September 2009 Archives - Brian McLaren
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September 30, 2009
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Q & R: Hell, etc.
Here's the question:
I know you are very busy and I also know that the chances of my receiving a response to this email are pretty slim, but I must send it anyway....
I have read a lot of material on your website and have formed some assumptions based on what I read. First, It sounds like you believe in some form of relative morality based on your thoughts toward scripture. Second, that you do not believe in hell. And third, that you believe (based on some of your latest comments) that the god worshipped by Muslims is the same God that Christians worship.
Are these assumptions true?
Response after the jump -
September 29, 2009
The new Baptists ...
I'm in North Carolina today, speaking to folks at Campbell University (home of the camels!). The good people of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will be strongly represented today - a group I am tremendously impressed with and optimistic about. Many have damaged the good name of Baptist in recent years, but these folks represent a different spirit and are moving toward a better future. I return home tonight, and then tomorrow Grace and I leave for Australia, so expect blog posts to be less frequent for the next couple weeks.
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Q & R: Secret Message of Jesus, perichoresis, cross
Q:
I have enjoyed the Secret Message of Jesus book, which to be honest surprised me. Some of these issues related to Jesus, church, and kingdom have been rattling around in my head for a while, and you have helped stir them and feed them.
I had two questions about sources. 1. You said that early church fathers used the metaphor of dance to understand the relationship of the trinity. I cannot find that in my sources. 2. You said that the early church chose the cross because they saw Jesus’ way as a way of suffering and not of power. Do you have any source material for that?
Thanks for the very helpful, thought-provoking book.Continue reading Q & R: Secret Message of Jesus, perichoresis, cross...
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September 28, 2009
Australia ... Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gets it right ...
I'll be in Australia for the first half of October - traveling and speaking in several cities, then stopping off in New Zealand before returning home. Here's a speech by Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, celebrating the release of the Poverty and Justice Bible, which is one of the truly worthwhile Bible-publishing accomplishments in my lifetime ... to which The Justice Project would be a great accompaniment! The speech - after the jump:
Continue reading Australia ... Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gets it right ......
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September 25, 2009
Ramadan 2009: Retrospective
I just received a nice note from a Franciscan novice who joined in the Ramadan fast ... you can read his blog here.
And this from a Christian who was in the Middle East during Ramadan:
Brian, I just read your blog on Ramadan 2009 and very much appreciate your comments. I’ve been in Jerusalem and Bethlehem for 3 of the 4 weeks of Ramadan and also have been very much inspired by the discipline and love of God that is expressed in this holy month. I am a Christian who has come to have great respect for the Muslim faith. I was invited to an iftar last week, to the home of a family I had never met before. I was received with graciousness and hospitality and spent a lovely evening with people who were not of my faith, culture or even language. A friend of mine, a Palestinian Muslim, spent a great deal of the month at the Al Aqsa Mosque, and participated in the daily fasting. He has suffered under Israeli occupation and conflict for over 60 years, yet I could see the difference that this month made in his life. Thank you for sharing. Peace, Shalom, Salaam
And another reader sent this link offering thoughtful reflections on observing Ramadan in Mozambique ...
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Tyler Wigg-Stevenson gets it right on nuclear weapons again ...
Read about his response to President Obama's important UN speech here. There's a lot to be depressed and worried about today, but the tide is turning on nuclear weapons ... and that's something to celebrate. Be sure to notice the legendary conservative leaders who support Tyler's work.
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September 24, 2009
Q & R: worship
Q:
Hi! I checked your website to see when and where you'll be speaking, but I don't know what you'll be speaking about! :)
I guess why I say that is because I'm interesting in attending a conference or event when you'll be speaking about worship/music/arts in the church (or even "outside" the church). :) I have been a worship leader at an interdenominational church for many years and have been challenged by your thoughts about music in the church. I would love to hear you speak!
Would you be able to let me know if you are speaking on worship (or even something more general, but relating) and where and when that will be!
Thanks so much!
Reply after the jump ... -
an amazing graphic ...
Tim P sent this graphic in ... really worth looking at here. I was especially blown away by the cost of converting the entire planet to solar energy, or the cost of all African debt, compared to the cost of the banking/insurance crisis.
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September 23, 2009
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Your part in creation care ...
I was invited to share on creation care at the College Park Cohort last night. What a tremendous group of people - old friends and new. The night ended - appropriately - with Todd Thomas giving me a tour of the hydrogen fuel cell car he's a test driver for. Amazing!
Here's what I shared ...
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What could be more joyful than rediscovering our God-given role as caretakers, stewards, and lovers of creation? What could be more sad and tragic than missing that dimension of life - linking the human parts of God's creation with the rest? How much would we miss by neglecting or ignoring the vast majority of God's creation that came into being before we did - and that was pronounced "good" by God completely apart from its utility to us?Here are seven first steps that I recommend to all of us who want to re-enter our primal (and deeply fulfilling) role as caretakers of God's beautiful world.
1. Develop a theology of creation. Sadly, many of us have a gospel of evacuation and abandonment, leaving behind creation to be destroyed so our souls can be beamed up to heaven as soon as possible. We need instead a theology of incarnation and engagement ... where we join the Creator in loving and caring for creation. Thankfully, this theology that includes rather than evacuates creation is deeply rooted in the Scriptures, and is being rediscovered and freshly articulated by many of us today.
(more after the jump)
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not quite reading rainbow ...
I'm no LeVar Burton, but here's a sincere and enthusiastic recommendation for two new books on the subject of faith and justice ...
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September 22, 2009
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Action on Climate Change - Can you do something today to make a difference?
You can if one of these people is your senator:
Barbara Boxer (CA)
Max Baucus (MT)
Thomas R. Carper (DE)
Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ)
Benjamin L. Cardin (MD)
Bernard Sanders (VT)
Amy Klobuchar (MN)
Sheldon Whitehouse (RI)
Tom Udall (NM)
Jeff Merkley (OR)
Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)
Arlen Specter (PA)How to help - it's not hard - after the jump ...
Along with a great summary of why climate change matters -Continue reading Action on Climate Change - Can you do something today to make a difference?...
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September 21, 2009
More from Nouwen ... on silence and words
Continuing on the theme of silence and words (from the previous post), Nouwen quotes the Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu:
“The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten. The purpose of the word is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to.”
Then he references Diadochus of Photiki:
“When the door of the steambath is continually left open, the heat inside rapidly escapes through it; likewise the soul, in its desire to say many things, dissipates its remembrance of God through the door of speech, even though everything it says may be good. Thereafter, the intellect, though lacking appropriate ideas, pours out a welter of confused thoughts to anyone it meets ...”
One recalls another great theologian, Bruce Cockburn ... in his song "Burden of the Angel/Beast" he says:
Those who know don't have the words to tell
And the ones with the words don't know too wellThese are the warnings I carry in mind and heart today as I go out to share words ...
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From New England ...
After a few good days in Nova Scotia last week, I'm a little farther south in Connecticut today. I enjoyed the warm hospitality of Christ Church Greenwich over the weekend, and today I'll be with students at Berkeley and Yale Div schools and meeting with some clergy groups as well - a full day, and I'm looking forward to it.
Ramadan ended over the weekend, and the AP carried this story about the experience some of us shared.
Now, with the fast behind me, I feel that it's hard to talk about the experience. I can't explain or put into words what this has meant to me, and I fear that trying to do so will weaken or cheapen the experience. So I think I'll wait until the time is right (if it ever is), especially in light of what I was reading this morning about silence from Henri Nouwen:
Let us focus for a moment on theological education. What else is the goal of theological education than ... (More after the jump)
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September 19, 2009
you know you've arrived when ...
... you're on a trading card inserted in a cereal box like this one!
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September 18, 2009
Can-fusion ...
Here's a great Canadian fusion ... Steve Bell and Fresh I.E.
I'm in Halifax, NS, at the moment (speaking at Atlantic School of Theology - a tremendous group of people), and as a fan of great Canadian musicians - like Steve, Bruce Cockburn, and others ... it's a good day to appreciate Canadian talent, eh?
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power of sacred
I posted a few new songs in recent days and several folks have asked for lyrics and chords. After the jump I'll include them, along with a note about the songs I post here.
The Power of Sacred
Clenching Fist, Open Hand -
September 17, 2009
Ramadan 2009: Day 26 (or 27? Lost count ...)
Several people have asked me what one thing I have gained from this experience so far. There have been so many that it's impossible to single out one. Perhaps in retrospect in a few weeks, one will rise above the others. Today, though, let me mention two.
First, respect. I have gained new respect for the hundreds of millions of Muslim men and women and even children who observe Ramadan year after year. Many of my Christian friends see everything in other religions as efforts to "earn one's way to heaven" (a misguided venture, we know), without realizing that this kind of earning isn't everyone else's preoccupation. For many people, this observance is an expression of love ... a tangible way to express love for God and for one's faith community. And it's also a time-tested spiritual practice, which I'll return to in a minute.
I'm sure that anyone who has trained for a marathon gains new respect for the millions of other people who have been through that experience. When they see a marathon on TV or when they meet someone who is a marathon runner, they have a greater respect than the rest of us for the sacrifice and dedication behind every step of every runner because they've run many miles in those same shoes (metaphorically speaking). In my own very small way, that's what I feel now - much more than I expected. For the rest of my life, every time I meet a Muslim who has observed the fast even once, I will have a new and sincere respect.
Second ... (after the jump)
Continue reading Ramadan 2009: Day 26 (or 27? Lost count ...)...
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September 16, 2009
Attention, Australians!
I'll be in your beautiful country the first half of October - in Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney. (I'll also be in Aukland, NZ, October 12-14. Details TBA) Information here ... and after the jump:
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September 15, 2009
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Friends in Connecticut and New York City area
I don't get to the Big Apple area nearly as often as I'd like, which is why I'm especially glad to have a chance to connect with folks this weekend. On Sunday morning I'll be speaking at Christ Church in Greenwich, CT. Then on Sunday afternoon (1:30 - 4:30), I'll be leading a workshop on the Bible.
How do we read the Bible in today's world? We've seen the Bible (ab)used to justify slavery, racism, violence, oppression of women, harsh treatment of gay people, anti-semitism, ecological irresponsibility, etc. What can we learn from those mistakes? How can we let the Bible's message shape and empower us constructively and hopefully? What assumptions do we bring to the Bible that we need to question - and what questions should we bring to the Bible each time we open it?
I'll be giving some short introductory talks, but the bulk of the three-hour afternoon workshop will be experiential. I'll guide you through some reflections and interactions with the Bible, digging deep into several fascinating passages. If you've never cracked open a Bible, if you've feel you've kind of OD'ed on the Bible and it's all become familiar and "same-old same-old," if you love and enjoy the Bible but are aware that there are new approaches being explored, or if you are suspicious of the Bible and maybe even bothered by it, I think you'll find this an inspirational and educational way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
You can get more information and download the flyer here. I hope I'll see you this weekend!
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Do you live in the Houston TX area?
I'll be speaking (via skype) to the Advocacy Camp on October 24. You can download info below. Looking forward to a great day talking about how churches can make a difference in their communities ...
Download file -
September 14, 2009
Q & R: Key issues in the emergent conversation ...
Here's the question:
I am XXXX, and I am a pastor of a new church near XXX. Back in 200X, I wrote my Senior Project at XXXX University on the Emerging Church in the United States. Interestingly, I used Cedar Ridge, in part, as a case study to highlight ecclesial shifts happening among evangelical churches even then.
Now XXX years later, I am exploring thoughts on a doctoral project at XXX Seminary in Atlanta. My question for you, to use a tennis analogy, is more like a “lob shot.” My question is: Currently, what do you think most needs to be explored and examined in the Emergent Church conversation that could most benefit the Church? Put another way, if you were thinking of writing a 35 page journal article about some aspect of the Emergent Church, what would your focus be?
Thanks for any time and response you can offer to this general question. I am grateful for the vital ministry you are carrying out in these days. As you probably well know by now, you are a strength to many of us young clergy who are living in this liminal time in Christian history.
Reply after the jump ...
Continue reading Q & R: Key issues in the emergent conversation ......
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September 13, 2009
I just learned that ...
... yet another Christian friend has joined Muslim friends and neighbors in the Ramadan fast. Australian Dave Andrews (whose books I highly recommend - from Christianarchy to Not Religion, But Love to Plan Be to Compassionate Community Work) shares some important insights on fasting, integrity, and resistance to empire here. Well worth reading - especially for those of us who live under constant temptation to sell out to empire.
Thanks, Dave! -
September 12, 2009
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For turtle fans ...
Here's a video from the florida keys of a nest of loggerhead sea turtles hatching.
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September 11, 2009
Links roundup ...
Diana Butler Bass gets it right on "the moral we" in the health care debate here ...
Eboo Patel gets it right on the power of faith in global politics here.
Baptist Pastor Chuck Warnock gets it right on calling fellow Christians to a higher standard of civility here.
If you haven't heard about Dean Nelson's new book, God Hides in Plain Sight, here's a great interview. He's currently working on an important project on science and faith and the work of John Polkinghorne (of whom I'm also a big fan) - info here.
A beautiful worship song by South African musician/pastor/theologian Jonathan van de Laar - helping fill a gap I've written about elsewhere ...
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"A little bit of unity and communion today"
On this day when many of us are remembering a day of violence eight years ago, Richard Rohr (after the jump) offers a beautiful image of what it means to be agents of the peace of Christ today ... including something as simple as sharing "benevolent smiles" (literal and figurative) with everyone we meet. More after the jump ...
Continue reading "A little bit of unity and communion today"...
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Praying for Malaysia, September 16
My fried Sivin Kit is part of an important initiative in his homeland, Malaysia. You can read about it here. Blessed are the peacemakers!
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September 10, 2009
On the health care speech last night ...
Three things struck me about President Obama's speech on health care reform. First, I was struck by the speech's emphasis on morality. Caring for our poor neighbors - and even more so when they are sick - is indeed a moral concern. Second, I was impressed by the way the speech addressed economic concerns. Like a lot of people, I'm concerned about costs and deficits - and I thought the President wisely pointed out that the rising costs of doing nothing are unacceptably high. The fact that we pay significantly more for health care than other wealthy nations - and are not more healthy, but less - tells me we have a lot to learn from other countries, both in treating disease efficiently and in pre-empting it with healthier living. Finally, I was impressed by the mature and responsible character reflected in both the speech's content and delivery. Even when he was called a liar by a member of Congress from whom we would expect more adult, civil, and professional behavior, the President modeled the grace and restraint that signal maturity of character. And similarly, the speech rightly emphasized that health care is a matter of national character. It takes maturity to integrate diverse concerns that are both long-term and short-term, personal and corporate, economic and moral. It takes maturity to integrate our traditional values of individual self-reliance and of commitment to our neighbors. Our nation hasn't displayed a lot of that maturity of character in my lifetime, and now, both in what we do about health care and how we do it, we have a golden opportunity to learn and grow. - Brian McLaren, author/speaker (brianmclaren.net)
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response to yesterday's post on hospitality ...
A few weeks ago I shared a link to the story of Benjamin Ries ... a gifted young pastor who is also sharing in the Ramadan fast as a Christian guest.
Here's his response to yesterday's post on hospitality ...
Brian,
Thanks for your blog on hospitality. It's something I've been reflecting on over these last 18 days. (By the way, can you believe we're over halfway there? I've already found myself lamenting the end of this beautiful season.) Anyway, I've found that the thing I look forward to most each evening as I drive to share iftar with my Muslim friends is their hospitality. The authentic joy that I am greeted with (along with the genuine disappointment they share when I've missed an evening or two) has been surprisingly hopeful and life-giving for me. It has also heightened my awareness to the way the Christian faith has lost the art of hospitality. I'm not sure we value the presence of others outside of the chance they'll "place membership" and be a long-term "contributing" member. It is no longer enough to welcome the stranger simply because they are fellow human beings - beings whose very presence is a gift from God and not a product to acquire or a commodity to convert. It seems that the Muslim community I gather with is not so concerned with saying the right thing, giving off the right impression, or capitalizing on their one shot to get me coming back (which just happens to be the very things consuming most Christians these days). Rather, they seem to be a people who focus on gratitude, authenticity, and a radical trust that God does not need their gimmicks to fulfill his purpose and mission in the world.I've just been thinking...What if the church's primary witness to the world was their gratitude, authenticity, and radical trust in the Father? That's not a ground-breaking question, I know, but my experience with a community of faith who embodies these characteristics has created a deep hunger and thirst for these things in my own community of faith.
peace,
benI know what Ben's talking about. In encountering the other - not through the eyes of judgment (Matthew 7:1-5), but as people of peace (Luke 10:5-9 - well worth reading in this context!) - we see ourselves more clearly and gain an opportunity to learn and grow.
By the way, I just heard my friend Samir Selmanovic's new book is out. The title is It's Really All About God: Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian. If you're open to encountering the other in a new way, I'm sure this book will help you. If you're not open, I hope this book might begin to change that.
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September 9, 2009
Ramadan 2009, Day 18: Hospitality ...
One of the themes that has emerged for me so far in this month's fast is hospitality.
To begin with, there's the beautiful hospitality of the Peace Moms, Eboo Patel, and other Muslim friends who welcomed me - and several other Christians - to be part of their observance of Ramadan.
Then there's the kind hospitality of fellow Christians who didn't immediately react in judgment and fear, but made space to consider a new way of approaching "the other."
On another level, today I was reading the manuscript for an important, beautifully-written, and spiritually moving book called A Gentler God by Doug Frank.
(more after the jump) -
Diana Butler Bass gets it right.
"The fear-mongers have had their season," she says. You can read the rest here.
By the way, if you'd like a delightful overview of church history, check out Diana's most recent book, A People's History of Christianity.
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What an awe-inspiring universe!
NASA offers some amazing photos here ... Including this one, gaseous structures, superheated to 36,000 degrees, racing through space like a giant butterfly at 600,000 miles per hour.
The heavens declare the glory of God ... indeed! (Psalm 19) -
If you need a laugh (or cry?) ...
My friend Kent Annan (a gifted writer whose new book will be out in December - learn about his writing and his beautiful work in Haiti here ...) passed this on:
The other day I heard a comedian tell a joke that made me laugh out loud: "For a long time I was sponsoring an orphan in a really tough place somewhere in Africa. But not anymore. I was watching TV late at night and this ad came on and I realized, "What, for that same amount of money, I could be getting a coffee every single day!"
Gotta laugh and cry in this world, right?
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New resources from Chuck Smith, Jr.
Chuck and I met in the late 80's (sheesh!) at a Leadership Network event. We've both been through a lot since then, and have been friends to one another through a lot of life's ups and downs. I subscribe to his email "Reflexion," which is one of the spiritual resources that enriches me week by week. He just launched a new website to make his many valuable resources available ... I encourage you to check it out (and sign up for Reflexions!) here.
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September 8, 2009
A plea for a new generation of Republican leadership
I believe our nation works best with robust and civic dialogue and civil debate. For mature societal conversations to take place, at least two mature parties are required, and looking back over this summer, a second party is hard to find.
The Obama administration needs a worthy loyal opposition, just as any group in power does, and the president himself often says so. But people who shout "hitler, nazi, socialist" don't constitute a worthy loyal opposition. Nor do the birthers (who don't stray too far from the fictional portrait of the afterbirthers described satirically here). Nor do the nostalgics, who seem to keep waking up in the 1980's year after year, quoting Ronald Reagan.
[Regarding the nostaligics, one can't help but recall God's words to Joshua (Joshua 1:2): "Moses my servant is dead." Many Republicans, it seems, are like Joshua and need to be told it's time to move on and discover their own voice, to think their own thoughts, to face today's challenges, to start leading constructively and not just repeating old slogans - always revering the memory of their late-20th-Century Moses, of course, but moving on to face today's problems just as their oft-sung hero sought to face those of his day.]
More after the jump ...Continue reading A plea for a new generation of Republican leadership...
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So much good stuff ...
Emergentvillage.com blog has a great introduction to LeRon Shultz - via an article and podcast interview with Tripp Fuller. He is one of our planet's really important living theologians, with so much to offer.
There's also a good link to resources from Proost, some important thoughts from Phyllis Tickle, information on Generate magazine, a perceptive article by Gideon Addington, Julie Clawson's article anticipating Christianity 21 (wish I could be there!), and a thoughtful post from Nick Fiedler of the ever-interesting Nick and Josh Podcast. Give yourself at least a half-hour, and better yet an hour, to see what's available there right now.
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"Finding Our Way Again" - need a group study book?
This report recently came in ...
Our group finished Finding Our Way Again last night. About ten families were a part of the summer-long study. It stimulated some incredible dialogue and was a catalyst in our search for other material or resources to compliment the study and experience. The depth of connection was uncommon and wonderful. Both with God and others. ...Thanks again for the book. It is a rich source for those who want to see and find God and it particularly helped me see God in what I am already doing.
By the way, if you're interested in using EMC for a study group, I just saw the new paperback for the first time yesterday. It looks great. And don't forget the DVD study guide too...
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September 7, 2009
Silent as light
At the church gathering we were part of this week, we sang the old hymn "Immortal, Invisible." Two lines especially struck me ... "silent as light" and "'tis only the splendor of light hideth thee."
I remember hearing Dallas Willard preach many years ago on 1 John 1:5: "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you ..."
How would you complete that sentence? With one of the ancient creeds? With the four spiritual laws? With a doctrine like justification by grace through faith, or penal substitutionary atonement? With the anti-imperial message of the gospels, or the inclusion of the other?
Here's how 1 John 1:5 completes the sentence: "This is the message ... God is light; and in God there is no darkness at all."
God is light ... silent, but powerful ... bright, but often invisible until it reflects off something else ... and even when visible, containing spectra beyond our ability to see ... sometimes so bright that we are blinded by it ... light that is literally - directly or indirectly - the source and support of all life on earth ... an absolute in this universe of relativity ... a mystery to us, even as it is the reality by which we see everything we see.
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Worship and Justice ... Jeremy del Rio and Louis Carlo get it right
Jeremy del Rio and Louis Carlo have a beautiful and needed article on worship and justice available here.
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September 5, 2009
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September 4, 2009
Lengthy post on Christianity and Islam ...
The physical part of the Ramadan fast is getting easier at this halfway point, and so my attention is shifting from making it through another afternoon to the spiritual lessons this experience offers me. For me, that means learning more of what it means to be a peacemaker between two faith communities. From both the vehemence of the negative responses I've received and the heartfelt appreciation in the positive responses, it's clearer to me than ever that this issue needs to be addressed. I felt it again Wednesday night, when I had a wonderful conversation with nine sharp young adults who have to varying degrees dropped out of church and Christian faith, and the question of pluralism was one of the most pressing questions on their minds. (By the way, all of the questions we discussed were included in the "big ten" I'll be addressing in my upcoming book - that was encouraging to see.)
I have been tremendously surprised by ...
(More after the jump ...)Continue reading Lengthy post on Christianity and Islam ......
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God and/of evolution ...
Sister Joan Chittister writes a provocative reflection on God and evolution, and on the God of evolution, here. (Thanks Mike Todd!) There are strong resonances between what Joan is saying and what my upcoming book explores. Most of us grew up learning about the God of Laws, the God who made sense in Sir Isaac Newton's mechanistic universe. (Nothing expressed this contextualization better than the little booklet "Four Spiritual Laws," which could have been called "Four Spiritual Mechanisms.") Now, we are struggling to imagine a bigger God, a God who makes sense in the evolutionary universe of Darwin, Einstein, LeMaitre, Hubble, Heisenberg, and Kuhn ... Here's how Joan expresses it ...
(after the jump) -
September 3, 2009
Do we transform our pain ... or transmit it?
More strong, gentle wisdom from Fr. Richard Rohr ...
Is your religion helping you to transform your pain? If it does not, it is junk religion. We all have pain—it’s the human situation, we all carry it in a big black bag behind us and it gets heavier as we get older: by betrayals, rejections, disappointments, and wounds that are inflicted along the way.
If we do not find some way to transform our pain, I can tell you with 100% certitude we will transmit it to those around us. We will create tension, negativity, suspicion, and fear wherever we go. Both Jesus and Buddha made it very clear to their followers that “life is suffering.” You cannot avoid it. It is no surprise that the central Christian logo became a naked, bleeding, suffering man. At the end of life, and probably early in life, too, the question is, “What do I do with this disappointment, with this absurdity, with this sadness?” Whoever teaches you how to transform your own suffering into compassion is a true spiritual authority. Whoever teaches you to project your doubt and fear onto Jews, Moslems, your family, heretics, gays, sinners, and foreigners, or even to turn it against yourself (guilt and shame) has no spiritual authority. Yet these very people have often preached from authoritative pulpits.
Adapted from The Authority of Those Who Have Suffered
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Ted Kennedy meets Jerry Falwell ...
Fans (and critics) of either man should read this speech - from the late Sen. Kennedy, delivered back in 1983 at the late Jerry Falwell's (now) Liberty University. It addresses the role of faith in public life - as vital an issue 26 years later as it was then. In this long, hot summer of overheated rhetoric, both the tone and content of the speech offer much to readers today, especially these comments on how we debate moral (and, I would add, theological) issues ...
... we must respect the motives of those who exercise their right to disagree. We sorely test our ability to live together if we too readily question each other's integrity. It may be harder to restrain our feelings when moral issues are at stake - for they go to the deepest wellsprings of our being. But the more our feelings diverge, the more deeply held they are, the greater is our obligation to grant the sincerity and basic moral decency of our fellow citizens on the other side.
You can download the speech to read in its entirety here ... Here's a short clip from the beginning of the speech. (Thanks to Gary Stone for the links.) A truly gracious moment in American religious-political history -
PS: Jim Wallis offers a beautiful tribute to Kennedy here.
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September 2, 2009
Washington Post blog ... the 4th R
You can catch my latest contribution to the On Faith blog here....
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September 1, 2009
A prayer ...
I've been especially focusing my thoughts on the beatitudes in recent days. After the jump is a prayer that they inspired.