

God and Violence...a perfect match?

Some would kill to have it...I will kill to protect it. -Eli

The Book of Eli...is out today...and the book ELi will kill to protect is the Bible...if you didn't know.

According to one Review the movie has a:
"Very Strong Christian worldview, including themes of sacrifice, where the protagonist constantly prays, shows others how to pray, quotes Scripture, and, though he is not perfect, constantly tries to live what he believes and consistently walks by faith in God, not by what he can see..."

The reviewer than lists some of the content in the movie:
Extreme, brutal violence depicted including man abuses his wife by pulling her hair,
Man is found after having hanged himself
Multiple scenes of blood spurting after people have been shot and limbs have been cut off with a samurai-like sword
Men fire guns and heavy artillery
Men get sliced with sword
Man is shot in private area with an arrow
Man gets shot in the neck with an arrow
Men get shot in the head and all of it is completely shown
Man gets beheaded by sword
Lots of punching, brawl fighting, lots of explosions with hand grenades and grenade launcher
Man uses a derogatory word to encourage his men to fornicate
Men rape a woman but cameras cut out before anything is shown
Young girl tries to seduce older man but he rejects her because it is wrong
One scene of attempted rape where girl is rescued before it actually happens

Carnegie, the protagonist in the film has something to say about that "book":"It's a weapon"


Indeed, I guess it appears to be.

I am being driven over the edge with this cultural fascination with killing and faith...will it never end?

Peace...as it relates to Pneumology & Eschatology

I found this profoundly thought provoking....

"Something remarkable happened with the advent of Jesus the Messiah. I think of it in terms of two massive events: outpouring of the holy spirit and resurrection.

The spirit is promised to be poured out repeatedly in the Old Testament (Isaiah 32.13-18; 44.1-5; Ezekiel 11.17-20; Ezekiel 36.24-28, 33-35; 37.12-14; 39.25 – 29; Joel 2.28 – 3.2). Each of these mentions of the spirit being poured out is eschatological (it related to the events of the end of time). Furthermore, resurrection was also seen as corporate and eschatological (Daniel 12.2; Ezekiel 37; Isaiah 25). Even when John the Baptist spoke of the baptism of the spirit that Messiah would bring, he was thinking about the end-time judgment (not Pentecost). Furthermore, when Jesus spoke of resurrection he also thought of it as a corporate event and attached to it the phrase, “last day” (John 6.39, 40, 44, 54; Luke 14.14; John 5.28-29; 11.24-25). So the resurrection and the outpouring of the spirit are eschatologically grounded concepts.

But, what if God, in his wisdom, decided to have an early resurrection? What if God, to show the world that his son really is the Messiah, raised him from the dead? What would that mean? Furthermore, when Jesus is about to ascend to the Father he tells them that they will be baptized with the spirit in a few days and to stay in Jerusalem. Where do the disciples’ minds instantly go? They think of the kingdom, to God’s bright future of ruling earth through a restored Israel led by his vice-regent, the Messiah. However, Jesus gently corrects this understanding by saying that the restoration of Israel is yet future (we don’t know the times or seasons) even so, the holy spirit will come soon. Here Jesus reaches into the future and pulls the spirit, an eschatological event, and promises that it will come early.

So what are we to make of an early resurrection and an early outpouring of the holy spirit?
There is a lot that could be said but I will limit it to just a couple of notions. Resurrection means that God has vindicated his servant that the promised judgment/restoration (i.e. the kingdom) is really coming and that Jesus will be the judge/king of the age to come. Furthermore, resurrection teaches us that the power of death has been broken. Satan has been defeated and Christ is the victor. But, how did he win? Through a remarkable defeat—the cross—Jesus emerges the conqueror. Jesus absorbs all the hatred and violence of a world peopled with radically depraved and vengeful creatures and in so doing he ends the cycle. The myth of redemptive violence is squelched and the king conquers without raising the war cry. What an example for us to follow? We are to take up the cross and follow his path of nonviolent, self-sacrificial, outrageous love.

But, what do we make of the spirit? Why is the spirit of the kingdom here early?
It must be so that we can live the lifestyle of the kingdom early, right? We are the future of humanity, the eschatological community, living the lifestyle of the future in the midst of this present evil age. We are those who have already beaten our swords into plowshares as a prophetic sign of the coming kingdom when all swords will likewise be melted down. We no longer study war but seek peace in every sphere of life. The rest of the world can get on board with this or find itself left behind in the ashes of a world that never made sense, never satisfied, never resulted in safety. The Christian community lives the life of the kingdom in the present in the power of the spirit because at one end, Jesus is resurrected, and at the other, he is coming again to establish God’s righteous rule for all.

The Old Testament saints are not guilty for their use of violence, they are just outdated. To go back to that sort of morality is to tacitly insult the cross, ignore the resurrection, and empty yourself of the spirit: three things we dare not do.

Killing on the Sabbath....?

And He said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?" But they kept silent.
-Jesus (Mark 3:4)

Profound question.

Interesting place faith becomes...when violence has even found a comfortable home on the Sabbath.

The Donkey King....

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; And the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations; And His dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth. -Zechariah 9:9-10

Most people have heard or read the first half of this verse...but not the last half.

I get pretty excited about the implications of such a thought.

Sarah Palin

"Horrible decision, absolutely horrible. It is devastating for so many of us to hear that the Obama Administration decided that the 9/11 terrorist mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, will be given a criminal trial in New York. This is an atrocious decision....(He) may walk away from this trial without receiving just punishment because of a 'hung jury' or from any variety of court room technicalities. If we are stuck with this terrible Obama Administration decision, I, like most Americans, hope that Mohammed and his co-conspirators are convicted. Hang ‘em high." -Sarah Palin on her Facebook Page

I thought about my post on Clint Eastwood's "Hang 'Em High" after reading this quote.

Healing wounds...through art and story

The Experiment at Shan Town from Partners Relief & Development on Vimeo.

In November 2008, (Partner's Relief and Development) traveled to a school of 700 students in Shan Town. They asked the children to help them understand their life experiences. Though they only had acrylic paint and paper, the results were incredible. Read more: here.

As an artist and a pastor of a church that values the proclamation and activism of justice, through the medium and witness of the arts; I am thrilled to see this project. I hope we can get it to come to Spokane.

We currently have a team of people from our church in Thailand in the refugee camps along the Thai/Burma border...(Please Pray for them)...I am sure they are going to return forever changed by thier journey. As a church, we are actively involved in refugee work, primarily with the people from Burma. As a church committed to a Head, Heart and Hands gospel of Jesus Christ...we see injustice in the world as a call to compassionate action, in our own communities and around the world.

Why Burma...?
-According to Human Rights Watch, at 70,000 kids, Burma boasts the highest number of child soldiers on Earth.
-The government spends .04% on health care. In contrast to an estimated 70% of government funds expended on the military.
-Rape is used as a weapon of war (an allegation upheld by the US State Department).
-Landmines are widely used, killing more people in Burma in 2002 than any other country in the world.
-Millions of Burmese have been pressed into forced labor. The Int. Labor Organization calls this "a modern form of slavery".
-Burma is the world's 2nd largest producer of opium, only second to Afghanistan. It's SE Asia's largest producer of meth.
-Has razed more than 3,200 villages and displaced over 1.5 million people, mostly farmers.

In 1990, National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was elected Prime Minister under UN sanctioned elections. After winning 85% of the popular vote, she was imprisoned by the ruling military junta. The junta also imprisoned approximately 1,600 political reformers, including 38 elected members of parliament. Aung San Suu Kyi and others remain in custody today.

Information gathered from the following sources:
Partner's
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma
The World Fact Book on Burma
Human Rights Watch

The sins of our Fathers....

Canadian Imams: "Attack on Canada & U.S.A is an attack on Muslims": Read the article here

Many people forget that...356 Muslims were killed as a result of the 9/11 attacks...that act of radical extremism touched all Americans. Unfortunately the lack of sustained public outcry among Muslims...has many people skeptical about this Fatwa.
But the position such views place Muslims within, seem to me, to be almost impossible to answer:

If the Muslim community remains silent...they are all terrorists and terrorist supporters intent on all Jihad.
or
The Muslim community speaks out against violence, issues a fatwa and speaks for peace....and they are called liars.

The comments section of articles like this, are quick to call all of this, simply: Taqqiya

Which I think is a valid position from a certain perspective; I do believe that Muslims have the responsibility to address the issues that honest people are afraid of. But...I think, every religious person has the responsibility, however unfortunate or uncomfortable; to bring forward an apologetic for the actions and/or sins of thier fathers....Muslim, Buddhist, Jew or....Christian.

To ignore the planks in our eyes while trying to dig out the slivers in other peoples eyes is hypocrisy, as Jesus so wisely pointed out in Matthew 7:5.

We followers of the bible, have some pretty big questions; that fair minded people want answers too. Scriptures and the actions that followed them, like:

Deut. 7:1-2, 16
"When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drive out before you many nations… and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy…You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God gives over to you."

Deut. 2:34-35
"And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain: Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took."

Psalm 137:8-9:
“O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, happy the one who repays you as you have served us! Happy the one who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock!"

Psalms 58:10:
“The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked”

Yikes...seems like we all have some family tree issues to explain.

We need to remember as Christians, who follow the New Testament: "...It is time for judgment to begin with the household of God..."

I think that judgment, includes the work of cultural restitution, a form of personal or organizational confession that involves:
1. Explaining the past
2. Speaking up in the present
3. Presenting & proclaiming a better vision for the future.

One insightful commenter said:

"Let's see a few courageous Christian leaders step up to the plate and declare with equal humanity..."Attacks against Muslim homelands by western terrorists are attacks against us all".? Right. Western Christian leaders lack the backbone and are too invested in the stuff their churches are made to dare to risk their own comfort and security to speak with righteous moral conviction on this delicate subject. They might alienate the few members of their congregations and then they would have to find work.

I this that accusation and challenge needs an answer.