I had an article published in yesterday’s Edmonton Journal. You can check it out here.
It will serve as today’s post.
Happy Father’s Day!
Tags: Father’s Day
Loving Enemies and Turning Cheeks
My grandfather was Mennonite, but after he emigrated, for reasons of his own, he left the “Meno’s” to hook up with the Baptists.
Perhaps there is some residual pacifist DNA in me; I have more than a passive interest in what it is that makes peace, or what things, make for peace. Maybe it’s because I see a hard knot of violence at my own core. It may be a refined sort of violence, the socially acceptable sort, but it is violence non-the-less.
Still, I see myself as a pacifist; at least in principle. But I haven’t been tested, not really. Admittedly, pacifism in principle is easy. In practice–difficult. And in consistent application, next to impossible. But there have been cases where the “next to impossible” has been eclipsed, and that, with a certain ardour.
During the Roman wars of the fifth century no one was safe. Teutonic hordes, namely the Vandals, raided and laid waste to everything in their path. Rome and Roman towns and villages as well as monasteries were all razed along with any humanity within reach.
During one such raid, the story goes, a Warrior-chief rode up to one solitary monk who had decided not to flee his monastery. The Warrior-chief said, “Do you not know who I am? I am the man who can drive my sword through your heart with out blinking an eye.” And the monk responded, “Do you not know who I am? I am the man who will let you drive your sword through my heart without blinking an eye.”
Regarding violence, is there any other avenue open for the Christian other than loving enemies and turning cheeks?
Tags: Peace
Starbucks Log: Oily Contagion
Log entry: Tired people but basically happy people are ambling into the coffee shop today…what with the Oilers living to fight another day…and fans living to do what they do.
The young Chinese man that served me is seemingly oblivious to the weight of identification we have with the Oilers.
Speaking of identification, not having followed the regular season, I was surprised at the disappointment I felt at the Oiler loss the other night at Rexall. And equally surprised at my own excitement when Pisani scored the overtime goal last night, shorthanded goal to-boot.
At the time, I was at church. There was a celebration in honour of the High School grads, my son being one. The youth pastor was passionately engaged in giving some final commendations and exhortations to the grads and to us parents when we heard the yell. The church's assistant pastor and a friend were watching the game in a back office. The friend appeared at the door and gave the thumbs up. People cheered, …and the youth pastor went on to conclude.
What is it about sports that animates us to the point of giddy obsession? In some cases, violent obsession?
One caller to a radio show this morning reported the scene in the pub he was at last night. Everyone stood, doffed their caps, and sang the national anthem. The radio announcer effused, "So nationalism is cool again!"
I suspect it's a pretty thin nationalistic veneer. Still, how does this work? What's the principle involved?
Is the socio-cultural phenomenon at work here group identification? Is our group adhesion a contagion? If there were no other groups, or teams, or nations, would there still be any kind of group cohesion? That is, does the bonding of one group depend almost entirely on the existence of other groups? And if so, what does this tell us about ourselves? Is group competition, something that can be good-natured and self-revealing, also something that can too readily slip into gang rivalry or virulent nationalism? Is this one of the fallen principalities St. Paul talked about?
Finally does this understanding, if it is an understanding, of identifying ourselves with some group, abstract or otherwise, keep alive our propensity of segmenting people, and, does this have any bearing on how treat and care for people? Just pondering.
Jim Wallis – Sojourner
Many years ago I read a book by called, "A Call to Conversion", by Jim Wallis. You might have heard of Wallis before. I suppose you could describe him as a Christian social activist.
The book described his own ongoing conversion concerning care of the poor. He also shared his experiences of living with a few like-minded Christians, in community with the poor. It was a prophetic book and at times Wallis sounded like an Old Testament Amos.
His challenge to Christendom's all too often insular ways is fervent, and even though the book is a quarter century old, the message is still relevant. From a certain perspective this is sad.
Well Jim Wallis hasn't gone away, or changed his message. His latest endeavor is organizing something called Pentecost 2006: Building A Covenant for a New America. His plan is to put poverty on America's national agenda.
Alternatively check out a magazine called Sojourners of which Wallis is editor-in-chief. Always insightful and challenging articles on social justice issues. Somewhat disappointing is that I have yet to find a Canadian equivalent to Sojourners. Or perhaps you can point me to one.