More Than Stone

From N. T. Wright’s book “Evil and the Justice of God”

We are not told-or not in any way that satisfies our puzzled questioning-how and why there is radical evil within God’s wonderful, beautiful and essentially good creation. One day I think we shall find out, but I believe we are incapable of understanding it at the moment, in the same way that a baby in the womb would lack the categories to think about the outside world. What we are promised, however, is that God will make a world in which all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well, a world in which forgiveness is on e of the foundation stones and reconciliation is the cement which holds everything together. And we are given this promise not as a matter of whistling in the dark, not as something to believe even though there is no evidence, but in and through Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection, and in and through the Spirit through whom the achievement of Jesus becomes a reality in our world and in our lives. When we understand forgiveness, flowing from the work of Jesus and the Spirit, as the strange, powerful thing it really is, we begin to realize that God’s forgiveness of us, and our forgiveness of others, is the knife that cuts the rope by which sin, anger, fear, recrimination and death are still attached to us. Evil will have nothing to say at the last, because the victory of the cross will be fully implemented.

We return to the point at which we began. In the new heavens and the new earth there will be nor more sea, no more chaos, no more monsters coming up from the abyss. And, as with all Christian eschatology, the best news of all is that we don’t have to wait for the future to start experiencing our deliverance from evil. We are invited, summoned, bidden to start living this way in the present. I suspect that the problems this poses for us—the immediate problems of forgiving ourselves and our neighbors, and the practical and political problems of working for a world in which people no longer wish to become terrorists, in which people no longer enslave one another with crippling debt, and in which those who live at great risk of the natural elements receive special protection form civil authorities—are the real problems. The philosophical problems often function simply as a smoke screen behind which we try to hide. And I suspect, therefore, that the more we learn the meaning of forgiveness in our own lives, the more we shall glimpse the deep theological truth that all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well, and the more we shall be enabled to anticipate that reality even in the midst of our suffering world.

Technorati Tags: suffering, Virginia+tech, social+justice, poverty, aids

In response to my post on Nestle, Glen posted a comment on my site, and on his blog. Glen’s wife is a medical researcher and she disagreed with saying Nestle is “an evil” company. She cited lack of clean water sources, lack of adequate nutrition and HIV as reasons mom’s can’t breastfeed. All of which are valid concerns.

However, this does not negate Nestle’s role in undermining breastfeeding in women who SHOULD be breastfeeding. I would like to cite some sources to back this up.

The International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes

FAQ on the code

Monitoring compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes in west Africa: multisite cross sectional survey in Togo and Burkina Faso from BMJ

Nestlé’s violation of international marketing code

The Truth About Nestle

From WHO:

Difficult circumstances refer to situations faced by particularly vulnerable groups such as:

* HIV-infected mothers and their infants
* People suffering the consequences of complex emergencies, including natural or human-induced disasters such as floods, drought, earthquakes, war, civil unrest and severe political and economic living conditions.
* Low birth-weight or premature infants
* Infants and young children who are malnourished
* Adolescent mothers and their infants
* Children living in special circumstances such as foster care, or with mothers who have physical or mental disabilities, or children whose mothers are in prison or are affected by drug or alcohol abuse.

WHO is working on technical guidelines and materials for infant and young child feeding for vulnerable groups, in particular as it relates to HIV and infant feeding, infant feeding in emergency situations, feeding of malnourished children and feeding low-birth weight and premature infants.

The contribution of breastfeeding to mother-to-child transmission of HIV is an area of considerable concern. Evidence shows that up to 20% of infant born to HIV-infected mothers may acquire HIV through breastfeeding, depending on duration and other risk factors. Recent studies indicate a heightened risk of transmission during the early months. However, evidence from one study shows that exclusive breastfeeding in the first three months of life may carry a lower risk of HIV transmission than mixed feeding does. WHO is supporting research to estimate risks of transmission associated with exclusive breastfeeding and early cessation, as well as to develop interventions to ensure safe replacement feeding. Pending new information, the UNICEF/UNAIDS/WHO guidelines issued in 1998 remain valid. For more information on available guidelines and tools, please refer to the page on HIV and Infant Feeding.

In WHO’s most recent guidelines (2003) on HIV and breastfeeding it states

Exclusive breastfeeding during the first 4-6 months of life carries greater benefits than mixed feeding with respect to morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases other than HIV.

Replacement feeding carries an increased risk of morbidity and mortality associated with malnutrition and associated with infectious disease other than HIV. This is especially high in the first 6 months of life and decreases thereafter. The risk and feasibility of replacement feeding are affected by the local environment and the individual woman’s situation.

HIV, lack of proper nutrition, and no access to clean water are CLEAR issues that must be addressed when we are looking at poverty. However, corporate greed, as has been evidenced by Nestle, must be stopped as well. Nestle continues to violate the code, not only in third world countries, but also in second and first world countries as well.

If you are still reading, here are more issues with Nestle….

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCHDOG SUES NESTLE, ADM, CARGILL FOR USING FORCED CHILD LABOR

Most Wanted” Corporate Human Rights Violators of 2005 from Global Exchange

Corporations and Worker’s Rights

Just two decades ago, Sri Lanka was a country where fresh milk was freely available and very cheap. In 1981, under the policy of liberalisation and privatisation, the government took a decision to close the National Milk Board and signed an agreement with Nestle to develop the dairy industry. After 20 years, there is no fresh milk available in the market, and the entire milk foods sector is in the hands of just two or three large companies, such as Nestle, Anchor and Maliban, which market only milk powders imported from the West.

Nestle Taken to Court for Trafficking, Torture, and Beatings of Child Laborers on West African Cocoa Farms

UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR APPALLED WITH THE DECEPTIVE TACTICS OF MILK
COMPANIES IN THE PHILIPPINES

When I had the chance to go to Mars Hill for the Isn’t She Beautiful conference. At that time, Rob Bell said that at the beginning of Lent, a plan would be unveiled for people around the world, that feel part of Mars Hill to get involved. Here is the XYZ, watch the video and if your intrigued, check out the site. It’s so cool.

Technorati Tags: Mars+Hill, Rob+Bell, poverty, church

John Stackhouse has a great article entitled “William Wilberforce as an Evangelical Leftist?”.

Stackhouse says, with tongue in cheek-

Whatever happened to proper evangelical social concerns: abortion, promiscuity, euthanasia, homosexuality? You know: beginning of life, end of life, and sex in between?

HT JR Woodward

To quote Bono…

“His Truth is Marching on….And to those in the Church who still sit in judgment on the AIDS emergency, let me climb into the pulpit for just one moment. Because whatever thoughts we have about God, about who He is, or even if God exists, most will agree that God has a special place for the poor. The poor are where God lives. God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is where the opportunity is lost and lives are shattered. God is with the mother who has infected her child with a virus that will take both their lives. God is under the rubble, in the cries we hear during wartime. God, my friends, is with the poor.”

Technorati Tags: bono, AIDS, Africa, NAACP

Phil Wyman of Square No More, pastor of the Salem Gathering, said that the Scripture about the sins of Sodom, caught his attention in this video. I jumped over to You Tube to view it. It addresses just about everything I’ve posted on in the last few days. Take 6 minutes and 42 seconds to watch this.

Technorati Tags: poor, needy, social+justice

Out of Ur has an interesting article entitled AIDS Activism Makes Strange Bedfellows.

I found the article interesting and well thought out. What I found disturbing is some of the comments and the overall response to Rick Warren inviting the “unholy” to the prayer breakfast. One of the commenters said that her concern was that Christians might just read the headlines that Obama was at Warren’s prayer breakfast and think Obama is ok to vote for, thus our country will get handed over to “democrats and liberals”.

Another commenter said that, and I quote, “Jesus did not die on the cross so we could help those less fortunate. He died on the cross to save us from our sins.” Wow.

When we dissect the Gospel down to a ticket to heaven, or the rule of Republicans in office, we are really missing the point.

Technorati Tags: Barack+Obama, Rick+Warren, AIDS, World+AIDS+Day, Out+Of+UR

Thanks to John for pointing out Mike Todd’s blog. Mike is seeking 1000 people to give $10.00 by December 31st to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

The Stephen Lewis Foundation funds community-based initiatives in Africa. Our funding works in four areas:

* to provide care at the community level to women who are ill and struggling to survive, so that their lives can be free from pain, humiliation and indignity;
* to assist orphans and other AIDS-affected children in every possible way, from the payment of school fees to the provision of food;
* to support the unsung heroes of Africa, the grandmothers, who bury their own children and care for their orphan grandchildren;
* to support associations of people living with HIV/AIDS - courageous men and women who have openly declared their status - so that they can educate themselves and share information with their broader communities on prevention, treatment, care and the elimination of stigma.

So, post this on your blog, give 10 bucks, make this your “one thing” for today.

Technorati Tags: Stephen+Lewis+Foundation, World Aids Day, Aids, Africa, poverty