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

Wouldn’t it be ironic if Western Christians were more excited about what God did through William Wilberforce to fight slavery in 1807 than about what God wants to do through us to fight slavery in 2007?

Read more from Gary Haugen….

Abot 5:10 There are four sorts of people. ` He who says, “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours” —this is the average sort. `And some say, “This is the sort of Sodom.” ` “What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine”—this is a boor. ` “What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is yours”—this is a truly pious man. ` “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine”—this is a truly wicked man.

The ancient Jewish sages, in the above quote from the Mishna, state that the run of the mill individual has the mindset of “what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours.” They also liken this attitude to the Sodomites.

There are two words in the OT that are frequently translated righteous or righteousness. One is ‘tzedek’, the other, ‘yashar”. The word translated righteous in the above verse is tzedek. Tzedek (Hebrew: צדקה) in Judaism, is the Hebrew term most commonly translated as “charity”, though it is based on a root meaning “justice”. The word charity in Hebrew, ‘tzedakah’ comes from the root word ‘tzedek’ or justice.

Allow me to take a moment to compare the definitions of just/justice to righteous/righteousness in English before comparing the words tzedek and yashar in Hebrew.

Righteous:
1. Morally upright; without guilt or sin: a righteous parishioner.
2. In accordance with virtue or morality: a righteous judgment.
3. Morally justifiable: righteous anger. See Synonyms at moral.

Just:
1. guided by truth, reason, justice, and fairness: We hope to be just in our understanding of such difficult situations.
2. done or made according to principle; equitable; proper: a just reply.
3. based on right; rightful; lawful: a just claim.
4. in keeping with truth or fact; true; correct: a just analysis.

Yashar
1. upright
2. straight
3. right
4. upright behavior

Tzedek
1. justice
2. equity, balance
3. to have a just cause

So often, when Christians throw around the term righteousness, we are referring to being morally upright, when often, scripture is talking about justice and fairness to others. ‘Tzedek’ is more than legal justice. Perhaps ‘tzedek’ is the practical attempt to return things to a better balance in which power is restored to those who do not have any because of the imbalances that human activity inevitably produces. Perhaps righteousness includes just and proper social order to the helpless, the poor, the oppressed, the widow, the orphan, the resident alien, in legal procedures, in worship, all effected by God’s “Tzedek-Tzedekah” (justice and charity).

Lord, may we pursue tzedek, and not be led astray. Amen.

Matt 10:22
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved

Mark 13:13
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Luke 6:22
Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

Luke 21:17
All men will hate you because of me.

These 4 verses are thrown around in the US Christian culture a lot. It’s a “badge of courage”. The problem is that Jesus was not only talking to His disciples, many of whom were martyred, but also, across the ages to Christians in places like China, Sudan, and the Middle East. I do not think that Jesus was talking to us, here and now, to give us an excuse to be careless and unkind. If my basic understanding of the Scriptures is correct, those who were persecuting Jesus, and then the church, were the religious system and the empire of Rome. Persecution came as a result of challenging the Pharisees. Persecution came because Jesus challenged the empire that oppressed and abused those who were weak. I do not see evidence that persecution came because Jesus hated first.

“All men will hate you because of me.” How we love this statement. We love it because, if we can say it’s true, it somehow proves that we are genuine followers of Jesus. We love it because, if we can say it’s true, it puts us in good company. We love it because, if we can say it’s true, we will grow spiritually through the persecution. The problem is that most people that throw this statement around are taking it out of context and using it to be insufferably arrogant and cruel.

Think about the times you have heard one of the above Scriptures used. What was the context?

· People will hate you because they don’t like their sinfulness being exposed.
· People will hate you because they look pretty good until contrasted with true righteousness.
· People will hate you because you don’t laugh at their dirty jokes.
· People will hate you because you believe in 6-day creation.
· People will hate you because you picket at abortion clinics.
· People will hate you because you call homosexuality an abomination.

AMEN, Brother! REJOICE in the persecution!!! Now, perhaps the above examples are the far leaning “right” kinds of examples. However, I recall a conversation recently with a friend. This friend is not what I would call a fundamentalist. I was talking to him about Rob Bell, and how I love the fact that Rob focuses on the redemption of the world and Jesus’ love, the fact that Rob doesn’t use all the “churchy” language like “substitutionary atonement”. My friend replied, “It doesn’t matter how we talk, or if we change our approach to presenting the Gospel, because the world hates us.” It doesn’t matter. Really? It doesn’t matter…because all men will hate us. Then what are we doing? What’s the point? No wonder we all just sit around waiting to get to heaven. There’s no point doing anything in this world, because all men will hate us, anyway.

Isn’t this just a tired old excuse to be judgmental and hateful? Or an excuse to not have to examine the way we’ve been doing things in the Church? Or an excuse to stay locked within the church walls fraternizing with all the other Christians that the world hates? Could it be that when Jesus said the world will hate us, he meant that they will hate us because we are breaking the dominions, empires and structures of this world that oppress? That we are truly setting captives free, not just from their own sin, but also from the sins of others? That we are setting people free from religious institutions that keep people from the freedom that Jesus promised? Could that be what he meant?

Jesus challenged the power hierarchies. He challenged the hierarchies of kingdom, religious structures, wealth and social status. When Jesus said the world will hate you because of me, could it be that we would be hated because we;

· Love everyone, not just those we call our “brothers and sisters”.
· Invite the lame, poor, maimed and blind to our parties.
· Do not continue to amass wealth within an unjust system.
· Proclaim that in the Kingdom of God there are no slaves or masters, no men or women, no teachers or students.
· Challenge the systems that tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders.
· Have fellowship with outcasts, thus rejecting the views of those who demand separateness from an unclean world.

Could that be what Jesus meant?

Oh boy. Here it comes. Another rant. I’ve just been full of them lately. It all started like this…

I was reading Molly’s many posts on women, patriarchy, male rule, and her ongoing recovery. Molly is absolutely brilliant and I encourage you to take the time to read her well thought out posts on these matters. Then, I hopped over to another favorite blog, that spoke about an article that highlighted “Purity Balls”.

I read the article with interest, but got a little creeped out towards the end of the article,

When Lauren Wilson hit adolescence, her father gave her a purity ring and a charm necklace with a tiny lock and key. Randy Wilson took the key, which he will hand over to her husband on their wedding day.

So, dad will keep the key to her locket, until Lauren’s future husband shows up. What strikes me is that we pretend that the key from the locket is the key to Lauren’s heart. But it’s not, is it? It’s the key to her mental and emotional chastity belt. Please don’t misunderstand me. I have 3 daugters and my hope, desire, and prayer is that they do not have sex until they are married. But I find it a bit sick to have a dad hold this key, and then “hand it over” to her husband, as though Lauren is simply a possession to be controlled. I don’t really have a problem with a “purity ring” or a “purity pledge”, but the “purity locket” just reeks of male domination over female sexuality. We wonder why we have so many women in the church that are hung up over sex.
NEWSFLASH

From a “purity locket” website:

It is important to properly set up the evening when you will present your daughter with the locket. Start by explaining the “covenant” part of the equation. Begin with, “Sue, thank you for this evening. It is one we both will always treasure. I want to commemorate this day and our covenant with this.” Then open the jewelry box and let the gold do the talking for just a moment. Then say, “This locket is handmade from precious metal - just the way God made you. This locket and what it stands for is the sentinel of your heart. (READ:vagina) Here’s why: from this day forward you will wear this locket as often as you wish. It will send the statement that you are waiting for your husband. It is more than that though, Sue. It has a lock on it. It can only be opened with this key. I will guard the key until your wedding. On that day, I will present the key to my little girl’s heart to your husband. He will take the key and open the locket, the only one ever to do so.”

Now, I want to be fair, so I will include this part of the website.

DO’s AND Don’ts
# Do let your daughter know this is not a setup process to “ostracize” her if she slips up sometime in her life.
# Do let her know how unconditional love applies from both you and God throughout her life - both now and always.
# Do let her know that all decisions have consequences and the past is irrevocable.

“We love you. Unconditionally. But remember, if you screw up, it is irrevocable.” Excuse me, but WHAT THE HELL????

As I was doing an internet search on purity lockets, I somehow came across another website that sells a line of dolls with the following vision.

The Beautiful Girlhood Collection aspires, by the grace of God, to encourage the rebuilding of a culture of virtuous womanhood. In a world that frowns on femininity, that minimizes motherhood, and that belittles the beauty of being a true woman of God, we dare to believe that the biblical vision for girlhood is a glorious vision. It is, in fact — a beautiful vision. It is a vision for purity and contentment, for faith and fortitude, for enthusiasm and industry, for heritage and home, and for joy and friendship. It is a vision so bright and so wonderful that it must be boldly proclaimed. We are here to proclaim it.

Note that purity and contentment are the first things that are listed. Way at the bottom of the list, we have joy and perhaps if you behave, your husband may let you have a friend or two. One of the dolls sold on this website is called “The Liberty Doll” —HA!

When a girl plays with a doll, she is preparing to be a mommy someday. Her first role model is her own mother, and her first opportunity at role-playing is with her dolls. With this in mind, we are pleased to offer the Liberty doll for your girls to cherish for years to come and then pass onto a future daughter.

Again, please understand me. I am NOT opposed to motherhood! Being a mother to my 3 daughters has been one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done. I value and cherish the fact that I was able to stay home with them. In fact, we made many sacrifices so that I could be a stay at home mom. I believe that being a mother is one of the most empowering things that we do, as women. BUT–this whole idea, purity lockets, teaching girls that the most important thing is that they are pure, content and industrious at home….it’s wrong. We are missing the point. I want to teach my daughters that they are STRONG, EMPOWERED FOLLOWERS OF JESUS. That THEY can change the world. That God intends for them to play a role in the REDEMPTION of the world, and that the role goes beyond learning to stay pure and bake cookies (though purity and cookies are great concepts).

Perhaps if we taught our girls to be strong, empowered women, we wouldn’t have as much of the game playing and posturing that we find among so many women in the church. Molly has a facinating post entitled: Matthew Henry on Women. Please take the time to read the whole thing, but I want to steal a bit of it here.

Matthew Henry, on Genesis 3, states:

Though perfect in her kind, yet we may suppose her inferior to Adam in knowledge, and strength, and presence of mind…. Observe here how mercy is mixed with wrath in this sentence. The woman shall have sorrow, but it shall be in bringing forth children, and the sorrow shall be forgotten for joy that a child is born, Jn. 16:21. She shall be subject, but it shall be to her own husband that loves her, not to a stranger, or an enemy: the sentence was not a curse, to bring her to ruin, but a chastisement, to bring her to repentance.

To which, Molly states:

Repentance? See, this really confuses me, because it appears that female subjection is never taken away, so bringing her into repentance does…what? Repentance so that she might live meekly under a curse that is never lifted? I’m not sure I understand. With Fatherly discipline, one would see repentance and the discipline would be lifted. But, it would seem to these theologians (again, if I’m understanding them correctly), the punishment of Eve never ends. The best one can do is to bear it patiently with meekness, for being born female is to be born under a special sentance that the Cross could not fully atone for.

BRILLIANT. Just brilliant. A special sentence that the Cross can not fully atone for. We teach our daughters that women are under a curse that the cross did not/will not atone for.

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

Just read about “The Truth Isn’t Sexy” on “Tall Skinny Kiwi”

Looks good, but not sure what it’s about or who these people are. If you are concerned about human trafficking, check out International Justice Mission I have two friends that have served in India for this organization. They are the real deal. If you are interested in making a dent in human trafficking, IJM is doing it. In Africa, The Middle East, Aisa, India…

IJM’s Four-Fold Purpose

* Victim Relief - Relieve the victim of the abuse currently being committed.
* Perpetrator Accountability - Bring accountability and just consequences under the law to the specific perpetrator(s) of abuse.
* Structural Prevention - Prevent the abuse from being committed against others who are also at risk by strengthening community factors that are likely to deter potential oppressors, reduce the vulnerability of at-risk populations and empower local authorities to stop such abuses.
* Victim Aftercare - Provide access to services to help victims transition to their new lives and to encourage long-term success.