Honoring the life & legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Help make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a day on, not a day off, by participating in a one-mile walk to honor Dr. King’s legacy January 17, 2011. Marchers will gather inside the Mediacom Ice Park (635 E. Trafficway) at 9:10 a.m. and promptly leave at 9:30 a.m. Participants will march over the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge to Central High School for a one-hour celebration ceremony starting at 10 a.m. Dress warm!!

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Join the Advent Conspiracy at Brentwood Christian Church

Christmas can [still] change the world.

The story of Christ’s birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love.

So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.

And when it’s all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

Welcome to Advent Conspiracy.

Substitute consumption with compassion this holiday season by joining the Advent Conspiracy. Learn more at adventconspiracy.org.

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Banned Questions Sunday

All of us have questions, we just don’t always feel like we can bring them up in church. At the Awakening, we want to change that. We want to provide a forum where you can ask questions you’ve often wondered about, but weren’t sure you could ask in church. This Sunday, June 20th, marks the first “Banned Questions Sunday” at the Awakening.

The basic idea is for you to bring any questions you have about the Bible or Christianity or Jesus or religion, however “blasphemous” or “heretical” people may or may not think them to be, so that an Awakening roundtable consisting of ministers and others might respond to them. We’ll start with the question about whether demons or the devil exist, and then go from there. The only questions that are off-limits for the Awakening are those that aren’t age appropriate for all ages in the room, for reasons that are obvious enough.

And remember: At the Awakening, we are trying to live out the conviction that love, not doctrine, holds us together, and that it’s possible to embody a community that consists of those who believe in God some of the time, or none of the time, or all of the time. Our faithfulness is expressed in lives that embody love and respect for all people, not in making sure that everybody believes the same things or that there is one “right” answer.

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Do progressives need saved?

As I work on my reflections for tomorrow’s sermon, I’ve become all the more aware of how much I miss William Placher’s brilliant scholarship. He had a knack for wrestling with theological problems with great humility, integrity and accessibility, not to mention incredible depth. While he wasn’t afraid to embrace fairly orthodox perspectives, he never did so in a pretentious way. In a field so full of arrogant certitudes, presuppositions and rigidities, Placher was a breath of fresh air.

Today, I re-read the intriguing article Placher published in the Christian Century just six months before he died in which he revisited a question that has long fallen out of favor in most liberal circles, yet is becoming increasingly apropos: “How Does Jesus Save?” With the usual breadth of analysis that is customary to his work, he walked readers through most of the prominent atonement theories that have been put forth in the history of Christendom. From Anselm and Abelard to contemporary theorists like Brock and Girard, he highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, yet he kept coming back to the same fundamental problem: Namely, regardless of whichever approach to atonement theology one views as most helpful, why is it so difficult for human beings to change? Whether it be through the moral influence theory (Abelard) or the exposure of the scapegoat (Girard), human beings still run into the same problems that human beings have struggled with throughout the ages:

My problem–and I suspect it is also the problem of many others–is the one described by Paul so long ago: “I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do” (Rom. 7:18b-19). Helping me to realize my faults is therefore in itself no cure. I understand that when despised outsiders are over there, and people over here are speaking of them hurtfully and with contempt, then I ought to move from here to there. But it is much more comfortable over here, and the people here are often better looking and rather consistently more successful. Many days, I would rather stay put.

Tomorrow, on the eve of Holy Week, I will preach a sermon that talks about the importance of following Jesus all the way to Jerusalem, which includes following Jesus all the way to the cross. I will say that as disciples of Jesus, we too should take up our own crosses, confront the powers that be, and refuse to compromise no matter the cost. It is the call of discipleship, and it is to be taken with utmost sobriety.

Yet at the same time, in the back of my mind, I also know that, as a human being, I am quite frail and flawed, as all of us are. Despite all of my best intentions, I will find a way to shout Hosanna as Jesus enters Jerusalem, laud him as the Son of David, and proclaim that he is a much more suitable Son of God than his rival, the Roman emperor (who was also called Son of God), and then, just like Peter did a few days later, I too will deny Jesus time and again. I don’t mean I’ll deny him in the trivial sense of not cognitively affirming that he is the messiah, but in the very real sense of denying him each time I turn my back on the poor, each time I refuse to give voice to the voiceless, each time I choose the safety of my comfort zone as opposed to the demands of the cross. All of which tells me that, somehow someway, I need saved: not so much for a heaven light years away (which I suppose I’m not necessarily against), but rather I need saved here and now, in the midst of my relationships with others and my relationships with the systems and structures of this world that deny life to others.

Despite all of my progressive ‘sensibilities’ and education, I’ve come to terms with the fact that following Jesus only as a moral exemplar isn’t the full meal deal. At some level, I need saved. Not so much for the sake of myself (though I’m not opposed to that either) but for the sake of the way I treat others and the way I treat the world. I’m not sure how it might happen — even though plenty of theologians and well-intentioned friends have tried to tell me — and I’m certainly not advocating a return to horrific forms of redemptive violence that still make me cringe. Not at all. But I do find myself hoping and praying and sighing and weeping for that which is beyond my best doing, my best efforts, and my best intentions. In other words, I am crying out for God. I need saved.

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Why I Gave Up God for Lent

I’m working on a sermon for tomorrow (“Why I Gave Up God for Lent”) that reflects on the idea that a certain atheism lies at the heart of Christianity. This atheism (or a/theism as Peter Rollins and Mark C. Taylor have described it) is not against God or religion, which is the popular distortion, but rather stems from an appreciation of God and religion. This is because at a certain level, all of our ideas about God are necessarily limited. As St. Augustine once put it: “If we comprehend it, it isn’t God.” Such an approach isn’t meant to diminish God, but rather to glorify God. In How (Not) to Speak of God, Pete Rollins describes such an approach this way:

Not only is Christianity atheistic insomuch as it rejects ideas of God which stand opposed to those found in its own tradition (the early Christians were called atheists because of their rejection of those deities worshipped by the Romans), but also there is a sense in which Christianity is atheistic because it rejects its own understanding of God. For a Christian who does not simultaneously reject the idea of God that he or she affirms implicitly claims that the one he or she worships can be held within his or her systems of belief…This does not mean that Christianity teaches us to reject our religious beliefs but rather reminds us that we must engage in a process of ‘de-naming’ God every time we name God, acknowledging that God’s name is above every name that we could ever ascribe.

You could also say that this approach represents an act of praise offered toward God. After all (as Rollins also states in How (Not) to Speak), when we describe God, we usually end up describing ourselves. As such, one of the most faithful acts Christians can make is to reject our own finite conceptions of God in order to make room for God, in order to praise God.

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Soldier of Love

Here is the reflection Camielle shared at the Awakening last Sunday. The service was a follow-up to Saturday’s Diversity and Economic Development conference, which our church sponsored in partnership with Missouri State University, Drury University, the NAACP and the Gathering. The lectionary text from Sunday (Luke 13:31-35) highlighted the reactions that Jerusalem offered to the prophets who dared to speak to the powers that be, and I asked Camielle to share her perspective about what it’s like being an African-American woman living in Springfield, which is of course a city which has also been very resistant to change (to provide some added context for those who may not be familiar with Springfield: Springfield is the second least diverse city in the country with a population over 100K, and it has a history of being incredibly unwelcoming to ‘minorities’, to put it mildly).

Soldier of Love
by Camielle Famous

As some of you know, I am in the middle of pursuing my Master’s degree in Counseling and I really enjoy the program. Last semester, I took a course about Diversity in Counseling. It was extraordinarily trying. I felt this sense of urgency that did not register with many people in the class. As a matter of fact, the only other person who understood my impatience was another black female. So I decided to meet with my advisor. I vented about all of my struggles and frustrations with the class and then it spread to my general feelings about living in Springfield. McGregor, Greenwood Lab GA Interview, The Mall, the church (you should visit…).

Why am I here? I ask myself that question every week, if not every day. I have no relatives here. Friends come far and few in between. There isn’t a place for me to get my hair done the way I like, a radio station that plays music I like, concerts I want to attend, St. Louis style Chinese food, or doctors privy to the African American skin… My mom says to me just come on home. Come back to your family. We are here; we can help you and the kids. As I said all of this, my advisor listened patiently and replied, “Camielle take care of yourself. You are needed here. We need you here.” I thought the comment quite odd, but as the semester progressed it began to make sense.

I always thought I was born in the wrong generation. I am enamored with the 1960s: the fashion, strong communal values, music, and especially the civil rights movement. For some reason, the moment I was made aware about it, I read as much as I could about it. I watched videos, read poetry, and researched books about this period in time where people, my people your people our people gathered together in the name of a cause to bring equality and justice that had been reneged upon during the reconstruction. It was amazing. I could feel through the screen and the pages of the books: the passion and pain, laughter and tears, celebrations and incarcerations. I wanted so badly to be a part of that legacy. I mean too many have no clue as to what our ancestors went through to give us an opportunity to simply read, learn, and vote. I would imagine myself walking next MLK Jr. or singing songs while on the bus during Freedom Summer. I think I could have really made a difference if I was born back then.

But then again, God makes no mistakes. I am here to serve a purpose. Out of all the places in the country I could have been, I am here. But, WHY? You know, in so many ways the struggles I encounter here in 2010 Springfield are ominous to the past I so closely identify. Just about every day the fox whispers in my ear “Get away from here.” Your work in the NAACP is reverse racism. All you care about is black folks. It’s just like the KKK. White people aren’t welcome. Hey, there is no need to participate in the Anti Racism Pro Reconciliation Team because there is nothing to reconcile. We get along just fine. We don’t see color, everyone has a fair chance. One of my best friends is black. We have a black president! Sometimes I just want to scream. Behind your crafty words and empty smiles lies an unsightly truth. I am not blind to the stares and backhanded comments. I am very aware when someone attempts to pet my children. I know the reasons why my baby does not want to come to Wednesday night activities and I cry. My heart is broken. There is a song by Sade that speaks to my spirit. She sings:

I’ve lost the use of my heart
But I’m still alive
Still looking for the life
The endless pool on the other side
It’s a wild wild west
I’m doing my best

I’m at the borderline of my faith
I’m at the hinterland of my devotion
In the frontline of this battle of mine
But I’m still alive

I’m a soldier of love.
Every day and night
I’m soldier of love
All the days of my life

I am here because there is work to be done. Listen, I am trying to cast out demons of ignorance and oppression through diversity trainings, discussion panels, and one on one coffee talks. I seek to perform cures on the minds and spirits of the minorities who have been cut by the shrapnel of racism. I am not here because I want to be, but because I NEED to be. I am a SOLDIER OF LOVE.

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Further reflections from yesterday’s gathering…

At yesterday’s Awakening, we reflected on the disconnects that those of us in the so-called first-world have when we hear the song of Mary (the Magnificat), particularly the part about the way God “has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; filling the hungry with good things, and sending the rich away empty.” If we hear this with first world ears, it’s not exactly a comforting message. Indeed, it challenges the very fabric of our social structures and radically calls into question the way our lives are ordered. Perhaps it’s not surprising that during the 1980s the government of Guatemala banned Mary’s song from being sung, for it was simply too subversive. I’m reminded of the caveat that privileged folk like to add to the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven…but not yet!”

Anyhow, I simply asked participants at the Awakening how we might seriously engage the implications of Mary’s song for our lives today, and how such implications might thereby help us celebrate Christmas in — for lack of a better way of putting it — less cheapened ways. Several of the responses were quite helpful, and one participant wrestling with all of this sent the following to me in an email that I’d like to share:

It is also in the Gospel of Luke (Chap 14) that the Banquet Parable is recorded.
In this parable, and in my opinion, in 95% of Jesus’ other parables and statements,
He attempts to detail the existence and significance of the Kingdom of God.

His consistent themes on this subject appear to be:

1) The Kingdom of God is here. It’s already here. It’s never not been here.
It occupies the same space-time that we occupy in ‘our’ world.
We just struggle with seeing it.

2) The Kingdom is like a banquet, abundant with God’s Love, Grace, and Charity.
It is available for each of us to receive and to redistribute to others – all others.
This sharing – with any and all, and with no preconceptions of a hierarchy
amongst us, predicated by pride, possessions, or power –
Is the very Essence of the Kingdom.

3) Like those invited to the banquet – but who chose not to attend because they were too occupied with their recent acquisitions (and thus the banquet was attended by the poor and destitute) – we too risk letting our possessions, our pride, and our perceived power stand in the way and block us from the brilliant, illuminating life in the Kingdom.

4) Our right to and our need to interface with the Kingdom stems from the divine identity that was given to each of us by our Creator. The Good that is our inner core is likened to God in that it was created in His image. As we remove more and more obstacles & strengthen our connection back to the Kingdom, loving others & helping the poor will come as naturally to us as breathing comes to our bodies.

To attempt to answer our question, that Phil brought to light:
How do we reconcile ‘Blessed are the poor’ with ‘Hey, my family needs food, clothing, shelter, & transportation; and in a manner that maintains reasonable respect from others’?
I have had the following thought experiments.

Can we look at each possession that we have and categorize each component into: necessity for survival, opportunity to help others, or simply maintaining pride & status?

Can we look at our emotional attachment to each possession, try to quarantine and then purge those not in sync Jesus’ teachings and His yearning for our spiritual growth?

Can we act upon our ideas and conclusions from the first two queries in a manner that maintains our health and safety, always knowing that explanations of those actions represent opportunities to Enlighten others?

Can we believe that each step toward the Light will make us appreciate and have desire for the next step, even though it may seem more difficult to make than the last?

The more we attempt to understand the radical message of Jesus, and not simply use him as a badge of self-righteousness and/or a ticket to heaven, the more introspection we can have for who we are, what we are, & why we are here.

Isaiah reported that God told him (paraphrasing)
“Quit sacrificing goats and other animals. Quit spilling blood in my name. That is not how you worship me. Here is how you worship me: Go out and give comfort to the widowed and give sustenance to those who have lost their fathers.”
Helping others, especially those who have been left behind in the world, appears not only to be a good thing to be doing, but is THE WAY TO WORSHIP GOD.
It has metaphysical properties.
As if God is saying: “I Am Love! Your role in this whole thing is to spread Me around.”

So if our thoughts are directed toward divine understanding more than they are directed toward consumption, possession, and favorable comparison to the Jones, we can propel ourselves in the right direction, wean ourselves from the trappings of the physical world we find ourselves in, & strengthen our inner core & our connection to God’s Kingdom.

God already has infinite Love in the Spiritual realm of His Kingdom.
God knows that the physical world into which He put us has with it physical demands and physical needs. We shouldn’t necessarily deny those needs. We should prevent them from blocking us from doing what He intended us to do when He put us here:
Turn back to Him and the Kingdom, draw the Love from that realm into our world, and let it be “on Earth as it is in Heaven”.

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