GEN-X RISING: Questions of faith in a political season
Jan 22, 2008
By Andrew C. Thompson
UMR Columnist
People around the country have watched the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary with great interest. Super Tuesday is just around the corner, when the presidential candidates of both the Democratic and Republican parties will run the gauntlet of primaries held all over the country.
Intriguing candidates, from Barack Obama to Ron Paul, have made this presidential campaign more interesting than usual by generating bi-partisan and cross-generational interest.
The presidential campaign has also focused on how faith and politics intersect in public life. Some candidates, of course, have to deal with these issues more than they’d like. Mormon Mitt Romney faces distrust from many Christian voters because of his faith. Others think Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee lets his faith influence his policy positions too much.
But the intersection of faith and political views is something that all Christians are called to examine closely, if only because ties to both church and country run so deeply. And of course, both God and nation have certain claims on our lives.
Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder was one of the most articulate voices in the 20th century arguing for Christians’ primary allegiance to Jesus over everything else—including nation.
In his book, The Priestly Kingdom, Yoder wrote, “if we claim for democracy the status of a [unique] social institution... we shall inflate ourselves and destroy our neighbors through the demonic demands of the claims we make of our system and we shall pollute our Christian faith by making of it a civil religion.”
Those words, written well over 20 years ago, seem prophetic in light of our misadventures in Iraq over the past few years.
Christians of goodwill in our church can disagree over the best course of action to take given the present circumstances in Iraq, but few of us thought about the invasion back in 2003 in terms of what would be the most Christian course of action to take. Most Americans then were concerned with our national interest, which Yoder regards as a wholly different moral value from anything you find in Christian ethics.
Yoder is no opponent of democracy as a form of self-government. If anything, his Mennonite faith has a more democratic history than our Methodist one. His critique of most American Protestants comes not on whether they should advocate for democracy, but rather on whether they should advocate for their country over their Savior.
A friend once wrote to me with the question, “Why can’t it be God and country?” And that’s a fair question. The difficulty for us in the church is that there are inevitably issues where allegiance to God and country come into conflict. So if our patriotic duty and our Christian faith make contradictory claims on us, who must we regard as Lord?
That, of course, is a question you won’t see the presidential candidates going near.
The issue of allegiance does not represent either a liberal or a conservative position. On a daily basis, most of us—liberal or conservative—typically put our practical adherence to nation over that to God. Our deep desire that the two should never come into conflict causes us to gloss over those issues where they do.
Still, Jesus’ radical call of “Come and follow me” is not designed to make living in the world easy on Christians. We ought to be uncomfortable with much of what goes on around us, and we should be seeking to live lives of holiness and compassion.
That means that self-described liberals and conservatives absolutely have to examine how their social and political assumptions match up with their faith. Because our first allegiance is to Jesus and his church, and the rest of our lives should conform to that.
The notion that politics and religion should be kept separate is impossible for Christian believers. Jesus calls us to a new way of life in the world, and that means that our faith and our politics intersect each and every day.
The Rev. Thompson maintains a blog at www.genxrising.com. e-mail: andrew@mandatum.org.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Fred Luskin on the power to forgive (form the DMN webite)
Author Fred Luskin on the power to forgive
A researcher says letting go of anger is not only a virtue but also a healing force
08:22 AM CST on Saturday, January 12, 2008
By MARY JACOBS / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News religion@dallasnews.com
Most religions teach that forgiveness is a virtue. But how to truly forgive, when face to face with the person who has inflicted the pain, is another matter.
In his new book, Forgive for Love, Fred Luskin looks at the nuts and bolts of practicing forgiveness in relationships.
"Literally that is why I wrote the book, to give people a step-by-step methodology," he said. Forgive for Love describes a process of "reframing" how a person views a situation that demands forgiveness.
"Forgiveness is becoming a hero instead of a victim in the story you tell about what happened," Dr. Luskin said.
Dr. Luskin directs the Stanford Forgiveness Projects, a series of research projects investigating forgiveness methods. Once limited to religious discussion, he said, forgiveness has generated broader interest as scientific studies point to its benefits.
In turn, work such as Dr. Luskin's lends credibility to teachings about forgiveness within the religious community, says Dan Luby, Tschoepe Chair of Homiletics at the University of Dallas' School of Ministry.
"The Catholic Church has always taught that forgiveness is a moral requirement, but now there's reinforcement from secular and psychological viewpoints that supports those traditional teachings," he said. "We're understanding that not only is forgiveness a 'heroic virtue,' it's a necessity for healing to take place.
"So this scientific agreement from the secular world is a benefit to our mission. It supports what the church has been saying from the beginning."
Dr. Luskin jokes that there was a time when he couldn't score an interview in his local paper. Now he's called on to comment for articles in The New York Times and asked to speak at medical schools, law schools and courtrooms as well as churches.
"Forgiveness is a much hotter topic now than it was 10 years ago," he said. "I think people are seeing it as a necessary corrective to our 'anger culture.' "
Increased interest may also stem from events in the news that hint at forgiveness's power: One high-profile example is the forgiving response of Amish people when a neighbor made a deadly assault on a Pennsylvania schoolhouse in 2006. Another is the way the forgiveness-based Truth and Reconciliation Commission, led by Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, helped South Africa regain its footing in the wake of apartheid.
Similarly, Dr. Luskin tested his method with women who had lost family members to sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. Afterward, participants reported they were less depressed and felt better physically and emotionally.
"If you're angry and feeling self-pity, you put yourself at risk for heart disease and stress-related disorders," said Dr. Luskin.
Dr. Luskin's methodology involves meditating and following a process of empathizing with the offending person and reframing what happened in a more empowering way.
"When you change the story, when you manage the stress, when you take responsibility, when you look for the other person's good points, you're going to be so much more forgiving in that relationship," he said. "And you'll be able to make good decisions about what to do about any problems there might be."
Psychological strategies such as Dr. Luskin's can complement religious practices such as prayer and the sacraments, Dr. Luby said. Catholics may turn to the sacrament of reconciliation as a "concrete, experiential" means of moving toward forgiveness in a painful relationship. "But the sacrament is not something that's magical," he said. "It's not a substitute for the spiritual work of true conversion of heart."
And true forgiveness does involve hard work, Dr. Luskin agrees. While forgiveness may be more in the media spotlight, he's not convinced that people are dramatically more forgiving these days, and "retribution, revenge and anger" still get much more airtime.
But he hopes that increased interest in forgiveness will start conversations that could help people discover forgiveness as a tool for breaking destructive cycles in relationships.
"Half the world is the way it is because people have been hurt by others and they take it out on somebody else," he said. "We're constantly paying the negative stuff forward."
RESOURCES
Some of the many books on forgiveness:
Forgive for Love, by Fred Luskin (HarperOne, $24.95)
Forgiveness Is a Choice, by Robert D. Enright (American Psychological Association, $19.95)
The Wisdom of Forgiveness, by the Dalai Lama and Victor Chan (Penguin, $14)
Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy, by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt and David L. Weaver-Zercher (John Wiley, $24.95)
Forgiveness : A Legacy of the West Nickel Mines Amish School , by John L. Ruth (Herald Press, $10.99)
No Future Without Forgiveness, by Desmond Tutu (Doubleday, $15.95)
How to Forgive ... When You Don't Feel Like It, by June Hunt (Harvest House, $12.99)
A researcher says letting go of anger is not only a virtue but also a healing force
08:22 AM CST on Saturday, January 12, 2008
By MARY JACOBS / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News religion@dallasnews.com
Most religions teach that forgiveness is a virtue. But how to truly forgive, when face to face with the person who has inflicted the pain, is another matter.
In his new book, Forgive for Love, Fred Luskin looks at the nuts and bolts of practicing forgiveness in relationships.
"Literally that is why I wrote the book, to give people a step-by-step methodology," he said. Forgive for Love describes a process of "reframing" how a person views a situation that demands forgiveness.
"Forgiveness is becoming a hero instead of a victim in the story you tell about what happened," Dr. Luskin said.
Dr. Luskin directs the Stanford Forgiveness Projects, a series of research projects investigating forgiveness methods. Once limited to religious discussion, he said, forgiveness has generated broader interest as scientific studies point to its benefits.
In turn, work such as Dr. Luskin's lends credibility to teachings about forgiveness within the religious community, says Dan Luby, Tschoepe Chair of Homiletics at the University of Dallas' School of Ministry.
"The Catholic Church has always taught that forgiveness is a moral requirement, but now there's reinforcement from secular and psychological viewpoints that supports those traditional teachings," he said. "We're understanding that not only is forgiveness a 'heroic virtue,' it's a necessity for healing to take place.
"So this scientific agreement from the secular world is a benefit to our mission. It supports what the church has been saying from the beginning."
Dr. Luskin jokes that there was a time when he couldn't score an interview in his local paper. Now he's called on to comment for articles in The New York Times and asked to speak at medical schools, law schools and courtrooms as well as churches.
"Forgiveness is a much hotter topic now than it was 10 years ago," he said. "I think people are seeing it as a necessary corrective to our 'anger culture.' "
Increased interest may also stem from events in the news that hint at forgiveness's power: One high-profile example is the forgiving response of Amish people when a neighbor made a deadly assault on a Pennsylvania schoolhouse in 2006. Another is the way the forgiveness-based Truth and Reconciliation Commission, led by Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, helped South Africa regain its footing in the wake of apartheid.
Similarly, Dr. Luskin tested his method with women who had lost family members to sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. Afterward, participants reported they were less depressed and felt better physically and emotionally.
"If you're angry and feeling self-pity, you put yourself at risk for heart disease and stress-related disorders," said Dr. Luskin.
Dr. Luskin's methodology involves meditating and following a process of empathizing with the offending person and reframing what happened in a more empowering way.
"When you change the story, when you manage the stress, when you take responsibility, when you look for the other person's good points, you're going to be so much more forgiving in that relationship," he said. "And you'll be able to make good decisions about what to do about any problems there might be."
Psychological strategies such as Dr. Luskin's can complement religious practices such as prayer and the sacraments, Dr. Luby said. Catholics may turn to the sacrament of reconciliation as a "concrete, experiential" means of moving toward forgiveness in a painful relationship. "But the sacrament is not something that's magical," he said. "It's not a substitute for the spiritual work of true conversion of heart."
And true forgiveness does involve hard work, Dr. Luskin agrees. While forgiveness may be more in the media spotlight, he's not convinced that people are dramatically more forgiving these days, and "retribution, revenge and anger" still get much more airtime.
But he hopes that increased interest in forgiveness will start conversations that could help people discover forgiveness as a tool for breaking destructive cycles in relationships.
"Half the world is the way it is because people have been hurt by others and they take it out on somebody else," he said. "We're constantly paying the negative stuff forward."
RESOURCES
Some of the many books on forgiveness:
Forgive for Love, by Fred Luskin (HarperOne, $24.95)
Forgiveness Is a Choice, by Robert D. Enright (American Psychological Association, $19.95)
The Wisdom of Forgiveness, by the Dalai Lama and Victor Chan (Penguin, $14)
Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy, by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt and David L. Weaver-Zercher (John Wiley, $24.95)
Forgiveness : A Legacy of the West Nickel Mines Amish School , by John L. Ruth (Herald Press, $10.99)
No Future Without Forgiveness, by Desmond Tutu (Doubleday, $15.95)
How to Forgive ... When You Don't Feel Like It, by June Hunt (Harvest House, $12.99)
Monday, January 14, 2008
Megachurch leader charged with perjury
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080115/ap_on_re_us/preacher_paternity
ATLANTA - The 80-year-old leader of a suburban Atlanta megachurch has been charged with lying under oath, court documents show. A warrant for the arrest of Archbishop Earl Paulk, co-founder of Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church, was issued Monday, according to court documents. Paulk was making arrangements Monday night to turn himself in to authorities, WAGA-TV reported.
Paulk's attorneys did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press for comment.
Former church employee Mona Brewer is suing Paulk, his brother, Don, and the church for allegedly manipulating her into an affair from 1989 to 2003 by telling her it was her only path to salvation. In a 2006 deposition stemming from the lawsuit, the archbishop said under oath that the only woman he had ever had sex with outside of his marriage was Brewer.
But the results of a court-ordered paternity test revealed in October that Paulk is the biological father of his brother's son, D.E. Paulk, who is now head pastor at the family's church. As part of Brewer's lawsuit, eight women have given sworn depositions that they were coerced into sexual relationships with Earl Paulk.
A judge ordered the paternity test at the request of the Cobb County district attorney's office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which were investigating Paulk.
Cobb County District Attorney Pat Head declined comment when reached at his home Monday night.
Paulk and his brother, Don, have been hit with multiple lawsuits from former members alleging they were coerced into sexual affairs, but this is the first time criminal charges have been filed against the archbishop.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Idaho man sees 'mark of the beast,' cuts off and microwaves hand
Idaho man sees 'mark of the beast,' cuts off and microwaves hand
05:23 PM CST on Wednesday, January 9, 2008
HAYDEN, Idaho - A man who believed he bore the "mark of the beast" used a circular saw to cut off one hand, then he cooked it in the microwave and called 911, authorities said.
The man, in his mid-20s, was calm when Kootenai County sheriff's deputies arrived Saturday in this northern Idaho town. He was in protective custody in the mental health unit of Kootenai Medical Center.
"It had been somewhat cooked by the time the deputy arrived," sheriff's Capt. Ben Wolfinger said. "He put a tourniquet on his arm before, so he didn't bleed to death. That kind of mental illness is just sad."
It was not immediately clear whether the man has a history of mental illness. Hospital spokeswoman Lisa Johnson would not say whether an attempt was made to reattach the hand, citing patient confidentiality.
The Book of Revelation in the New Testament contains a passage in which an angel is quoted as saying: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink the wine of God's fury."
The book of Matthew also contains the passage: "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."
Wolfinger said he didn't know which hand was amputated.
Proposed Work Product Structure, Version 1.0
Central Command Website
Main Page
Main Page
- Statement of beliefs / goals
- Problems + Solutions
- Links to 'focused' blogs
Focused blogs
- A blog critiquing modern church structure / teaching through news, examples, etc (academic, theological stuff)
- A "practical application" blog of solutions, daily life application of good things in action
- Perhaps a comic strip type blog incorporating the other blogs
- An open debate forum
Literature
- Op-ed article to be published in major newspaper
- Flyers to "post" to churches, a la Luther.
- A concise, approachable book critiquing the way things are [far down the line, of course]
In my mind, the table must be set before dinner can be served: we need to have the website / blog structure in place so that we can reference it when we attempt to go public (i.e. publish an op-ed).
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
The Professor is in.
Mwhahahahahaha!!!
The time has come.
I agree with 42, 'compromise theology' is the main thing we must fight in all forms. We should definitely coin the term and then break it down into its components, i.e.. prosperity gospel, etc.
'Merica.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Mormonism and the evolution of religion
A must read on Mormonism and, more generally, the evolution of religion. The author was one of my law professors my first year, and is an expert in the way politics and religion mix. If we get something worth publishing, I'd feel comfortable approaching him about looking it over.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/magazine/06mormonism-t.html?ex=1200373200&en=60ffad71e7f60ccf&ei=5070
Read it before the link goes bad.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/magazine/06mormonism-t.html?ex=1200373200&en=60ffad71e7f60ccf&ei=5070
Read it before the link goes bad.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
Re: Topical Areas
Some broad areas that seem to encompass what has been mentioned:
Gender Issues
Gospel of Prosperity (call it what is it, capitalism, not evangelism)
*Mega-church critques fit in here
*All money issues
Magic Spell Doctrine
*Evangelical "all you have to do is invite Jesus into your heart"
*Catholic mechanisms of "faith"
Sin, generally
*Selfish behavior, as it applies to modern life. I got dibs on this section.
An overarching theme, methinks, is what Mike hints at when he says "a complete disrespect for people." I think the church has come to think that (1) core values are unattainable by people, and therefore (2) not worth teaching. Rather than teach people what is undeniable Christian revelation applicable to their own lives (sacrifice, not selfishness) while recognizing that no one is capable of truly honoring it, the church compromises its theology in an effort to get more people into the pews. Consequently, most people have lost the internal/communal dialogue on "what's right?" and instead spew out stock answers fed to them by the church. "Compromise theology" might be a good term for everything wrong. Kinda has an aggressive edge to it.
Gender Issues
Gospel of Prosperity (call it what is it, capitalism, not evangelism)
*Mega-church critques fit in here
*All money issues
Magic Spell Doctrine
*Evangelical "all you have to do is invite Jesus into your heart"
*Catholic mechanisms of "faith"
Sin, generally
*Selfish behavior, as it applies to modern life. I got dibs on this section.
An overarching theme, methinks, is what Mike hints at when he says "a complete disrespect for people." I think the church has come to think that (1) core values are unattainable by people, and therefore (2) not worth teaching. Rather than teach people what is undeniable Christian revelation applicable to their own lives (sacrifice, not selfishness) while recognizing that no one is capable of truly honoring it, the church compromises its theology in an effort to get more people into the pews. Consequently, most people have lost the internal/communal dialogue on "what's right?" and instead spew out stock answers fed to them by the church. "Compromise theology" might be a good term for everything wrong. Kinda has an aggressive edge to it.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Topical Areas
Yeah, I think destroying "Prosperity Gospel" should be our first target--even though many evangelicals claim to disagree with it, most evangelicals and baptists schools of thought do promote prosperity ideals in smaller, disguised forms.
I also want to seriously critique the format of mega churches, and church format in general. Aside from the issue of cultural relevance, theres the issue of finances needed to run a mega church format. Those are secondary issues, not really theological, though. I think the "seeker sensitive" idea needs some serious scrutiny (hows that for alliteration?).
Gender issues are another big concern. Any thoughts on this?
But by far my biggest concern, atleast right now, is the way so many churches abuse their volunteers and staff--I don't mean "abuse," but I do mean: gross differences in pay rates (why does the pastor get $300k, but the youth pastor get $30k?), overdelegation practices, the idea of working your volunteers to the bone and then replacing them with new ones, "guilt trip" based calls-to-service... all of these things show an underlying attitude of complete disrespect for people.
Thoughts? Any other big topics?
-Mike
I also want to seriously critique the format of mega churches, and church format in general. Aside from the issue of cultural relevance, theres the issue of finances needed to run a mega church format. Those are secondary issues, not really theological, though. I think the "seeker sensitive" idea needs some serious scrutiny (hows that for alliteration?).
Gender issues are another big concern. Any thoughts on this?
But by far my biggest concern, atleast right now, is the way so many churches abuse their volunteers and staff--I don't mean "abuse," but I do mean: gross differences in pay rates (why does the pastor get $300k, but the youth pastor get $30k?), overdelegation practices, the idea of working your volunteers to the bone and then replacing them with new ones, "guilt trip" based calls-to-service... all of these things show an underlying attitude of complete disrespect for people.
Thoughts? Any other big topics?
-Mike
The Ninety-Five Theses on the Power of Indulgences (circa 1517)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/95_theses
I say we need to pinpoint four or five topical areas in which the modern church is failing with regards to the teachings of Christ.
The Ninety-Five Theses on the Power of Indulgences, commonly known as The
Ninety-Five Theses, was written by Martin Luther in 1517 and is widely
regarded as the primary catalyst for the Protestant
Reformation. Luther used these theses to display his displeasure with the
Church's sale of indulgences, and this
ultimately gave birth to Protestantism. Luther's
popularity encouraged others to share their doubt with the Church and protest
its medieval ways; it especially challenged the teachings of the Church on the
nature of penance, the authority of the pope and the usefulness of
indulgences. They sparked a theological debate that would
result in the Reformation and
the birth of the Lutheran, Reformed, and Anabaptist
traditions within Christianity.
I say we need to pinpoint four or five topical areas in which the modern church is failing with regards to the teachings of Christ.
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