Habakkuk revisited

Habakkuk 1:2-4 speaks to me.

How long, Lord, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?

Across this world filled with more than 7 billion people, the number of souls crying out in pain is staggering. You can find them in every corner of the globe, in every city and village in every country. They cry out in poverty. They cry out in sickness and disability. The rich and powerful ignore their cries.

Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not save?

Violence is plentiful in our times. Just yesterday, a passenger jet carrying 298 people was deliberately shot down by people looking to create mayhem in Ukraine. Among the dead are 100 top AIDS researchers. Meanwhile, bloodshed in the Middle East grew as Israel sent troops into parts of Gaza. Most of the victims, also nearing 300, have been civilians caught in the crossfire. 

Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? 

Famines and wars plague many African nations. Egged on by some Christian leaders from America, Christian leaders in several of these nations work to persecute homosexuals as if they are responsible for the chaos in the region. Imagine instead if they chose to witness to the everlasting love of God.

Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.

Blood continues to flow in the streets of Iraq and Syria. The "just war" promised by the United States only inflamed ethnic and religious tensions into civil war.  The atrocities are now too numerous to count. Refugees from the violence swell camps in neighboring countries. 

Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.

Children fleeing violence in Central America find hatred in the United States, which some call a "Christian nation." Political leaders demand deportation of the children that managed to survive the gauntlet of evil, knowing full well they will return to oppression, exploitation, and death. Many of these same politicians make a big show of their opposition to contraception and abortion because they are "pro-life." Their hypocrisy mocks God but they give it no thought.

The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.

The children of God suffer at the hand of their brothers and sisters and dare ask why God does not save us from ourselves.

Do prayers and fasts for peace matter?

The Religion News Service (RNS) covered an international call for prayer and fasting for peace in the Middle East.

(RNS) While the violence escalates in Israel and Gaza, a movement is taking hold that unites Jews, Muslims and others in a campaign for peace.  

On Tuesday (July 15), a daylong fast is planned as part of a public effort to show unity in the fight against war and violence in the region.  

Using the Twitter hashtag #HungryforPeace, the cause started in Israel and gained strength in England, promoted by Yachad, a U.K.-based pro-Israel, pro-peace group. Last weekend, it was announced in temples, mosques and churches in the U.S.

It is always uplifting when I see instances where the children of God come together in mindfulness of the suffering of others. It is something that should be encouraged.

Efforts like #HungryforPeace are often criticized, especially by those antagonistic to religion, as empty gestures. Many of the comments attached to the RNS story express this sentiment. Their reasoning is that a day of prayers and fasting is a complete waste of time. It is not going to stop the violence.

I beg to differ. If you are truly mindful of the suffering on both sides of the conflict, it plants the seed of empathy and understanding. The interfaith component is also essential to create dialog and build trust. The rockets may continue to explode in Gaza and Israel, which we cannot control, but we can set a better example by coming together in hearts and minds. We can also remind the world that bloodshed does not serve God. That requires loving others. And we need to remind ourselves that we are all equal in the eyes of God.

A little fasting and prayer is not the answer to all injustices, but it is at least a start in the right direction.


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Today I Give Thanks (TIGT) for patches of blue among the clouds.

More progress in making homelessness a crime

The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty has a new report on the rapidly growing number of municipalities that have passed ordinances that criminalize homelessness. Living on the streets, even when there are insufficient shelter beds, is now punishable with steep fines. Since people with little or no money lack the ability to pay those fines, fees for late payment will be tacked for good measure. There is something rotten in the soul of America. 

I cannot fathom followers of Christ finding this the least bit acceptable:

There has been an increase in laws criminalizing homelessness since our last report in 2011. While the increase is seen for nearly every surveyed category of criminalization law, the most dramatic uptick has been in city-wide bans on fundamental human activities. This increase in city-wide bans shows that the nature of criminalization is changing and that cities are moving toward prohibiting unavoidable, life sustaining activities throughout entire communities rather than in specific areas, effectively criminalizing a homeless person’s very existence.

We are talking about scripture worthy mean-spiritedness. 

“‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 

Ezekiel 16:49

Not only are we not helping the poor and needy, but we are increasing their burdens by making it illegal to be homeless and not have a shelter bed. May the Lord have mercy on our very soul.  

It makes you wonder

Kelly Clark wrote a passionate piece about teaching people of faith to doubt science. His story begins with a tale of religious persecution. Christian professors at Christian universities have been silenced or dismissed for casting doubt on young earth creationism. What is funny about that is many of these same universities and seminaries have been so vocal about religious liberty. Nothing supports religious liberty like harassing fellow Christians for telling the truth about biology and geology. That is truly remarkable.

And while most scientists and some theologians and philosophers teaching at Protestant Christian colleges know this, very few are willing to speak out. The message of the dismissals is clear -- speak out and get fired. When dissenting Christian voices are squelched or fired, faculty clam up. 

Christian colleges and seminaries desperately fear change. According to Peter Enns, "The theological tradition embraced at Westminster Theological Seminary, stemming from deliberations in England during the seventeenth century, is nevertheless perceived by its adherents to enjoy an unassailable permanence and in need of no serious adjustments, let alone critical reflection, despite many known advances in biblical studies or science since that time." 

How can Christian intellectuals be getting fired, just when Christians need leadership on this and other science-related matters? With such a paucity of intellectual assistance, Christians feel forced to choose between the science of human origins, on the one hand, and an antiquated theology of human origins on the other.

Liberty at the expense of others is privilege. Unfortunately, there is more than just glaring hypocrisy on display here.

Here is Albert Mohler, Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and culture war brawler:

I would suggest to you that in our effort to be most faithful to the scriptures and most accountable to the grand narrative of the gospel an understanding of creation in terms of 24-hour calendar days and a young earth entails far fewer complications, far fewer theological problems and actually is the most straightforward and uncomplicated reading of the text as we come to understand God telling us how the universe came to be and what it means and why it matters.

As the scientific evidence comes in conflict with the narrative pushed by some Christian leaders, it turns people away from faith. If they see faith leaders invested in teaching untrue things, then why should believe anything else they teach? A stumbling block is being created. So are you really working for Christ if you are demanding people of faith accept a narrative what they know to be false?

There is another bit of false witness to consider. The work of creation is ongoing. It did not start and stop a few thousand years ago. God did not snap fingers to create everything in one fell swoop and then retreat to the distant heavens to keep track of who is naughty and nice. That does not sound like the God I know and serve. The work of creation is not finished. I question the discernment of a religious leader that claims otherwise.

Nothing about creation is uncomplicated or static. God promises perfection will be worth the wait.

The unholy mixture of politics and Christianity

It should be apparent that politics is a secular endeavor, riddled with lies, corruption, and greed. The United States is no exception to this rule. There is nothing particularly grand about the shenanigans required to get elected, whether that is smearing your opponent or selling your soul for campaign contributions. There is certainly nothing sacred about it.

Make no mistake - the Lord does not care what candidate or political party you vote for. There is no political scorecard in the eyes of God. Anyone who suggests otherwise is not led by the Holy Spirit.

Some Christian leaders cannot resist the temptation to mix the sacred and the profane. They stand in the house of God and preach the inherent goodness of a political ideology and imply that God will treat your vote as an act of faith. Neither are true.

There is a thoughtful piece by Mark Deymaz in the Christian Post about the issue.

And therein lies the problem: the deep animus between American Evangelicals (or more specifically Evangelicals "...for whom American politics and patriotism are the center of Christianity, at least as communicated in public life") and an otherwise secular society. Sadly the hostility is today harming our collective cause, hurting our witness, and hindering Gospel advance which is, after all, the very real purpose and mission of the Church.

Make no mistake, when winning or losing on one issue or another becomes more important than representing Christ well via social media, demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit in civil discourse, or remembering that we have been called to make disciples of all men (Republicans and Democrats, alike), Christ is not honored. 

To be clear I am not at all suggesting that Evangelicals should refrain from political debate, social engagement, or running for office. I am suggesting that such involvement is more a civil right afforded to us as Americans than a biblical one; and that we should understand it as so. In other words political victories should not be publicly construed as spiritual, or necessarily moral, in a non-theocratic republic. The continued blurring of this line is not leading to more people being saved, but less; not to more people being attracted to our message but repelled by it; not to more people coming into the church but avoiding it altogether. 

It is true. When we wallow in the divisive muck of partisan politics, we stop serving Christ. We are privileged to have the freedom to participate in the process but must remain vigilant to separate the sacred and the profane.

There is also a mindset problem when you believe that "American politics and patriotism are the center of Christianity, at least as communicated in public life." Sorry but Christ is not at the heart of American politics and nationalism. If waging political war is central to Christianity, then the body of Christ will wither.

What is particularly unsettling to me is the sight of Christian leaders singing the praises of politicians that promote greed, materialism, war, vengeance, contempt for the poor, and the desecration of God's creation. Those are from Mammon, not God. You cannot reconcile those attitudes and beliefs with the teachings of Christ. In fact, when I see politicians championing greed, violence, and self-centeredness, I refuse to believe they are Christians. When I see pastors and other Christian leaders telling me it is my sacred duty to support politicians that serve the rich and increase the suffering of the poor, I have to fight the urge to throw up.

The comments to this article were telling. Most defended the mixing of politics and Christianity rather than taking the concerns raised by the author to heart. In their mind, Christians are being forced to do something immoral in our society. For example, the Hobby Lobby case is treated as if good Christians like the Green family were being forced to cover contraceptive methods that they considered immoral. The Greens were not forced to use these forms of contraception; neither were their employees. Imagine if the Greens had raised their concerns about these contraceptives and encouraged their employees not to take them even though they are legal in our secular society rather than fighting a multi-million dollar legal campaign to exempt themselves from the law.

Paraphrasing Deymaz, political victories are not spiritual or even moral victories. We have the luxury to participate fully in our society's political process as Christians. Christ, not political ideology, should be the focus of our concern. When politics become divisive to the body of Christ, then it is time to throw out the politics. Think of it as divorce from unholy matrimony.

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Today I Give Thanks for a reminder of the past uncovered deep from beneath the street. A lot of time and energy went into crafting that old brick storm drain.

As the bloodbath in the Middle East continues

...Some children of God are finding ways to build interfaith trust. The Religion News Service has an excellent example.

Muslim-Jewish iftars are popping up across the nation, bringing together dozens and sometimes hundreds of people for a celebratory Ramadan meal and a chance to forge interfaith friendships. 

This Ramadan, as Jews and Muslims exchange rocket fire in Israel and Gaza, those attending these meals say they are all the more significant, as a way of demonstrating that Jews and Muslims have much in common, and can enjoy each others’ food and company.

They are mindful of the violence and offer prayers for peace and resolution. This is how the children of God should relate to one another.

“Yes, we are in another awful flare-up of violence and both of our communities are suffering. That will be acknowledged at the iftar.” 

- - Rabbi Sarah Bassin

“We will try to figure out how we can deal with the tragedy overseas and move forward. That’s the whole point. There will probably be a lot of prayer.” 

- - Husna Ghani, Council of Muslim Organizations of Greater Chicago 

I cannot help but pray for more examples like this one. 

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Today I Give Thanks (TIGT) for real watermelon candy . . . 

Dear Middle East Leaders

Blessed are the peacemakers . . .
. . . for they shall be called the children of God.


To the leaders of Israel and Palestine:

Cut the crap.

Thanks!

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Just so everyone is on the same page, a few weeks back some wretched human beings kidnapped and murdered three Israeli Jewish teens. A Palestinian teen was then set on fire in retaliation. Before long, both sides are shooting rockets at one another. The spiral of violence is quick. Behold the power of a few truly wicked people in inciting bloodshed.

If you are truly a person of faith, you might want to pay close attention.  Here are the families of the teens killed at the start of this bloodletting in the Middle East.

The families of murdered Israeli teen Naftali Fraenkel and murdered Palestinian teen Mohammed Abu Khdeir are drawing comfort from an unexpected source: each other.

Parents struggling with grief because of senseless acts of violence reach out in strength and grace to one another. This is what it means to remember that we are all the children of God.

Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat took to Facebook on Sunday to write about an “emotional and special telephone conversation between two families that have lost their sons.” He said that during his visit to the Fraenkel family home, he had a chance to speak to Hussein Abu Khdeir, Mohammed’s father, and express pain at the “barbaric” murder of his son.
Barkat then suggested that Abu Khdeir speak to Yishai Fraenkel, the uncle of Naftali Fraenkel who recently told the press that “the life of an Arab is equally precious to that of a Jew. Blood is blood, and murder is murder, whether that murder is Jewish or Arab.” The two men took Barkat’s advice and comforted one another by telephone. 

In a separate visit organized by Rabbi Rafi Ostroff, chair of the religious council of Gush Etzion, Palestinians from the Hebron area showed up at the door of the Fraenkel family, looking to comfort the bereaved. 

Asked why they had come, one Palestinian said, “Things will only get better when we learn to cope with each other’s pain and stop getting angry at each other. Our task is to give strength to the family and also to take a step toward my nation’s liberation. We believe that the way to our liberation is through the hearts of Jews.”

When I see empathy like this, I believe God smiles proudly. When I see bloodthirsty political leaders, I believe God is nowhere to be found. They are not killing for God. No, they are killing to satisfy their political followers and benefactors. Smells like sulfur and evil to me.


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Today I Give Thanks (TIGT) for crosses in unexpected places.