Thursday Reflection for Week 5 October 31, 2006

In class we talked about the differences among theologies within Christianity across cultures- and the interesting idea that we won’t have our theology right or complete until every culture creates its own theology, asking the questions unique to them. Groups with different theologies are asking different questions, not necessarily saying different things, but highlighting different aspects of God. I’ve also heard God described as a multi-faceted gem or crystal. Each group (cultural, gender, economic status, age, etc.) accentuates one facet, one face, of Him. We don’t see His richness and fullness until we include everyone’s perspective.

What a beautiful theological picture we paint when we allow every “tribe and tongue,” every culture and subculture to add its brushstrokes to our picture of God!

 

I resonate with this idea so much personally. I think this is why it is so hard for me to claim one denomination or hold fast to one stream of thinking. I love the supernatural, intimate God of Pentecostalism and the grandness and “otherness” of God in Catholicism. I love the contemplative nature of the mystics. I love the God who cares passionately for the earth and social justice and I love the intellectual God of academia. This generous view of God reminds me of Brian McLaren’s book, Generous Orthodoxy, which I read this past summer. I wish Christianity as a whole would spend more time appreciating the truth in each other’s theology and less time arguing over who’s right.

  

Book Review: Kalle Lasn, Culture Jam, 1999 Quill October 30, 2006

Open up your closet, your refrigerator, your medicine cabinet, your garage. Turn on the TV to your favorite show, the news, the game. How much control do you think you really have over these choices, and how much are you being controlled?

 

Award winning documentarist, and social activist Kalle Lasn woke up to the true state of media control in America when he tried to air an environmental expose of the disappearance of old growth forests in the Northwest and was met with closed doors. This control of the airwaves infuriated him and was a catalyst that propelled him into action, creating The Media Foundation and Adbusters magazine, as well as launching a revolution against the powers of consumer capitalism and corporate control in America and the world.

 

 In Culture Jam, Lasn prophetically announces a wake-up call to the American people, describing the adverse affects of this “consumer binge” and calling for social change on grassroots and corporate levels.

 

So What’s Wrong With Consumerism Anyway?

Motivated by his passionate desire to unveil the truth as he sees it, Lasn offers no shortage of doomsday examples of the damages caused by consumer capitalism: our detachment from the natural world, our chronic psychological disorders (77% of the adult population has at least one psychological ailment [9]), a reduction in free speech and the destruction of our environment at an alarming rate. Lasn offers a very grim outlook, stating that, “our whole social communications system is rotten to the core.” (35)

 

Is There Any Hope?

America needs a “Second Revolution”, according to Lasn, an act of “reversal, recovery, redemption” (145). It is in desperate need of being liberated “from its own excesses and arrogance” (61). Lasn fills this book with examples of how we, the people, can fight back. Fight the corporations, he says. Fight the powers and the media and the underlying beliefs and ideas of our culture. Find the “leverage points” within the powers (similar to Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point or Robert Linthicum’s lateral power in his book, Transforming Power), and fight there. America is in a crisis of astronomical proportions and we need to fight, fight, fight.

 

What Are We Fighting For?

I think Lasn stands in a role of prophet, indicative of the Old Testament Isaiah and Jeremiah. I can just picture him standing on the street corner jolting us out of our small perspectives and ignorance. “Woe, to you, oh, America, for you are on a path to certain destruction if you do not repent and turn away from that which will destroy you!” And I think we need to hear the message. We need to be jolted. All this fighting against the powers is great, but what are we supposed to be “for”? What should the powers within culture look like? What role should they play in our lives? I think Lasn does hit on the idea of “transforming the powers” in many ways. He’s inherently using media, power dynamics, “jolts”, for a new purpose, redeeming them in a sense. But he needs a strong foundation on which to build his revolution. He needs the hope of a Kingdom not of this world. The revolutionaries need to be rallied around more than a list of what they’re against and need to fuel their passions with more than just rage. As Christians, I think we should be just as passionate as Lasn is, if not more so. Because, we don’t just have today’s doomsday realities in our vision- we have a hope for the future.

Tuesday Reflection for Week 5 October 26, 2006

“There is nothing new under the sun.”  As we explore so many “new” ideas- new interpretations of the Bible and of Jesus message, new ways of being the church, new ways of transforming the culture, it’s easy to lose some perspective. Just like I get caught up in the latest fashion or the latest trend in t.v. shows (LOST had me on the edge of my seat last night!), I get caught up in the narrow, even superior, mindset that this generation, these ideas are “it.”

 According to N.T. Wright, when Jesus asked people to repent, he was asking them to repent of what they thought it meant to be the people of God and believe in his interpretation of it. Throughout history the church, and various branches within, have gone through this process- redefining, reframing what it means to be God’s people. Every movement, every new denomination to a certain degree has had this at their heart- Who does God call us to be and what does that mean for our theology, our practices?

Just like Jesus de-stabilized the social structure in Israel, there is an undercurrent of de-stabilization happening to the social structure within the church today, like a network of cracks moving through its foundation.  Emerging churches are an example of that. The “new” look at Jesus and his kingdom message have also shaken the foundation of what it means to be the church.I find comfort in knowing this is not a new cycle. I think we sometimes get so focused on our own cultural situation, our own time period, that we miss out on some perspective. God hasn’t changed. Even though we are re-interpreting it, Jesus message hasn’t changed either. And it’s guaranteed that years after we are gone, New Testament scholars will come along and re-interpret it again.  These words in the Bible do seem to be alive, “living and breathing” through the pages of time.

Thursday Reflection for Week 4 October 24, 2006

I really enjoyed class, especially looking at Jesus’ words and actions as a model for our own words and actions today in our culture.

 I struggle with this tension between being fully in our culture and being “set apart”. “In the world but not of the world.” How far on either end of the spectrum should we find ourselves? In my “either/or” mentality it’s hard to hold the dissonance of “both/and”.  Jesus did it and I’m looking forward to delving into His life more in class.

Part of my personal processing is pulling at the threads of what within my relationship with God is cultural and what is truth. Jesus took parables of the day and infused them with truth. What are the “parables” in my life and in the lives of my friends and those I come in contact with that can be reframed to show truth?

Book Review: Naomi Klein, Fences and Windows, 2002 Picador October 23, 2006

I hear words like NAFTA, free trade, globalization, the World Trade Organization and  the International Monetary Fund and feel a little lost sometimes, barely knowing what they are, much less my opinion about them.  Naomi Klein does a wonderful job shedding light on these topics with her book, Fences and Windows.  

Naomi Klein is a prominent journalist and author, documenting globalization debates throughout the world. She is called on as an expert in the field of activism and media. Since the publication of her first book on this topic, No Logo, Naomi Klein has closely followed and contributed to this current debate and the organization of its movement. In this book, Fences and Windows, Klein uses her articles and speeches to weave facts together, showing the dangers of globalized corporate power- the “fences” it constructs that suppress and oppress people, but also the hopeful, liberating  “windows” of opportunity offered by activists around the world.  

The Birth of a Movement 

Klein has written a “biography”, in essence, of this movement. It’s fascinating to see the shift from the initial 50,000 activists gathered in Seattle to protest the World Trade Organization’s meeting (organized almost entirely on the Internet, bringing hundreds of smaller activist groups together) to those gathered in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles and New York where they attempted to articulate their “unity of vision and strategy” (14). At the core of their struggle is a similar question we as Christians are asking, “How can we affect real change in the world around us on a macro level, when we see so much injustice and abused power?” 

The Dirty Facts 

Fences and Windows is a feast of knowledge about the specific affects globalization and corporate power have on a myriad of real life applications. Especially in Section Two: Fencing in Democracy, Klein touches on the actual results of free trade, NAFTA, IMF, and how the rights of corporations begin to supercede the rights of the individual. One shocking example she offers is of a town in Guadalcazar, Mexico that was taken to court by an American waste management system when they tried to refuse the placement of a hazardous waste dump in their town. Because of “free trade” the American company apparently had the right force its way in, as the courts made Guadalcazar pay $16.7 million in a settlement (57).  She delves into the issues of unions, border crossing, genetically altered foods, economic apartheid, and the war on terror, just to name a few. And of course with each issue, you can follow the trail back to the root: international money in the pockets of corporations.  

When Christians hear all of this, do we care?  

As Christians who want to transform culture, I think a book like this should put fire in our bellies. It should wake us up to action and at the very least whet our appetites to know more.  Yes, this book is definitely from one side of the globalization/ anti-corporation debate and I think it would be helpful to hear from all sides. But the hidden stories, the real statistics unveiled by Naomi Klein beg to be shared.  She says that “so many of the debates that we have about globalization theory are actually about power: who holds it, who is exercising it and who is disguising it, pretending it no longer matters.” (83) This book gives us much insight into how best we can let God work through us to bring change within these powers.

Tuesday Reflection for Week 4 October 19, 2006

One question brought up in class kept ringing in my head afterwards- If God is with the poor, what about the middle/upper class?

 Reading about Shane Claiborne, Mother Theresa, and others who emphasize really being with the poor, serving them in a relational way, is so inspiring and my eager, passionate personality wants to say, “sign me up!” I’ll go, I’ll do, I’ll leave this middle class bubble. And there’s nothing wrong with that to a degree. But I can’t erase the faces of the people in the church I grew up in- very middle class, steady, sheltered for the most part. So many of them just don’t know. They don’t have any idea what’s going on in the world, much less in the worse part of thier own town.

Can I be a bridge somehow, an inspiration, a window? Because I’ll most likely be going overseas after I graduate, I’ll probably have many opportunities to share in large group and small group settings. How can the words I choose to use get past the mind-numbing statistics and be more than just information about people seemingly so far removed from thier middle class existance? I hear so much in this class that I want to run back and share- I want to scream at them-Don’t you see where the church is today? Don’t you want to change?

God, give me patience.

Thursday Reflection for Week 3 October 17, 2006

As I reflect on Thursday’s class, I wonder what just peace-making and non-violence can look like in our world. How far do we take it?  Yoder would say that it doesn’t matter whether non-violence works or not, its what we’re supposed to do. Jesus certainly modeled this, especially in his death that seemed at the time to “not work.”

 

I have been reading a biography about Mother Teresa. Her life reflects this humble peace-making way so clearly. She never had a formula or a method or some grand plan. She simply served in peace and out of that thousands of people were touched, lives changed, people inspired.

 

I think she would agree- the point is not whether or not something works. The point is obeying Jesus, being true to him, and being motivated by love.

Book Review: Robert Linthicum, Transforming Power, 2003, Intervarsity Press October 16, 2006

Robert Linthicum is a specialist in urban evangelism after years of hands-on experience in urban community development.  He has authored numerous books, taught graduate courses and workshops, and served in leadership roles all designed to equip urban church and community workers. His passions lead him to empower the powerless and advocate for the poor. He previously served as the director of urban work at World Vision International and is currently the president of Partners in Urban Transformation. 

 In Transforming Power, Linthicum examines how the church can properly use power to transform individuals to change the structures and systems within their communities, working toward God’s peace and justice. 

 

Our Fallen World

In Part One, A Theology of Power, Linthicum paints a dismal picture of our world: power is being used to dominate and control people through systems of politics, economics, values, and beliefs. You don’t have to look further than your own wallet to see one example of economic exploitation in the US: credit cards. Our government, banks, advertising and media conspire to send a message: spend even if you don’t have the money. Yet with 29,000 personal bankruptcies every week and credit card debt making up approximately 81% of disposable income, many people, especially those in poverty, are in over their heads.   

 

God Has a Better Plan

But Linthicum believes that God has a very different plan for humanity outlined in the Bible. In the Old Testament He calls it “shalom” (a multi-faceted word meaning “peace, prosperity, welfare, good” (75). In the New Testament Jesus calls it the “Kingdom of God.” And he has divinely called the church to bring this shalom to earth, working “for the peace and the prosperity and the welfare and the good of all the people, the systems and structures, and even the principalities and powers of our city” (75.)

 

The Key is Power

The key ingredient needed to bring about this change is power: “the ability, capacity, and willingness of a person, a group of people or an institution to act”(81).  Linthicum argues that the church shouldn’t be afraid to use power within these systems and structures. He emphasizes relational power (mutual sharing of power) as the best method, as opposed to unilateral power (dominating power from the top down).

 

Plan of Action

So exactly how does the church do this? Linthicum doesn’t seem to have any doubt about the formula that will work, which he outlines in the second part, The Practice of Power. Based on his years of urban experience, he leaves almost no detail out. One of his driving mottos is, “Never do for others what they can do for themselves” (93). So the strategy seems to be: listen to the people, build a relationship with them, find out what they want to change in their community, find key leaders within to step up, motivate the people to feel passionate enough to act, form small action teams, research, then act.

 Whew, I wish all of life could be summed up in such a nice, neat package. I do think there is a lot of truth in this book. Sure, power should be used by Christians to transform our world. And relationships are definitely very important. We do have a purpose to fight for peace and justice and the Kingdom of God here on earth. But parts of this book read more like a business how-to manual. I would caution the reader to prayerfully approach any “method” with humility and surrender.  At the heart of his book, Irresistable Revolution, I think Shane Claiborne is saying a lot of the same things in a totally different package. He doesn’t claim to know the answers, or outline a formula. It’s interesting to read both perspectives and realize that God uses us to transform our communities if we are humble enough- no matter what our style.

Tuesday Reflection for Week 3 October 12, 2006

I had a really hard time sitting with the idea that some powers or practices are the “exception to the rule” and are not redeemable. I struggle with drawing hard and fast lines like this, making things black and white.  I think a potential danger is that the people within those practices may seem irredeemable as well.

 

For example, I understand that the porn industry seems to have no redeeming aspects and seems to be on the very “bad” end of the sin scale on which we often like to rate sins. But could we dig a little deeper? What’s really going on within the individuals and the community within this industry? We might say some are addicted. Some just enjoy the pleasure. Some are in it for the economic gain. Some may be motivated out of great loneliness, fear of intimacy. They are trying to fill an emptiness. I have to say, I think these people have much in common with me- I just don’t happen to fill my emptiness with porn. When you dig to the roots of what motivates people in a myriad of practices, you find the same things. We are all fallen. We are all trying to fill our voids and needs with something other than Jesus.

 Instead of saying this practice is “irredeemable”, could we say that it needs a very deep transformation? Sure, to be transformed, it probably will look very different and will lose the naked people. But if our government, our economy, our church were to be truly transformed, I suspect they would all look very different as well.

Book Review: Transforming the Powers, 2006 Fortress October 9, 2006

The language of the New Testament can seem so far removed from the world we live in. What does it really mean today? As we try to figure out how the concepts in the Bible can realistically apply to and transform contemporary culture, I think Walter Wink has made an important contribution to the conversation.  A well renowned biblical, ethical, and psychological scholar, professor, and activist, he is perhaps best known as the author of “The Powers” trilogy in which he converses about what the biblical language of “Principalities and Powers” might mean for our culture.

 

Transforming the Powers: Peace, Justice, and the Domination System is a continuation of this conversation. Wink and a group of theologians and ethicists from various theological seminaries in the U. S. extend and apply the Powers idea to politics, economics, government, ethics, and justice.  I would recommend this book to those thirsty for how we, as Christians, can interact with and change the institutions and social systems of our culture.

 

So What Are the “Powers”?

This book is built on Wink’s original foundation.  He defines the Powers as “realities of all human social dynamics-our institutions, belief systems, traditions, and the like” and makes three foundational points: The Powers are good. The Powers are fallen. The Powers must be redeemed (2). We need all three realities equally. Each Power has both inner (spiritual) and outer (concrete) aspects that must both be addressed through an integral worldview.

 

Worldviews and Redeeming the “Powers”

I think one of Wink’s most provocative and fascinating discussions is his exploration of the lens, or worldview through which we experience our lives.  Because the Bible was written from the perspective of a different worldview than our Western culture, Wink uncovers the ways in which the truth of the Bible can be seen through a new lens: an integral worldview. This view unites the outer and inner aspects of the world around us (science and spirituality), instead of polarizing supernatural and material aspects as much of our culture does today. Willard Swartly speaks to the centrality of Jesus’ death in redeeming the Powers and Wink balances this by affirming human responsibility.

 

Non-violence and Non-retaliation: The Way of Seeking Justice

This book carries through it a strong non-violent thread. All the authors address this as the method of transformation. Ray Gingerich asserts that Jesus himself modeled this third way, changing hostility into peace. Swartly and others speak emphatically against the use of violence and war, no matter what end seems to justify the means.

 

A question central to this book, then is how can we actaully seek justice and peace in the world, the essence of  transforming these fallen Powers in nonviolent ways? Glen Stassen believes that Jesus modeled a clear justice- to bring social well-being for everybody within society. We, as Christians, must find common ground and common language to engage society as a whole in this.

 

So What Does This Look Like in Real Life?

This book reframed my thinking on several levels. As a Jesus-follower, my ears perk up when I hear how Jesus’ ideologies can be played out in my life. I loved Wink’s description of the integral worldview and while he was perhaps a bit too idealistic, my first thought was how much sense it made and how much common ground it provides for talking with those outside Christian faith.  Also, as I personally look ahead at working with children at risk who will no doubt be experiencing the effects of the fallen Powers very visibly, I have to be ready to come up against these powers. I have to examine myself, my culture, and be ready to look at another culture with the same criticism. Transforming the Powers was a thought-provoking book meant, I think, to propel the reader to dig deeper than the surface of what it means to be a Christian in a fallen world.