Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Social Justice

Marty E Marty is an emeritus professor of church history at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. Among the many and varied things he continues to do, Dr. Marty writes a weekly column called Sightings. It is a commentary on the interaction between church and culture, and Marty’s articles appear in my e-mail every Monday morning. This week’s column was his response to the latest nonsense from Glenn Beck about “social justice.” If you find it interesting, and would like to take advantage of the free subscription, use this link https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/info/sightings

Social Justice

— Martin E. Marty

Are 68.1 million Americans connected with a Communist front movement? Yes, if they are Roman Catholic. Are another 20 million citizens listening to “coded” Nazi messages? Yes, if they are mainline Protestant. Are tens of millions more in danger of being part of a similarly coded Fascist front? Yes, if they are in a growing wing of Evangelicalism; and yes, if they keep hearing social justice messages in thousands of African-American congregations. Those four “yeses” pick up on oft-repeated accusations by Fox News host Glenn Beck. They provoked the least underreported public religion news of the week, which appeared in the March 12th New York Times as well as “all over the internet.”

The fact that Mr. Beck charms millions of devotees tells more about the sad state of truth-telling and the high state of lie-receiving than civil citizens should want to hear. The broadcaster has picked up an ally in folk like Jerry Falwell, Jr. and a few other fundamentalists on the right who have been at least as condemnatory as he. Their most cited biblical passage is from the gospels, where Jesus announces that his kingdom is not of his world; therefore they conclude that Christians should avoid political life. A test of ironies: Quick, now, can you think of any element in American religion which has been more publicly engaged in recent politicking than these “not-of-this-world” dwellers in glass houses?

Where should they direct the stones they must throw? And how should they follow through? Mr. Beck knows: Leave any church which talks about, supports, or “does” works of justice beyond what an individual or a church charity can do. “Leave!” “Run!” Do it fast, he says, because of the way things are going. He might as well be wearing a beard, a robe, and a sign: “THE END IS NEAR.” Before that end, these “social justice” churches might at least fling some pebbles back while they seek consistency. Ask: Would all the Christians and the churches which accept any benefits of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, tax exemption and other such programs cut them off tomorrow? They all involve the government and all were backed by “social and economics minded” leaders and followers in churches, often against the odds raised and symbolized by the Glenn Becks of their past.

Sightings likes to be fair and to see more than one side of things as it does its observing and commenting. So let it be noted that some sane and serious Christians also think that believers should pay no attention to public order, structures, circumstances, and possibilities. “Don’t talk justice! Just be just!” “Don’t support programs which support widows and orphans, just share your bread and coat and cold water with your innocently needy neighbor.” Thereafter do the math: It will become obvious that the limits on the individual responses to need at their highest won’t meet needs if reckoned at their lowest.

Biblical verses wisely do remind readers, “Put not your trust in princes.” That usually means governments; “princes” in the media, banking, punditry, universities, and, yes, churches demand scrutiny, and their programs deserve careful evaluation, as well. But those who say that you have taken care of biblical injunctions if you simply keep government out of everything face biblical reminders with which they have to contend: The Hebrew prophets all dealt with “nations,” and the apostle Paul, writing to people suffering under Nero, also said that civil “authority…is God’s servant for your good (Romans 13:4). Paul even goes so far in 13:6 to urge believers to “pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants.” Come on, Paul, don’t press your luck in Beck’s world!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

For a Limited Time...

Just came across this today. It may too “new age” to be of interest, but I thought I’d throw it out there just in case.

John Shelby Spong is participating in a free teleseminar series called “Sacred Awakenings.” There is a different presenter every day during Lent (yes it is ok to jump in in the middle) from all sorts of different religious and spiritual traditions. If you’re interested in exploring this, go to this link, http://sacredawakeningseries.com/BishopSpong , and follow the instructions.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

That's What God Is Like

I’m hoping we all know about the United Church of Christ’s “StillSpeaking Daily Devotional” that can be delivered to our e-mail inbox every morning. Each day a United Church of Christ writer offers a brief reflection and prayer, in much the same pattern used by popular daily devotional booklets. Their pieces are thoughtful and provocative and, I think, quite useful. You can subscribe for free by going to http://www.ucc.org/. The daily piece is also available on Facebook and Twitter.

Here is today’s piece, written by Ron Buford, who, among other things, was team leader for the StillSpeaking campaign when it began.

That's What God is Like

Excerpt from Luke 13:18-2

"Jesus said therefore, 'What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it?'"

Reflection by Ron Buford

In Luke 13 (read entire chapter), Jesus mocks human superstition and proneness to conspiracy theories about God when Pilate kills a couple of Galileans in the temple, or when a tower falls in Jerusalem, killing eighteen people. Jesus asks, "Did these things happen because these people were greater sinners than others?"

Jesus aims to un-twist our primitive God-mischaracterization in which God avenges, bending laws of the universe just to "get us" for some secret choice we now regret or about which we have doubts. Mistakes may have natural consequences, but God has nothing to do with them. This teaching we learned is false. Sickness, accidents, natural disasters, and Murphy's Law come with randomness despite anything we may have done . . . and they always feel unfair.

Jesus invites us to think of God's city as our dwelling place with God, where all God's children have yeast to make life's dough rise, double and triple . . . and, after waiting a while, produce enough to share. Imagine the smell and taste of fresh daily bread, kneaded by our hands, infused with the yeast of God's grace, shared among many. That's what God is like.

Transforming the barren places of God's city, with vision and patience, God's children plant God's seeds. And those seeds, after waiting a while, become mighty shade trees -- sheltering people, nesting birds singing . . . because that's what God is like.

Prayer

Gracious God, thank you for your Good News and grace, made known to us in the life and teaching of Jesus, freeing us from doubt, guilt, and condemnation about the past. Please grant us the daily bread of your mercy -- bread to share with all who love us as well as those who sin against us, and others who just make our lives yucky sometimes . . . because that's what our Divine Parent God is like. Amen.