PARAKLETOS

I think i have figured it out how to post audio to the blog.  so here is another important theologian, Cornel West.  One of his books that you should read is “race matters”.  To get a taste of Cornel list to this.  click here

The last time i tried to post this audio it did not work I think it will work this time.  This is an audio file of a theologian named Jurgan Moltmann.  He has been a big influence in my life and i think that this is worth listening to.

To listen or downlaod the file just click here

This is a talk by Jurgan Moltmann.  I have found Jurgan to be a great theologian.

You need to know on the front end that I am writing these things to purge myself of the last week and half. I have to get these things out because like Dad said I can not let them over take me.

As I wrote after Obama was elected that this was a great moment in our nations history. For me to see Obama go from being property, or not even having the right to vote, to become president is a huge event in our history as a nation. This is another event that brakes the stronghold of the original sin of slavery / racism. And to me as that original sin is broken all of us are retrieving our humanity, both people of color (those who where oppressed) and whites (those who where the oppressors). What a thing to rejoice in.

What I have come to realize over the last 1 ½ weeks at Bethel is that I am in the minority with how I view this event. At Bethel we have had the words “end of the world”, “anti-christ”, “demonic” used along with a lot of silence (we are also looking into a situation where the “n” word was used). And to be honest it is that silence that really angers me. Do we have nothing to say? Do we really not see this as enough of an event to even comment on? Do we really believe that our faith has nothing to say about this? Are we so disconnected from the pain of racism that we can not rejoice?

I am asking these questions to those of us, who claim to follow Jesus. For me when I read the scriptures I hear stories and people talking about taking down the inequalities of the day and working towards a just and good social order. So when racism takes a hit why would we not rejoice?

Here is why I say we are not rejoicing (by we I mean white evangelicals) and I think I have the right to say this because since I was in 5 grade I have gone to evangelical schools, I have a masters degree from an evangelical school, I have worked in two evangelical churches, and I currently work at an evangelical university. I also say these things as an evangelical calling us into something better.

1. we have made our faith about the “afterlife” we have come to understand the gospel as saving souls to get into heaven. And so in that environment things in this world are secondary.
2. Our wealth has blinded us. Throughout the New Testament Jesus warns time and time again that for those of great wealth to enter into the kingdom it is very difficult. I am not saying that Jesus did. We have to take some serious looks at what economic class we are coming from and how is that shaping the ways that we see our faith.
3. Our power has blinded us. We live in a nation where most of us profess some kind of Christianity and when we as people get on top we do all kinds of crazy things. There has been a lot written about the shift in Christianity at the time when Constantine took over the Roman Empire. What took place in that shift can help us really understand where we are at today. I would encourage you do to some reading about that shift or talk to you Pastor about it. If your Pastor is unable to carry on a conversation about that shift, I would be very concerned.
4. Our social context has blinded us- we live in a racialized society and as whites we have greatly benefit from that society. If you are not having some significant conversation in your church about race please start asking why?
5. Lack of knowing our scriptures and our tradition. In my opinion we have stopped reading our Bibles and understanding what those stories are really saying, and instead we read one verse and then give it the meaning that we want it to have.

Here is how I see it. Either we do some serious soul searching our, we will slowing go the way of the buffalo.

Last week we had a group of students from Bethel come and help us tear down the garden.  This is what it looked like when we were done.  It was great to see the soil a nice black color.

I have no idea how many dollars of food we got off the garden, but it had to be 100s.  We canned over 100 jars and froze over 30 gallons of food.  One of the gardeners opened up their freezer for us to use.

We have another group about 8 blocks north of us that wants to do the same thing on a lot next to them.  It is looking like we will have two of these gardens going next year.  I also have had other neighbors say that they would like to join our garden so I think we will garden the whole lot and have close to 10 of us next year.

What a great year of connecting to our land, connecting to how our food is made, and connecting to our neighbors.

if you live on the northside and would like to be part of this garden or would like to start a garden let me know i would love to help.

to check out pictures of the whole year click here

All day yesterday, from the time that i wrote that morning blog, until the time i went to bed i had this rush of excitement, a rush of emotions.

I talked with people from south africa, kenya, texas, great britain, chicago, LA, and time and time again i heard about great excitement.  Parties started when they heard the news.  Kenya declared it a national holiday.  Wow!!!  I saw joy in peoples eyes, i had a young african american women cry on my shoulder, and a man tell me that he was so happy he did not know what to do with himself.

I heard no one say that the struggle for equality was over, but it sure does feel good to feel a strong wind at our backs.

I still don’t know how we are going to celebrate as a family, but we are going to do somthing special and make a family tradition out of it.  I encourage you to do the same.  I also hope that our churches celebrate this great day for all of us.  If you are having a hard time knowing what all the joy is about, i would encourage you to go on a great journey.  a journey of learning about our history, a journey of learning from people of color, a journey of knowing about the current day disparities, a journey of connecting to the struggle.  And if you do that the excitement i believe will be made clear to you.

 I hope that this works.  But here is a song from “call and response”.  it is a song of freedom, a song about facing the truth of this world and experiencing freedom in that facing of truth. if the video does not work check out this link.  http://www.spinner.com/  look for “redemption song”

Yesterday was a powerful day for our family and i believe it was a powerful day for our nation.

As i stood in line yesterday, i started to talk to one of my nieghbors.  As we talked she shared that she did not think that she would ever see this day in her live time.  She said that she thought that this nation was maybe ready for a women to be president, but she never thought that she would see a black man as president. Also for the last couple of days you can feel the excitement in the air as people from the neighborhood got ready to vote.  In conversations you could feel the excitement and driving around there have been people on the sidewalks holding signs.

Also last night we woke Micah out of a dead sleep, told him we would give him candy, and brought him down to watch Obama’s speech.  As a father i got to tell him that he was seeing history, that when this nation was started Obama would have been seen as property (the first 16 presidents could have owned him), and it was not until 40 years ago that most black men even got to cast a vote.  I got to explain that change to Micah, at this age he does not get what he is watching but all of this is deeply changing the person that he will grow up to me and for a father that is a powerful thing ( as i write i am so moved in emotion i don’t know how to put it into words)

Yesterday was a great day for all americans, it is a day for us to face our history and say that we are changing.  The change is not over, but we are moving, we are not finished, but our childern are growing up in a different way then what we grow up, we are still not all equal, but there is more equality today then yesterday.

The election of Obama does not solve all of our problems, but i hope that it calles us to face those problems and gives us strenght to resist the evils of our past. 

Last night we have about 35 of our neighbors over for a Halloween party.  In this picture
Erin is making monsters brains with part of the group.  It was a great night out so we where able to watch the movie Monsters Inc outside.  People brought candy so we had some much that parents are going to be dealing with some crazy sugar highs for sometime (at least we will in our house)

It was really great to have Whitney bring her two week old baby.  It was so fun to celebrate with a new first time mother.  She is really doing a great job, at the hardest job that there is, being a parent.

 

It was also great having Jamillah’s family and Bianca’s family over, two new families, which have just moved into the neighborhood in the last few months.  I love in a neighborhood where families are welcomed with they move in, and where we are all trying so hard to really know each other. 

 

Thanks to all of you living here, you are making my life and my families’ life so much fuller!

 If you want to see some pictures from the night click here.